Spirits

May pulang likido nalang na tumutulo mula sa dibdib ni Alvin, nagulat din siya sa nangyari and took a glance at me. Pati ako nagulat din nang bigla nalang siyang natumba sa lupa. I almost can't believe what I saw at mabilis na lumuhod sa tabi niya.

Agad kong hinugot ang kutsilyo na nasa dibdib niya at pinunit ang parte ng cloak ko para tumigil ang dugo. Bumibilis ang tibok ng puso niya, ganoon nadin ang paghinga niya. He's feeling cold, fear, regrets. Damn it. I should have trusted my instinct to kill that child back then!

"Wahahahahaha!! Ganito ba katanga ang mga tao ngayon?" Sigaw ng bata habang humahalhak parin sa tawa. May lumabas na namang isang kutsilyo mula sa palad niya at patuloy parin ang paglabas ng itim na enerhiya sa katawan niya.

"Pinapasok niyo ako dito. Ngayon patay kayong lahat!"

The ground beneath the kid cracked, while slowly, his feet is getting bigger even his body. His eyes are glowing red, at matapos ang ilang minuto ay naging isang higante ito. It wasn't as big as that monster from earlier, pero malaki parin ito at parang tao ang form niya. Napalitan ng isang axe ang hawak-hawak niyang kutsilyo kanina. He laughed evily.

I immediately glanced at Ziandra na nanghihina na naman sa pagkakita palang sa higante. Her energy is already low and she can't really afford another battle. Pero imposibleng matatalo ko ang halimaw na iyan kung ako lang mag-isa.

Tapos ay dumayo ang tingin ko sa mga tao na nanginginig na naman sa takot. Some are already fleeing deeper through this place. I clenched my fists in anger. Nakakainis. Damn it! Anong magagawa ko kung ako lang mag-isa ang may natitira pang enerhiya? Plus, all their emotions are too strong that it keeps adding to my energy.

That only means na posibleng ako lang ang may kayang kalabanin ang halimaw na yan bago pa man mamatay kaming lahat dito. But me doing it alone is impossible. Pero may isa pang paraan.

Tinaas ko ang dalawa kong kamay and closed my eyes. I'm concentrating my energy to those around me. Dahil ay hindi ko tinututok ang enerhiya ko derecho sa taong bibigyan ko ay pwedeng masayang ang enerhiya ko. But I don't care. It's better to do this efficiently than to give my energy to them one by one.

"Anong ginagawa mo?!" Ziandra exclaimed behind me. "You won't have enough for yourself kung ipagpapatuloy mo 'to!"

Binaba ko bigla ang kamay ko at tumingin sa lupa. I'm panting so hard, and I'm also sweatinh. I didn't overestimate my energy, kailangan ko itong gawin o mamamatay ako dito! Itataas ko pa sana ang kamay ko when I felt a sudden weight holding it down. Napatingin ako sa itaas and saw Theone standing beside me. Duguan parin ang braso niya, but he was able to stand up now.

"It's fine. Huwag mo ng sayangin ang enerhiya mo." He said, his eyes focused on the monster meters away in front of us.

Napaupo din si Alvin, he looked at me. I can feel satisfaction and gratitude from him. I sighed in relief.

"Anong magagawa niyo ngayon?! Mamatay kayo!!" Sigaw ulit ng halimaw.

He slashed his axe towards our direction as the people far behind us started screaming. Fear...all fear. Dumadami ang enerhiyang dumadaloy sa katawan ko. Bago pa man tumama ang axe niya sa amin, ay mabilis kong sinummon ang weapons ko. I held each swords on both of my hands at sinangga ang malaking axe nito.

The impact was too strong that the wind became stronger. Napaatras ako ng kaonti dahil sa impact but I was successful at blocking his attack. Nagulat sila sa likod ko, and I won't say I hate feeling this way.

"Ikaw...una kang mamamatay!!"

Another attack brought by his huge fist came to my direction, hoping to crush me with it. Pero tumalon ako ng mataas above his arm at bumaba as my double swords cut through his right wrist. Naligo ang cloak ko sa dugo as my swords glow brighter in red in this darkness. I felt so much strength right now na pakiramdam ko kaya kong gawin ang lahat.

"A-ang kamay ko!!!" Napaatras ang higanteng halimaw. He suddenly felt irritated at the sight of blood.

"Alvin, gamitin mo ang ability mo to lift all the people out of here. The energy you have right now is more than enough." Seryoso kong sabi habang nakatingin parin sa halimaw sa unahan ko.

"Kaya pala dinagdagan mo ang enerhiya ko." I took a glance at him. His chest has stopped bleeding, but he can't lie to me. Ramdam ko na nasasaktan parin siya. They all are.

"But still, I was deceived. Hindi ako naniwala sayo kanina. I'm...sorry. I got us intro trouble." He touched his chest and looked away in embarrassment.

"May paparating pang dalawang katulad niya." I suddenly said that surprised all of them.

Nararamdaman ko ang galit, two of his kind are heading here fast. Kung ako lang mag-isa ay hindi ko matatakas ang mga tao. And my range has improved again, hindi ko alam kung gaano kalayo ang mga halimaw ngayon mula dito, but I can feel them. I feel so much energy, na hindi ako natatakot. I suddenly have this urge to kill.

"Magbabayad kayo!!!" Bago pa man makatayo ang halimaw ay binalik ko ang double sword ko sa original form nito, that scissor-like weapon. Then I immediately shot it to his direction like a dagger.

Nagulat yata ang halimaw at huli na nang napansin niya ang dugong tumutulo mula sa ulo nito. Lumusot ang weapon ko at bumalik din naman agad sa akin, blood flowing through its edges papunta sa kamay ko. The smell of blood is nasty. In a mere seconds, bigla nalang naging abo ang halimaw, fading through the air.

Tsk. My energy is dropping again. Like I thought, changing forms of this weapon reduce my energy greatly.

We all felt the ground shook beneath us habang nagsisimula nang nawawasak ang malaking pader na bato. The other two monsters are here.

"Alvin! Bilisan mo na!" Sigaw ko sa kaniya.

Tinaas niya ang kamay niya at pinalibutan ng hangin ang mga mamamayan. Cool breeze passed by, blowing my hair away habang dahan-dahang tumataas ang mga tao mula sa lupa, along with Alvin. Grabe ang pinapalabas niyang enerhiya, and it added up thanks to my own energy.

He lifted all the people up at habang ginagawa niya yun ay nawasak na nga ang pader. A huge roar echoed through this whole place. Mukhang galit na galit ang mga ito. Tumakbo ang dalawang halimaw papunta sa direksyon namin. Masamang ideya ito dahil hindi pa nakatakas ang mga tao.

"Pahintulutan mo kaming gumamit ng ability namin." Saryosong wika ni Theone sa likuran ko na ngayon ay lumalakad sa unahan ko, along with Ziandra. They both look so serious that it's almost...intimidating.

Ano ngaba ang mga abilities nila? They kept saying things like that na parang makakatulong ang ability nila sa sitwasyon namin. But what if it'll end up useless at sinayang ko lang ang spiritual energy ko? They are still, actually, using my energy, or else they would already disappear.

"Dahil nga ay contracted kami sa'yo, alam namin na hindi normal ang weapon na bitbit mo ngayon." Well we're contracted after all. Hindi ko man alam kung paano pero, alam nila ang nararamdaman ko at ganoon din ako sa kanila. "Many...many monsters are heading here fast. They are attracted by your energy, and before we could even escape, we'd all be dead by then." He continued.

Wait, what? Monsters? I clenched my fists irritatedly. Several monsters are heading here, at wala silang rason para magsinungaling sa akin. After all, we are contracted kahit ilang beses ko man yun ulitin dahil yan ang katotohanan.

"Alam din naming kaya mong talunin ang mga halimaw sa uanahan natin ngayon. But it'll be too late by then dahil nandito na ang iba pang halimaw. Decide now Keila."

"Pero...ang enerhiya ko. Alam niyong hindi ito sapat para pati ang mga abilities niyo ay ipapalabas niyo."

"We'll protect you...even if it costs our lives." Hindi man sila nakaharap sa akin pero yung sinabi ni Ziandra...I can feel that they are too serious right now to even bluff.

I smiled, though not that they can see it. Why am I even hesitating in the first place? Mga spirits ko sila, the least thing I can do is to actually trust them right? Sinasabi ko sa sarili ko na pinagkakatiwalaan ko sila, pero hindi ko pa napatunayan sa sarili ko kung totoo nga yun.

If I allow them to use their own abilities kahit na grabe ang magiging epekto nito sa sarili kong enerhiya, can I finally admit to myself that I trust them?

"Fine. Pero siguraduhin niyong magagawa niyo ang sarili niyong trabaho." I may have said that in a kind of voice that may seem like pumayag lang ako dahil wala akong choice, but I'm sure they both know that's not the case.

"Gladly." Theone said while he bump both of his fists to each other.

Naramdaman ko nalang ang paglabas ng mainit na enerhiya mula sa katawan niya. His whole body reeks of too much hotness, hanggang sa may mga apoy nalang na nakapaligid sa buong katawan niya. Grabe ang enerhiyang lumalabas sa katawan niya ngayon, and even though it's coming from mine, ni hindi ko ramdam ang pagbaba ng sa akin.

His hair is almost glowing, his whole body is.

"Tsk. Such a show-off. Hindi ako magpapahuli no." Mataray na wika ni Ziandra, na kanina pang ay sobrang natatakot sa mga pwedeng mangyari.

Something blue was radiating from her body, accompanied by zappy sounds. Tinaas niya ang dalawa niyang kamay sa unahan niya, as if acknowledging her power. Tapos ay bigla nalang lumiwanag ang katawan niya, electric volts surrounding her body. She chuckled. Electricity was flowing through her whole body, and I can feel that great amount of energy, on par with Theone.

I didn't know they had such powerful abilities Both of them are excited. Matagal na nilang hindi napapalabas ang mga abilities nila. So something inside them are growing, reason why they are releasing too much energy. Honestly, if they were my enemies, I would have felt threatened.

"Ako na ang bahala sa isa, at Ziandra, siguro naman hindi ka mahihirapan sa isang yan."

"Who do you think I am? If I hadn't died, siguro isa na ako sa mga Elites."

"Heh. Sino sa atin ngayon ang show-off?"

I wanted to tell them to be careful, because of their excitement, they are being reckless. But looking at them, mukhang kaya na nila ang mga sarili nila. Tuluyan ng nakaalis ang mga tao, along with Alvin. That guy's energy should be enough to handle things himself. Now I just need to finish the small fries.

Shrieks of something coming kept rushing through my head at agad akong napatingin sa likuran ko. Madilim ang parte sa dulo, but their glowing red eyes are enough for me to tell na nandito na sila. I felt them earlier, angry emotions. Tumaas na naman ang range ng ability ko, and in this situation, it's helpful.

I'm not really comfortable sensing a lot of emotions, but I can handle it kung iisa lang ang emosyon ang dala-dala nila. Plus, kahit ano man karami ang bilang nila, tatapusin ko parin silang lahat.

"It's okay, Ke'ala. Those emotions won't harm you at all." Bulong ko sa sarili ko, calming myself. I'll finish it quickly anyway.

I held each of my swords tightly, preparing myself. Dozens of monsters came rushing to my direction. My heart raced once again...but this time...it's excitement.

Ngayong nakikita ko na sila, kasing-laki ko kang naman sila except that their skin colours are green and a little mixture of brown. Isa lang ang tawag sa kanila, goblins.

May mga papalapit sa akin so I positioned my dual swords each beside me and thrust myself to greet them. Tumama ang mga edges ng blades ko sa mga katawan nila, a deep cut caused most of them to disappear into ashes. Patuloy lang ang atake sa akin ng walang tigil na mga goblins, until they surrounded me. Bago pa man sila makalapit sa akin ay nilabas ko ang mga chains between my swords and surrounded myself with it.

The chains let out traces of electricity na naging abo na naman ang kalahati sa mga goblins. How come I have this electricity anyway?

May lumapit pang goblin pero mabilis kong hinawakan ang leeg nito, lifting him up. I smirked. Was I ever this strong? I held his neck tightly and crushed it. Green blood flowed through ny arm once again, mixing with the red ones from earlier, bago ito naging abo.

Given the fact that I probably killed half of them, patuloy parin ang mga goblins sa pag-aatake sa akin. Tinusok ko sa lupa ang isa sa swords ko and as the ground shook, lumabas din ang electricity dito, directing the attsck to those goblins in the whole area. Hindi ako naapektohan ng sarili kong electricity, as if I was one of it.

Isa-isang nawala ang mga goblins sa unahan ko. The remaining ones stopped from where they stood, almosy bewildered. Then for some reason, bigla nakang silang tumakbo paalis. Nagulat ako sa naging aksyon nila, hindi ko inaasahan na tatakbo nalang sila ng ganoon.

I smirked again. This is too amusing. The feeling of being strong...the feeling that you can do everything...yung pakiramdam na walang makakapigil sayo. I have never thought battles are this exciting...thus fun. Kaya totoo palang hindi alam ng mga mahihina ang ganitong pakiramdam, because they can't be this strong.

Now, I think I understood Andrea.

"Saan sa tingin niyo kayo pupunta?" My voice echoed through the darkness, my swords glowing brighter and brighter. More. I want more emotions. I want more energy.

Tinaas ko ang isa kong kamay, focusing it to the huge numbers of goblin running away in front of me. Then I pictured it out. May lumabas na voltage ng kuryente sa kamay ko, at dumaloy ito sa buo kong katawan. A huge wave of electricity surrounded the whole place, isa-isa itong tumama sa mga goblins, and after few minutes...walang ni isang goblin ang makikita ko.

And my blurred eye...hindi ko alam kung kailan ako nagsimulang nakakakita ulit, but it wasn't blurred, as if it was healed all of the sudden. And my body is burning with energy.

Binalik ko ang tingin ko sa mga spirits ko. Nagulat ako sa mga ginagawa nila. Ziandra was easily avoiding the huge monster's axe na parang wala lang ang laki nito. Duguan na ang kalaban niya habang siya ay ni isang gasgas eh wala.

Tumatawa pa siya nang tumalon siya ng mataas at tumakbo sa kamay ng halimaw papunta sa itaas at tumuntong sa balikat nito. Tinaas niya ang kamay niya, releasing great deal of electricity papunta sa halimaw. Napasigaw ng malakas ang halimaw, at hindi parin tumitigil si Ziandra sa pagpapahirap sa halimaw na'to.

In the end, mukhang naiinis narin si Ziandra. Gumawa siya ng isang malaking spear gawa sa kuryente na kasing-taas lang ng higante mismo. Tinaas niya ang malaking spear, and she isn't even holding it, she's merely controling it. Then she closed her palm, as the huge giant spear made of electricity went down the monster's body. Tumigil sa paggalaw ang halimaw, before it could even let another anrgy roar, it faded into nothing. Ziandra then happily landed on the ground na parang wala lang ang nangyari.

Hindi ko na nakikita si Theone. He probably went somewhere deeper.

"Mukhang nagagamit mo na sa wakas ang ability ko." Ziandra said habang nakatingin sa akin. A teasing smile plastered on her face. It only costed me a frown.

"Ano naman ang sinasabi mo?" Tanong ko pabalik. "We have to catch to Theone." I started walking ahead of her as she followed behind me.

"Have you ever wondered kung saan nanggaling yung kuryenteng dumadaloy mula sa katawan mo kanina? I may be having my own fight, pero nakikita ka namin kanina."

"Sinasabi mo bang sa'yo galing yun?" And yes, I do wonder.

"Spirits have their own abilities, pero hindi lang namin ito ginagamit dahil hindi na dapat kami nandito sa mundong ito." She sighed. "But ours is a different case. Napapalabas namin ang abilities namin at may physical form kami dahil sa enerhiya mo. Usually people who make a contract with a spirit eventually dies after few days, because simply having a spirit costs more than a half of your own energy." Mahabang litanya niya.

"Pero dalawa ang spirits mo. You have an amazing energy capacity, pwede mong madagdagan ang sarili mong enerhiya without you even realising it at pwede mo rin itong ipamigay sa iba. We're lucky enough to have contracted with you. In exchange for your own energy, we will remain in this world until we run out of energy, we do so habang pinoprotektahan ka namin." Dagdag niya pa.

"Also, dahil sa sobrang enerhiya mo ay napapalabas namin ang sarili naming abilities. Don't you get it Keila? You're giving us another chance to live. Don't you realise that you're givng us energy equal to a God giving life to a man?" That's when I realised it. Technically they aren't suppose to exist. But they're here, brcause of me. "Kaya pwede mong magamit ang mga abilities o weapons ng mga spirits mo as long as you give equal amount of energy to us."

"And without proper training, you managed to control my electricity and made it yours." She let out another sigh. A sigh of satisfaction, amazement... "you're.....you're someone who deserved to have at least an enjoyable life." My eyes widened and I didn't even realised I was already looking at her.

"So you're saying...that I don't live that kind of happy, enjoyable life?"

"Maybe you used to." She walked passed by me, her emotions showed pity which made me slightly annoyed. "But the way I see it, hindi ka masaya sa ganitong buhay. Gusto mo nang matapos ang lahat ng ito, gusto mo nang bumalik sa dati mong buhay. Pero dahil sa mga nangyayari, you're thinking you just can't go back after all that happened. Kaya iniisip mo kung saan ka babalik pagtapos ng lahat ng ito." She stopped walking, and looked straight at me.

She's not suppose to see me. My face...my eyes, they're suppose to hide behind this long, black hair. But when she looked at me, it was as if she can see through me. Ganoon ba talaga ang iniisip ko? Ganoon ba talaga ang nararamdaman ko? Looking back at my past...siguro nga tama siya. I feel like that strength and confidence I had earlier just faded away, like how those monsters turned into ashes.

I sighed. This time, it was a sigh of relief, as if letting all of my dissatisfactions show. Mga spirits ko nga sila, they know a lot about me, and how I really feel.

"Ang sinasabi ko lang Keila ay, ano man ang gagawin mo simula ngayon o saan ka man pupunta, we're always on your side."

I smiled. It wasn't the first time I heard that. Iyan din ang sinabi sa akin noon ni Jarvis, it was heartwarming being told things like that. Alam kong ako ang umalis, but it makes me sad that he isn't here like he promised me. But now, someone's here for me.

I think...I think I can finally say I have friends. Though because it's cliche, I won't admit it.

"Thanks Ziandra." I patted her shoulders and I continued my own pace walking ahead. "I mean it."