STYGIAN | completed

80

ASTRIA (2020)

"Hahhh!" I gasped as I escaped that dream. Habol ang hininga ko ngayon habang hawak-hawak ang dibdib.

"A-astria!" Sir Agandro exclaimed. "Did it work?"

I looked at him but I refused to answer his question. There's still one thing that lingers on my mind right now, and I want to get an answer for that.

"In any case, do you know..." I gulped. "Astrid Del Fierro?"

Natigilan siya. He looked stunned. "A-astrid? How did you know her?"

So kilala niya nga? Gustung-gusto kong malaman kung sino ang Astrid na iyon at anong posibleng kinalaman ko sa kanya at kina Stygian. She looks so much like me, at hindi ko maaaring palagpasin na lamang iyon.

"She.." I trailed. "Uhhh... I met her in my dream. Siya ang nakausap ko imbes na si Stygian o kung sino man. At nagtataka po ako, why her? What does she have to do with me?"

He blinked twice, maybe still processing what I said. It looks like what I said really shocked him. Does it mean Astrid Del Fierro isn't just a someone?

He cleared his throat and fixed his spectacles before looking on my direction. His piercing eyes are really something you should fear of but I have gained enough courage to stare back at him. "She is your great grandmother."

"W-what?" I said shocked.

He nodded. "The mother of your grandmother, Astrid Del Fierro. You might not know her because of time, but she is the Astrid that I know. Young, bold and strong, that's how I always thought of her. But do you know how I met her?"

He asked me that made me more confused. My mind was dazzled with all the information I am discovering this day. Ang una ay ang katotohanan na gumamit si Sir Agandro ng isang device para buhayin muli si Stygian gamit iyong makinang iyon. Sunod ay ang makina kung saan ko makikilala sa panaginip ko ang sinuman na galing sa unang panahon. And then this? Na 'yung nakilala ko sa panaginip ko is actually my great grandmother, who, coincidentally, is also related to Stygian and Jose Agandro? What a small world? Could this get even smaller? I bet not.

I just stared at him because I don't feel like answering the question. It feels like a rhetorical to me so I just let him continue. "You probably don't know. Noong una ko siyang nakita, naawa agad ako sa kalagayan niya. I was only seven years old that time and she might be even younger than me. Nakita ko siya sa loob ng isang kulungan, habang ang puting bistida niya ay may mga bahid ng dugo."

I gasped. "K-kulungan?"

He nodded, "Yes iha. Kulungan. Imagine a young little girl inside a cage full of bruises and wounds all over her body, being hopeless as time pass by because of... b-because of..." He clenched his fist and looked away from me. Pakiramdam ko habang nagkukuwento siya, naungkat ang isang pinakamasalimuot na parte ng buhay niya.

My eyes didn't escaped the teardrop that fell on his left eye. Pinalis niya rin ito kaagad gamit ang likod ng kamay. "S-sorry... Hindi ko lang kase talaga matanggap na ang mga magulang ko ang may pakana ng lahat ng iyon. I-i..." He trailed . "I... trusted them. I believed on them, pero hindi ko akalaing kaya nilang gawin ang lahat ng iyon."

He cleared his throat then looked at me again. "So I did the right thing. I helped her escape."

So that's why sabi ni Astrid poprotektahan niya rin si Stygian at Agandro sa panahon nila dahil may utang na loob siya sa mga ito? So is it really right that I talked to her para masagip si Stygian? It had already crossed my mind that Stygian might have been killed between 1941 and 1942 because of the invasion of Japanese people that time. Kabi-kabilang pagsabog ang nangyari sa Pilipinas gaya ng nakasaad sa mga history books. Because I can't save Stygian by myself, I can entrust it to someone, right? And I chose Astrid, who happens to be my great grandmother, to be my proxy to save Stygian.

Tama nga ba ang desisyon ko? O pagsisisihan ko ito sa huli? I hope not.

Sir Agandro tapped his table continuously so I looked at his direction. "Any more questions?" he asked me.

"None p—"

He cut me off. "You don't have any more questions, kaya ako naman ang magtatanong sa'yo." He sat on his swivel chair and placed his intertwined hands on top of the desk. His aura screams formality. Kaagad akong napaayos ng upo dahil doon, kahit na sa tingin ko maayos naman ang upo ko kanina. Nanlamig bigla ako sa position niya, kahit hindi naman talaga ganoon kalakas ang air conditioning dito. I guess kahit sinong tao, naiintimidate kay Sir Agandro?

"Now," he started. "Mind telling me how did you know Stygian?"

Napalunok ako. Hindi ko alam ang isasagot ko. But since I'm here in front of Sir Agandro— Stygian's bestfriend —there's no point on denying anymore, right?

I inhaled deeply then started telling him how I met Stygian. Mula sa pagkatanggap ko ng text sa isang unknown stranger. Sa pagpapakilala niya sa akin. Sa pagkakausap namin ni Jose— who also happens to be Sir Agandro. Hanggang sa nangyayari ngayon, minus the improvement of our relationship. Nakakahiya na kung sasabihin ko pa pati iyon.

"Oh," he exclaimed. "So you're the Astria, that Stygian always tells me?"

I blushed but I still nodded shyly.

"I never thought I would meet you, this time," he paused. "being Aegan's bestfriend."

May kung anong diin ang pagkasabi niya sa huling parirala. 'being Stygian's bestfriend'. May kung ano doon na nagpakaba sa akin. Does that mean something? Anong kinalaman naman ng pagiging bestfriend ko kay Aegan kung si Stygian ang pinag-uusapan namin? Hmmm, siguro wala. Maybe, I'm just ovethinking. Or maybe not.

"Last question," he stated. "what did you say to Astrid?"

"Uhmmm..." I readied my voice to explain my side. "Sinabi ko po na bantayan niya si Stygian and save him from the enemies."

"You what?!" pagalit niyang tanong.

"A-ano po?" nauutal kong ani.

"What did you just say? You asked Astrid to save Stygian?!" Iba na ang tono ng pananalita niya kaya napapaisip ako kung anong mali sa ginawa ko. Wala naman 'di ba? In fact, dapat niya pa ngang ipagpasalamat iyon dahil maaaring mailigtas ni Astrid si Stygian sa kapahamakan.

"O-opo..."

"What the— Bullshit!" He started tossing things palayo sa desk niya so I got startled for a bit saka napatayo mula sa kinauupan ko. Nagpupuyos siya sa galit ngayon sa hindi ko malaman na dahilan, pero mabuti na lang at hindi niya ibinubunton sa akin ang galit niya.

"B-bakit po? I-is there something wrong with what I've done po?" I bravely asked.

He looked at me with those raging eyes. Bloodshot with anger. "Seriously, you're asking me that?! I thought you're smart but I think I thought of you w-wrongly."

Bahagyang napatigil siya sa pagsabi ng huling salita saka sinapo ang dibdib. Oh shit. Is he having an attack right now? Kaagad namang bumukas ang pintuan at dinaluhan siya ng dalawang lalaking nakaputi, probably his nurses. Pinakalma siya ng mga ito, pero hindi siya makalma.

"What you did would ruin everything!" he shouted at me. "What happened in the past should stay like that! Dahil may binago ka, everything would change! Hindi mo ba narerealize ang maaaring mangyari? Because of that stupid act that you did, maaaring magulo ang lahat. It will be a domino effect! Kapag ginulo mo ang past, magugulo ang present at future, no matter how small is that!"

Shit. Is it really my fault? Tears started to cloud up my eyes. I didn't know. Hindi ko alam na maaaring mangyari ang lahat ng iyon. All I ever want is to save Stygian, no matter what the consequences are. Ni hindi ko man lang inisip ang maaaring madulot ng mga ginawa ko. Ginulo ko ang buhok ko sa sobrang frustration. Medyo kumalma na naman na si Sir Agandro pero matalim pa rin ang titig niya sa akin.

"G-get out of here..." mariin niyang sabi.

Hindi na ako nag-atubili pang tumakbo palabas ng kuwartong iyon habang ang mga mata ko ay lumuluha na. I can't see clearly. Pinalis ko iyon ngunit tuluy-tuloy na dumadaloy pa rin ang mga iyon.

Bagaman, nagdirediretso pa rin ako sa pagtakbo until I bumped onto something— no, scratch that— someone.

"S-sorry—" I looked up to his face and what I was saying was halted when I realized who it was.

"A-aegan..."