Immortal City

Chapter 37

Chapter 37
Deteriorate

"How's the competition so far?" tanong ni Teacher Sparks. Nasa loob na kami ngayon ng office ni Sir Takano at mukhang wala dito ang aming principal. Nanguna si TS papunta sa Illusion Room. The first door from the right side of the hall, that's where our base is located.

"It's a mess," I answer. "But we'll win."

Lumingon si Teacher Sparks sa akin at ngumisi. "I like your confidence."

She proceeds to open the door to our base and we step inside. It's pitch black, but when TS snapped her fingers the room lights up in an instant, turning everything white. Matagal na rin mula nang huling punta ko dito pero hanggang ngayon ay namamangha pa rin ako sa sobrang laki nito.

Maybe its vastness is also an illusion.

"Do you agree with what I've done, TS?" I think about the competition, about my decisions. Minsan na ring lumaban si Teacher Sparks sa Di Com. Maybe she knows how I feel.

Seryoso akong hinarap ni Teacher Sparks at tinignan sa mga mata. "Don't doubt your decision," she says firmly. "The moment you doubt yourself, you'll start to lose your way."

Unti-unting nagbago ang interior ng Illusion Room. Kung kanina ay puro puti lang ang makikita, ngayon ay nagiging metal ang paligid. In front of us, a cylindrical compartment rises from the ground.

"You made your decision, Celestine," TS says. "It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong. What you need to focus on is to make sure not to regret it."

The compartment opens and my adviser steps inside. I follow suit. I think we're inside an elevator. At mukhang tama ako dahil ramdam ko ang pagbaba namin. We were quiet for a moment, but then I decide to start with my questions. "Did you know that Mitsuru Aoki is the current head of the Administration?"

Nakita kong ngumiti si Teacher Sparks. Pero hindi ko maipaliwanag kung masaya ba 'yon, sarcastic, malungkot o ano. Diretso lang ang tingin niya sa harapan namin at hindi ako nilingon. "Yes," sagot niya.

"But why?"

This time she looks at me. "Why what?"

"Why is he the head? More like, paano nangyari 'yon? Wasn't he one of Immortal City's twelve before?"

Sunod sunod ang mga katanungan ko. Kung pwede lang ay itinanong ko na lahat ng bumabagabag sa akin para hindi na ako maguluhan. Pero alam ko na hindi naman masasagot ng taong kasama ko ang lahat ng gusto kong malaman.

There are some answers she doesn't know, some she cannot give, some she will not tell.

Huminga ng malalim si TS. "Yes, he was. Ako, si Takano, your homeroom teacher who goes by the name Venice West back then, we we're all students of Immortal City before."

Venice West?

Oh.

Venice W. Yajima.

Wait, our homeroom teacher got married?! Wala sa itsura ni Miss Y na may asawa na siya. Or maybe it's due to a different reason.

"I was once like you," tahimik na sabi ni Teacher Sparks.

I can tell she's reminiscing her days as a student. Her eyes has this sparkle of admiration, one that is slowly diminishing in time.

"When we got chosen, all we wanted was to bring glory to Immortal City. Hindi namin inakala na mahirap pala talaga ang competition. Our friendship was tested but we thrived. Nameless Organization back then... It was all I had. We were together for three years. Victorious for three years. Until the tragedy happened. Ako, si Takano, si Venice, si Mitsuru—kami nalang ang natira."