Arik, the Traitor of Khron

Untitled Part 37

"WHAT did you do?!" sigaw ni Brak kay Arik. "Blue? Blue?" Kinalog ni Brak ang babae.

"Ikaw ang susi, Brak. You have to take me back to Krohn. Now."

"You're nuts. And whoa! You have powers here? Must be their weaker magnetic field."

"Take me back to Krohn," muling utos ni Arik. "I can't kill you but I can kill her." Itinuro niya si Blueberry.

"Do that and you're dead, Arik." Seryoso ang mga mata ni Brak.

Nagkibit siya ng mga balikat. "Got nothing more to lose."

"What about—her?" Itinuro naman ni Brak si Tarcila.

"What about her?"

"She's your female. She should be important. Don't you like it here? It's the same as Krohn, only a bit polluted. But... really, Arik? Ano ang babalikan mo sa Krohn? Bibitayin ka nila doon. Just stay here... with your female."

"She—She's not important. Kailangan kong bumalik sa Krohn. Take me there now!"

Umiling si Brak. "Not as simple as you think. We would need that huge Hadron Collider. And that's in Switzerland."

"Take me there."

"I can, but I can't make that Collider run. I don't know when they will run the test. They will duplicate the Big Bang and if you took time to study this planet, you know what I'm talking about. But obviously, as in Krohn, you just did what you want, Arik. Kaya ka naloko ni Arkaina. Mayabang ka. Makasarili. Sa 'yo lang umiikot ang mundo mo. Wala kang pakialam sa kapwa mo."

"Hindi totoo 'yan!"

"You're a mighty warrior, the conqueror of all that was Krohn—"

"I unified my entire planet!" Sinakop ni Arik ang mga lupain upang ang buong Krohn ay maging isa na lamang, hindi kanya-kanya. Iisa ang paniniwala. Para wala nang digmaan.

"'Yon ang gusto mo. Hindi mo inisip kung gusto ba iyon ng kapwa mo. Mas mahalaga ang kalayaan. Kalayaang mag-isip at gawin ang mga bagay na gusto nila. May kalayaan silang magsalita, magreklamo, mag-aklas. Maganda ang hangarin mo, pero sinakal mo sila."

"Just take me back," giit ni Arik.

"Kung mapapatay mo ba si Arkaina, maibabalik mo ang buhay ng anak mo?"

Hindi nakapagsalita si Arik. Nanginig ang kanyang katawan.

"Nangyari na ang nangyari," patuloy pa ni Brak. "In that place and time, you can't change anything anymore."

"Bakit mo ako tinulungan? Bakit hindi mo na lang ako hinayaang bitayin?"

"I was in your head. I saw everything, Arik. You don't deserve what she did to you... to your daughter. I don't know, bro. Maybe I wanted to give you a chance."

"A chance."

"To forgive yourself."

Walang kapatawaran ang ginawa ni Arik. Dugo lamang ni Arkaina ang makakapagpahupa sa apoy ng galit sa kanyang dibdib. Kapag nangyari na iyon, doon lamang niya yayakapin ang kamatayan.

"Hindi ako ang susi, brod," wika ni Brak.