Arik, the Traitor of Khron

Untitled Part 43

"ANO 'YONG... a-autism?" tanong ni Arik.

"'Yong kondisyon ni Maiya. Hindi ko alam kung bakit may gano'n. Basta, wala silang paki sa paligid, may sariling mundo. Kung minsan, may talent—sobrang galing mag-drawing, magsaulo, may Math genius. Kaya pala mahaba ang pasensiya ni Miss Glenda," tugon ni Tarcila.

Pauwi pa lang sila dahil pagkatapos ng photo shoot, inanyayahan sila ni Miss Glenda na mag-dinner. Tuwang-tuwa ang photographer sa reaction ni Maiya kay Arik. And Arik obviously did not want to part with the child.

"Hindi ko lang alam kung ano ang tawag n'yo sa gano'n sa Krohn."

Napamata si Arik sa kanya, nagtataka. Ginagap niya ang kamay nito. "Habang kandong mo si Maiya, Ginoogle ko ang CERN, lahat ng tungkol sa Hadron Collider, binasa ko at babasahin ko pa. I'll do everything to help you go back, Arik. Sorry kung sarili ko lang ang inisip ko, kaya hindi ko naisip na napakabigat siguro ng dahilan at gustong-gusto mong makabalik sa planeta mo. Hindi ko talaga naisip 'yon." Ang naiisip lang ni Tarcila, ang mga rosas na bumubukadkad, kaparis ng kanyang puso na biglang bumukas sa posibilidad ng kaligayahan.

At kapag pala bukas na ang puso, hindi na maisasara. Dahil itinapon mo na ang susi. Her heart became an open door. Maaari siyang magpapasok, pero hindi na niya maikakandado dahil kasinghalaga ng pagpapatuloy ang pagpapalaya.

"Ano'ng pangalan niya, Arik?" tanong niya.

"Azha." Pinisil nito ang kamay niya. "She's our child... anak namin ni Arkaina."

"'Yong Orakulo?"

Tumango si Arik. "When it became apparent that Azha was different, people started talking, spreading rumors... stories. Azha was a cursed child. It didn't help that Krohn was in turmoil. Our crops and animals were dying. Sickness was spreading like wildfire. The people were afraid... we're all afraid.

"Brak said, when he was in my head, Krohn was facing an extinction. Wala kaming magagawa. Wala akong magagawa. It will happen. Krohn was shifting. The north will eventually become the south. Nangyayari daw iyon sa lahat ng planeta.

"Hindi ako naniwala. Brak was talking about science... technology... breakthroughs... I could not believe in something I did not know. Like the rest of Krohn, pinili kong maniwala kay Arkaina. Kahit nang sabihin niyang—" Napahinga nang malalim si Arik. "Nang sabihin niyang... kailangan naming isuko si Azha kay Heraklus."

"P-paanong isuko?"

"Azha had to die. Siya ang dahilan ng lahat ng kaguluhan. Azha was everything to me. I loved her more than anything. Pero naniwala rin ako kay Arkaina."

"Oh, my God... Paano—"

"It didn't matter who stabbed her. I killed her. I let Arkaina kill my child."

"H-how could she do that?" And Tarcila thought of her own baby. She cringed and shivered.

"Azha was my first born. She would be my successor. Kaya nilason ni Arkaina ang isip ng mga tao. It didn't help Azha that she was born different. The people believed Arkaina. And she only wanted the throne. Once she got rid of Azha, she'll get rid of me next. But I could not let my Azha die. I betrayed my throne. I was arrested."

Ikinulong daw si Arik sa dungeon para bitayin sa pagsikat ng araw. Kinilabutan si Tarcila nang sabihin ni Arik kung ano ang parusa rito.

It was Brak who helped Arik escape.

"He just appeared in front of me," wika pa ni Arik. "And broke the wall. We were pursued. Brak just flew us out of there and brought me to a cliff. Because he was intent on leaving Krohn. He kept saying he needed to get back to his place and time. He could have brought me to a higher place, doon sa hindi ako basta-basta masusundan. Doon sa puwede akong magtago at makabuo ng panibagong puwersa laban kay Arkaina.

"But no, your stupid crush just wanted to get back here. He said that cliff was the exact place where the magnetic pull would be strongest and it will not happen again in that lifetime. He had no time. My pursuers were getting close. I had no choice but to jump with him."

Kaya naman pala siya bad trip kay Brak.

"Bakit kailangan 'yong magnetic pull?" tanong niya.

"Who knows? Siya lang ang nakakaintindi ng mga sinasabi niya. He said there was a door to another world, he—we could slip out from there. I just jumped and got sucked into something. I felt I died but I came to and I was this guy Bok and felt that what happened to him happened to me as well. That bitch Chloe shot him and pushed his body off the cliff."

"Bakit?" So, iyon pala ang nangyari kay Bok.

"I—I mean, Bok, was in the process of hauling her sorry ass to jail. She was with a drug syndicate, partner to a Taiwanese drug lord. I mistakenly told Chloe, in a fit of anger that I'll go to the authorities."

"Teka—ano ba si Bok?"

"I—just love to play poker but I was just as happy dealing cards in the casino where Chloe was a regular. She liked me a lot. We became... ahm... lovers. We lived together. I didn't know she was drugging me." Lahat daw pala ng kainin at inumin ni Bok ay may droga. Hindi agad nito na-realize dahil laging masaya ang pakiramdam.

Pero hindi lubusang nawala ang nurse training. Eventually, nadiskubre ni Bok ang ginagawa ni Chloe. But it took many, many tries before he finally succeeded in not coming back to Chloe for his fix.

So Chloe had to set him up to get him back.

Oh, Bok. Oh, Arik.

"Ano ang nangyari kay Chloe no'ng magkaharap kayo, Arik?" Medyo kabado si Tarcila.

"I threw her off the cliff. And his minions. Suit them well," anito, walang remorse. "And her jeep, too," dagdag pa nito.

Ganoon lang? Ganoon na nga, base sa itsura ng elyen.

"H-hindi ko lang maintindihan, Arik. How can you not separate yourself from Bok?"

"I became him and he became me. We were each other's lifeline. Our consciousness just merged. His thoughts were mine. Mine were his. We became a single entity, sharing everything."

Then Arik's memory came back completely. Lahat ng emosyon na kaakibat niyon, iyon na rin ang naramdaman ni Bok.

At patuloy na nararamdaman.

It was not that Arik could not remember loving her. The love just could not overcome the anger and pain.

"A-ano'ng mangyayari kay Bok kapag umalis ka, Arik?"

"Hindi ko alam."