JaydenEros
Sabi nila, ang pag-ibig ay may iba't ibang mukha.
Minsan, ito 'yung marahang simoy ng hangin sa umaga- payapa, sigurado, at hindi humihingi ng kapalit. Minsan, isa itong awitin na kabisado mo ang bawat nota, o isang kanlungan kung saan malaya kang magpahinga nang walang takot na husgahan. They romanticize love as poetry, an anchor, a quiet kind of grace that heals every broken edge you carry. It is praised as the purest thing human hands could ever hold.
Pero hindi ganoon ang pag-ibig sa pagitan nina Red at Treant.
Sa kanila, ang pag-ibig ay hindi kanlungan; isa itong sunog.
Para kay Red, ang pagmamahal ay tulad ng gamu-gamo sa dilim-isang bulag na debosyon patungo sa liwanag, kahit alam niyang ang bawat paglapit ay dahan-dahang tumutupok sa sarili niyang mga pakpak. It was loving someone in secret through silent chords and careful smiles, only to be met with disgust the moment the truth was dragged into daylight.
At para naman kay Treant, ang pag-ibig ay isang karapatang hindi niya kailanman binayaran. It was a selfish warmth he demanded whenever he was shivering, only to push it away in contempt the moment he felt whole again. A hollow kind of worship that craved the safety of devotion, but feared the reality of the boy offering it.
They say love is meant to save you.
For Red and Treant, it was merely an art of burning-hanggang sa abo na lang ang matira sa pagitan nilang dalawa.