Chapter Twenty-Seven: Food Chain

THE WATER that has started from a single drop has finally risen to drown me into its ocean. It permeated my ears and my brain mellowed hopelessly. Nagugulumihanan na ko sa simula pa lang na binuksan ko ang mga mata ko na nandito na sa bayang nakatakda kong maging tanging kampo at - malamang sa malamang - huling hantungan. Ibang misteryo rin ang dala ng presensya ni Mihrimah na wala akong kakayahan na tanggihan sa hindi ko malamang dahilan. At nito lang, napagbantaan naman ang buhay ko ng kung sinong nagmamatyag nagkukubli sa dilim.

And now this?

Papaanong magkaiba ang pagkakakilanlan namin sa oras na nagdaan? Papaanong magdadalawang buwan pa lang mga araw at linggong klaro kong nabilang at napagdaanan?

"What is happening..." Hindi ko na napigilan pa ang sarili ko mapasabunot sa buhok ko. "Just what was I doing all this time, then? A farce?"

Then what were those days? Was that paralyzing longing of counting the hours until that stalker visits me again ever real? The peace, the silence, the slow rising and setting of the sun and the moon... were they merely illusions made by my own mind?

"Two months," I sighed, my head low and facing the white empty porcelain plate.

There's no more to doubt. I was thrown into a situation that I used to throw others into before. A hopeless one. One that leaves no shortcuts or other options.

I stared at my reflection, but even if it was mine, my own realization made it feel like it mocking me. "Kung ganoon, posible bang ang hallucinogen drugs na nasa inumin na binigay sa 'kin ni Sed at usok ng sigarilyo ni Zsazsa na nalanghap ko ay kapareho ng kung anong nagmanipula sa pananaw ko sa takbo ng oras sa kabuuan ng pananatili ko rito?"

I pulled my head up to look at Skyzzer for confirmation, but my attention was quick to be called by a scoop of fried rice on my plate.

"Heavens, Judge," Marc frowned habang nilalapat ang sinangag. "Pakainin mo muna tayo, parang awa."

"Iniinsulto mo ba ko?" My eyebrow automatically raised.

"Someone's sensitive in the morning," Axel mumbled just loud enough to emphasize that a Dela Vega-Cromello spawn was in my proximity.

Before I could send him a lethal glare, the man turned his back and pretended that his coffee needed more sugar and creamer.

"To be fair..." Dash interceded by pushing the plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes towards me. "Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa kami makakabawi sa panggagago mo sa 'min dati?"

Alexandria's head reaper shrugged his shoulders as if at this moment, he had shoved his entire strict education about hierarchy at the back of his mind. Unbothered still, he went on to reach for the plate of those small fried fishes I remember they called 'dilis.'

Nagpapalit-palit ang tingin ko sa apat na 'to na sa pagkakatanda ko sa kaninang pag-recap nila sa 'kin ng mga nangyari habang tulog ako ay pumarito para personal akong ibalik sa amin. Ako lang ba o parang hindi nila inda ang kapahamakang nakaamba sa lalamunan naming lahat?

"Sa true, and it's not like puwede ka namin gantihan sa ibang paraan 'e alam na namin ang tunay na kuwento ng nangyari roon sa plano ninyo ni Alex sa konseho." Malakas na humigop sa baso ng kape niya si Sanchez, pawang hindi rin nagpapakita ng kahit anong senyales ng pagkatarant sa mga nangyayaring isiniwalat niya sa 'kin.

My shoulders sagged weakeningly against the wooden chair I was sitting upon. "I am so confused..." I shook my head.

"These are confusing times." Not understanding the weight of my statement, Marc only seconded with an exhausted sigh.

"Don't get us wrong, Sean. We have been caught in a web of lies and schemes long before we were even born. Ang ilan sa grupo natin, ni hindi naman pinanganak sa parehong kondisyon na kinalakihan natin. After seeing so much, we couldn't care less even if tomorrow's the end of the world, at this point," paliwanag ng may pasimuno na hagilapin ako.

'Di kalaunan ay iniwan din niya ang island at inilapag ang baso niya sa isa sa mga bakanteng espasyo sa paligid ng lamesa. "But... you're not wrong," aniya. "The same drugs were found on your bloodstream. I may not be as 100% certain as my wife who has the ability to confirm it without any tech, but a few tests we've brought with us from Collen's lab definitely led to the same conclusion."

My jaw tightened. "Kung batid na ng Clan of Light na tatambangan sila sa Selene, bakit nila ko sinama? Hell, bakit doon nila piniling mamatay? Bakit pinasagap nila ako ng droga at hinayaang makalayo sa eksena sa oras ng raid?" Namumuntog sa kumukulong galit at pagkalito ang bawat ugat ko ngunit sinubukan kong pahupain ito sa maya't mayang paghinga nang malalim.

Finally shutting down his act, Axel faced us, his hands devoid of the mug, the sugar jar, or the creamer sachets. He clasped his hands together – the fidgety gesture expressing the discomfort of the truth ahead of the words he was about to say.

"They always knew they would die eventually after the Council did," he said. "So did you."

Kumunot ang noo. Yes. I knew that. I am perfectly aware that the Clan will have to disappear in order to truly bury the matters surrounding the Council penultimately.

"And?"

"Pinili nila ang katapusan nila kung saan mapapamalita sa buong Underground ang nangyari sooner or later. At dahil alam ng marami na nasa pangangalaga ka nila..."

Axel's voice trailed off, but the silence is enough for me to follow the train of thought. "Everyone will think I died, too."

"That was the plan. The Polarion had already been compromised, so they chose Selene. Walang duda, may mga na nagmatyag para sa unang oportunidad na dakipin ka or worse, tapusin ka."

Mariin kong siyang tinitigan. Slowly blinking in disbelief of how quickly everything escalated from the moment the Queen of Archery left the Clan's turf, I asked, "Why there?"

"Although unofficial, balwarte ni Artezia Montelier ang Selene. A distant cousin," sagot ni Axel na kinita pa rin ang hindi pagkapalagay sa pagtuturing sa sarili na miyembro ng pamilya ng mga Dela Vega at Cromello. He eventually hid his hands behind him. "And so, kapag may nangyari, tiyak na walang makakalabas na detalye sa kahit na sino nang hindi niya pinapahintulutan."

Ipinatong ni Dash ang siko sa hapagkainan. "At kung meron man, wala sila kasiguraduhan kung buhay ka o hindi," ani nito bago sumubo ng kanin.

"The Selene is considered a neutral territory, as well. Other than the fact na iyon ang pinakamalapit na kinakukumpulan ng mga mafioso, it's the perfect place to sneak you out of the chaos and away from the Underground's prying eyes," pagtutuloy ni Marc habang nagpupuro ng tubig sa baso niya.

The next thing that went down from such straightforward narration was a deafening silence. A thunderously loud silence... and whispers of guilt. It was Broovens that displaced the Clan's founding ancestors from their rightful places. Their families' once formidable influence, wealth, and freedom, all of those were stripped from them the second they decided to stand against the Council. It was the Broovens. The same family I belonged to. The same name I bear.

Hanggang sa huli, isang Brooven pa rin ang naghatid sa kanila sa huling hantungan nila. It was me, the voices in my head keep whispering within me.

Unconsciously, my arms reached each other. The urge to scratch the very skin, the very roots, the very traces of Broovens that I was born with... was almost breathtakingly intense. Ni hindi na gumagapang ang konsensya ko para itulak ako sa sulok ng isipan ko. It did not have to do anything. My mind just instantly knew it belonged there. To the furthest corner.

"Hindi naman nila ko kailangang iligtas..." utal ko. Ni hindi ko magawang tapunan ng tingin din ang pagkain. May isang parte sa 'kin ang nag-uudyok na huwag kong tangkain man lang na titigan 'yon dahil wala akong karapatan.

For the nth time, the world reminded me how dirty the blood Broovens have.

"You have to saved, Sean. Just like the Brooven name has to," singit ni Sky na nagpapintig sa mga tainga ko.

That name?! That name has to survive, was that what he meant?!

Sporting a hiss, I turned to him. "Hindi pa ba sapat na lahat ng henerasyon na mula kina Alex at kuya ay magmamana ng ganoong makasalanang dugo?" I tried not to slam my hands against the table, but my calming techniques were soon proven to be in vain. "Is this what the Clan of Light's last wish? Did they believe that after going all through those shite, the Brooven name still has to exist?"

"Yes, they did!" The former third HEAD stood up. "Because they believed in you!"

"In me? What did they expect from someone that has to be exiled?!" I also stood up to match his temper. "Why was it their last wish?!"

"Because there's one last person na kailangan nating tuntunin at tapusin para matapos na ang lahat ng 'to!"

Tumigil maging ang mga mahihinang kalansing ng kubyertos. Maging ang hindi pa ring tumitilang ulan at 'di nagpapahupang awit ng mga kulog ay hindi sinabayan ang tuluyan nang pagtaas ng boses ni Sky. Halos isang minuto rin kaming nagsukatan ng titig nito at nang mapawi ang prenteng pagtaas-baba ng mga dibdib namin, he heaved a short yet frustrated sigh. A sigh that screams surrender.

"This is the Brooven Restoration, Sean Kyle, and my mother – after decades – finally came home even with bruises, without her full memory, to see it done. And so I shall, so I will," pinal nitong turan at saka bumalik sa pagkakaupo. Sa pagsalampak niya ay ang marahas na pagkaskas ng kahoy sa sahig.

Sinundan ko ang mga kilos niya tulad ng mga binitawan niyang mga kataga. Sa pagkakatayo kong 'yon, tuluyan akong na-estatwa.

"One last person?" I gulped the tension brimming in my throat. "Who was it that a restoration of a treacherous family is required?"

Hindi mapakaling tinapik-tapik ni Sky ang lamesa. Samantala, nakaabang ang iba sa kapupuntahan ng diskusyon at walang pinapakitang pagnanais na makisali rito. The former might and bravery they once posed were shamelessly unveiled to their once enemy.

And that's when I realized. It's not that they couldn't care less about this one last journey.

They resigned themselves to the inevitable truth that whatever we are against now, they have to confront whether the result is not what they hope for. There is no hope. There is no stopping the wheel this time. We must let it run its course because it's already spinning before we even know it. Breaking the wheel and allowing everything to fall is the only way to take it.

With a now hushed voice, Skyzzer refused to take his eyes away from the meat laid in front of us.

"There is always a bigger predator, Judge. It's not only you who had plans that spanned for several years. Ang taong tinutukoy ko, kung tama ang pagkakatagpi-tagpi namin... He guided you every step of the way. He made sure you'll fulfill your role in his play, which is to remove the Council that has always been chasing for his tail."