The Revolution (Phase I): Dawn of the Endgame

[10]

YURI HAS BEEN sitting in his class for almost an hour and a half, but the words coming from his professor's mind only go past his ears. Tumingin siya sa kanyang kamay at nakita ang panginginig ng mga ito. Magnus told him of things he didn't expect this morning. Yuri wanted him to tell things he wanted to hear but exceeded those.

"People see things the way society wants them to see things, even if it goes against their embedded nature and principles," Magnus told him. "It limits someone's principle from applying it to reality. But society needs to see that all moral principles don't always end with upright consequences."

There were chills in Yuri's spine when he heard it. It excites him of things about to happen, yet can't avoid getting this tense feeling. Was it fear? Yuri thought. Is he glad with what he hears from him? "Why only now? Why not before?" Yuri asked him. "Did her death make you see beyond things?"

"Her death didn't. It just proved that I'm right," Magnus replied. Yuri stared at him, still couldn't process the fact that he was hearing these things from him. He never spoke to anyone about his opinions or anything. It's the first time Yuri has heard him speak his mind.

"What will you do now?" Yuri asked. "Hindi ba aksidente ang nangyari?"

"The death of Katherine wasn't only Diaz's cause. There are people around this campus that have parts in her death."

"What . . ? Wait . . . wait, who?" Yuri asked. Magnus just told the story of how Diaz raped the poor girl, which caused her death, how the attorney was murdered by him⁠—something Yuri couldn't still comprehend, and now another story is about to arise.

"The rumors about the rings."

"Rings? The secret organization?" he said his words in a ridicule way.

The councilor took a ring out of his pocket. Nangunot muna ang noo ni Yuri bago mapagtanto kung anong nais ipahiwatig ng singsing. "They're real!?" Yuri asked, trying to supressed his voice so people won't hear him. "I mean . . . how⁠—where did you get this!?"

"Diaz gave it to me before he died, saying these people are real," Magnus replied. Yuri tried to look for any emotion of guilt or repentance for committing something beyond belief, but nothing. Is this the real him? he thought. The chills still haven't left him. "Using it as evidence to prove this organization is real."

Yuri shook away the thoughts about the councilor, and focused himself on the current matter. "Professor Diaz was part of the organization," he said, connecting the dots. "But why had he given the ring? Unless . . . the other members of the organization . . . decided to turn their back on him. And he's only doing the exact same thing that happened to him, by trying to expose those people in the organization."

Yuri continued: "Why do you think they'd turn their back against Diaz? He's an influential man. They could still use him."

"I don't know."

Both went silent for a while. Until Yuri asked: "You want to hunt these people?"

"People born with a corrupt mind will always be corrupted by their selfishness. There's no such thing as a changed man or woman. There's only oneself from life to death. And it's easier to cut young grass in a field rather than when they're old," Magnus said.

"And you want my help?" Yuri asked. Magnus nodded once, staring at him with blank eyes. "But why? Anong ambag ko? Galing ako sa mahirap na pamilya. Hindi ako mayaman. Wala akong koneksyon dito sa unibersidad na 'to."

Magnus stared at him for a while. He said: "The fraternity can't see it. I wouldn't waste my time listening to you if the things you say are nothing. You're with sense and are more than what you think. The only thing that's keeping you from wanting to be at the top is your class. I came from a higher class of society, and I shouldn't have the face to say this, but ambition is for everyone."