The Grand Game of That Who Plays With Power

I stumbled back, almost tripping over the weapon rack behind. My eyebrows furrowed at the woman in front of me, her dark shade of blue eyes reminding of someone I shouldn't have. But I calmed myself down, shaking my head as if erasing a sudden memory which sparked another batch of regrets and anger. There's no point in acting those emotions, I know. There is nothing more that I can do now but make sure I would no longer lose.

I scoffed seeing her smirk, straightening myself up as I snapped my knuckles. The room was spacious, wide enough that it could probably fill a hundred people all at once. The crystal glass ceiling above the only thing serving as the light from a setting sun, leaving some corners of the room darker. I watch her place her arms behind her head, taking things easy despite the soreness of her muscles. She would always complain after our daily sessions no matter how much she tries to act all unbothered.

I walked towards her at a calm pace, closing and opening mg fists in preparation. She tilted her head, waiting for my movements. That was until I grew impatient and dashed right over, her stance returning to normal as she approached my punch with a kick. I simply jumped, turning myself mid-air above her as I used her shoulders as a leverage to land safely. She turned around hastily, blocking my punch by catching my right fist. I instead used my right elbow, shifting it to the side.

She caught my elbow with another hand, leaving her open. It didn't take a second for me to hit her stomach, taking a step back. That may have seemed like a few minutes already, but in actuality, our movements were too fast that all of that only took around three seconds. Her smirk did not falter though, mapaglaro siyang klaseng tao at wala siyang sineseryoso. Hindi na nakakapagtaka kung bakit ang bilis naming intindihin ang isa't isa.

She rolled her body forward, tumbling on the solid floor as she attempted to hit me with her feet. I blocked the first with my arms tightened before my face as I stepped back, only for her to attached her to spin through the air and land her feet on my shoulder. The sudden attack brought me to my knees, but our exchanges did not stop there. I slid my leg forward, sweeping her from below. It made her jump back and as she did, I strode to her direction while openly offering a straight jab.

She blocked my punches easily by slapping my arms away, taking a step back whenever I try to raise my leg to kick and we were once more stuck in an almost endless barrages of attacks. The ground split beneath our boots, our heavy panting even ringing throughout the whole room, our footsteps reverberating. I punched the ground and all of the sudden, the solid floor broke apart, rocks rising over the air around us due to the strength used to cause the impact.

I leaped through the huge boulders of rocks, at isa-isa silang sinipa papunta sa direksyon niya. With one snap though, given her ability to create something out of nothing, the incoming rocks became daggers as they traveled back to me. Hindi mahirap umilag kahit gaano man sila kabilis, that was until she kept weapons of different kind kept coming at me. I avoided them all with ease, only that they return back to hit me again and again.

"Way to push me over the edge this time."

Tumigil ako sa pagtakbo, pero bago pa man ako tamaan ng mga nagsisiliparang weapons ay nagpakawala ako ng masamang enerhiya na agad bumalot sa buong lugar na siyang rason kung bakit unti-unting nabasag ang mga weapons. Ramdam ko din ang pagbiyak ng semento sa paligid, pati narin ang tunog ng nababasag na salamin sa itaas--hanggang sa may isang piraso ng salamin na nahulog sa unahan ko, kitang-kita ko dito ang repleksyon ng itim kong mga mata.

Nagkatinginan kami ng ilang segundo bago ko dinala ang sarili ko papunta sa kaniya na sa isang iglap ay nasa itaas na ako nito. Pinaikot ko ang sarili ko sa hangin tsaka sinipa siya mula sa gilid. Nakita kong nagawa niyang itaas ang kaliwa niyang braso at nasangga ang mabilis kong atake pero dahil sa lakas ay napaatras ito sa tabi at tuluyan nang tumama ang likod sa pader.

Nang makababa ako ay sinuntok ko ulit ang lupa hanggang sa tuluyan na talagang gumuho ito. Nawalan siya ng balanse tsaka ko ginamit ang pagkakataon na sumugod. Nainis ako nang tila inasahan niya na ang gagawin ko nang hinablot nito ang kamay ko na hindi manlang nakatingin sa akin at tinapon ako sa unahan nito. Kung hindi ko binalot ng enerhiya ang katawan ko kanina ay tiyak na bali na naman ang mga buto ko nito sa likod.

"Come on, is that all you got, Andrea?"

"Shut up."

Tinaas ko ang dalawa kong paa at sinubukang tamaan siya nito sabay buhat ng sarili ko patayo. Umatras siya pero hindi naman ako tumigil pag-atake. I can literally fight for hours without rest and I'd still be fine in the end. Malalakas ang bawat atake na pinapakawalan namin sa isa't isa sa punto na ang kaninang malinis na area ay puno na ng alikabok at malalaking bato. Ilag lang siya ng ilag pero may mga pagkakataon kung saan natatamaan ko siya at alam kong nasasaktan ito base sa bumabagal na galaw nito.

Hanggang sa pinalabas ko ang isa kong dagger sa kamay at ginamit ang namumuong alikabok para itago ang sarili ko. Mula sa posisyon ko ay makikita ko itong nagmamasid sa paligid, at nang napansin ko siyang humarap sa ibang direksyon ay mabilis akong lumabas sa pinagtataguan ko. I picked up a rock, and the moment she turned to face me, I crushed the hard object on my left with my bare hand and threw the dusts at her face.

Napapikit siya sa gulat nang mapunta sa mata niya ang buhangin at napangisi naman ako dahil walang kahirap-hirap ko siyang naitulak pahiga sa sahig. Nang buksan na nito ang mga bughaw niyang mata, my dagger was already centimeters away from her neck as I straddled her. Nilapit ko pa ang weapon ko nang naramdaman ko siyang gumalaw.

"And this is my two-hundred-thirty-seventh win." I said, smirking in victory.

Gumalaw ang balikat nito paitaas tsaka bumaba. "Compared to my near five hundred? How cute."

"And there's that annoying smirk again."

"As if yours aren't just as annoying."

"Is this some kind of a payback?"

"Payback?"

"You know, my older sister was once a mentor of yours and you are--"

She let out a heartfelt laughter which cut me off. "Oh please, I'm genuinely hoping to beat you up every single time we fight. Not teach you."

"Your family is so weird. Not to mention your cousin, who was once your best friend, sided up with my rival."

"Awee, then aren't I sweet for taking you under my wing?" She continued to giggle.

I glared at her playfulness. "Just concede defeat already."

"Narinig ko mula sa iba na isa kang top student noon sa Magnus." She patted my forehead habang kumunot naman ang noo ko. "It's good to see you're actually using your smartness now. Although it took you years to get used to it."

I scoffed, making my dagger disappear before finally letting myself sit on her stomach. "Whatever, Ka'ela."

"Hey, get off. You're heavy."

"Excuse me?"

"You may pass--"

I flicked her forehead, and she could only glare at me. "Don't even try my patience today."

"Oh? You think you can defeat me with my full strength?"

"Sinasabi mo bang hindi ko kaya?"

"You can. You just get too attached easily for you to deal so much damage. You don't go for a kill, you aim to make your opponents acknowledge you."

"Now you're sounding like your sister."

"We are sisters, after all. But at the end of the day, we're different." Tinaas nito ang isa niyang kamay at pinaglaruan ang dulo ng hibla ng itim kong buhok.

"You're saying that as if you miss her."

"I do. There's not a single day I don't even from the very first moment she left."

"Before Silverrium stabbed her...we could have interrupted in. I didn't want her to die at the hands of someone else! But you were being stupidly stubborn."

Iyana and I had always thrived to become stronger, more powerful than her. We were friends but we were also rivals, we were enemies but we were also companions. We have been through so much together and even if they may seem trivial, walang isang araw na hindi ko siya iniisip kahit limang taon na ang nakalipas. Ayaw kong maniwala na patay na siya, kilala ko ang babaeng iyon. Hindi siya titigil hanggang hindi niya matatapos ang kailangan niyang gawin.

But I also didn't want to put myself in a delusion that she's alive when we've seen firsthand there was no hope for her. May rason kung bakit gusto naming kami mismo ang dapat pumatay sa kaniya but now that all of that's ruined...damn it. That bastard Iyana. I'll make sure I'm going to knock some senses to her for betraying the plans we've made so far. How could she do that? To let her die just like that...when she was the one who proposed this plan in the first place. Siya din mismo ang sumira nito.

"Calm down, will you?"

Naramdaman ko na lamang na may isang kamay na sa gilid ng mukha ko. Napatingin ako kay Ka'ela na halos walang emosyon sa mga mata nitong nakatingin sa akin. There are times I can't help but see someone else in her, and it's annoying.

"I am calm." I said as a matter of fact.

"If I hadn't stopped you back then, sa tingin mo ba talaga makakaya mo ang First at ang Second Candidate? Ngayon ay walang duda na makakaya mo silang tapatan, pero noon ay mamamatay ka lang."

"But you were there!"

"Now you're getting upset. Do you really care about my sister that much?"

"...and you don't?"

"Even when I don't want to, I can't. I will always care for her more than anything else in this world. She cursed my entire existence, Andrea. I can't even feel hatred. All my love...they all belong to her. Do you even know how that feels? To not care about anything or anyone other than her?" Kinuyom nito ang kamao niya at dinirekta sa akin ang masasama nitong titig.

"It's suffocating, unbearable even--but I couldn't hate that feeling no matter how I wish for otherwise. And all of that confusion, it's like being trapped in a void with no escape. It's making me go crazy." She continued.

"If that's the case, why let her die?"

"It took every power of me to hold myself back at that moment. A small part of me wished I could save her like I've always been doing back at the island. But then I thought...if she did die, will I get myself back to normal?"

"Is she still alive then?" I asked, almost enthusiastically, not exactly minding what she just said.

She dropped her hands on both side with a sigh. "A man came to take her after all that, remember? Exodus found out he was another human relic who escaped the World's Organization's clutches."

"It's been five years, Ka'ela. We already know that part."

"What I'm trying to say is, I don't think it's possible for her to live after all that. That Demon King basically ruined her meridians that blocked her ability to absorb energies or even release and she should have been dead the second they stopped working but she was still breathing, which means she was directly using her life force to keep herself somehow alive. But then she was stabbed...do you really think she would just magically stay alive after putting so much strain on her life force even after that damage?"

"Why are you trying so hard to convince yourself she's dead?" Seryoso kong tanong. Her eyes grew wide, pero hindi din ito tumagal nang hinila niya ang buhok ko. "Aw! That hurts!"

"That's what I'm trying to convey."

Kinuha ko ang buhok ko sa kamay niya and glared at her. "And what does that even mean?"

"You two at it again?"

Pareho kaming tumingin sa direksyon kung saan nagmula ang malalim na boses na iyon. Nakita naming nakasandal si Alaric pader habang hindi maganda ang titig na binibigay kay Ka'ela. Hindi ko manlang napansin na nandito na pala siya. We were too caught up in our own world to notice, but the girl beneath me just laughed.

"Is it already time to go?" Nagtataka kong tanong. May pupuntahan kasi kaming dalawa ngayon, but I didn't know it was this soon.

"No. You two are always playing around and in that position too. If you keep it up, others might think something's going on between you."

Tuluyan nang lumakas ang tawa ni Ka'ela. "Why? Jealous?"

I just shook my head with a sigh before getting myself off her. I stood up and dusted myself off before offering her my hand. Kinuha niya naman ito tsaka tumayo narin. Ngumisi ito sa akin nang mapansing masama parin ang tingin na binibigay sa kaniya ni Alaric. I just rolled my eyes and sotly pushed her away when she was leaning closer.

"Stop alarming the guy, Ka'ela."

"You're no fun." Then she eyed Alaric. "Threatened, are we?"

Alaric clenched his fist and was about to walk towards her when I stepped in between the two. "She's just playing around, Al. You know she has the habit of riling people up, and you're apparently the easiest to anger."

Natawa ulit si Ka'ela at lumakad sa gitna ng sira-sirang training ground sabay taas ng dalawang kamay nito. Ramdam ko ang pag-iba bigla ng enerhiya sa hangin habang unti-unting bumabalik sa dati ang lugar. Her ability of creation always amazes me, although it has some drawbacks I wouldn't want myself.

"Relax, Alaric. Even if I want to," she turned her face away from us, her voice then becoming serious. "I can't really feel something you two have for each other."

"Let's leave her be." Sabi ko na lamang sa lalaking kasama ko at nauna nang lumabas.

Nang naglalakad na kami sa hallway ay doon na lang siya magsalita. "She annoys me so damn much."

"She's still the Second End."

"An irritating one." Mabilis niyang sagot. I stopped walking, facing him. "What? Totoo naman--"

Hindi niya na kailangang ituloy pa ang sasabihin niya nang hinila ko ang collar ng suot niyang pulang robe paibaba. Our lips instantly collided with each other, and only then I actually felt him relax. I was about to pull out when Alaric licked my lower lip, a bit abrupt than what I was used to.

It was a provocation I didn't want to ignore so I finally opened lips, tasting the caramel aftertaste of his tongue. It didn't even matter how long have we been exploring each other's now, before I decided to break the trance before he took things further than necessary.

"Now, what's that mission about again?" I asked, panting.

I finally saw him smile. "Just finding a missing relic."

"Ugh! Finally! Your indecency just killed me! Literally."

Alaric's face went blank hearing that loud voice, making me chuckle. He opened his mouth, saying, "...please don't tell me you two are coming."

Alongside the girl he was referring to was Horacis. "If you want us--"

"Yes! We're coming!" Annalyn, the Seventh End, declared by interrupting. "Ilang araw na nung huling misyon namin kaya wala din naman kaming gagawin dito."

"As she says." The Sixth End shrugged with his usual passive expression.

"Oh? So the whole gang's in?" Lahat kami ay napatingin kay Ka'ela sa sinabi niya na nasa likuran ng dalawa.

"Second End..." Horacis muttered, clearly uncomfortable with her presence. He wasn't even trying to hide it.

Wala talaga siyang tiwala sa First at Second Ends, pati si Annalyn ay napansin kong natahimik din at nilayo ang tingin mula kay Ka'ela. Hindi na nakakapagtaka dahil kadalasan ay si Cesz lang talaga sa mga nakakataas ang lumalapit sa amin. Walang tiwala si Horacis dahil para sa kaniya, walang pakealam ang First at Second sa amin. Si Annalyn naman ay natatakot lang talaga lalo na at hindi niya masyadong kilala si Ka'ela.

Habang si Alaric ay naiinis lang talaga siya sa babaeng ito dahil palagi siyang inaasar. Nagsimula lang naman kaming naging malapit ni Ka'ela nung tinulungan niya ako limang taon ang nakaraan. Simula nung araw na iyon ay kung may mga misyon siya, palagi niya na akong sinasama, sa ayaw ko man o gusto. Ako lang naman kasi ang kadalasang gumagawa ng trabaho niya, maliban na lang kung alam niyang delikado para sa akin.

Tinignan ko muna ang iba bago ngumiti sa kaniya. "As you can see, you aren't really welcomed in case you want to come too."

"I'm not, I'm not. Don't worry." She waved her hand in dismissal. "I was the one who was tasked with the mission in the first place, originally. But I was keen on doing something else. Cesz hasn't told you the details yet?"

"We were just about to see him actually." Alaric stated.

"Well, no need for that." She crossed her arms. "The mission is very simple. You get the relic and if you can't, then might as well just destroy it."

"Destroy it? A relic? Are you serious?" Hindi ko makapaniwalang tanong.

"Exodus' objectives had always been against the World's Organization, and they're obsessed with these relics so we destroy it before whatever reason our enemies use it for."

"There are many kinds of relics out there." Horacis said. "What is if it's another human relic?"

"You know the drill. You capture them." She stated in as a matter of fact tone. "The relic Ichor, no one knows what it looks like. But our intel had gotten a disturbance from the energy readings we had archived from ancient times five years ago. These two energy patterns matched perfectly, it may be subtle and almost went unnoticed but it was worth investigating. That's why I've been trying to go around the world for years now in order to find it."

"You mean those missions where you dragged me around for?" I asked incredulously.

"Yup. Unfortunately, as you already know, we always came back empty-handed. But we had the same readings a few hours ago in one of the countries under the rule of the Legion Army, specifically Elydia."

"Elydia? Hasn't the Dragonbornes been attacking that country for years now? Not only that, those people have been colonizing other small countries in the east." Wika ni Alaric.

"Whatever the reason Legion Army and those Dragonbornes may have for being there, they can't possibly know a relic is there. We have to worry about the Coven already on their way there to investigate." I said.

"That cult has already fallen. Legion Army launched a full-scale attack yesterday. I had my doubts they could actually defeat the Coven, but they did anyway."

"Natalo ang Coven? Ni kahit ang organisasyon natin ay nahihirapan sa kanila at ganoon lang sila kadaling natalo ng Legion Army?" Tanong ni Annalyn, halata sa mukha niya ang gulat.

"I know it's surprising. I even heard only Iyana Klein's Vanguards were there dealing with all of the Coven. The rest of their branches have fallen weeks before prior to their yesterday's Headquarters' downfall.''

"Maybe they were building up victory by destroying their branches one by one before going after Coven's main base?" Tanong ko.

"That's what I thought at first, but I ruled out the possibility. The First conducted his personal investigation upon the matter and guess what. A third party had been causing the destruction. It was very likely last night's raid by the Legion Army was just them finishing things up, the aftermath so to speak."

"An organization powerful enough to thrash the Coven when even us can't?" Annalyn's eyes widened. "Which one? Black Clan? World's Organization?"

"Black Clan may have many bases all over the world, but even them cannot be compared to the Coven. Coven is a mysterious organization which prioritized the relic just like the West Mages