Lumampas lamang ang espada sa tabi ng leeg niya nang sinubukan ko itong itusok sa kaniya. And as she shifted her head to the opposite side, ginamit niya naman ang isa niyang kamay para isaksak sa akin ang dagger sa tiyan, pero katulad din niya ay inilagan ito ng katawan ko. Napatigil kami nang nagpalitan kami ng sinimulan kanina.

Pero hindi natapos doon ang atake ng mga daggers niya. A dozen of them are flying above, trying to stab me. Ginamit ko nalang ang apoy ko para masunog ang mga daggers na papunta sa akin, and not even one managed to scratch me. Tinaas ko ang kanan kong kamay na napapalibutan ng apoy hanggang braso, the intensity of the fire even vaporized the cold air around us, nagiging mainit na ito. I made a giant fire phoenix with its loud voice shrieking endlessly along the entire woods.

Ramdam ko na naman ang gulat ni Andrea dahil sa mga nakikita niya. She didn't know I had flames, and it makes her wonder what more I can give. Seriously, she's too obvious. Halos nawala na ang dilim sa paligid dahil sa liwanag ng apoy, its flame almost engulfing the ground beneath me. Inatake ng phoenix si Andrea, its large beak broke into an open almost bitting her off.

I'm relieved as a friend that she managed to dodge it by rolling over to the side, pero bilang kalaban niya ngayon ay naiinis ako dito. The phoenix should be fast enough, but her movements became quicker, and more refined. Hinayaan ko na lamang siyang hawakan ang nag-aapoy na phoenix para masara ang malaking bunganga nito. It didn't even take a fee seconds before the phoenix let out another loud scream at nawala. Ang kaninang buong apoy ay nagkahiwalay-hiwalay setting the surrounding areas in fire.

She can destroy anything as long as it has a form, so destroying that phoenix is a child's play for her. Hindi nga siya nahirapan sa ginawa niya pero alam ko namang nasasaktan siya dahil sa apoy. There are burn marks on both of her hands, reaching her wrists. Just having to touch something hot makes anyone flinch, ano pa kaya kung apoy na ang hahawakan niya? In order to use her ability, she has to touch and feel it with her sensation, then her energy is released. Ganoon ang paraan ng destruction ability niya.

Knowing that, our battle might end up being a futile struggle of stopping each other. Paano ko siya tatamaan ng mga atake ko kung kaya niya itong sirain? And how can she attack me if I can counter all of it using my ability? Which means na paunahan nalang kami.

Whoever touches each other first looses. Speed is still much better than strength after all. Ang tanong ay sino sa amin ang mas mabilis? With her hands hurting, it'd be her disadvantage. Unless she does the same damage to me. Magagawa niya ngaba? I was smirking for some reason, but not on my watch.

"Is that all your ability can give you Keila?" She asked, which annoyed me.

Andrea always provokes her opponents, pero iba ito ngayon. Sinusubukan niya kung hanggang saan ba talaga ang makakaya ko. She never underestimates her opponents, malakas man sila o hindi dahil sa isang laban ay ayaw niyang lumalaban na hindi binibigay ang lahat ng makakaya niya. That's why she often provokes her opponents to make them give their all when fighting against her. But now, just from the way she looks at me, she's disappointed. Or rather, she's underestimating me. Is she doing it on purpose?

"I was told you could do much more. Is this it?" Tanong niya ulit, ignoring the pain coming from her hands. And she was told? Who exactly did? Ano pa ba ang mga bagay na alam niya tungkol sa akin? Did she know about the real potential of my ability? Knowing that, she still wants to go against me?

"Do you want to fight me that much Andrea? Simula unang beses palang nating nakita ang isa't isa, you always had that inention to surpass me. All these time did you really think you're weaker than me?" I asked making my weapons disappear.

"I'm not weak, but against you I am." I sighed because of her reply. "I've never once won against you, Keila. At kung magpapatuloy ito hindi ko na alam kung ano pa ang gagawin ko sa nararamdaman kong ito. Yung pakiramdam na gusto kong makuha kung ano ang meron ka? If I can't defeat you now, when will I be able to let go of these odd feelings? It's eating me, it always bothers me, it won't go away. Nababaliw na siguro ako sayo, pero nagsimula lang ito nang dumating ka sa buhay ko."

"And you'll end it by making me disappear from your life?" Dahil kung sino man ang matatalo sa labang ito, ay hindi na pwedeng mangialam sa buhay ng isa. It's that kind of idea we both have right now. And making me disappear from her life?! She's really selfish. Siya ang tumulak sa akin papasok sa buhay niya and now she's kicking me out? If she could only stop being so self-centered for once!

"Iniinsulto mo ba ako Andrea? Never once won against me? Yung binali mo ba ang nga buto ko at binulag ang mata ko, hindi pa ba sapat yun?" She's making me angry. Is she saying what happened is nothing but a mere play for her?

"It's not." She hesitated before looking away.

Before I knew it, I was clenching my fists so hard that the flames in my hands are becoming hotter and hotter that even my skin feels it when I usually don't. It's not huh? Bakit ba siya nagkakaganito? Ni hindi ko naisip na sasali siya sa Exodus. Alam kong nagagalit siya sa mga taong sinasaktan ang mga taong pinagpalit sa kaniya ng ina niya, and Exodus should be one of those she hates! She's being controlled...I need so snap her out of it.

"You know she isn't."

"I didn't remember asking you, Laire."

"Doesn't mean hindi na ako pwedeng magsalita."

"Don't meddle."

"You're running away from reality at pinipilit mo na naman kung ano ang iniisip mong katotohanan bilang realidad. You still haven't learned from fighting with Lunox? Hindi nga ako nakapunta doon, pero nakikita ko naman ang memorya mo. Her words may seem nothing to you, but she's trying to tell you—"

"Shut up Laire! Don't forget I could make you go back to sleep." I'm saying I could shut her down if I wanted.

"She's trying to tell you that you shouldn't lose sight of who you are, even in a fight. Resist the temptations, excitements, anticipations, because in every battle, those who are calm always win. It's because they are able to see everything, including themselves." Matapos ng sinabi niay ay hindi ko na siya narinig pa.

I don't really understand it yet somehow I do. Resist the temptations of a battle? Did she mean ignore this excitement? This anticipation of what's coming next? This thrilling sensation being felt by my whole body? Paano ito magiging laban kung walang halong ganoon? Those who are calm are just bored of their opponents, or possibly by how they fight. It just means hindi pa nila nahanap ang tunay na katapat nila.

And now looking at Andrea, siya na ngaba ang katapat ko? She always did say I was her rival. Rival in many things. Gusto niyang makuha kung ano ang meron ako, at para matigil ang ganiyang pag-iisip ay kailangan niyang matalo ako, to prove that she doesn't need what I have, to prove to herself that she surpasses me in those things she thought she lacks.

Pero kung magawa niya man iyon, paano naman ako? Wouldn't that mean I just accepted the fact that I'm weaker against her? Kung ako pa ang dating ako, siguro nga wala akong pakealam at noon ay palagi kong sinasabi sa sarili kong mahina ako, that Andrea is far more stronger. But what do I feel now? Ah I knew it, I definitely hate the thought of loosing. Rivalry means competing against each other, and right now we're deciding who's the one on top.

"That power I used that time...alam mong hindi sa akin yun." She said, lifting her gaze towards the cloudy skies. "It's not mine and I still haven't learned how to use it well."

"You're seriously thinking of using it well?"

"For those who have lost themselves can only clung to power Keila. Ito nalang ang meron ako, at gagamitin ko ito ng maayos."

"In exhange for that you're siding with Exodus? Andrea, isipin mo ng mabuti ang gagawin mo, o pagsisisihan mo 'to."

"Pagsisisihan? The only thing I will surely ever regret is not being able to battle with your full strength."

Bigla niya nalang tinapon sa akin ang mga nagliliparan niyang daggers, the daggers came too fast, faster than what she used to, at kahit ilagan ko man ito ay bumabalik parin sila para tamaan ako. In the end, dahil natatakasan nila pati ang mga apoy ko, ay napilitan akong gamitin ang ancient barrier sa paligid ko with a built-in system that nothing can pass through. Nagulat na naman siya dito at nainis.

"Hindi mo ako kaya Andrea. I can do more than you think." Mas nagalit siya sa sinabi ko. I can feel it, that anger being held back just to control herself. Kaonti nalang at lalabas na ang galit na ito. I wonder where she got that temper from.

"Ginagalit mo ba ako?!" She leaped towards my direction, pero hindi ako umilag dahil alam kong may nakapalibot namang transparent barrier sa paligid ko.

She turned her body around while on the air to build up momentum at sinipa ng malakas ang barrier na ito. Napaatras ako ng kaonti dahil sa lakas ng sipa niya, and I can feel the barrier shaking because of it. Patuloy lang ang ilang ulit niyang sipa at tsaka din naman ako atras ng atras, because I couldn't help it. Then she changed to rapid punching. Dahil sa ilang ulit niyang pagpapalabas ng lakas ay nanghihina na siya.

But this time, I was the one surprised when her fist landed through my right cheek. I only realised it when I was already looking sideways, I didn't expect it. Hindi niya naman nabasag ang barrier, but her fists are able to go through inside? Andrea has the ability to destroy anything, pero hindi ko inaasahan na kaya niyang makontrol ang ability niya making only a part of the barrier crumble. She focused her attacks on one point.

She suddenly held my neck when she knew my barrier was down due to that attack. Our eyes remained at each other, not blinking, not looking away, as if we're seeing another part of us within our eyes. She was choking me, but there wasn't a hint of expression from my face.

This isn't like her, Andrea doesn't think! Who changed her? Is it really because she wanted more power that she became this strong? Or was it me? I made her strong by making her want to surpass me. Nagagalit ako, naiinis ako, I want her return back to normal. Pero alam ko namang ganito talaga ang gusto niya, ang maging malakas. And she can't improve in the Academy, she can't improve with just us by her side, that's why she's siding with the Exodus. She's the new player, and she's our enemy.

"Keila you don't know the feeling of having nowhere to belong. That no matter how I try nothing goes right! That no matter what I do, it feels like the worls hates me. Oo at alam kong marami ang humahanga sa akin, but it's only because I'm the daughter of the Saint!"

"They only see me as that woman's daughter, and not me! I finally managed to get to the Sleberian Cross after I worked so hard for it, pero Keila, nakapasok lang because of this damn Cursed Mark! Now, not only that they see me as the daughter of the Northern Headmistress, but they also see me as a curse that should be eliminated."

"Don't you see how envious I am of you? It would have been better if I was the outsider, if I was the one being acknowledge by my mother, that I was gaining all the attention there is without even doing anything, that I am special like you."

"You're all of those things that I'm not. You always used to say you're just the extra of the story, but for me you're like the protagonist. And if I have to gain acknowledgement and attention, gain everything that you did, then being the villain is worth it. Kaya hindi ko ito pagsisisihan."

Don't know the feeling? I clenched my fists and surely she noticed them. As again, why? Ano ba ang alam niya sa akin? Nowhere to belong to? If she only stopped what she's trying to do and go back, she'll see that there's someone out there who cares for her! Siya lang ba talaga ang iniisip niya? Ang nakikita niya? Why don't she actually start thinking of others around her?
Nakakainis siya. She's hurting me deep inside.

Envious? Of what? What do I really have for her to be envious? Attention? Acknowledgement? Power? If I told her all of these are cursed, would she still keep wanting it? If I told her I wasn't what I show her, would she believe me? At kung sasabihin ko ba sa kaniya ang lahat tungkol sa buhay ko, will she finally be able to look at me as a friend and not as a goal she had to surpass?

I immediately summoned my weapon at mabilis itong sinaksak sa toyan niya. Nakita noya ito pero hindi siya gaano kabilis para ilagan ito because she was still choking me. Kaya nabitawan niya ako at napaatras, her hands pressed on the side of her stomach. She gritted her teeth in pain.

Then there was the sight of blood.

But for some reason, napaluhod ako sa lupa. Why? Why is blood dripping so endlessly from my chest? Why is there a sword emerging from my chest? And why...can't I breathe so...easily? It hurts...this pain hurts, but at the same time it's numb. It feels like my chest is being blocked by something which stops my whole body from moving. Blood...when did the sight of blood became this common for me?

"Matthew...what did you do?!" Galit na tanong ni Andrea as she stood there in front of me barely standing. Sa likuran ko...hindi ko naramdaman ang atake niya.

Napaubo ako ng isa pang dugo nang hugutin niya ang espada. I saw his kick coming from the side but I couldn't move my body enough to dodge it. As a result, I was sent flying through the corners, too far from them, at natamaan ko ang mga nagtatayuang bato. I felt my head hitting the rock before it came crumbling down because of my momentum.

"Matthew!" Sigaw ni Andrea sa lalaki, guy returned her gaze as if asking what's the problem. "I told you...d-don't meddle!—" the man threw her arm around her to aid her from falling.

"I'm sorry Miss, but I can't let you die here. I can't let her bring you back either. Like I said, kompleto na sa wakas ang Ends, which took us ages to complete. We are not to kill her but at this point wala na tayong magagawa. You aren't worth sacrificing for her. Kailangan ka namin Miss Andrea, Exodus is the onmy place where the likes of us belong."

Another batch of blood flowed from my head, almost covering my face. My vision became blurry, it feels like there's more than the two of them. Andrea...I can feel all of those anger from earlier replaced to a different kind of anger, all directed to Matthew. It's funny how we fight as if killing each other and now she's getting worried if I actually might die. 

Wala akong naiiintindihan sa mga sinasabi niya. Exodus is the only place where Andrea belongs? Kill him. I want to kill him. The smell of blood continued to linger under my nose, but it's not mine that I wish to have, it's his. They are underestimating me. For Andrea I'm just a goal and nothing more, did she really think of me as a friend all these time? So she's worried that her goal might disappear in front of her?

Blood even swallowed up my sweat. My breathing was ragged, and I couldn't breathe. Even my own energy won't be enough to heal this much damage done to my body. Mamamatay ako kung wala akong gagawin. I have to be at least under ten meters of someone to feel their emotions, in order to generate them into energy. But we're in a middle of the woods, and the two of them are too faraway.

Patuloy lang sa pagdaloy ang dugo mula sa dibdib ko, and there's a hole in it. It's hot but at the same time I feel cold inside my body. My whole body is trembling. Move Ke'ala. Move! If you won't Andrea might indeed disappear in front of you. If you won't move, hindi mo na siya mababalik pa. If you won't, you will regret it. If you won't move you will die!

Is it fear? Am I scared of dying? No. It's different. I'm scared of loosing a friend. For some people loosing a friend or two might be nothing, for them it's just inevitable, a natural event where nothing lasts forever, and honestly I know that. Pero para sa aking lumaking halos hindi lumalapit sa ibang tao, lumaking halos palaging mag-isa, it's too much. I never intended to have friends but when I do I never plan on loosing them. Isn't that it? So why am I giving up now?

Energy. I need energy. Napatingin ako sa kamay ko, specifically on my index finger. The ring has a small crack, which gave my ability an enhancement of ten meters...but what if I were to take it off? I suddenly got shivers. No, I'm too scared to take it off. Feeling millions of emotions from people all over the world...I won't be able to handle it.

Pero hindi ko sila pwedeng hayaang umalis na lamang. My hands are still trembling. I have experienced dying, and this pain is familiar. Would they understand me if I inflict the same pain they did? If I stab them the same on the chest, would they live? Or would they die? I'm angry. I want to know.

I focused all my energy on my palm, I ignored the pain being experienced by my whole bidy as I released the energy from my hand. Dapat nga ginagamit ko ang enerhiyang natitira sa katawan ko para mapagaling ang malalang sugat ko, but I don't care anymore.

I've never been reckless my whole life, I was raised being a burden for my parents, I was born in the same household but I never felt like one of them. They never let me leave because it'd protect me from all those emotions, but I know deep inside they just didn't want me to cause trouble.

Due to my existence the Main Family came crumbling down. My sibbling bith running away from home, my grandparents always arguing with my parents...but even so, they always look like everything's alright. As the leaders if Arizole, my parents were told to be perfect, becsuse they never let personal life get in the way of their business.

"If worse comes to worst, kill her."

Those words never left my mind since I heard my father said that. Kaya naiintindihan ko din ang nararamdaman ni Andrea sa ina niya, pero hindi katulad niya ay wala lang takaga akong pakealam sa kanila. Whether they acknowledge me or not, whether they see me as a daughter or a stranger, whether they cared or don't, wala akong pakealam.

For me the word 'parents' is nothing but a figure of people who were the reason why I was born. Wala akong nararamdaman sa kanila ktulad ng nararamdaman ni Andrea sa ina niya. So since then I have prioritised my own survival than anything else, because I didn't want to die.

Pero ngayon, hindi ko na alam. My mind revolves around bringing her back and the regret from not being able to fight with all I had.

Nang binuksan ko na ang kamay ko, ay may lumabas na malaking magic circle sa ilalim nilang dalawa. They didn't notice because they were arguing. Me losing is unforgivable, so despite my state, I could still do a long-ranged attack—

"Huwag mong susubukan ang pinaplano mo, o mauunahan ka pa ng espada ko." It was a cold voice, and I couldn't sense an emotion from it. Kahit malamig man ang boses na ito ay hindi hindi masyadong malalim. It was coming from behind me, the tip of her sword is pointing at my leg.

"Hu-huwag mo akong...pakeala—" I suddenly stopped talking and held my mouth, I couldn't stop coughing, and thus the blood won't stop coming out. Nararamdaman ko na naman ang sakit sa dibdib, because I released my only remaining energy, my body can't be healed naturally.

"You will die if you release all your