War Goddess

Chapter 26

[26]

Dianhell

Oblivion. Of course. Iyon lang ang solusyon para maubos ang mga kalaban. Alangang magpasabog ka ng daan-daang nuclear bombs o pagalawin ko ang lahat ng tectonic plates. Edi tegi na lahat ng tao.

"How are they supposed to do that?" tanong ni Khian makalipas ang ilang segundo na tahimik kami.

"I don't know," Xiella answered. "But if my guess is right, Lyra can change time for Spade for them to disappear and Ate Dianhell can bring back everything that was destroyed in the war. Hindi lang iyon ang kaya nilang gawin. There are so many possible solutions for this but all of it should result to us winning this war."

Napaisip naman ako sa kapangyarihan ni Lyra. "If she can move the time, kayang-kaya niyang ibalik sa dati ang mundo kasabay ng pagkawala ng Spade."

Umiling si Xiella. "Arril said she can't. She said Lyra's just a kid like me. Hindi niya kayang baguhin ang buong mundo sa paraan na may hindi madadamay na inosente. You can. That's why she needs your help."

"I've been waiting for you."

Naalala ko ang sinabi ni Lyra kanina sa dagat. If she can get in my mind, why now? Is it because her power is limited? Katulad noong bata din ako. Ang kwarto ko lang ang napapagalaw ko. Baka si Lyra ay napapagalaw lang ang oras sa paligid niya.

Like me, she's scared of her own powers.

Wait.

"A kid?" tanong ko na ikinalingon nila. "Lyra is a kid? Hindi ba dapat magka-edad kami or something since magkakilala sila ni Arril?"

Si Hyatt ang sumagot. "Maybe she's trapped in her own powers. If she can't control it, posibleng nanatili siya sa panahon kung kailan niya ginamit ang kapangyarihan niya."

Trapped.

All of us go on in life except her. I wonder how that felt. Ang mapag-iwanan ng panahon. Ang mapag-isa nang walang makakausap. Walang makakaintindi.

I would've remembered my childhood like that but it's long gone. Ni hindi ko na halos maalala na naging miserable ang buhay ko nang mawala sina daddy.

And it was because of one guy who led me out of my own darkness. That one guy who became the light of my life. If Lyra didn't have a person like that, I don't know how she lived all these years.

"I just remembered that Arril was born here. An orphan like Lyra. They met each other at the orphanage." sabi ni Xiella. "If the witch is right, I'm guessing that they're in the same age."

Napatango ako. So that kid should've been six decades old now. And the orphanage would be—

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko at agad humarap sa likuran namin. Visible pa rin ang lighthouse pero wasak na ang gilid nito at napapalibutan ng tubig. Why the hell did I forget about that creepy shit?

"Dian, what's wrong?"

"There was…" Napalunok ako at dahan-dahang humakbang papunta sa pinanggalingan ko kanina.

"That's a dead end, Ate Dian. That part leads to the seawall. They closed down the way to the lighthouse since it's abandoned. And the water goes up a few meters from the past years."

Hindi ko siya pinakinggan at nagpatuloy ako. Malapit dito ang pwesto kung saan ko narating ang lugar na iyon. Tinatagan ko na ngayon ang loob at inunat ang kamay ko sa parteng iyon. Doon ay biglang nawala ang kamay ko. Binawi ko agad at nakita ko ulit ito nang walang anumang pagbabago sa katawan.

"Time warp." bulalas ko. I thought this only happens in movies! Pinagpatuloy ko ang paglakad at saglit na nilingon ang mga kasama ko. "Come on, guys!"