THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: Two days before the finale.

This is the second to the last part of Chapter 50! Since this update may contain major revelations, PLEASE DO NOT POST SPOILERS ANYWHERE. Reaction posts, memes, and GIFs are okay, as long as they do not give away the context. Let's not ruin other people's reading experience. 

For the first time in PL history, this update is written in two POVs, Lorelei and Loki. I hope you don't get confused while reading it.

LORELEI

THERE'S A nagging feeling in my heart as I watched Loki and Stein exit the Atrium. Hindi ko siya nilubayan ng tinging hanggang sa hindi siya nawawala sa paningin ko. I hope that wouldn't be the last time that I would see him. Meron pang mamaya. Meron pang bukas. Meron pa sa mga susunod na araw. Fingers crossed. Sana'y walang mangyaring masama sa kanya.

Silence ensued between the three of us. Alistair, Jamie and I exchanged nervous glances. None of has has said anything, but they must be feeling the strange atmosphere. Kahit sila'y ramdam ang kaba sa puso ko. Para kasing namamaalam na si Loki kanina, nagbibigay ng kanyang huling habilin.

Sana'y nag-o-verthink lang ako.

Hinawakan ni Jamie ang kamay ko. Her hands felt so soft. Nagtitigan kami ng ilang segundo, pinipilit na ngumiti sa isa't isa. I saw in her pretty eyes how worried she was about what might happen. They lacked the vibrance that they always had. For someone like her, that's unusual.

"Let's trust Loki dear," she said, her eyes blinking. Lalo pang humigpit ang hawak niya sa kamay ko.

I nodded. We let Loki play the game with Stein and hope that everything goes well for him. Jamie did not need to remind me. I trust Loki, but I cannot trust Stein. Alam kong hindi na siya bata at alam na niya ang dapat niyang gawin.

The best we could do was to accomplish the task that he left to us. Ayaw ko rin siyang i-disappoint kaya gagawin ko ang lahat upang mahuli ang tauhan ni Stein dito sa Atrium.

An alert crossed over my phone. Mabilis ko itong viniew dahil baka humihingi na ng tulong sa amin si Loki. But false alarm! He sent a message, but he wasn't asking for any help. He gave us intructions on what we must do next. Sandali akong nakahinga nang maluwag. Pero nanumbalik ang kaba nang muli kong basahin ang chat niya.

Why did he send this message? What was he planning to do?

"Hanapin na natin si Herminia," sabi ni Alistair. Sabay kaming tumango ni Jamie sa kanya at nagsimulang maglakad sa bulwagan.

It's been ten minutes since the last attack. The killer must still be trying to locate his target or findign the perfect opportunity to strike. Most students thought that this was really a game. What they do not know was the murders were real.

"Alam n'yo na ba kung paano nalaman ni Loki dear na si Herminia ang posibleng next target?" tanong ni Jamie habang nag-e-excuse sa mga estudyanteng nakaharang sa daan. Pagkakita pa lang sa kanya, agad nang tumatabi ang mga tao. They must have recognized her judging by the look in their faces.

Marahan akong umiling. "It has something to do with Math, he said."

I wasn't a fan of that subject kaya wala akong ideya kung ano'ng technique na tinutukoy niya. Maybe we could ask for Sir Jim Morayta's help? Ang kaso, hindi ko alam kung saan siya sisimulang hanapin. Masyadong maraming tao. Well, pwede kong tawagin ang pangalan niya sa mic.

"Nabanggit din niya 'yong strange ascending order ng numbers," dagdag ni Jamie. "Excuse me—There must be a way kung bakit mula sa number one, nag-skip sa four at five. Tapos nag-skip sa nine at fourteen."

Huminto sa paglalakad si Alistair at lumingon sa amin. He must have had his eureka moment because his eyes widened and his face brightened. He looked like he had figured out the secrets of the world.

"Loki said that we should pay close attention to the numbers, right?" he began, touching his chin. "Sa unang tingin, nakaka-confuse kung bakit nag-i-skip ng number ang killer. Pero kung i-a-add natin ang nauna o preceding na dalawang number, makukuha natin ang kasunod nito."

"Ang unang victim ay one habang ang kasunod ay four," I recalled as my eyes squinted at him. I was trying to do mental math. "There's no way we would have known na si number four ang isusunod niya. Baka may mali sa computation?"

"The killer had to start somewhere, so he chose one and four as the first two numbers," Alistair explained. "If we add them up, we get five. If we add four and five, we get nine. If we add five and nine, we get fourteen. And so on."

Naningkit ang mga mata ni Jamie, marahang napapatango. "'Di ba Fibonacci sequence ang tawag diyan? We'll get the next number by adding up the two numbers before it?"

Alistair nodded. "Kaya nabanggit ni Loki na Math ang favorite subject ni Stein. It's no wonder why he'd choose this pattern for his victims."

"So that's how he knew that Herminia is gonna be next..." I muttered. "By adding the numbers of the latest victim, which is fourteen, and of the victim before him, which is nine. Fourteen plus nine is twenty-three!"

"And the person who's at number three is Herminia Mancha!"

Lumawak ang ngiti sa aking mga labi at ramdam kong nagliwanag ang aking mukha. We figured out the pattern so we could finally put an end to this nightmare!

"After Herminia, who's gonna be the next victim?" I asked.

"Twenty-three plus fourteen is thirty-seven so..." Alistair looked sideways at our friend who has retentive memory.

Jamie shut her eyes for a second and opened them suddenly. Naghiwalay ang kanyang mga labi at akmang may sasabihin, pero bigla siyang napahinto. Her face that lit up became worried again.

"What is it, Jamie?"

"Rye Rubio," her voice cracked. "He's gonna be the next, next target."

"What?!" Nagkatitigan kami ni Alistair. Out of all people in the list, I didn't expect that Rye would be targeted. The first question that came to mind: Why him? Stein mentioned that he's gonna target the bullies and the predators. Was Rye secretly one of those? Alam kong nagyoyosi siya noon, pero hindi naman siguro sapat 'yon upang i-judge siya.

How big was the possibility that we might be wrong?

"Following the pattern, after Rye, the next target will be Idoya San Miguel, sixty, then Roman Fregoso, ninety-seven," Jamie enumerated, raising one finger after another. "Kung gusto natin silang iligtas mula sa panganib, pwede natin silang papuntahin sa isang lugar at bantayan doon!"

I thought that was the best way to deal with this problem, so I was inclined to agree. But I realized it was not. "Kung gagawin natin 'yan, madi-discourage ang minion ni Stein na ituloy ang kanyang plano—"

"—but that's the point—"

"—which is not to our advantage kasi posibleng may iba siyang targetin na nasa listahan," I argued. "If he realizes that we know who his next target will be, he might break from his pattern. We cannot lose this advantage."

"I hate to say this, but I agree with Lori." Alistair reluctantly nodded. "Ang kailangan nating gawin ay unahan siya sa kanyang biktima at hulihin siya sa akto. If we fail to catch him here, the danger will linger until this cruise is over."

I'm sure na gusto niyang matigil na agad ang mga pagpatay rito, pero sa mga option na nasa harapan namin, hangga't hindi nahuhuli ang tauhan ni Stein, walang kasiguraduhan na tatahimik na rito. At ang tanging paraan sa ngayon upang mahuli siya ay hayaan siyang ituloy ang kanyang pattern.

"So paano natin mahahanap si Herminia?"

Iginala ako ang aking mga mata sa paligid. There's no way we could find her sa dami ng mga tao rito. The killer might strike at any moment from now.

Muling nagawi ang tingin ko sa entablado. "Maybe we can pretend that we found her phone in the women's comfort room?"

"Better if we add one or two more names para hindi ma-sense ng killer na hinahanap natin ang susunod niyang target," Alistair suggested. "Kung masyado tayong specific, baka matunugan niya tayo at mag-break na ang kanyang pattern."

Tumango ako. That might help camouflage our intention.

Dumiretso kami sa entablado at tinanong sa taong in-charge sa technicals kung pwede ba naming hiramin ang microphone. Nang ibinigay niya sa akin at tumayo ako sa stage, biglang nagdilim ang paligid.

Oh, crap. Were we too late?

Agad ding bumalik ang ilaw sa Atrium na sinabayan ng pagsigaw. I immediately spotted kung saan galing 'yon dahil umalsa ang ilang estudyante sa isang area.

I dropped the mic and jumped from the stage. We rushed to the area where the crowd huddled around a female student clad in white gown. She was lying face-down. Nadatnan naming nakaluhod sa kanyang tabi si Rye Rubio na hawak-hawak ang pulso nito. He was wearing a gray coat.

What a coincidence! Mabuti't nakita agad namin siya!

He turned to us and, with a frown drawn in his face, slowly shook his head. May kinuha siyang nakalukot na papel mula sa kamay ng biktima at iniabot sa amin. Did he also fall to the student council's narrative that this was just a game and we're here to play detectives?

Rye excused Alistair for a moment while Jamie and I smoothened the crumpled paper and read the message that ran:

"But that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood."

Another Bible verse? Umangat ang aking tingin matapos basahin ang nakasulat sa papel. Agad na lumapit sa amin ang isang student council offcer at tinakpan ng itim na tela ang katawan ng biktima. Parang ine-expect na niyang may mangyayaring ganito sa bilis ng kanyang pagkilos.

"Aren't those lines from the Acts of the Apostles, the fifth book of the New Testament?" tanong ni Jamie, dahilan upang lumingon ako sa direksyon niya. She was looking away pagdating namin dito. Nang matakpan na ang katawan, nagagawa na niyang igala ang kanyang mga mata. "Bakit may iniiwang ganyan ang tauhan ni Stein sa mga victim?"

"Acts?" I thought to myself. Was Stein trying to boast he read that part of the Bible? Or were these just red herrings meant to confuse our investigation? We already had the pattern figured out, but these verses—if they had any meaning at all—bothered me.

Alistair and Rye made an about face turn. Humarap sila sa amin. Rye patted his back while my childhood friend looked visibly confused. Hindi ko narinig kung ano ang pinag-usapan ng dalawa dahil masyadong mahina ang kanilang boses.

"Rye!" I called him. Lumapit kami sa kanya at bumulong. We didn't want anyone to overhear us. "You might be the next target of the killer. Mas mabuti kung huwag kang lalayo sa amin para maabangan natin ang pag-atake niya."

This would be our best chance to catch that minion! Hindi namin pwedeng palagpasin ito!

His only visible eye narrowed into a slit. He's still chewing that lollipop stick. "Are you sure?"

Jamie nodded. "The killer is following a Fibonacci-like sequence sa mga target niya. The latest victim was number twenty-three and the victim before her was fourteen. Kung i-a-add mo ang dalawang number, you'll get thirty-seven, which is your number in the list!"

"What list?"

Mabuti't iniwan ni Loki sa akin ang listahan kaya may maipapakita ako sa kanya. "Stein gave this list to us and warned that there's gonna be a murder spree in the party. Nandito raw ang pangalan ng kanyang mga biktima at ang papatay sa kanila."

Nagawi ang tingin ko kay Alistair na tulala at walang imik. What was bothering him?

"Thank you for the heads up, but I don't think I will be targeted," Rye said with confidence. What? Ayaw ba niyang maniwala sa amin?

"You have to listen to us, okay? Mas mabuti na kung—"

"When will this charade end?"

We all turned around to see Sir Jim Morayta in a deep red suit. His jetblack hair was combed in a slick-back style and his spectacles shone as the light from the chandeliers shone on them. Medyo nakakapanibagong makita na gano'n ang ayos niya.

"I wasn't aware na may ganitong murder mystery gimmick pala ang student council," he said, turning to our new boss in the execom. "I talked to Emeraude just a few moments ago, and she said na biglaan lang daw ito. Did you know anything about this, Rye? Were you informed of this surprise activity?"

Rye shook his head slowly. "No, sir."

"But I don't think this is just a game," sabi ni Sir Jim na napahawak sa bridge ng kanyang salamin. "There's something more to it."

Lumapit si Rye sa kanya. "Sir, maybe we should—"

The lights went out. Everyone around us gasped. The killer was about to strike again.

LOKI

I TOOK a deep breath as soon as I sent my chat message to Lorelei. I was confident, but not to the point of arrogance, that they'd manage to stop the killings. I put my faith in them and I know that they wouldn't fail me.

The outcome of this cat-and-mouse game hinged on the next moments. While they deal with the bloodthirsty minion, I would deal with the big bad himself.

I followed Stein Alberts out of the Atrium. I let him lead the way and I kept distance from him. I heard our footsteps and the sound of the crushing waves as we went to the deck. Everyone's in the Atrium, trying to enjoy the party despite the party-pooper prepared by this four-eyes before me.

"This reminds me of that Sherlock Holmes movie," Stein said, leaning against and laying his palms flat on the handrail. Half of his face was dark, the other half exposed in the lamp light above him. "Holmes invited Professor Moriarty to a chess game. Then they had a struggle and they both fell in the Reichenbach Falls."

I stood a meter away from him as my eyes watched him closely. The group chat call was still connected and I could hear Lorelei, Jamie and Alistair trying to deduce the pattern of the killings. My hair covered the earpiece so Stein couldn't tell if I was on call or not.

He drew in a long breath and savored the cold sea breeze that welcomed us here. "Did you know that the sea itself doesn't have a smell at all? Ang naaamoy natin ngayon ay galing sa mga organism na nakatira sa ilalim ng dagat. That sulphury smell? It comes from rotting organic matter below."

"Is that why you invited me here?" I asked impatiently. "To pose me some sea trivia?"

"No, of course!" He shook his head. I could see in his smug that he's confident, maybe overconfident, that he'd win. "Bakit ba masyado kang excited na maglaro tayong dalawa? You want to jump into the action as soon as you can. Can't we have a foreplay first?"

"Your choice of words makes me shiver," I said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Lives are at stake and I don't want to waste any second."

"My apologies." He placed his hand on his chest and took a bow. "Shall we start the game? I will be black, you will be white."

"How fitting for you," I commented, smirking. The last time we played chess, he won. I don't think he'd win twice in a row.

"Make the first move." He motioned his hand to me.

"Pawn to E4," I began, maintaining my look at him. "I didn't know that you're a huge fan of the Bible. Your minion leaving a verse in each of their victims is a nice touch."

"Pawn to E5." Stein furrowed his eyebrows. "What Bible? I'm not a fan of that man-made work of fiction. Honestly I don't know what you're talking about."

"Knight to F3." I stared at his eyes and studied his tone. He seemed to be not lying.

"Pawn to F6," he moved. "You know what? I kinda expected that we'd play this game once my friend is on their seventh or eighth victim. Imagine my surprise noong kinausap mo ako nang mas maaga sa inaasahan. They just finished their fifth victim, moving on to the next one."

"Knight to E5."

"Pawn to E5. Oops! Sorry to take your white knight off the board!"

"Queen to H5. Check," I announced, raising my chin. "The truth is, I've already figured out the pattern of your friend's killing spree."

"Whoa! A close one! King to E7," he replied, crossing his arms as he leaned forward. "Kung alam mo na ang pattern, why did you accept my chess challenge? You could have predicted my friend's next move and stop them. You didn't have to risk one of your friends' life."

"Queen to E5. Check," I announced again, taking his imaginary pawn. "I just want to rub it in your face. Capturing your minion and beating you in chess means a double victory for me. Nothing will taste sweeter than that."

"King to F7." His smile widened. "Is that true? Maybe you accepted this challenge because you're afraid that you might be wrong. Kapag nagkamali ka sa susunod na target, that's already one life lost. And one life is too many, as they say."

"Bishop to C4." Based on what I was hearing in my earpiece, Herminia was found dead. My theory about the pattern was confirmed correct. Lorelei and Jamie also talked about the Bible verses being from Acts. "You're a Math geek so it's not surprising that you used Fibonacci sequence, with modification in the first two numbers. One, four, five, nine, fourteen, twenty-three, thirty-seven, sixty, and ninety-seven. Nine targets in total."

"Pawn to D5." Stein licked his lips. He didn't seem worried at all. "You must be thinking right now: it's too easy! Is that what's causing this doubt in your heart? Are you worried that I might pull a plot twist?"

"Bishop to D5. Say goodbye to your poor pawn and... Check," I declared for the third time. "I know you are capable of many things, but as soon as—"

My mouth froze as I heard Lorelei's voice in my earpiece. There was a blackout, and then...

"Sir Jim!" Lorelei yelled.

"Oh, my God!" Jamie gasped.

"I'm sorry, but he's gone." That must Rye's voice.

"King to G6." Stein's smile stretched from ear to ear, tilting his head to one side. "What's wrong, Loki? Did you finally realize your mistake? Bakit hindi ka makapagsalita riyan?"

"Pawn to H4." I maintained my composure as I did not want to give him the satisfaction. "Sir Jim Morayta is dead."

"Pawn to H5." Stein looked away as he sighed. I wasn't surprised that he wasn't surprised. "How unfortunate. Do you want us to give him a moment of silence? He's your adviser in the execom and he's my Math instructor. We both owe him that respect. Oh, wait a minute. Is his name in number thirty-seven, if we follow your Fibonacci pattern?"

"Bishop to B7." My eyes cut his gaze away from him. Sir Morayta was at number three. Why was he targeted next?

"Bishop to B7. Sinadya mo bang ipa-capture sa akin 'yon?" he announced, still smiling at me. "I can see the words 'I was mistaken' written all over your face."

"Queen to F5. Check," I declared. I msut concentrate on this game. I couldn't afford to lose. "Care to explain what happened?"

"King to H6," he replied. "I already expected that by the fourth or fifth killing, you'd realize that I used the Fibonacci sequence for the pattern. You'd be confident. You'd think you can beat me already. That's why from the sixth killing onwards, I decided to pick random numbers! Didn't I tell you just a moment ago na ine-expect kitang tanggapin ang challenge ko kapag nasa seventh o eighth killing na? I knew you'd be confused as hell once you realized that the pattern you thought no longer made any sense."

I inhaled deeply as I tried to calm my nerves. He's right. I already suspected that he might pull off a surprise twist. The Fibonacci sequence was so easy to figure out. Even a sixth grader would have noticed the pattern. But there came my problem. It was easy. The monster who stood before me wouldn't have made it too obvious.

That's the reason why I decided to play the game. I needed a backup plan, just in case we were wrong. I had hoped that we weren't, but things have come to this point.

"Now that there's no pattern anymore..." Stein muttered. "Who do you think will be the next one?"

LORELEI

"SIR JIM! Sir Jim!"

I stared at the lifeless face of our Math instructor as he was lying face-down on the floor. A pool of blood began to ooze from his body. His eyeglasses were out of place and his mouth was slightly open. Habang nakatingin sa ibang direksyon si Jamie, ako'y nama'y nakatitig pa rin sa kanya. Sa dami ng mga nakita ko ngayong gabi, na-immune na yata ako sa ganitong eksena.

Rye took his pulse and shook his head. Parang may sumakmal sa puso ko. We may not be that close, but losing him was heavy blow.

I buried my face into my palms and took deep breaths. My hands shook uncontrollably. I clasped them together, but the trembling wouldn't stop.

Alistair gently caressed my back. I raised my gaze at him. Inalalayan niya ako at tinulungang tumayo.

"Nagkamali ba tayo?" tanong ni Jamie na nakatalikod sa amin. She was also shocked by what happened, she screamed a minute ago. "Sir Jim was at number three! Bakit siya ang tinarget?"

Same question. I was also confused. Parang may hindi nagme-make sense sa nangyari. Was it possible that the killer made a mistake? I don't think so. He's been following the pattern from the first up to the fifth victim. Why would he change course now?

Then I heard Stein's faint voice from my earpiece. He revealed to Loki that he decided to choose random numbers starting from the sixth killing. Napapalatak ako at napasampal sa aking noo.

Inabot sa amin ni Rye ang papel na naipit sa nakasarang kamay ni Sir Jim. Kagaya kanina, mabilis na tinakpan ng itim na tela ang katawan nito. I offered him a short prayer before smoothening the crumpled paper.

As expected, it contained another Bible verse.

"Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out."

"This is still from the Acts," Jamie commented, blocking the view of the body with her hand. "What's the significance of these verses?"

Hindi ko rin alam. Hindi ko na alam kung ano ang nangyayari. Masisiraan na yata ako.

"More importantly, why would they target Sir Jim?" pailing-iling na tanong ni Alistair. "Were they still targeting the predators or the bullies at Clark High? Something's strange here."

"The killer's no longer following the pattern so he can basically target anyone in the Atrium," I said, sighing and looking down. "Maybe he killed Sir Jim because of his connection with Jaime Santiago. He was already aware about our findings that there's a former and there's a current Moriarty."

Nagawi ang tingin ko kay Jamie na nakatulala sa sahig ang mga mata. I was hesitant to open the topic about her brother, but what else could have been the reason for Stein to target our Math instructor? What's the thread that linked them together? Her brother.

"Stay beside me, okay?" Alistair said, smiling. "Mas delikado ang sitwasyon ngayon dahil kahit sino'ng nasa listahan ay pwede niyang isunod. We need to be closer together."

Thus our chances of catching Stein's minion dramatically dropped. With no apparent pattern, wala na kaming paraan upang malaman kung sino ang susunod niyang tatargetin. Our only chance was if Loki beat him in chess and stop this madness.

Speaking of Loki, I'm still waiting for his signal to execute his instructions.

"Maybe we should ask around kung sino ang malapit kay Sir Jim bago dumilim kanina?" tanong ko. Kahit wala nang pattern, we could still find a way to track the killer down. "Maliban sa atin, baka may iba pang nagkaroon ng chance upang atakihin siya."

Lalapitan ko na sana ang iba pang estudyante sa tabi, nang biglang hilahin ni Jamie ang kamay ko. She clung her arm to Alistair and she signaled me to do the same. Matapos ang mahabang buntong-hininga, ginaya ko rin siya. Magkabilaan na kami ngayon sa childhood friend ko.

"This way, matutupad ni Al ang promise niya kay Loki dear na protektahan tayong dalawa," Jamie said.

Alistair blushed. He firmly locked his arms on ours para siguradong walang makalalapit sa amin. Little did he know that I was also clinging to him because I wanted to look after him too. Hindi pwedeng siya lang ang magpoprotekta sa amin. We have each other's back after all.

Then the lights went out, making the people around us gasp again.

Kahit wala akong makita sa dilim, sinubukan ko pa ring lumingon-lingon sa paligid. I might see the glint of a blade or an odd shadowy figure moving in the dark. Keep your eyes peeled, Lorelei!

"UGH!"

My eyes widened in shock when I heard someone close to me groan in pain. When the lights returned, Alistair was clawing his neck with the fingers of his one hand, and his other reaching for something. Namula ang kanyang leeg at may napansin akong pulang dot doon.

What the...

What the hell was happening here?

I stood frozen and watched him kneel on the floor. My arms fell to my side as he was convulsing. He was writhing in pain. He was gasping for air.

Alistair... Alistair...

Wala akong nagawa kundi ang panoorin siyang mahirapan sa paghinga. Hanggang tuluyan nang bumagsak ang kanyang mga kamay. His eyes were half-closed and his mouth was half-opened.

It took me a minute to realize what had happened.

Jamie screamed at the top of her lungs, clawing her face.

Some of the crowd around us cheered as they seemed amazed by what happened.

And I only stood here, staring at my childhood friend's unmoving face.

Rye shoved me to the side as he knelt before Alistair. Hinawakan niya ang pulso nito sa isang kamay bago lumipat sa isa pa.

Nagsimulang maglawa ang mga mata ko.

He gently closed Alistair's eyes before he turned to us and shook his head. "I'm sorry."

How... How could this happen?

One moment he was fine. The next he was no longer... ?

How could things happen so quickly?

Why didn't I notice anyone approaching us?

The world around me blurred as my eyes were only fixed on Alistair. Hindi ko na makita nang malinaw ang mukha ng mga taong nakapaligid sa akin. Hindi ko na marinig ang mga sinasabi nila. I couldn't hear Jamie's screams anymore. All I cared about was my childhood friend.

I was so concerned about Loki that I almost forgot we're vulnerable to danger.

I dropped to my knees and tears began rolling down my cheeks. I couldn't even hear my own cries. My head bowed and leaned toward the floor. Rye tried to push me away, saying that we shouldn't touch the body, but I didn't care. I held Alistair's lifeless hand and gently kissed it.

Then I heard something.

LOKI

STEIN BLEW off some air as he read whatever's on his phone. Our game was put on a pause. I was the next one to make a move.

My concentration was being tested. I was trying to retain my mental image of the board while I was hearing Lorelei's screams and sobs in my earpiece. I can't shrug off the feeling that something worse might have happened at the Atrium. Still I tried to remain calm.

"Alistair is dead." Stein bit his lower lip as his eyes flicked up to me. For a second, he hesitated to speak. "I'm sorry for your loss."

My eyes blinked once. Then twice. I felt something heavy in my chest. As if a weight was attached to my heart, trying to pull it down. My mind was still trying to process every word that he had said. Was he bluffing? Was he trying to break my concentration?

No, he was telling the truth. Lorelei was saying the same thing in my earpiece. She's calling Alistair's name.

My fists clenched as I stood upright. My nails buried deep into my skin. For a second, I thought of punching him in the face. I wanted it to be my reply to his apology.

And yet, I managed to stay still. I couldn't let myself be carried away by emotions.

Stein advanced to me until he's only a foot away. I was ready to swing my fist at him if he tries something funny. He looked at me in the eye and extended his right hand.

"Let's call it a draw, shall we? I want to give you time to grieve. With your friends, of course. Don't worry, I won't have any of them hurt for tonight. One death is too much for you already."

My eyes only stared at his hand. If he's offering a draw... What's the point of playing this game anyway? I have lost a piece— No, that wasn't right. I have lost a friend. Winning this game was pointless.

I raised my right hand slowly, though still hesitant to accept his terms. With Alistair in an unfortunate state, Lorelei and Jamie need me by their side. I don't want to consider him dead until I confirm it with my own eyes. I had to rush back to the Atrium and check how they were doing.

But I withdrew it quickly as soon as I heard Lorelei's voice in my earpiece.

"Go ahead," I muttered.

"Hmm?" Stein arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean go ahead? You want me to go ahead with my victory? You know, even if I want to rub my win in your face, I still have a heart. I'm offering you a draw because you may not be in the proper mental and emotional condition to continue the game. Ayaw kitang talunin nang wala ka sa one hundred percent ng isip mo."

"Pawn to D5," I answered. "Discovered check."

Stein rolled his eyes as he lowered his hand. "You want me to take home a double victory? Fine. It's your funeral, okay? Pawn to G5!"

"You said that you have a heart. I highly doubt it." I slid my hands into my pockets. "I wonder if you felt any remorse when you had Rhea killed. Queen to F7."

"She had it coming," he answered, shrugging his shoulders. "I told you before, didn't I? She was two or three steps away from the truth. I can't let her expose my secret. Queen to E7!"

"Your secret?" My eyes narrowed into slits. "Is it about your good friend Jaime Santiago, the late student council president, being the original Moriarty? Pawn to G5. Check."

"Why are you asking those questions when you already know the answer? Why are we even playing this game? Oh, is this your way of retaliation for Alistair's death? Umaasa ka bang kahit dito sa game na 'to, manalo ka laban sa akin? Ayaw mong umuwing luhaan, 'no? I can't blame you though. You are competitive after all."

"This is not retaliation," I said with conviction. "This is you losing."

"Losing?" Stein laughed. "You failed to capture my friend's killing spree. You failed to stop the deaths of seven people at the Atrium. You failed to save your friend. Maybe you should look at the mirror and tell yourself those words. Wake up, Loki! The game is over. Queen to G5."

"It's far from over. For me."

He patted me on the shoulder and beamed an empathetic smile. "You lost. I won. Game over. Take a rest now coz I still have some surprises in store for you tonight."

Stein began to walk away from me. His footsteps rang in the deck.

Then he came into a halt.

LORELEI

WE REACHED the deck just in time as Stein was leaving. Nagmadali akong tumakbo rito upang puntahan si Loki. I had to make sure that he's safe. I had to make sure that no one could harm him. Ayaw ko nang mabahala at i-entertain ang thought na posibleng nasa panganib ang buhay ng isa sa mga taong mahalaga sa akin.

Stein's jaw dropped when our eyes met. Namutla ang kanyang mukha at humakbang paurong. Parang nakakita siya ng multo. He raised his finger and pointed it not at me, but at someone behind me.

"Why are you still alive?"

Alistair not only smiled, but also waved at him. Kitang-kita pa sa kanyang leeg ang pulang marks dala ng pagbaon ng kanyang mga kuko roon. Gusto ko sanang kuhanan ng picture ang reaksyon ni Stein, pero hindi ko na nagawang bunutin ang phone ko.

That's right. He's still alive and kicking. Nasayang ang mga luha ko kanina. When I found out, I wanted to punch him in the gut, but it's all for the plan.

What really happened at the Atrium?

When I broke down in front of his body, I kissed his hand and felt a pulse on his wrist. He opened his eyes slightly to show me that he wasn't dead yet. Binulong niya sa akin na ipagpatuloy ko ang pag-iyak.

Did he know it all along? No. While Jamie and I were reading the Bible verse from Herminia's hand, Rye talked to Alistair asked him to play dead on the second blackout. He had to make it realistic, hence the clawing of his neck and convulsing on the floor. I fell for his acting.

Kumpleto pa rin kaming apat. Kaharap namin ngayon ang taong may pakana ng gulo at inakalang mananalo sa laban sa amin.

"Looks like there's some slip up in your plan," Loki said, moving closer to the still shocked mastermind. "I didn't fail to save Alistair because his life was not in real danger at all. I didn't fail to stop the deaths of seven people because they were safe."

"What?" Stein turned to him, then back to us. He looked absolutely clueless. "What's going on here?"

"It was all an act," I revealed. "Well, acts, to be more accurate. Your friend didn't kill anyone at the party. You thought you had control over him. But someone had a better control over him."

"Even I was fooled," Jamie admitted. "Sa sobrang galing ng direction, hindi sumagi sa isip ko na acting lang pala ang lahat."

If Stein was not acting at this moment, I could be assured that Jamie did not inform him of what we found out a few moments ago. Not that I still doubt her, but I could heave a sigh of relief kung talagang hindi na siya nag-e-espiya para sa kanya.

"You told me that the Bible verses from the Acts that were left on the victims didn't come from you," Loki said, his hands in his pockets. "I assumed that someone was trying to tell us discreetly that the deaths were just acts. That's how my friends and I suspected that something was afoot with the deaths."

"Tama pala ang announcement ng student council kanina," patango-tangong sabi ni Alistair. "Those deaths were just parts of a murder mystery. At ikaw ang nasa sentro nito."

We had to thank Luthor for the deception. I haven't spoken or confirmed any of these from him yet, but behind the scenes, he might have contacted Stein's friend, blackmailed him into submission, asked for the killing pattern, and ordered him to not kill anyone. Remember? He's still in possession of the Augustus' Box. He could make anyone whose name was in it to dance according to his tune. Malamang nandoon ang pangalan ng friend ni Stein at 'yon ang ginamit niyang alas.

Stein looked down as the realization slowly dawned on him. With his stunned face, he seemed like he was putting the pieces of the puzzle together. He must be asking himself what went wrong.

"By the way, our conversation was heard by the people in the Atrium," Loki said. "I asked Lorelei to play on loud speaker our exchange in front of the crowd. I waited for you to gloat about your win so you'd lower your guard and be more vulnerable. While this may not be enough, at the very least we exposed what kind of a monster you are. They're still listening right now. Why don't you say hi to them?"

That was Loki's instruction to me. Sinabihan niya akong maghintay sa kanyang go signal upang iparinig sa mga estudyante at faculty member na nasa Atrium ang kanilang usapan ni Stein. Most of them couldn't believe it, especially when Stein admitted that he had something to do with Rhea's death. Malas niya dahil wala siyang phone at signal jammer dito sa cruise ship.

Nagkatinginan kaming tatlo nina Alistair at Jamie. Lumapit kami kay Stein at pinalibutan siya upang masigurong wala na siyang tatakasan. I thought of asking Alistair to restrain him, but we don't know if he still had something up his sleeves or inside his baggy coat.

"Rook to H5," Loki announced with absolute confidence. "Checkmate."

We heard nothing but the waves hammering on the ship's hull. Nakatuon lang ang tingin namin kay Stein, pinapanood ang susunod niyang gagawin. For a king who has been checkmated, he could not make any moves.

Nanatili siyang nakayuko, natatakpan ng kanyang buhok ang mukha niya. He slowly raised his head. What happened next surprised us. He threw his head back and roared with laughter. He sounded like he's possessed by the devil.

"I knew it," he said, then yelled. "I KNEW IT!"

We had a glint of triumph in our eyes, but it faded when his creepy smile greeted us. I was expecting that he'd kneel before us and accept defeat. But no. Mukhang gusto pa niyang lumaban.

"Someone tried to outsmart me by using my own plan against me, huh?" He slowly ran his fingers through his hair. "Do you really think I didn't consider the possibility that someone within my own circle would try to betray me?"

I gulped. Sumama na naman ang kutob ko. Was he suspecting Luthor?

"Do you think I would come here without any contingency plan?" Stein asked, taking steps toward Loki until they stood face to face. "Do you think you have already outsmarted me?"

I cast a glance around the area. Wala nang ibang tao sa paligid maliban sa amin. Jamie was gripping on her braided hair, looking nervous. Alistair maintained a serious look at the two boys, prepared to step in should something happen. Loki only stared down at the bespectacled mastermind before him.

"Do you know one thing about me?" Stein asked.

"What?" Loki answered.

"I sometimes like to do the unexpected."

Everything happened so quickly, I would have missed it if my eyes blinked.

Stein locked Loki into his arms and dragged him toward the edge of the ship. I ran toward him, hoping that I could grab his arm and stop his desperate move. They were about to fall off the handrail when suddenly...

"Ugh!" Stein groaned.

A familiar face sprang up behind him and injected something in his neck. Writhing in pain, Stein had no choice but to let go of Loki. He touched the part where he got injected. It left a red dot on him.

"You... Why..."

My eyes went wide as I looked at that person's face.

"Stein, I thought we've agreed that we would never harm Loki?"

q.e.d.

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