Eivel

It didn't took long... before they disappeared completely in front of us.

My face is full of different kinds of emotions, pero ang nangingibabaw sa lahat... ang sakit.

"K-Kid-ya... umalis si Kid-ya..." Narinig ko ang maamo at malungkot na tonong boses ng coach namin.

Potchi's at Sage's shoulder, still looking in front as if he can still see Kid.

Parang natuyo ang lalamunan ko at hindi ko magawang makapagsalita kapag binubuka ko ang bibig ko. I can't utter a word.

Sinubukan kong habulin ang mga tingin ni Sage na nasa harapan ko, pero nahinto ako nang bigla siyang humakbang— nagsimula siyang maglakad paalis.

"W-Where are you going?" Nakakunot noong at nagtatakang tanong ko.

Sinagot ako ni Sage nang hindi nililingon. "Where? Of course, to the next district."

Hindi kaagad naproseso ng utak ko ang sinabi niya. "W-What-"

"Iyan ang reaksyon mo matapos ang nangyari?!"

"Yeah, our chess piece was taken. But there's no point of crying over a spilled milk."

I gasped when I heard his answer. "Chess piece?! Kid! Kid just freaking left!"

"Anong masasabi mo roon?! Natapon din na gatas?!"

Nahinto si Sage paglalakad, pero nanatili pa rin siyang nakatalikod sa akin. I heard him sigh, slightly irritated.

"What do you want me to do?" Magkasalubong ang kilay niya nang lingunin niya 'ko. "He chose to leave. Why would we stop him?"

"H-Ha- he might have an explanation! Maybe he doesn't a choice! Maybe he needs us! He needs our help!"

"Everyone... has a choice, Miss Genius. We always have an option, and Kid chose to leave."

I gave him confused look. Wala pa ring emosyon si Sage habang nakatingin sa akin... para siyang nakatingin sa kawalan, walang buhay ang mga mata.

"W-What do you mean?"

Tumingin siya ibang direksyon. "I saw those guys... at the checkpoint."

"They were with Kid. I saw them talking." He sarcastically chuckled. "Maybe they are really friends."

"Y-You saw them?! And you didn't do anything?!"

"What do you want me to do?!"

"You could've confront him-"

"If you were in my position, would you be able to do that?!"

Hindi ako nakasagot sa binato sa akin ni Sage. Umaalingawngaw ang boses naming dalawa sa malawak, tahimik, at medyo madilim na terminal. I can see Potchi covering his ears, flinching every time we shouts.

"You knew, right?! Napansin mong may problema. Pero anong ginawa mo? Natahimik ka rin, hindi ba?" Giit ni Sage. "Because you know, it's none of our business! We know the most that kind of feeling, we don't want anyone minding our own business! That's why we remained quiet!"

Patago akong napahawak sa skirt ko, iniiwasan ko ring magtama ang tingin naming dalawa.

"You're... fucking selfish." I said under my breath, but still enough for Sage to hear.

Naningkit ang mga mata niya at matalim niya 'kong tinignan. "Selfish?" He sarcastically said.

"Coming from you? Wow."

"Since when did you became that friendly?" Natatawang dagdag niya.

Hindi ako nakakibo. I remained looking down.

"Do you really care for Kid that much? Or you're just too scared of being left behind?"

"S-Sage-ya-"

I can hear the frustration and sadness in Potchi's voice as he tried to stop Sage.

"Sabihin mo nga sa 'kin, hindi ba't ayaw mo naman talaga kaming kasama ni Kid, napipilitan ka lang?"

Kumunot ang noo ko nang umangat ang tingin ko sa kaniya. "A-Ano-"

"You said yourself before. You just wanted to win."

"T-That was before! We're a team now-"

"A team?! Sige, tell me, anong pinatulong mo kay Kid kanina?"

Natikom ko ang bibig ko sa sinabi niya. Hindi nawawala ang pagtama ng tingin naming dalawa ni Sage.

"Hold some stuffs? Follow you like some kind of dog?" Sarkastikong sambit niya. "Admit it, you won't trust Kid unless you don't have any other option if you don't want to lose."

"Don't act like you changed." May tono at madiing bigkas ni Sage. "You didn't changed. You're the same as before. A genius, who thinks highly of herself, and thinks she can do anything. Who thinks that anyone below her, are just like a dog."

"SAGE-YA!-"

Lakas loob na hinampas ni Potchi sa mukha si Sage.

Sa kabilang banda, nanatili lang akong nakatayo at nakatingin sa kanila. Wala akong masagot, wala akong masabi.

M-Maybe because... he was right?

I-I thought... I changed... I thought... we're closer now— more than just a team.

"̴̧̹͙̿̃̐̚̕D̶̥͕̓ọ̶͔̖̙̯͎̌̑̌̄̀̈ ̴̥̙̍ỹ̶̢̠̹̬̲̬̃̊ȍ̴̖̤̄͘ṳ̶̟̭̽́͌̈́̊̒ ̵̥̤̝̖͚̈́͛ṯ̵̺̞͚̗̓́̾̈͂̀h̴̝̤͕̏͊̅͗͒ͅi̷̖͎̳͐̄̏́̒͝n̸̹̩̏́͗̆̉k̵̢̪̫̲͒͑̇̽͝ ̶̘̀̐̋͘t̶̻̳͆̑͠ḥ̶̯̤̼̻́̃a̵̻̜̰̘̠̐̓̌͆ţ̶̡̞̞̱͚̾̉̇̅ ̶̨͎̦̥̚ÿ̷̮̼̘̥̖̥́ǫ̴̬͌̔̃̉̚u̴̼͋̅̋̃̚r̴̢̰̬̈̓̅̅ ̸̮̖̗̹̊̃̍̋t̶̺̏è̵͉͖͔͈̍̈̏a̸͔̖͒m̴̙̀̀m̵͕͚̲̙̀̄̉͗̂a̸̠̲̠͛̋͑t̵͙̹̀e̶̳̪̜̜̥̳͝͝s̸̳̄͆ ̸̮̺̇͛g̵̩̽̐̐ó̴̢̻͋͋̋ẗ̵̝̯ ̷͖̙͚͐̒͛̃y̵̢̮̻̥̳̥̐̅ǫ̶͖̼̮͇̀̿̈ư̶̧̬͎̂͛͘͜ṟ̸̈́̂͛͗̾ ̶͙̻̩̆͋̾̉̆ḃ̷͙̘̹̙͖ȧ̸͓c̷̱̣͔͐̋͠k̶̗̙͊̓͌̀͝?̴̲̾́̌"̵̠̜͙͕̓̒̚͜ ̷̴̸̨̲̲̖̫̼̺͈̫͖͙̠̠̄̇̎̔̇͛͛̊̚͜͝͝ͅ"̴̗̘͔̈S̵͇͌͌̃́̐̈́ớ̷̩̿͂̆ó̴̜̰͖̽̄̕n̵̡̠̾͛̚͘.̶͚̜̩͛̓̓.̶̛͖̳̏́̾̾.̸̗͉̦̠̓͗̅̉͆̏"̴̸̵̨̛̤̘̖̹͈͕̭͙͋̿̽̀͗̊͋̈́̃͘͝͠͝"̵͕̟̲̦͗O̴̳̮͊̉́͘͠n̴̖͚͔͖̈́̈́̂́ę̶̛̟͚͓͒̈̀̏ ̸̣̺̂̂w̷̘̑̂̉̓̌ì̴̖̟̉̃̾́̚l̵͍͇̝͎͕͍̋̈l̶̡̧̖̝̜͉̑̊ ̵̢̠̻̂͑̾b̶̺̪̣͍̩̎̃͋̊e̷̞͉͝t̵̼̩̫̮̺̽͌r̴̪̊̂̐̆͝a̶̢̻̞͈̒̓͆́͘y̸̢̢̼̪̫̱͂́͗̌͑̕ ̶͇̭͚͎̱͊͋̇y̸͕̋̋̌̑̈́ǫ̶̖̱̓̈́͜͝u̵͍̫͕̲̜̾̓̒͝.̴͇̹̕.̶̥͙̥̭̻̒̚͝͝.̷̳̉ ̸͍̙͓́̉a̶̖͇͛̈́n̸͈̥̟̞͉̋̓̀d̸̜͍͔̐̑ ̶̨̪̞̏̿̊͋̕t̴̰̏̾͋̎ḧ̵̹͉́̒̂͐͜e̷̢̮̝͍̋̈́͂̉͜ ̷̻̦̪̥͖̼́̂͒̈́͝ọ̶̭̓̀̈́̓̇t̶̨͓͓̘̞̂̏̀̔͛͝h̵̗̰̱̺̊̈́̓̓̚͘é̶̞̈́̾͘͘͜ͅr̶̨͉̖͕̎͒ ̶̡̺͈̌̉̉̅̒͝w̶̰͔͍͉̍͝ȉ̷̢̬̭̰̬̺̀l̷͓̣͇̏̈́̑̏̀͠l̷̯͇̯̺̔͗ ̴̩͇͍̖͕̆̃͊̄̑ľ̵͈̦̲̜̈́̈́͛͋ẽ̶͉̗̬ā̷̻͔̙̀͑͜v̴̝̯̘̯̦̦͋̊͑̀͠é̵̢̙̅̒ ̷̫͙͔͇̭̮̏y̷͎͊̎̏͌͝o̷̼̫̓u̷̙͔̦̝̹͋͂̌͛ ̶̭̟̘̩̺̙́b̶̯̀̔̀͋͠e̷̥̠̯͌͌̉̈h̶̀̃͛̄͂͠ͅi̸͍̦͎̪̊͘n̷̳̙͉͉͐̈́́̊̈́͝d̵̗̲̳͉̈̆̿̾̈́͛.̵̲͓͙̓"̵̗͙̫̈́͆̉̉͠

Muli akong tinalikuran ni Sage. I don't see any regrets on his face, as if he was just keeping it all— all the things he said about me.

"I'll finish this game, with or without you two."

Nakapamulsa siyang nagsimulang maglakad. Kita ko ang pagsubok ni Potchi na tumalon mula sa balikat niya para puntahan ako pero mabilis siyang hinawakan ni Sage.

"You're just an NPC, your role here is to bring the players to the Game General and help us win. Sasama ka sa 'kin, dadlahin mo 'ko sa susunod na Game General."

I can see Potchi's small hands, reaching out for me as Sage's holding his body.

Bago tuluyang makalayo, may pahabol pang sinabi sa akin si Sage. He didn't even tried to glance back at me or stop walking, he just told me that...

"We're not here to find some friends."

"We're on a game, just like what you've said."

"We're here to compete... among ourselves."

Parang may matinis na tunog na dumaan sa tenga ko dahil sa sinabi niya. Walang buhay ang mga mata ko habang tulala at pinapanood silang makalayo.

Sa ilang segundong puro boses at sigawan namin ni Sage ang naging ingay sa loob ng terminal, ngayon, ang mga yapak na lang niya paalis ang nagsisilbing tunog.

It was dark... quiet, a little cold.

Inside the terminal, I just found myself standing in my place, frozen— alone.

At that moment...

Sage left me behind.

✘✘✘