✔ Dreamcaster

Capitulum 49

Hindi alam ni Cornelia kung gaano katagal na siyang nakatulala habang yakap-yakap ang bangkay ng binata. She felt her entire body go numb, even though her tears cease to stop from blurring her vision and staining his already blood-soaked clothes. 

'D-Dave...bakit mo 'to ginawa?'

It all happened in a split second.

A split second that could've determined another outcome, a different ending to this madness.

Durog ang puso ni Cornelia. Nanghihina na ang kanyang katawan, pero hindi niya pa rin binibitiwan ang Dreamcaster. In that split second, she knew he snapped out it and chose to stab himself instead. Pero hindi pa rin maalis sa isip ni Cornelia na hindi niya dapat ginawa 'yon. He should've just ended her. Dave knew he had a more important role to play, so why the hell did he save her?

'Why Dave? Why...?'

She eyed at the bloodied knife. Mukhang hindi pa rin ito bumabalik sa pagiging buhangin kahit na patay na ang kumukontrol sa disyerto.

Footsteps.

Cornelia didn't need to turn around to know who approached her.

"As much as I don't care about you humans, I would discourage you from romanticizing that scene from Romeo and Juliet. Walang mabuting maidudulot kung pareho kayong mamamatay nang dahil sa pag-ibig. You'll just look stupid and dramatic."

That irked her even more.

Isang matalim na tingin ang binato ni Cornelia sa demi-god na kaswal lang na nakatayo sa kanilang gilid. Hawak-hawak nito ang kanyang hourglass na ubos na ang buhangin. Tapos na ang laban. Wala nang oras.

Nabigo sila.

At this point, Cornelia was too heartbroken to even care.

"Kasama ba sa plano mo 'to?! The Dreamcaster is dead, you devil! Patay na si Dave, sana masaya ka na!"

But to her surprise, Morpheus just stared at her calmly. "Dave is tied to his work and the title he received since his mentor retired. He was the master of the sand, in all realms and realities. Nakabigkis na ito sa kanya."

Hindi alam ni Cornelia kung saan patungo ang usapang ito.

Morpheus sensed her confusion and raised his hourglass a bit higher, rotating it until she saw letters engraved on one side.

A name.

"Dave."

Tumango ang diyos. "Ang binibilang ng hourglass na ito ay hindi ang katapusan ng buong Waking World, kung hindi ang buhay ng isang Dreamcaster. The sand was always in tuned with the time of Dave's death. It was inevitable, you see."

What the actual fuck?

"Kung ganoon, alam mong mamamatay siya? W-What kind of sick game is this?!"

But before she could get a response, doon na napansin ni Cornelia na tila ba gumagalaw ang buhangin sa ilalim nila. Kumunot ang kanyang noo. Paano nangyayari ito? Si Dave lang ang may kapangyarihang kumontrol sa buhangin. The sand only obeys its master, so why...

"May paraan para buhayin muli si Dave, hija."

Cornelia froze upon hearing the familiar voice. Unti-unti niyang sinundan nang tingin ang buhangin, kung saan ito patungo. She watched the black sand shift slowly towards the man that emerged from the shadows of fragmented dreams. Walang nagbago sa hitsura nito. White beard and wrinkled face. Gamit pa rin nito ang lumang balabal na tumatakip sa kalahati ng kanyang mukha.

"I-Ikaw yung ermitanyong nakatira sa ilalim ng bangin!"

The old man stopped just a few feet away from them. Ngumiti ito sa kanya. "Mabuti naman at natatandaan mo pa ako, hija. For a moment, I thought I needed to reintroduce myself with a more familiar name."