SIDAPA “SIDAPA!” Libulan shouted and bawled his eyes out. I was in turmoil, but he was suffering the most. He reached his hand out between the bars and wailed when he couldn’t even go by my side. “Stop this, please! I beg you! Don’t do this! You are not a bad person, my beloved! Stop punishing yourself!” While I was distracted by Libulan, Kaptan took that chance. It was already too late when I tried to block his attack. He had already pierced his right arm into my chest. Everything happened so fast that I wasn’t able to even think about it. I coughed out some blood and gasped for air. When I looked at Libulan again, he was screaming at the top of his lungs and crying so hard but I heard no sound coming out from him. “I gave you the chance to back out and I could have given you time to repent, but you chose this, Sidapa,” Kaptan said to me in a low voice. There was no anger in his tone, just pure abhorrence. He was revolted at the fact that Libulan and I chose to love each other desp
SIDAPA “WE’RE here, my beloved,” I told Libulan. I made him lie down just beside the tree’s protruding roots. The tree was glowing from all sorts of directions. I left it unattended for a few hours and many souls had died during the time I was away. They must be so lost right now. And newborn sous were scattered everywhere, flickering like fireflies. A weak smile flashed on my face as I watched them dance in midair. “What’s the point of being born if we are just going to suffer?” I asked myself, then I saw Libulan move a little. I quickly moved to his side. A restricted groan escaped from my mouth when I felt a sting on my chest, the very spot where I was stabbed earlier by Kaptan’s bare hands. It hurt like hell, but Libulan mattered more. “Si…dapa…” Libulan called out so weakly. He raised his hand trying to figure out if I was there. I grabbed it and held it tight. “I am here, my Libulan,” I reassured him, and Libulan smiled in relief. “I am glad that you’re safe,” he said befo
SIDAPA “FOUND it!” I exclaimed when I finally had the core in my grip. I clasped it within my palm and carefully pulled it out. The screaming grew louder as the core was forcefully removed from its proper place. I knew the consequences, the risks, but none of them mattered to me now. If I was a sinner from the very beginning, then I would continue being one for my Libulan. The instant the core exited the trunk, the thousand year old tree began to deteriorate. All the lifelines I had carved on its magnificent surface flashed a blinding light, causing me to shut my eyes. My machete that was still stuck to the trunk melted and became a black substance. The tree absorbed that substance. The tree itself started to rot away. The dead branches fell off first, and the live ones were forced to detach from the wood. The ground made a rumbling sound, as if it was aching to open up and send everything from the above straight to hell. It was a horrifying sight to see. Then suddenly, the portal
ROARK THE last thing I remembered was giving a random reading for a guy’s money and love luck. It was just another ordinary day for me. Then I was transported to Mount Madja-as, where I discovered the necklace that I had given to Leon. Leon was one of my customers, or rather, a rare one. I’d spent my entire life pretending to be a cliché fortune teller who duped people by giving them false readings. When I made contact with Leon, my true ability was reawakened. He was the only human I met who lacked a soul. He was nothing more than a shell. But meeting him in that alley wasn’t a coincidence. I was destined to find him and he was destined to know me. Right before I saw Leon in person, the necklace that I found on Mount Madja-as gave me a premonition of the beginning and the end of someone. It was unclear to me who was being introduced to me in that vision I saw. It scared the hell out of me. It was far way more terrifying than all of those things I saw from when I was still a kid. At
ROARK “WHY did you do it, Sidapa?!” Leon asked his lover, sounding betrayed and hurt. “Did I oppose the judgement that was passed on us? If we were supposed to die right here before, why did you change our fates?!” Sidapa let out a sigh before answering, “There is no point explaining myself, is there?” he said sarcastically. Then, a cloud of black smoke started to disperse around him, giving all of us chills down to our very spines. “You were not supposed to retrieve your memories. If this psychic here,” he threw a quick glare at me before talking back to Leon, “didn’t find the necklace, none of these would have happened. We could have spent our lives happily.” Leon, Lisuga, and Likabutan took small steps back. Sidapa was brewing with danger. He was serious about taking us on. Even I could feel his menacing power. He was no doubt the God of Death that people feared nowadays! [Seriously, am I going to get caught up in this mess? What am I now, some kind of eye witness?!] I panicked
ROARK “RING a bell?” The man smirked at me with full confidence. I stared at him for seconds and tried my hardest not to ruin his mood, but nothing would come to mind. “Are you a psychic like—” “Ah, damn! I’m Agui!” he growled angrily and threw childish tantrums, making the fire on the fireballs hotter and larger. “How can you not tell?! I thought you were way better than Leon, who couldn’t even remember the tiniest bit about his past life, but you’re far more worse!” he grumbled. “How would I even know?!” I snapped at him. “But you’re a psychic, right?!” he retorted. “That’s not how my psychic ability works, jerk!” I retaliated. “Jerk?!” His eyes widened, and he was suddenly covered in fire but he didn’t look like he was hurting. “You dare call a God like me a jerk?!” “God?!” I exclaimed, baffled. “Don’t tell me… You are that kind of God?” “I just told you my name!” he yelled. “I am Agui, the God of Fire!” “What?!” I gaped in disbelief. “That’s impossible! What do you want f
LEON/LIBULAN I SNAPPED back to reality when I heard a loud explosion a few meters away from me. Beside me was my crying sister, Lisuga, who clearly tried to shelter me from whatever that was going on around us. When I lifted my head, I saw two figures endlessly attacking each other without a care in the world. The two of them were badly wounded, but none of them gave a damn, not even the people around them. When I found the strength to speak up, I shouted at the top of my lungs and called out to the man I called ‘beloved’. “Sidapa, please stop this!” But he didn’t even budge or bat an eye on me. He was simply lost in his urge to finish everything with his own hands. [Why are you doing this, Sidapa? What are you trying to prove by dragging everyone else in our problem? Shouldn’t you talk it out with me instead of acting this way?] I thought to myself while clenching my fists in anger. “Get away from here, Lisuga,” I told my sister who was trembling by my side. She quickly refused to
LEON/LIBULAN “LIBULAN!” It was Likabutan’s voice. He dashed out and caught me just in time. The impact of my fall greatly affected Likabutan’s body. “Argh!” He groaned and growled in intense pain as he became my cushion. He coughed out some blood after receiving my harsh fall. “Libulan! Likabutan!” I could see Lisuga running towards our direction with a panicked voice. When she arrived, she quickly bent over and checked our condition. [This is not making any sense at all. Why is Sidapa doing this?] I asked myself inside my mind. I looked up to him one more time and he just remained unmoved in midair, waiting for us to beat him up again. “Why won’t you talk to me?!” I shouted at Sidapa. As expected, his mouth remained shut. “Talk to me, damn it! Was the Sheldon that this body of mine met six years ago was nothing but a fraud?! All those passionate nights that we shared together, were all of them lies?! Did you really love me?! Answer me! Don’t make me look like a clueless fool here!
LEON/LIBULAN “I WILL.” Sidapa was taken aback by my quick response. “I was very disappointed when you told me that what Leon and Sheldon had were all lies,” I began. My spear reappeared, and I let it float up. “Because, as far as I know, I loved you both, whether it was you or Sheldon. You may be two different people, but I spent so much of my life as Leon. I treasured everyone who had been a part of my life. I value each and every one of you. In terms of my real name, I’m not sure why I didn’t tell you I was Luan. But I did hear someone’s voice whisper in my ear for a brief moment. “This is not the time,” the voice said. I apologize for keeping you waiting for so long, my beloved,” I said. “I’m also sorry for not listening to you at the time,” he added. “It’s all right. I now understand why you did it. Sidapa, you kept your promise to me that night,” I said. “I love you, too… more than my own life, Libulan. I’d do anything for you.” “You really exceeded my expectations,” I chuckl
LEON/LIBULAN “PLEASE don’t get any closer!” He growled and fixed his gaze on me. But I insisted on walking forward rather than back. “It’s fine. This time, I’m not going to leave you behind,” I assured him. “I told you not to get any closer!” he growled again. His lower body began to wither and shrivel. Whatever was causing it had to be related to his overwhelming power. From where I was, I could feel its heaviness. It was sucking my life away. “You don’t have to bear it all to yourself. If you want to lash out, you can do so with me,” I told him. Sidapa began panting and shaking his head violently. “No,” he refused, but he was clearly holding back. “I told Agui to get you out of here!” “He did, but I chose to stay,” I said, a faint smile formed on my face. “It’s all right, Sidapa. I’m sorry for abandoning you. I should’ve fought alongside you until the bitter end. I’m truly sorry.” “No!” he denied. “Get the hell out!” I came to a complete stop in front of him and was about to t
LEON/LIBULAN SIDAPA was about to stab me when a massive ball of fire crashed into him, trapping him inside and separating him from the rest of us. Only then did I realize Roark had vanished. “What happened to Roark?” In a panic, I inquired. “He was only here a short time ago,” Lisuga confirmed. She, too, began to be concerned. I could feel my entire God power flowing through me. Despite regaining my true form, I was not satisfied. I felt compelled to return just to end something else. Instead, it made me feel terrible on the inside. “Libulan, please stay here. Sidapa is dead set on killing you. He’s completely insane!” Likabutan tried to persuade me. I knew he had good intentions and was only concerned about my safety. But would anything change if I continued to flee? I couldn’t stand to do nothing and watch everyone die in front of me. “Please forgive me, brother. I will face Sidapa and stop him no matter what,” I declared emphatically. “You and Lisuga must find a safe place
SHELDON/SIDAPA [WHAT is this? These fires are very familiar,] I thought as I stared at the flames that tried but failed to burn me alive. It didn’t, however, leave me unscathed. “Sidapa!” exclaimed a familiar voice. The fortune teller appeared in front of me when I looked up to see who it was. “Who is that pathetic fortune teller? No. “You’re not the fortune teller,” I told myself, and when I realized who he was, he grinned maniacally. “Agui?!” I exclaimed, perplexed. It was the fortune teller’s body that appeared just now, but his voice and mannerisms were unmistakably similar to Agui’s. I’ll never forget his arrogant demeanor. He was a particularly vexing God. The fortune teller (Agui) jumped to his feet and boasted the moment he spoke to me. “Behold my grand presence, you arrogant God of Death!” he exclaimed, pointing at me. “I dare you to a fight!” “Because I hadn’t felt your presence before, I didn’t think much of that guy. If only I had known, I would have killed you back t
SHELDON/SIDAPA I MADE a huge mistake. I had not intended for things to end in this manner. All I ever wanted was to see my beloved Libulan again. But I messed everything up. All I wanted was for us to have another opportunity to be together. Our story was brief, and we didn’t even get to savor the moments we did have. I was well aware of the consequences from the start, but I chose to disregard them. In comparison to Libulan, I should have been able to accept our fate with ease, but the tables have turned. Death, which had always been a normal occurrence for me, became my greatest fear and weakness. I was terrified of losing Libulan forever. It drove me insane. But my desperation only exacerbated the situation. Time slowed down as Libulan stood up and confronted me bravely. He was looking down, but I could see that he was enraged at me. This was not how I intended for him to feel. And I was certain he would be disappointed in me, which is why I sealed his memories away. Part of m
LEON/LIBULAN “LIBULAN!” It was Likabutan’s voice. He dashed out and caught me just in time. The impact of my fall greatly affected Likabutan’s body. “Argh!” He groaned and growled in intense pain as he became my cushion. He coughed out some blood after receiving my harsh fall. “Libulan! Likabutan!” I could see Lisuga running towards our direction with a panicked voice. When she arrived, she quickly bent over and checked our condition. [This is not making any sense at all. Why is Sidapa doing this?] I asked myself inside my mind. I looked up to him one more time and he just remained unmoved in midair, waiting for us to beat him up again. “Why won’t you talk to me?!” I shouted at Sidapa. As expected, his mouth remained shut. “Talk to me, damn it! Was the Sheldon that this body of mine met six years ago was nothing but a fraud?! All those passionate nights that we shared together, were all of them lies?! Did you really love me?! Answer me! Don’t make me look like a clueless fool here!
LEON/LIBULAN I SNAPPED back to reality when I heard a loud explosion a few meters away from me. Beside me was my crying sister, Lisuga, who clearly tried to shelter me from whatever that was going on around us. When I lifted my head, I saw two figures endlessly attacking each other without a care in the world. The two of them were badly wounded, but none of them gave a damn, not even the people around them. When I found the strength to speak up, I shouted at the top of my lungs and called out to the man I called ‘beloved’. “Sidapa, please stop this!” But he didn’t even budge or bat an eye on me. He was simply lost in his urge to finish everything with his own hands. [Why are you doing this, Sidapa? What are you trying to prove by dragging everyone else in our problem? Shouldn’t you talk it out with me instead of acting this way?] I thought to myself while clenching my fists in anger. “Get away from here, Lisuga,” I told my sister who was trembling by my side. She quickly refused to
ROARK “RING a bell?” The man smirked at me with full confidence. I stared at him for seconds and tried my hardest not to ruin his mood, but nothing would come to mind. “Are you a psychic like—” “Ah, damn! I’m Agui!” he growled angrily and threw childish tantrums, making the fire on the fireballs hotter and larger. “How can you not tell?! I thought you were way better than Leon, who couldn’t even remember the tiniest bit about his past life, but you’re far more worse!” he grumbled. “How would I even know?!” I snapped at him. “But you’re a psychic, right?!” he retorted. “That’s not how my psychic ability works, jerk!” I retaliated. “Jerk?!” His eyes widened, and he was suddenly covered in fire but he didn’t look like he was hurting. “You dare call a God like me a jerk?!” “God?!” I exclaimed, baffled. “Don’t tell me… You are that kind of God?” “I just told you my name!” he yelled. “I am Agui, the God of Fire!” “What?!” I gaped in disbelief. “That’s impossible! What do you want f
ROARK “WHY did you do it, Sidapa?!” Leon asked his lover, sounding betrayed and hurt. “Did I oppose the judgement that was passed on us? If we were supposed to die right here before, why did you change our fates?!” Sidapa let out a sigh before answering, “There is no point explaining myself, is there?” he said sarcastically. Then, a cloud of black smoke started to disperse around him, giving all of us chills down to our very spines. “You were not supposed to retrieve your memories. If this psychic here,” he threw a quick glare at me before talking back to Leon, “didn’t find the necklace, none of these would have happened. We could have spent our lives happily.” Leon, Lisuga, and Likabutan took small steps back. Sidapa was brewing with danger. He was serious about taking us on. Even I could feel his menacing power. He was no doubt the God of Death that people feared nowadays! [Seriously, am I going to get caught up in this mess? What am I now, some kind of eye witness?!] I panicked