The Song of Teardrops (Van Doren Series #3)

Chapter Thirty-seven

Ask

King Lavislous remained inside the cave to study the stars while Naeil and I stayed outside. Ang sabi ng Hari ay maaaring ay mga bakas ng dalawang nilalang na pumunta sa ibang mundo. His sister's and my Devisee. He said maybe those two stars signify their deaths in this world. Pero hindi ko magawang paniwalaan iyon.

Sa tingin ko hindi nagmula sa kanilang dalawa iyon. Sa tingin ko may iba pang rason kung bakit naroroon ang mga bituin.

They're not just stars. But the kind of stars that had never shined for decades. When Astraea removed the power of the stars in her death, not a single star should have stayed alive to form bonds. Pero ang dalawang iyon na nasa loob ng kweba... Nanatili silang nabubuhay.

Paano nangyari ito?

"Stars that glow red..." I whispered unknowingly. I've always been curious about it. Hindi ako makapaniwalang may dalawang nabubuhay na bituin pa pala... At kasalukuyang nakatago ang mga iyon sa kwebang pinagtaguan ko noon. I'm certain those two weren't there before.

"Thalia,"

Napabuntong-hininga ako nang marinig ang pamilyar na boses. He found me. Naeil found me. I separated with him when we went outside because I wanted to be alone. Gusto kong mapag-isa dahil nagugulahan ako sa nangyari sa loob kweba. What happened made me feel like I've missed something all this time.

"Mother of stars... I thought you got lost in this realm. Bakit ka biglang nawala nalang?" tanong niya sa likuran ko.

I stared at myself in the clear water below me. This was one of my favorite places in the forest. The pond. But even the pond is now strange. The water here was never clear.

"Gusto kong mapag-isa," sagot ko sa kanya. "At hindi ako maliligaw sa lugar na ito..."

I heard his heavy sigh before his footsteps went nearer. "And this place, maybe not. But if you do in sight, I might never found you again. I won't be able to return you back to Axiom if that happens. That could only mean I lost you in this realm," kalmadong paliwanag niya. "Hindi ko gustong may nawawala sa paningin ko kapag naglalakbay... Not even my brother. I don't like loosing someone in realms, so please don't do this again. I'm not asking too much."

I nodded. "I understand. But I too, can enter realms, Naeil..." Tumingin ako sa kanya at bahagyang ngumiti. "Wala kang dapat ipag-alala kapag mawala man ako."

"You can move through realms? How's that possible?" He asked, astounded. He slowly sat beside me and stared at himself on the water as well.

"I told you... You will see me as an enemy if you knew."

"If my father's getting rid of you today, then there's nothing for me to be concerned about." He firmly said.  "I'm already a part of... whatever this is, Thalia. You woke me from my sleep. You brought me in the realm of dreams. You summoned me to take you here... I think I have the right to know why."

Tumama ang mga mata namin sa isa't isa.

He's right. He is already a part of this. Nakita niya ang kweba. Nakita niya ako at natuklasan niya ang ginawa ng ama niya... At nagkita rin kami sa mundo ng kadiliman. He found me there. He saw I didn't completely died. He saw my rebirth.

"I'm..."

Napalunok ako. I'm sure his father is going to tell him everything after all of this is done. Pero mas mabuti ng manggaling mismo sa akin. At first, I wanted Laurent to know. I wanted to tell him about the Devisees. Among all of the remaining Van Dorens, I was hoping he could help just like King Cassius. But his mind was too strong to enter.

And now Naeil... Perhaps he's the only Van Doren I could speak to without defying me first.

"I'm... a goddess." I finally said and breathed in. Pinagmasdan ko ang mukha niya. Nanatiling kalmado lang siya at tahimik, tila hinihintay pa ang susunod na mga sasabihin ko.