Daughter Of Dusk And Dawn

87.

And there was was pain. Nanlalabo ang mga mata ko. But I felt his presence. Someone was with me. 

"Adelaine," he said. I could feel him gently tapping me. "Ayos ka lang ba?"

I am not, I wanted to say. Ungol lang ang naging sagot ko. I swallowed, and it was as though there were needles down my throat. 

Nilukob ako nang pambihirang kirot. Para bang hinihila ang bawat bahagi ng katawan ko sa bawat direksyon, na tila ba nagkandabali-bali ang mga buto ko. But that was not right. I had been.... mended. 

Shad'han. 

Arianne. Siya ang nakita ko kagabi habang nakikipaglaban ako sa kuko ng kamatayan. She came, placed the bones in my body back to where they were supposed to be, and breathed life back into my lungs. I was dying, and then she came and then I was not. 

I had been saved.

But now I feel like dying. Again. O mas malala pa? Hindi ko na mapagtanto. All I know was that there was fire, and I am burning. 

"Sandali lang, babalik ako." Narinig kong dagdag ng presensya. The voice then became familiar. Nagawa kong ibukas nang bahagya ang mga mata ko. It was his back that I saw, but I knew who exactly it was. From the confident stride to the redness of his hair. 

A friend. Keiv. I felt at ease. 

I tried to blink. He disappeared with the close of the door. My vision blurred again. I tried to draw a sharp of breath, another stab of pain.  

It felt like I am dying over and over, yet not quite at the same time. 

I could feel the bed beneath me. Its warmth. Its softness. But I could not lull myself to sleep. 

I heard the door open once again. Footsteps. And then he was beside me again. "Here," saad ni Keiv. "I had this brewed. This might... help." He said, but uncertain. He pulled me up, his hand supporting my back. 

"Inumin mo 'to," he instructed. I tried to open my mouth. The mouth of the glass was cold against my lips. I could smell its herbal content. Keiv tilted the glass slightly and the bitter liquid went down my throat. 

"Just a little more," he said. 

There was a burning sensation as I took every gulp. I did not care; I downed the liquid to its last drop. 

A sharp draw of breath. And then I fell back to the bed. I could feel my eyes getting heavy. The pain... easing now. Sinubukan kong ibukas ang mga mata ko, ibukas ang mga bibig ko upang magpasalamat. I didn't have the strength anymore. 

The pain ebbed, and then it was gone. 

And there was darkness. I drowned.

I fell asleep at once. 

***

Again, I was at peace. It was like I was falling. Nahuhulog ako nang nahuhuglog nang walang patutunguhan. Walang babagsakan.

But the rush of wind offered peace. And so, I let myself fall. I closed my eyes and let the wind roar around me. A second. A minute. An eternity. Silence. 

And then it stopped. I was not falling anymore. Ibinukas ko ang aking mga mata. There was a brilliant light. Warm, not blinding. It was... soothing. I could feel it in my face like a mother's touch. It was... caressing. I never knew what a mother's touch is. 

And then my vision cleared. Grass stretched before me, blades of green like an ocean. 

Nakaupo ako, napagtanto ko. Dalisay ang ihip ng hangin. Parang paghampas ng mga alon sa dalamapsigan. Sinasalubong ko ito. Iniihip ng hangin ang mga hibla  ng buhok ko. I used my fingers and combed through the threads. They were soft, healthy. Iyon ang naging palatandaan ko. The peace. The sweet air. The warmth. Pamilyar ang lugar na ito. Minsan na akong naparito.