ROYAL BLOOD

Power. Fire. Water. Wind.
Life--- something far more dangerous.

Everyone craves power.
Everyone wants to command the flames, drown the fire with water, bend the winds, or defy death itself.
Lahat sila... gusto maging makapangyarihan.

Pero hindi kami.
Hindi ako.

The power they worship is the same power we fear. Being different is not a gift--- it's a burden that never leaves your chest. A reminder that you don't belong. And I know that. I've always known that.

May mali.
Sa mundo na 'to.
Sa akin.

I can feel it in the way people stare at me, in the way the air shifts around my skin. This place--- this normal life--- was never meant for me. The problem... is me.

And then it happened.

They came.

Nagpakilala sila--- mga estrangherong hindi ko inaasahang makikilala ko. Mga kagaya namin. The moment I saw them, something inside me snapped into place. Parang matagal na kaming magkakakilala. As if invisible cords were pulling us together, tightening... binding.

Pero mas lalo akong kinilabutan nang dalhin nila kami sa isang lugar.

Isang paaralan.

A place hidden from the world--- too quiet, too ancient, too alive.

And then I saw the name written in gold, glowing faintly like it was breathing:

ROYAL BLOOD: POWER CAN SAVE YOU FROM DEATH.

What the hell?

My heart hammered as I stepped inside. The air felt heavier. My skin prickled. Every instinct screamed that the truth was waiting for me here--- whether I wanted it or not.

I looked around, swallowed, and whispered to myself:

"Is this... really where I belong?"