Raphael's POV

"A glooming peace this morning with it brings..." I whispered the last lines of the book I held above my face while resting on the ground. "The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head..."

"Go hence to have more talk of these sad things..." Nilapit ko ang libro sa aking mukha nang mapalapit na rin ako sa pinakahuling linya. "Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished..."

In the middle of the wheat field, I gently rolled over on my stomach and lowered the book so the sun behind me can perfectly shine on the final page.

"For never was a story of more woe..." Dahan-dahang umangat ang aking tingin nang bitawan ko ang huling linya. "Than this of Juliet and her Romeo..."

Sinarado ko ang libro nang nakangiti.

What a beautiful love story, I thought. They definitely deserved to die.

 I rolled on my back once again, and held the book in one hand as I sprawled across the field, feeling the cold of the fresh breeze that slightly moved my hair and the hem of my shirt.

Napatitig ako sa puting kalangitan. Itinaas ko ang aking kamay habang nakahiga sa lupa, para subukang abutin ang mga hugis ng ulap na mabagal na dumadaloy sa himpapawid.

My finger gently traced the outline of one of the clouds that almost formed the head of a rabbit.

Blue skies... Purple curtains...

I will never know what they mean. For I have only read of colors, and heard of it. But I have never seen one of them. Except maybe white, black, gray, and a bit of gold or yellow, a color that my father introduced to me with the help of my mother.

Lowering my hand on my chest, I slowly closed my eyes.

The calm winds that passed through the wheat field serenated my ears with a solemn rush, and my soul never felt more at peace.

"Raphael," narinig kong sambit ng malumanay na tinig ng isang babae.

"Hello, mother," bati ko sa kanya nang hindi pa rin binubuksan ang aking mga mata.

She stood beside me and had her eyes down on me. I couldn't see it, but I could feel the weight of her presence, emphasized by her heavier gaze.

"A letter came for you."

Namulat ako, sa puting kalangitan pa rin. At mula sa mga ulap, inilipat ko ang aking paningin sa mga matang nakatuon sa'kin.

Kumunot ang aking noo. "A letter?"

Her lips curved to form a subtle smile. "From the mortal realms, Raph."

"Hmm." I hummed in response, before carefully lifting myself up and stood taller than the woman beside me.

"Have you read this already, mother?" I showed her the book in my hand. "I found it in father's library."

Kinuha niya ito mula sa kamay ko. "Romeo and Juliet?"

Panandalian kong sinulyapan ang pamagat na nasa harapan ng libro.

"No, I haven't," sagot niya. "But I have heard of it..." Inangat niya ang kanyang tingin sa'kin. "Bakit? Nagustuhan mo ba?"

"The star-crossed lovers died in the end. One drank poison and the other, stabbed herself." kwento ko sa kanya. "Their lives were tragic, but their death... it was beautiful."

Tinaasan niya ako ng isang kilay.

Samantalang, nginitian ko naman siya. "I loved it."

Tinapik-tapik niya ang libro sa palad niya habang pinapaningkitan ako.

"So which side were you on?" tanong niya. "The Capulets? Or the Montagues?"

"Neither." My smile softened. "I was on the side of hope and death."

Mother chuckled lightly. "You hoped that they die?"

"I always knew that they will die, eventually..." sabi ko sa kanya. "Even if their deaths weren't written in the book."

"But it was, in fact, written beautifully." Lumapad ang aking ngiti. "That's why I loved it."

"Did you, now?" She started walking towards the grassland, and so I followed her.

"Romeo died kissing Juliet, mother." Tinabihan ko siya nang nakapamulsa. "And Juliet called the knife a happy dagger before stabbing herself."

"Isn't that fascinating?" namamangha kong puna. "They died in the hands of love and happiness."

"But that wasn't happiness, Raphael," giit niya. "That was love and sorrow."

"It was a sorrowful acceptance, mother," giit ko rin. "Where Juliet accepted that her lover has passed away, and happily followed."

"She was still happy, was she not?" I asked, curiously.

"She was sad, Raphael," saad niya. "That the only thing she could do to be with her lover was to happily die beside him."

Dahil sa sinabi niya, unti-unti akong napatingin sa malayo.

"She was..." I realized. "They were, both."

"They were lovers who, due to their circumstances in life, can never be together," dagdag pa niya. "And could only be together in death."

"Love and sorrow, Raphael..." We stopped in front of a hut in the middle of a wide field. It was so wide it ended as far as the eyes can see. "Sometimes, they go best together."

Inabot niya sa'kin ang libro, ngunit napatitig lang ako rito.

"Nalulungkot ka ba para sa kanila?" tanong niya.

Sa wakas ay tinanggap ko na ito. 

"No." I gave my mother a warm smile. "I'm still happy for them."

"Talaga ba?"

"Well, they still got together in the end, didn't they?" The book in my hand felt heavier than usual. "They started the story apart, but ended it together."

"Maybe they weren't just destined to be together in life." A familiar story crossed my mind. A real one. "Maybe, mother, they were only destined to be together after death."

A sad and bitter smile drew across her lips. "I'm glad you see it that way, Raphael."

She gently held my face. "Go open your letter." She gave me a soft tap on the cheek and signaled me to go inside the hut. "Then meet your father back at the castle."

Nagpakawala ako ng isang magaang buntong-hininga bago sundin ang sinabi niya.

Pagkapasok ko, dumiretso ako sa isang envelope na nakapatong sa mesa. Kinuha ko ito sabay baba ng librong hawak ko at ilang sandaling sinuri ito sa kamay ko.

Pagkatapos, binuksan ko na ito.

Inside it was a dark card, bordered with two gold lines. Though I am not entirely sure if the card was indeed a dark gray or a different color. 

On it, were two words engraved between two golden wings.

'Visitor's Pass'

And below, was my name cursively written in gold ink.

'Raphael San Reyes'

I turned the card around and read the small note stuck behind it.

'xx Punta ka sa intrams namin? Hehehe. Tulungan mo kaming mamaalam para sa field trip namin dyan sa Underworld. - Isabella xx'

Pinaningkitan ko ang maliit na sulat, bago iangat ang aking ulo nang nakangisi.

Umikot ako at pumasok sa portal na lumitaw sa likod ko, dala-dala ang imbitasyon.

I then found myself standing in front of a man sitting behind a desk that's in the middle of a dark office.

"Father." I waved the card in my hand. "Can I go?"

"Your mother already told me." He continued to scan through the names written inside the thick pages of his leather book. "For how long will you be staying there?"

"Not sure," sagot ko.

"Send a letter back when you arrive," aniya. "So we can send you clothes."

Napangiti ako. "I will."

Father sighed and looked back at me with a grim expression. "And change before you go, Raphael," he asked. "Your clothes are dirtied."

Yumuko ako para tignan ang sarili ko at nakita ang iilang mantsa na bumahid sa maputi kong damit.

Natawa ako nang marahan dito. 

Why wouldn't they be dirty after I spent hours lying on the field trying to finish a book?

"Of course." Ibinalik ko ang aking tingin sa kanya. "I'm going to leave right away, by the way."

"I'll tell your mother."

"Thank you, father." Nanumbalik ang ngiti sa aking labi. "I will be back with Henri and the others."

Tinanguan niya ako kaya umalis na ako mula sa opisina niya at pumunta sa kwarto ko upang makapagbihis.

Among all the white dress shirts in my closet, I picked the whitest one with folded sleeves. 

I wore it with some of the top buttons opened. And it fitted me nicely, along with the white trousers and shoes I paired it with.

In front of a standing mirror, my white eyes continued to stare at my reflection as I clipped on my ears a couple of silver piercings and hung a chain on my right lobe. I grabbed a silver necklace and hung it around my neck, as well as my watch that I secured on my left wrist.

Then I started to wear my silver rings, some of them connected with a chain.

Slowly smiling due to building excitement, the piercing on my lower lip glistened against the light.

I closed and opened my fists to stretch my ring-filled hands before messing my white hair until it was good enough to look at.

A portal opened near one of the corners of my room. 

I walked towards it, stopping beside my table to get the card. I also took a moment to look at the vase in the middle of the table, that contained white healthy tulips.

My hand automatically grabbed for one of the tulips as I entered the portal.

On the other side, I was met by a flowering grave at the center of a small meadow.

Twisting the tulip in my hand, I walked around the grave and crouched down to gently put the flower on top of the marble that bore the owner's name.

My elbow was still on my knee when I stared at it with a soft gaze.

"Perhaps you really were a Juliet, Kaye..." I whispered, and not long stood on my feet.

With the card in hand, I quickly spread my white wings behind me and roughly lowered it to lift me up from the ground.

Turning around to say goodbye, I smiled at my sister and gave her a salute, before finally taking off to the place she and my mother once called home.