God's Rise | WOTG #2

Forty-Nine

C A D E

I OPENED MY EYES and snatched myself free out of an awful dream I had only to close them once again. The luminous light above almost burned my sight. I opened them, this time more gently, and let my eyes adjust to the blinding light.

I sat-up but my body told me otherwise. Every muscle, bone, and joint screamed at me to lie on my back and rest until I die.

It wasn't a bad dream after all. 

There was a bed on my left and someone was lying above it. Her hair was a splash of fire on her head. Wires and tubes were attached to her arms and temples from a piece of medical machinery beside her bed. Ezerina. I remembered what happened back at Fort Dagohoy. The way her skin glowed and the way the air turned hostile and bit our skin. We weren't sure whether she still had control over her abilities or her abilities had control over her. She wasn't responding when we called her name. Her palm remained firm against the ground and for a moment we thought she would split the base into two, leaving a wide gnawing crack in the middle.

"You okay?" a voice said behind me. I turned around and saw it was Kato sitting on a made bed on my right. He wore a standard-issued gray long-sleeved jumpsuit that hugged his figure.

"Yeah," sagot ko. "Just a little bit sore."

"Kumusta naman 'yong tama mo?"

Doon ko lang naalala na may sugat nga pala ako sa balikat. Hindi ko kasi naramdaman kanina pagkagising ko. Inalis ko ang kumot at tinitigan ang balikat ko na kasalukuyang may gauze pad. Wala nang dugo at hindi ko na rin ramdam ang kirot. "They did a good job. Ikaw ba?"

He scoffed. "'Wag mo kong alalahanin. Nakapagpahinga naman na ako."

Napatingin ulit ako kay Ezerina. "Ano namang sabi nila sa kaniya?"

"Hindi ko alam lahat ng detalye pero ang sabi nila kailangan niya lang ding magpahinga at hintayin na lang magising," sagot niya. "She's fine."

"You saw it, too, right?" I said, referring to Ezerina's loss of control, and for a moment, he didn't answer. The silence stretched between us.

"Yes."

"Ano sa tingin mong ibig sabihin no'n?"

"Hindi ko rin alam," sagot niya. "You can ask Deo about it. He has files that he stole to answer it."

And speaking of the devil, the sliding doors opened with a hiss and spat Deo. 

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

"Iwan ko na kayo d'yan," sabi ni Kato. "Bea needs my help." Lumabas na siya at naiwan kaming tatlo.

"Sabihin mo sa akin kung anong nangyari," sabi niya at napatingin nang sandali sa walang may na Ezerina. Napatingin din ako sa kaniya.

Huminga muna ako nang malalim bago ikinuwento lahat sa kaniya. Kung paano nawalan na lang ng kontrol si Ezerina sa kaniyang ability. Sinabi ko rin sa kaniya na parang nagglow ang balat ni Ezerina at ang hangin. Pakiramdam naming dalawa ni Kato ay may tumatagas ang kakayahan niya sa buong paligid at unti-unti namin 'yong naramdaman.

"Hindi maganda 'to," sabi niya at tumalikod sa akin at naglakad-lakad.

"Anong ibig mong sabihin?"

"Binasa ko lahat ng articles sa files na nakuha sa database ng kapatid ko at may nakita ako tungkol sa paggamit nang sobra sa kakayahan," panimula niya. "Power corrupts especially those untended ones. When one does not know the capabilities of his ability it is most likely to be corrupted and eat the wielder instead. Sa madaling salita, kakainin ka nang abilidad mo kung hindi mo ito kontrolado."