Unknotting Fate

CHAPTER 28: Ko is Happy

"Congratulations!" a man wearing a navy uniform said. Ko had no idea who this person was, but he must be important, given his decorated epaulets. He thanked him with his perfected fake smile.

Exhausted from polite small talks, pictures, autographs, and interviews, Ko tried to escape the party, but it was useless.

The party was thrown in his honor; therefore, everyone's eyeballs were glued to him. This achievement would have overjoyed his former self, but his present self just wanted to die.

The only silver lining was that his family was not invited to the party. The family tried to get invited by appeasing Ko with gifts and money. They had been calling and texting him nonstop about making amends. Ko blocked their numbers, something Ko should have done years ago.

The family was desperate to join the party because it was held at the Royal Palace Ballroom, and top officials worldwide were invited to celebrate Ko Resurreccion, the newest God Slayer.

 One week had passed since Aurora cut the thread. Ko tried calling Kana for four days straight but never picked up. Eventually, Ko decided to respect Kana's wishes. What could he do? Kana did not want to be with him anymore. He thought that he needed to wave the white flag and surrender. He just hoped Aurora's action would make Ko stop loving him immediately.

Luckily, his days got busier. He was bombarded with interviews, press conferences, and meetings with top officials and fans. His calendar was so complete that he could barely walk sometimes.

All smiles, hanging out with fans, joking with the press, anyone looking from the outside would say he was happy, but deep down, he was numb. The busy schedule anchored Ko not to drown in the abyss. Ko kept telling himself his feelings for him would fade in time.

The party guests wanted to talk to Ko so relentlessly that some got into altercations. Luckily, the party ended since everyone needed to prepare for the main event happening at 7 pm tonight—Ko's ceremonial blessing.

Thousands had camped on Apo road for two nights to witness the Empress bless the new God Slayer and enjoy live performances from top bands nationwide. Tickets were sold worldwide, and it sold out in 1 hour.

Everyone headed to their hotel to dress up for tonight's main event. Feeling relieved that it was almost over, Ko quickly returned to his room inside the palace.

 One of the many perks of becoming a God Slayer was to live in the castle. His new room would make a frugal person question their life choices. But none of it mattered to Ko.

Once inside his room, he immediately jumped on his bed—finally, silence. Of course, it did not last long as his thoughts intruded on his smidge of peace. Anxiety and dread filled the room at once.

5:00 pm, the clock read. Ko sighed. He better start getting ready, he thought. While taking off his clothes, he spotted a letter on the window sill.

Ko knew he had locked the doors, and the royal staff assured him no one had an extra key to his room.

He picked it up and checked the back. His heart stopped. A letter from Kana. He opened hastily.

Dear Ko,

If you hated me before, you must hate me all the more now. Hurting you was never my intention. I've been in love with you since I was fourteen years old. I never expected anything in return. All I cared about was for you to be happy.

But ever since that fateful morning we discovered we were soulmates, I became greedy. For the first time, I wanted something from you. I wanted you to want me back.

It was the reason I did not tell you immediately that I knew how to reach Heaven. It was why I sometimes lied about needing more rest time before teleporting again. I wanted to make our travel as slow as possible without you noticing it. It was the reason I seduced you. The reason I slept with you.

It took the Chuka-Chuka demons to see that I had stopped thinking about what you needed. Instead, I only thought about my desires. Perhaps those cave demons showed me lies, but the nightmare reminded me to think about your well-being.

How can I expect you to be happy with everything you need to give up to be with me? I realized that my desire for you blinded me.

I learned letting you go was the best thing I could do for you. So, I hope this letter finds you free of me. I hope you find new love that can stand by your side, out in public, and give you all the things I can't. I hope this letter finds you happy. 

Always, Kana

Ko finished reading the letter. He folded it, placed it back in the envelope, and immediately laughed. He cackled so hard he fell on the floor, arms wrapped around his aching stomach as tears fell on his burning cheeks. After a good minute, he wiped off the tears, snot, and saliva all over his face and neck.

Gods, he is such an idiot. He is super intelligent, but when it comes to me, he is dumb. He is such a dumb dumb.

He took a deep breath and quickly put on some old jeans, a creased black shirt, white sneakers, a gray jacket, and the slayer watch.

Ko tossed the suit and tie gift on the floor. He won't be attending the celebration tonight.

He placed the letter in his back pocket, opened the window, and hopped on the sill.

He was very high up. Beneath him were roofs and towers. Ko could hear loud music from people singing and screaming from Apo Road. None of that mattered. Ko knew precisely what he needed to do. He needed to keep trying and wait patiently for Kana to be ready. What he shouldn't have done was give up. Ko regretted that he did not put up more of a fight to show Kana just how much he loved him.

He was about to jump out of the window but got distracted by someone entering the room. Ko's blood simmer. It was Vin Albay.