Paige's POV

I shoved the huntsman in front of me towards Bella before running to the edge of the platform. I grabbed Amber's hand after she jumped from her ember giant's shoulder.

Using my superstrength, I quickly pulled her before she slips and falls.

Behind her, ember spread from the giant's body before it vanished into thin air.

"Paige, mag-iisang oras na tayo rito," ani Amber. "Alam mong kung matatagalan pa tayo, baka hindi-"

"We're going to infiltrate this facility and destroy it," giit ko. "No matter what it takes."

Matagal-tagal niya akong tinitigan bago binitawan ang kamay ko. Mula ulo hanggang paa, sinuri niya ako, at napansin ko ang dagliang paghinto ng kanyang mga mata sa bawat pasa, sugat o mantsa ng dugo sa katawan ko.

"Kaya mo pa ba?" tanong niya.

Hindi ako nagsalita.

Desidido siyang tumango. "Sabi mo, ah."

Pagkatapos, sinundan ko si Amber ng tingin nang tumakbo siya kay Ash para tulungan itong labanan ang limang huntsmen na kasalukuyang kaharap nito.

Mula sa kambal, dahan-dahang lumihis ang aking paningin, patungo sa malayo.

Amber was wrong. It has already been an hour since we stepped foot on the platform of this facility, and yet we still couldn't get inside.

Inilibot ko ang aking paningin at binilang kung ilang huntsman ang natira.

Hindi na gano'n karami, pero lahat sa kanila'y mayroong kapangyarihan.

Nakatayo pa rin ako sa dulo ng platform nang mahagilap ng aking mga mata ang isang kisap mula sa malayo. Sa sandaling bumaling ang aking atensyon dito, naramdaman ko ang malakas na ihip ng hangin na nagmula rito.

Humarap ako sa maliit na sinag.

Umangat ang kapa sa likod ko at umunat ang aking braso sa segundong natanaw ko kung ano ang mabilis na lumipad sa kinaroroonan ko.

It was an arrow, flying almost in the speed of light.

I raised my palm towards it to make it stop, but it was made clear by the force of wind raging against me that it will not.

Whoever sent it was miles away, but had the pull of a thousand strings.

Sumingkit ang aking mga mata at sa halip na patigilin ang palaso gamit ang kapangyarihan ko, pumihit ang aking kamay. Hinawakan ko ang nanginginit na katawan nitong bakal nang daanan ako nito.

Hindi nabawasan ang lakas at bilis nito kaya kagaya ng inasahan ko, dinala ako ng palaso sa landas nito pagkatapos hatakin ang buong katawan ko.

Ilang beses akong tumalbog-talbog habang dumadausdos sa sahig upang pigilan ito.

Bago pa ako maalis sa platform, humigpit ang pagkahawak ko sa palaso.

"Move!" I screamed at Bella who stood on top of the elevated ledge.

Her eyes widened for a quick moment. She jumped away, the tip of the arrow almost grazing her ankle.

My muscles strained as I pulled the arrow back towards me. At the same time, I lifted my body, slipping my feet in front of me and pushed my soles against the elevated ledge to stop myself from falling off the platform.

An uncontrollable scream escaped my lips when I swung my arm to throw the arrow back to the direction where it came.

Wind curved my body, throwing me off balance the moment I let go of the steel arrow.

Napaupo ako sa sahig nang nakatukod ang magkabilang palad.

Gulong-gulo ang aking hitsura, pati na rin ang aking ekspresyon dahil sa pagkabigla.

Ilang sandali pa'y dahan-dahan akong napahawak sa buhok ko at nalamang naputol ang tali nito kahit hindi naman dumaan ang dulo ng palaso sa likod ng ulo ko.

Kasunod kong tinignan ang palad kong humawak sa katawan ng palaso.

Napatitig ako sa malaking paso na natamo ko.

It wasn't the arrow that cut my hair tie. It was the sharp wind from the unbelievable speed it flew.

Which means...

My fingers lightly touched my cheek where a fresh cut has opened. Following the path of the strong sharp wind that passed me, the cut ran diagonally across a side of my face.

It wasn't too deep, but it was not shallow either.

However, it was not pain that struck my face, but concern when I caught three more lights heading our way.

Three more arrows.

Dali-dali akong tumayo nang nakakuyom ang mga kamao at tumakbo para salubungin ang mga ito.

"Paige!" Narinig kong sigaw ni Amber.

I jumped off the platform, summoning a magnetic sphere around my body strong enough to attract the arrows downwards, stopping them from heading straight to the others.

The arrows spiraled around me before one landed on the back of my right shoulder.

Aaminin kong hindi maganda ang pagkalapat ng aking katawan sa lupa, dahil tila binaril ako sa likod nang matamaan ako.

Naunang bumagsak ang aking balikat, bago ang harapan ng buong katawan ko.

Lumala lang ang pakiramdam ko nang subukan kong gumalaw dahil sa sumubsob na mga bato sa balat ko.

Hinayaan ko muna ang sarili kong huminga sa loob ng ilang segundo.

Inubo-ubo ko rin ang pangangati ng lalamunan ko.

What in the Underworld was that?

Maingat kong dinamdam ang palaso sa likod ko gamit ang kanang kamay ko, at napangiwi sa proseso ng paghawak nito.

Daglian akong huminto sa paghinga.

Bigla kong hinatak ang palaso sabay pakawala ng nagtitimping iyak.

Gods! That hurt.

Nagawa ko itong itapon bago kusang bumigat ang kamay ko at bumagsak sa gilid ko.

Ilang sandali pa'y unang umangat ang aking siko. Kasunod kong itinukod ang aking kaliwang palad, at ang kabila, saka bumangon.

Tumayo ako, paharap sa direksyon ng pinanggalingan ng mga palaso.

Hawak-hawak ang duguan kong braso para pigilan itong gumalaw, tumakbo ako.

Nagkaroon ng maliit na pagsabog sa aking paanan nang mag-summon ako ng force field at lumusob sa pagitan ng mga kahoy, patungo sa presensyang nadadama ko papalapit dito.

I could run away because I was wounded, but curiosity will always get the best of me.

These arrows... this enemy that could send them as fast as lightspeed, was certainly not in the records. I haven't heard about it until now that I've witnessed it.

Half a mile away from the facility, a tall figure stood on top of a small hill.

Pinaningkitan ko ito at binilisan ang paglipad ko.

The shadow wore an all-black garment made of leather. The hood above its head lifted and for a split second, I met a pair of steel cold eyes before I used my ability of trance to cover myself with an illusion of my surroundings and disappear from her sight.

A woman, I thought after appearing behind her and kicked her hard on the back.

I turned around as my feet landed on the ground.

She was quick to regain her balance.

"And you are?" tanong ko.

Bigla siyang naglaho nang daanan kami ng mahinang ihip ng hangin.

Hindi ako luminga-linga at dinamdam ang aking kapaligiran. Inalala ko rin kung may narinig na ba ako o nabasa tungkol sa huntsman na nakabalot sa itim ang buong katawan pati mukha.

As far as my photographic memory could serve, no, I haven't.

A cold spot behind my ear forced me to dodge the swing of her silver steel bow that was as large as my entire torso. But I didn't know she also swung her leg so she managed to hit me on the side.

My ribs shivered from the impact before it threw me rolling to the ground.

Now, I'm overly curious what kind of enemy could do this to me.

Huminto lang ako sa paggulong nang tumama ako sa paanan ng isang kahoy.

Inangat ko ang aking tingin sa babaeng nakaitim. Nakatutok sa'kin ang pana niya kaya mabilis akong bumangon upang iwasan ang palaso na lumubog ang kalahati ng katawan sa paanan ng kahoy.

Umalingawngaw ang matinis na sipol ng hangin sa kinaroroonan namin, at naramdaman ko na namang nadagdagan ang hiwa sa aking mukha.

I could almost see a grin curve behind her thin mask.

"You're already satisfied with that?" I asked, turning her smirk into a frown.

I snickered at her reaction before she grabbed another arrow behind her and locked it on her large bow.

It seemed heavy, but the way she carried it, it was as if she was only holding a plastic toy.

She started firing arrows at me and I continued to avoid it, while making observations. 

From the way she stood, to the way her fingers curled around the steel string, I studied who she could be just by what I could see.

I was sure that I didn't know her.

But she still felt familiar.

Dumaan ang isang palaso sa harap ko kaya napahinto ako sa pag-oobserba sa kanya.

She's also starting to think in advance, just like me.

Tumigil siya sa pagpapadala ng palaso sa gawi ko pagkatapos muling magkasalubong ang aming tingin.

Her eyes, it has the color and reflectiveness of steel.

"Who-" My voice cracked, because of my throat that has dried up from the exhaustion that I went through.

Napalunok ako. "Who are you?"

She remained still.

After a while of silence, I could hear my own heart beating faster and louder. I've already noticed this before, but I only thought of it as caused by adrenaline.

Not until she looked at my right shoulder, where one of her arrows hit me.

It wasn't adrenaline.

It was poison.

Inangat ko ang aking braso at minasdan ang pangingitim ng aking mga ugat. Nagsimula na rin itong mamanhid kaya binaba ko na ito nang hindi niya makita ang pagbigat nito.

Labag sa loob akong humugot ng malalim na hininga.

Pumiling pababa sa isang gilid ang aking ulo.

The trees... they're starting to spin.

Pinilit kong huwag ipikit ang aking mga mata kahit umabot na sa utak ko ang malalakas na dagundong ng aking puso.

Kasama ang pag-ikot ng aking pananaw, unti-unti akong nahilo.

Tinignan ko ang babaeng huntsman.

"You're still standing?" Kasinglamig ng kanyang boses ang hangin na dahan-dahang bumalot sa katawan ko. "When poison that strong can kill an elephant in a matter of seconds."

My vision's starting to turn black, but I have to make it.

"Are you really comparing me to an elephant?" I said with a solemn tone.

Tinitigan niya lang ako bilang sagot, halatang naghihintay na bumagsak ako.

But unfortunately for her, no enemy's going to watch me lose consciousness.

Tinalikuran ko siya at naglakad papalayo sa kanya. Tanging kagustuhan ko lang na hindi niya ako makitang mawalan ng malay ang nagbibigay sa'kin ng lakas.

Nagpatuloy lang ako, kahit hindi na magkapantay ang mga hakbang ko.

Hanggang sa napasandal ako sa isang kahoy.

Kamuntikan na akong mapaluhod kung hindi sa kamay kong mahigpit na humawak sa kahoy. Itinulak ko rin ang sarili ko at inayos ang aking pagkakatayo.

I can't let the poison consume me in front of an enemy.

But my body already wanted to give in. My eyes started fluttering heavily. My legs trembled from being forced to stand, and my arms were being pulled by heavier gravity.

"Omega."

Binalewala ko ang pagtawag sa'kin ng huntsman.

"You shouldn't have come-"

Narinig ko ang pagsinghap niya sa bandang huli ng kanyang pangungusap, kaya napatigil ako.

"Oh, pardon." Someone else apologized with a chuckle.

I gave the tree in front of me a bored look after knowing whose voice it was.

"J'espère ne pas vous avoir interrompu."

'I hope I didn't interrupt you.'

I turned around and didn't change my expression after seeing Grey, who stood a meter away from the huntsman who had her wrist stabbed by a long sharp glass, and is currently trying to pull it out from being stuck on the ground.

Kung gaano kapilyo ang kanyang ngiti, gano'n din kalamig ang simangot ko.

Mabilis na tumuwid ang nakakurba niyang labi nang makita akong napaatras ng isang hakbang.

"What took you so long?" nanghihina kong tanong.

His eyes only slanted, before it went to the huntsman who just pulled out the glass from her wrist.

"I'm sorry." He stared at her for quite some time, the once purple in his eyes dimming into a deep violet. "Something came up on the way."

I hummed in response before leaning my head first, then the rest of my body to the ground.