[Cleofa]

Hindi ako nakaimik, mabilis na nanliit ang tingin ko sa sarili ko.

Eli showed a grin, amused.

"Your gift, is not as strong as you think," nakangising aniya.

"And why the fuck we will believe you?! Cronus' gifts are the strongest among all of gifts!" giit ni Risca.

Pinagtaasan kami ng kanang kilay ng babaeng kaharap namin. "You don't have to if you don't want to believe... but what I'm stating is facts, for the smartest person in the world was the one who told us this."

Pasimpleng naningkit ang mga mata ko. Smartest... person?

"The time manipulation." Using her gift, Eli touched and turned the branch closest to her into a liquid, she then shaped it into a clock. "The more you turn time back or move it to the future, the more you'll lose control of it."

Pumasok sa isip ko si Helena...

"Ability destroyer." Law's faced popped in my mind. "The stronger gifts you cancel, and the bigger the objects you destroy, the more you'll damage your body," Eli scoffed. "A destroyer indeed."

Nagtama ang mga tingin namin. "And lastly, the ability adoption."

"The stronger the gifts you adopt... and the stronger it's connection to the gifted... the more you'll damage your eyes."

I felt the chills down my spine. Her words and voice... is enough to intimidate me.

Alam ko... na may hangganan ang pag-adopt ko ng gift. Katulad noon ng nangyari kay Helena. In-adopt ko ang gift niya... at kinontrol ang oras.

Kapalit n'on ay ang mata ko...

Humigpit ang pagkasasara ng kamao ko at mariin akong napakagat sa ibabang labi.

But the connection thing, ngayon ko lang 'yon nalaman! Kung gaano kalakas ang koneksyon ng gift sa gifted, ay gano'n din kahirap kong maia-adopt ito?

Fuck... just who is this smartest person that told them our weaknesses?!

"Where's our thanks? We just gave you some information." Eli laughed. "But then again..." Tumalim ang tingin niya sa akin.

"We, who can control our gifts to the fullest and underwent leveling... we, who used our gifts more than a decade now..."

"Have nothing to fear, losing our gifts from you, Heiress Cronus, who has the gift of Ability adoption."

Pare-parehong nagsitalim ang mga mata ng kasama ko at napaismid. Unti-unting bumaba ang tingin ko at nagsimulang magdilim ang paningin ko. I'm lost for words... 

I can't fully adopt their gifts... huh.

And if I could, I can't control it well and my eyes will bleed.

But... I don't have any choice, right?

It's for our survival-

"What the fuck do you think of us?"

Kusa akong natigilan sa pag-iisip at umangat ang tingin ko sa nagsalita. Matalim ang tingin ni Risca sa harapan at nananatiling alerto.

"We're heir and heiress too! You're not the only gifted here!" giit niya.

I was taken aback by what she said, stunned.

"I'm an heir of Zeus too, Cleofa. I know that we got a little bit at ease because we have you, an heiress of Cronus by our side... but we won't use your gift if it will greatly affect you," dagdag ni Alvis.

Namilog ang mga mata ko sa narinig. "K-Kaya ko!-"

Natigilan ako nang humarang silang dalawa sa harapan ko. The tension kept increasing and increasing. The atmosphere is suffocating too.

Now that I watch them from behind, I can see their serious expressions and different auras. That's when I realized, the two gifteds in front of me, found their great opponents.

Both heirs of Zeus.

An heiress of Poseidon and an heiress of Amphitrite. 

They're... the best match for one another!

"Ehhh?" Mapang-asar na umangat ang kanang kilay ni Eli. "You won't let the heiress of Cronus fight? Even though she's your greatest card?" she scoffed.

"Idiots. Kids are just kids-"

The wind blew, the birds flew away. Time slowed down, but it happened too fast than a lightning.

Unti-unting namilog ang mga mata namin at hindi namin nagawang makakurap. Bumagal ang pagtakbo ng oras nang may kamay na humawak sa ulo ni Winst mula sa likuran niya. Hindi niya 'to kaagad napansin, o nagawang tignan man lang.

Déjà vu.

Because they're facing us, they let their guard down— thinking that there are no more opponent behind them.

Kahit nag-uuling ang katawan, nag-aapoy ang mga mata ni Helix nang ilubog niya ang ulo ni Winst sa lupa, katulad ng ginawa nito sa kaniya kani-kanina lang.

"Nakabawi rin ako, gago," malutong na ani ni Helix.

Namilog ang mga mata ni Eli sa nasaksihan, hindi makapaniwalang buhay pa ang lalaking tinusta kanina ng kasama niya gamit ang kidlat.

"H-How-"

I saw her flinched when Helix looked at her direction.

"You think that you can burn me? Even satan will have a hard time doing that." Dumura siya. Even though he said that, I know that he still got hurt too... Helix still can't control violet fire well, and lightning is almost hot as violet fire...

I can see the humiliation at Eli's face. But as expected, Winst didn't even lasted for 5 seconds at the ground. Agad siyang napabangon sa kabila ng nagdudugong noo at maduming mukha.

Dahil sa mabilis niyang pag-angat ay mabilis din naging alerto si Helix at lumayo kaagad sa kanila.

Winst's eyes are dead, his expression is cold and deadly too.

"Fucking kids... I should've killed you all sooner."

Now, their momentum was gone. After all, Helix managed to land an attack at them. But it's only because they let their guard down. Hindi pa rin sila nagseseryoso, at hindi pa rin nila pinapakita sa amin nang tuluyan ang mga gifts nila.

Ngayon, napalilibutan namin silang dalawa. Si Risca at Alvis sa harapan ko na nasa harap ni Eli at Winst, at si Helix na nasa likuran nila.

"Ha, just because you managed to land an attack once, it doesn't mean it will happen again." Nagbago ang ekspresyon ni Eli. Ekspresyon na... hindi na sila nakikipagbiruan. 

Nagbago ang ihip ng hangin, narinig namin ang malakas na kulog. For the second time, we saw lightning, and it didn't came from Alvis.

Two wolves made of lightning appeared beside Winst. So that is his gift...

Malamig at matalim ang tingin sa amin ng dalawang nasa harap.

Eli's eyes locked on Risca. "I'll kill the water girl."

Winst answered, "then I'll kill the lightning and fire boy."

Mabilis na bumigat ang mga pakiramdam namin. Dumilim ang kalangitan at namuo ang mga ulap.

Humarang ang kanang kamay ni Alvis sa akin. "Cleofa, don't push yourself. Trust this on us."

I bit my lower lip, eyes still itching. Fuck it.

"Tsk! Okay!"

"I'll support you from behind!"

CHAPTER 27
Fight

Note:

- For you guys to understand Cleofa's gift more, here's a brief explanation. Her gift (Law and Helena's too) has side effects and drawbacks. Not just hers, lahat din, kung gaano kalakas ang gift, mas malaki ang impact. 

But for her, ito 'yon. The stronger the gift she adopt, the more it will damage her eyes. And sometimes, she can only adopt them for seconds only. 

"But author, paano niya na-adopt ang gift ni Helena at Law? Hindi ba malakas din gift nila?" 

First kay Helena, Helena let her adopt it. She didn't tried to stop it. (Kung kontrolado niya ung gift niya at hindi niya hinayaan na i-adopt to ni Cleofa, may chance na hindi ito na-adopt ni Cleofa or more likely, dalawang mata ni Cleo ang mawala) 

 For Law, Law haven't yet use his gift to the fullest (may gap pa ung skills niya sa gift niya) making it easier to adopt. 

SO! To gifteds who can fully control their gifts and has a great connection to them, it's harder for Cleofa to adopt their gifts or control them (Just like what happened to King) 

 -Nasagot din ang katanungan ng iba na kung ma-adopt ba ni Cleofa ang gift ng Judge. 

 Yes, she can. 

Control it? No. 

Damage her eyes? Yes.