The Love Hunter

Chapter 2

The Goddess' Gift

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Napahiga ako sa kama ko, exhausted from the day's ceremony, pero hindi ko maalis ang ngiti sa mukha ko. Sobrang cool ng powers ko! Mind-reading, telekinesis, future sight... 

Ano kaya ang sunod kong gagawin? All the possibilities danced in my head. It was only the start, and I was already excited about how I could use these abilities to, well... let's just say, make life more interesting.

Pumikit na ako, ready to fall asleep, pero bigla akong nahulog. As in, literal na parang nahuhulog ako sa isang malalim na bangin.

"Wait—!"

Before I could scream, I landed softly on something warm. My eyes snapped open to find myself in a strange place. Parang nasa gitna ako ng ulap, everything soft and glowing with this beautiful pink light. And in front of me—ohmygod. A woman, radiating elegance and beauty, stood with a smirk on her face.

"Welcome, Elara," she said, her voice smooth like silk.

"I mean Lyra," I corrected, though naguguluhan pa ako. 

"Sino ka?"

She chuckled, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "You may call me the Goddess of Love."

I froze, staring at her. Goddess of... what now? "Wait, wait. Ikaw yung nagpadala sa akin dito?"

"Indeed," she answered, tilting her head slightly. "Your wish was heard—an innocent desire, born out of exhaustion and despair. You wished to experience love, to be surrounded by handsome men, and to have powers to bend situations to your will. So... here you are."

I blinked, slowly processing her words. "Oh my god, totoo pala 'yun?" I muttered under my breath. Then louder, "Wait lang, is this a joke? Reincarnated ako with... lahat ng hiningi ko?"

The Goddess smiled. "It is no joke, child. I granted you a second chance, but of course, everything comes with a price."

"Price?!" I almost jumped back, eyes widening. "Ano na naman 'tong catch na 'to?"

She laughed softly, her form shimmering slightly as she took a step closer. "Not a bad price. I want to see how you handle this new life. You wished to experience love, to 'collect' as many handsome men as you please. Well, I will allow it. But there's more to love than simply manipulating people to fall for you. Your powers are strong, yes, but they will not be enough."

I crossed my arms, frowning at her. "Eh, paano 'to, may mission pa ako ngayon? What if I just enjoy this new life and live my best life?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Your powers come with the responsibility of making genuine connections. You will learn, eventually, that love is not something you can fully control."

"Ano daw?" I raised my hand, looking at her in disbelief. Genuine connections? She did grant me these powers to manipulate, right?

The Goddess laughed again, amused by my reaction. "We shall see how you handle it, Lyra. I will be watching."

"Parang reality show ba 'to ganon?" I muttered sarcastically, but she didn't respond. Instead, she smiled knowingly and waved her hand, the pink mist around us starting to swirl.

"You wanted love. I gave you the tools. But remember, love comes in many forms. Use your powers wisely."

Before I could reply, the mist thickened, wrapping around me like a soft blanket. Everything started to blur, her voice fading into the background.

Nagising ako bigla, sitting up in bed, breathing heavily. Whoa, what the hell was that? My heart was pounding, and the room felt too quiet compared to that dream—or vision—whatever it was. 

The Goddess of Love?

I looked around, half-expecting her to appear in the corner of my room, pero wala. It was just me, in my room, the early morning light streaming through the curtains.

"Love? Genuine connections?" I scoffed. No thanks. 

Pwede ba, I just wanna have fun with my new life? Genuine connections sounded too complicated. Ang dami nang stress sa dati kong buhay, kailangan ko pa ba mag-effort sa love?

No. I shook my head. I'm going to enjoy this life the way I want. And if that means using my powers to have fun and collect handsome men, then so be it.

Smiling to myself, I stretched my arms. Today marked the first official day of my new life as Lyra, the girl with psychic abilities. And with these powers, I could do anything.

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to be continued......

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