Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE:

The Fairy World

Everything suddenly sinked in to my head. Sumakit din ang ulo ng kaibigan ko and it means they're here too! Tumayo ako at lumabas. Everyone was gathering at the hall. Nagmamadali akong pumunta sa hall at iniikot-ikot ang paningin. Everything is very unfamiliar to me.

Kahit ang ibang mga fairies ay nagtaka. May mga ibang sinusuri ang kanilang pakpak. May ibang nasa tabi lang. 

Lumipad ako at nagmamadaling pumunta sa hall. I don't know but flying feels so light to me. I will just comprehend about this later, I want to see my friends.

Everyone stopped when a person goes down from the sky. Lahat ay tumahimik at pinanood siya. The person wears a cape so I can't identify the gender.

"Welcome, Fairies!" panimula niya. "Your soul is transmitted to this world, either you're an NPC or a player. If you want to go back to your body, you need to reach the highest level. Sounds easy, right?" pagtatanong nito and I clenched my fist. Easy to say but hard to do.

"What you have here, is your fairy self and a bag. This is where the game started, you need to CREATE the game. Goodluck, Fairies." the person said and suddenly vanished. 

The crowd went loud. This is hard. How can we reach the highest level if we are the one who will create the game? My knees tremble at the thought. What would my parents feel? How's my body in there? Too many questions in my mind.

Everyone started panicking and some of them are crying. Ginawa ko ang lahat upang hindi mag-break down.

I need to see my friends!

I was looking at the crowd when our head had a light. Nakalagay doon ang level namin which is 0 and our usernames. Nang sa ganito ay mas madali kong mahanap ang mga kaibigan ko.

I tried my best to find them. Luckily, I saw them at the side of the hall. Nagtagpo na sila ay ako nalang ang kulang sa grupo namin.

Nakayuko sila habang si Yas ay nakasandal sa pader. Ang dating pala-salita na si Gurren ay naging tahimik na ito at nakapamulsa. Arsinoe just looked away. Luna is spacing out. And Emily wanted to cry. We're all devastated at the situation.Who wouldn't be? Tila napakabilis nang pangyayari. That man earlier didn't mention our condition of our real bodies. 

"This is all your fault!" galit na pagkabigkas ng salita ni Arsinoe sa 'kin.

"If only you didn't trust a stranger!"

"Hindi ko alam—"

"How will you explain this, huh?" she asked. Tumiklop ako at hindi makahanap ng salitang ibibigkas. 

"My parents are probably worrying right now. I still have future and to be stuck in this game is not part of my plan!" she shouted. Nakayuko lang ako at alam kong nakikinig lang sina Emily, Luna, Yas, and Gurren. Hindi malakas ang sigaw ni Arsinoe at ramdam kong kahit ganito ang galit niya ay ayaw niya pa ring makita niya akong napahiya or ayaw niya lang talagang makita siya ng iba na gan'yan kagalit. I know it's the latter but I'm still hoping that this isn't my fault.

Nagulat ako dahil bigla niya akong sinakal. Pilit kong tinanggal ang kamay niya. I can see on her eyes that she's that angry. I'm losing my hope because none of my other friends stopped Arsinoe from choking me.

"It's your fault that you drag us into this mess!" she added. Ang health bar sa game na 'to ay nasa mismong katawan namin. It looks like you are filling a cup with water. Nakita kong nababawasan na ang health ko. 

"Mas mabuti pang mauna ka nang mamatay." her words felt like a dagger to me. I suddenly stopped my hands from preventing her to choke me more.

If this will make them satisfy, then I willingly gave up my life. But then I remember this isn't my body. I am assigned to be the guardian of this fairy's body.

"Take care of my body."

"Take care of my body."

"Take care of my body."

Those words keeps on repeating inside my head. I was never this torn all of my life. But I know, I won't end up being just like this. Pumikit ako at sa pagmulat ng mata ko ay may naramdaman akong enerhiyang dumaloy sa paa at sinipa si Arsinoe. Malakas ito at napasalpak siya sa pader.

Everyone looked at us. Some stopped crying at para makita ang nangyayari. Hinihingal ako at napaubo dahil sa pagkasakal ni Arsinoe kanina.

My friends helped Arsinoe. And none of them helped me. Instead, they looked at me angrily. Ako ang lumabas na masama. I didn't know that they are this angry to me. They were kind and very understanding. So, how come it turn out like this? Did I fail to scan every voices they had?

Sumugod sila sa 'kin. I've never seen Yas and Gurren this angry before. They seemed like they're not on their usual self. Or I am just miscalculating things. 

Yas and Gurren attacked me with their axe and sword. Iniwasan ko sila at isa isang sinipa. Katulad ni Arsinoe ay nasalpak din sila sa pader. Everyone was shocked and so am I. Ang sabi ay everything will be back to zero pero bakit may kakayahan akong ganito?

Nasa 45% nalang ang health bar ko. Kapag gumamit ako ng kakayahan ay nababawan din ito. Masakit pa rin ang leeg ko dahil sa pagkakasakal. 

Emily attacked me and all I can do is dodge her attack. I can't hurt her...my precious Emily. 

A tear escaped on my eyes as I saw her desperately trying to hit me. Magaan lang ang katawan ng character ko rito kaya madali lang itong dalhin. 

"Maybe you planned all of this!"

"Emily, you're being unreasonable. I don't—" I didn't finished my words since she succesfully hit me. 

Nabawasan ang health bar ko at nasimulan nang nawalan ng pag-asa. I can't escape either.

"Emily, this is absurd. Please, listen—"

"Just die already!" her words made my heart ache. She was ready to attack me when someone catched Emily's attack. 

"Run!" he shouted at me. Lumingon ako sa kaibigan ko at nakitang may kaniya-kaniya na silang kalaban. This is probably the man's group of friends. Lahat sila ay either swordsmen at tanks. 

Hindi na ako nag-abalang tingnan ang username nila at umalis na sa hall. I flew at hinayaan kung saan ako dadalhin ng pakpak ko. 

A tears suddenly escaped on my eyes. Agad ko itong ipinahid. I feel betrayed by my friends. I never imagined that we would be like this. I suddenly transported here at game and now my friends hated me.

I roamed around my eyes at napansing naliligaw na ako. This world looks beautiful. The trees are beautiful and every trees here have fruits.

May nakita akong lake kaya't pumaroon na ako. Nauuhaw ako kaya't uminom ako. Sumandal ako sa malaking bato and I started crying. I'm having a breakdown in this lake. Useless lang din ang ininom ko dahil iniiyak ko rin ito. 

"I can't believe I'm out!"

Pagsasalita sa likod ko. Agad naman akong na-alarma pero hindi pa rin ako lumilingon dahil sa itsura ko. I probably looked like a mess right now. 

"W-Who are you?" I asked, stuttering.

"So, you are now my master!" she cheerfuly said. I can feel that she giggled too. She's like... Emily.

"Master, lumingon ka naman. Hala, baka taga-ibang bansa 'to. Master, look at my gorgeous face now," she said. Lumingon naman ako dahil naramdaman kong she's a good person.

Namilog ang mata ko dahil sa nakita. She looks like Ariel. Red hair, ocean-like eyes, pointed nose and red lips. She has a tail too that is connected to the water. It's a part of her tail.

"You looked like a mess," she said softly.

"Anyway," she paused at inayos ang bra niyang gawa sa shell. "I can't believe you just sip my b*obs!"

"Sip what?" gulat na tanong ko sa kaniya..

"My b*obs. You sip a water from the lake. At doon nakapuwesto ang bundok ko sa kung saan mo sinipsipan," she explained.

Umakto akong nasuka dahil sa sinabi niya. 

"Grabe ka, Master." she said at nag-pout pa.

"And when did I became your master?" I asked at umupo sa malaking bato.

"Kanina. The first one who would take a sip on this lake will be my master," she explained again. Naghikab pa ito gumagawa ng water balls.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Mariel." Tipid na sagot niya.

"Ang ganda mo. I wonder if there's another mermaid just like you," I curiously said.

"I'm just the only one," tipid na sagot niya ulit.

"You were cheerful, did I say something to make you upset?" I asked. I'm feeling comfortable with her.

"I'm not upset. I am watching at this water ball about what happened to you," she said at nakatingin sa water ball na ginawa niya. Nakita kong wala naman kung anong lumabas do'n.

"Wala namang—"

"It's because I'm just the only one who can see it."

Tumahimik nalang ako. This is what I don't want with myself. I'm getting comfortable with Mariel and I'm afraid if she would betray me too.

Nakarinig ako ng kaluskos at nakitang sina Emily ito. I just follow what my mind says. I follow them.

"Emily, wait!" I shouted. Lumingon naman sila at tinitigan ako ng masama.

"Just let me exp—"

"There's nothing you should explain about," she coldly said.

"Each of you were sending me good voices inside my ear. It feels good, actually. D-Did I fail to hear your important voices?" I asked, stuttering.

Walang nagbago sa expresiyon nila at hindi sumagot. I was caught off guard when an arrow is pointing at me. I see, nakapag-bili na sila ng weapons or they made it? The arrow was gone and was swallowed by water.

"When did you—" hindi na matapos ni Luna ang sasabihin ng bigla akong hinila ng tubig ay pinaulanan ng water ball ang isa sa kanila. They looked at my eyes and they were setting boundaries.

Boundary of rivalry. I gladly accept it. I can't just lose. I will be the first who will reach to the highest level. 

"Master, don't just ran off like that!" pag-alala ni Mariel.

Yumuko ako at niyakap ang tuhod. I probably looked like a mess. 

Tumayo ako. I just don't want my courage to go down. "I will become the first one to reach the higher level."

She smiled at me.

"Not so fast. You're not gonna say thank you for us?" huli na nang biglang lumitaw ang grupo ng mga lalakong tumulong sa 'kin kanina. I didn't bother to read their names.

"What do you want?" I asked. Kay Mariel pa rin sila nakatingin. Hindi sila makapaniwala sa nakita. 

"Power. Where did you get that power? Give us some," he bluntly said.

I didn't even know. Suddenly, naka-isip ako ng kalokohan. 

"Fine. I will tell you as my thanks for helping me at the hall," they all smiled. 

Pasekreto naman akong kinurot ni Mariel. Baka iniisip niyang tanga ako. 

"Uminom ako ng tubig sa lake and suddenly this mermaid appeared. If you will drink a water at the lake, go to the forest and you will hear the calling. It might be air, water, or fire," I said at hindi pinahalata sa kanila that I'm lying. 

Naniwala naman sila at uminom ng tubig sa lake. They bid their goodbyes at nagpunta na sa forest. Nang makalayo ay malakas na tawa ang pinakawalan namin ni Mariel.