Ibong Adarna Games Of The Faction Rings

Chapter Eight

Ryker and Ryder... 'The Terrible Two'... No they're not twins, they're sneaky best friends. Since the fifth day of training, they weren't so nice anymore.

I would be as good as dead if they saw us up here. Their climbing skills are unbelievable.

I slowly move to the side. I make a little noise. Oh no.

"Hey! Ryker! A bird!" Ryder shrieked. "Don't be a fool Ryker, it's Zed!" Ryker looks at me. "Hi Zed!" I whisper in Azi's ear. "Azi! Wake up!" Azi yawns and says loudly, "Zed, what in the--" I cover her mouth to silence her. She gets the message and stays quiet. Ryker yells, "Hey! Who you with?!" Ryder answers, "It's that Zuri girl!" Ryker throws a knife that nearly hits Azi's ear. Azi screams, pulls the knife off the tree and immediately throws it back. "RYKER!" Ryder exclaimed as Ryker fell to the ground. Canon. Johnny Ryker is dead. "Zie! Let--"

What used to be Ryker's knife hit Azi's abdomen. Zie fell off the tree and landed on a bush. "AZI!!!" I climbed down. "Javis Ryder's gone." I told Zie. Zie shook her head and pointed somewhere.

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Azi's POV

I looked back and both grabbed each other by the neck. I managed to get the knife out of my abdomen and throw it. Canon. Javis Ryder has fallen.

"Thank you Azi… Thank you..." "Sure Zed, anytime..." We both remembered that I was losing a lot of blood. "Azuril!" he rushed to me and tried to stop me from bleeding. I can hear him whisper, "Don't die... please don't leave me alone... I need you..." "Zed," I say, "I won't leave you..." He closes his eyes. I then whisper, "Yet..."

. . .

"Morning!" Zed tells me with a smile. "Morning dearest..." I greet, smiling back. "Morning impeccably marvelous darling!" he exclaims. "Morning perfectly lovely enchanting--" I stop and shake my head. "I said too much... you're too much for me..." He smiles. "I don't know if that's a compliment but I'll take it as one." An awkward silence comes between us. "How do you feel?" he suddenly asks me, staring at the bandage on my abdomen. I sigh. "Sad because I wasn't be able to protect you and happy because we're alive." He embraces me. "Aww... We're going to be alright... don't worry..." I lie down as Zed says, helping me up a tree, "I'll get the food. If you need me, just shout. Okay?" I nod as he walks away with his sword.

. . .

"Hey..." Zed greets, climbing up to sit beside me. "Hey..." I say, leaning on him. "How are you?" he asks. "I'm fine." I answer. "Really?" His dark brown eyes look into my now deep purple eyes. "Y-y-no, I mean y-yeah..." I stutter, looking closely at him. Zed gives me a puzzled look and says, "I'm confused." At times, he's so mature, but in moments like this, he's so innocent. And he doesn't have his glasses; the stylists had his eyes lasered so he doesn't have anymore problem running or hunting. "Are you okay?" he asks, laying a hand on my abdomen, sending a weird feeling through my body. I sigh. "I don't know..." "At least you're not sick." "Yeah..." "Hey look!" he whispers as I see the seemingly depressed Armand Wesley carelessly walking through the woods. Oh, right, he lost Aria. Poor guy, he really loved Aria. Suddenly some short, chubby, dark-skinned guy kills him with a rock. Zed's eyes widened. I gasp, "That bas--" Zed covers my mouth and stops me from saying anything negative. I calm myself down and throw a knife, despite the pain I feel doing so. Two canons. I smile. "That showed him! Whoever he is..." Zed frowns. "That's Rocky Basada. You see, my mom was Candor. She had a good friend there, her name was Leslie. Rocky's the child of Miss Leslie." I gasp again, "Oh Zed! I'm so sorry I didn't mean to--" "No. It's fine." he says, angrily, pursing his lips and leaving the tree. "Zed!" I cried, climbing down in pain. "Zed, please don't leave! I'm so sorry! Zed please--" "I'm okay! Okay?!" he shouted, continuing to walk away. With my left hand placed on my abdomen as I walk, I continuously call Zed. Further and further we go. "Zed please... don't leave me..." I beg. Still, he ignores me. In between pants, I say, "Zed... I'm really sorry... for... killing... your mother's... friend's son... sorry..." He just glares at me.  "You know what? Nevermind, don't forgive me. I'll just do whatever you want, whatever you say, when you say... I don't care if it involves spilling my deepest, darkest secrets. I don't care if it involves losing my self-esteem. I don't care if it involves my health. I can expose all my deepest, darkest secrets for you. I can destroy my reputation for you. I can bleed to death and lose this game... for you..." He stood there, shocked. "You'd do all that, for me?" "Yes Zed, yes I would." I answered with utmost confidence. "Why?" he asked. "I... I... I feel really bad and really sorry." I answered. He then asked, "So just because you feel really bad and really sorry, you'd sacrifice yourself and let me have a higher chance of winning?" I stare at the ground and sigh. "Yes." "I see." he whispers, purses his lips, walks to me and holds my shoulders. "Azi, you're young, beautiful, and wonderful. You have a bright future ahead of you. Don't waste it on someone like me." I smile and say in between some sighs and some moans and groans of pain, "Zed, you too, are young. You are an angel; someone with impeccably breathtaking looks, an enhanced mind of brilliance, and most importantly, a pure heart... A pure heart... is something not many people possess, something I do not possess; but since you do, I plan on giving you a higher chance of using it more in the future." Zed purses his lips again, not knowing what to say. He sighs. "As Maysilee Donner had said once before, We'd live longer with the two of us." I laughed but immediately stopped to cry in pain. "Oh my... you're bleeding!" Zed exclaimed, carried me and went back. Now he was the one apologizing repeatedly.