Nararamdaman pa rin niya. 

Sa mga pagkakataong kagaya nito kung kailan naiiwan siyang mag-isa kasama ang kaguluhang nakakadena sa kanyang isip, tila ba nararamdaman pa rin ni Miss Evelyn ang puso ng haring mas piniling ipahamak ang kanyang mga anak.

The weight of his still beating heart lingered on her hands; warm blood coating her palms crimson red, trickling down her arm until it drips onto the luscious green grass.

The moment King Lycaon chose his selfishness over his own blood, everything was damned for their kingdom.

'Isang nararapat na parusa sa haring inubos ang angkan namin,' isip-isip ni Miss Evelyn habang inaalala ang mga senaryong naghatid sa kanya sa sitwasyong ito. Indeed, the Waite family was one of the most powerful witch ancestry to set foot on this mortal land. Ilang siglo silang namumuhay nang tahimik. Walang nagtatangkang humamon sa kanilang kapangyarihan maliban na lang sa inutil na hari ng Arcavia.

The old witch can feel her blood boil as the images of the witch hunt haunted her.

Who wouldn't want revenge after seeing your own family die one by one, hunted down like wild animals?

Dala-dala niya pa rin ang galit na ilang taon nang lumalason sa kanyang puso. And she knows that she was already beyond redemption, anyway. Gone was that timid witch who witnessed the death of her own clan. Forbidden magic was already coursing through her veins.

"May that damn king never get a chance to rest in the fiery pits of hell."

Dumako ang mga mata ni Miss Evelyn sa mga halimaw na nakatayo sa isang gilid. Blangkong nakatitig na sa kanya ang limang werewolves na bumangon sa kanilang mga hukay. They stood like a pack of worthless dogs waiting their master's orders. Hindi naiwasang ngumiti nang matanda.

"Mukhang epektibo ang mahikang ipinahiram ko sa musikero..."

Socleus, Pallas, Corethon, Thyreus, and Eumon.

Death, Strength, The Sun, Judgement, and The Hermit.

Noong pinili ng kanilang ama ang kamatayan kaysa sa kaparusahan, ilang araw niyang inobserbahan noon ang magkakapatid. After noting that these five were the most dominant souls that will cause a greater loss, Miss Evelyn then decided to send all twelve of them their respective Tarot cards---cards that each depicted a portion of their lives.

A reflection of what will happen to each individual.

Doon na pumapasok ang isang pang sikreto ng kanilang angkan.

The Waite bloodline can see the future.

It was forbidden, but as the last witch in their family, who will dare stop her?

Alam niyang mangyayari ang lahat ng ito, kung kaya't pinaghandaan ni Miss Evelyn ang mga alas ng tadhana.

Nang matagumpay na niyang nailipat ang sumpa ni King Lycaon sa labindalawa niyang anak gamit ang ipinadala niyang mga baraha, pinanood ni Miss Evelyn kung paano nila sinira ang kanilang sariling kaharian. Instead of destroying that godforsaken kingdom herself, she watched them execute her plans for her. It was a perfect opportunity since first-time werewolves can't control themselves.

Indeed, the Big Bad Werewolves slaughtered every soul, leaving them with nothing and nobody to rule over but their own inner demons.

After which, she stole the five Tarot cards and used all of her powers left to hide them in the past...

Doon lang niya ibinigay ang huling propesiyang nagsasaad ng tanging paraan para mabasag ng magkakapatid ang kanilang  sumpa:

Sa tulong ng isang dalagang pipiliin ng Eteilla, kailangan nilang kumpletuhin muli ang mga baraha at wasakin ang mga ito.

'That's the downside of having Waite blood... Obligasyon naming magbigay ng propesiya para mapawalang-bisa ang mga sumpang dinulot namin---gustuhin man namin ito o hindi,' isip-isip ng mangkukulam. It was because their family was bound to the laws of Eteilla, the ancient chamber of magic. It kept the balance between everything and detects even the slightest anomalies in nature.

So instead of rebelling against Eteilla, Miss Evelyn cheated the prophecy by hiding the five cards and hiding inside the subconsciousness of the chosen maiden.

How did she manage to reach Princess Rieka Ridinghood?

"Simple."

In her last mortal years, Miss Evelyn helped one of the poorest villagers in town in exchange for his assistance. Nang mamatay ang mangkukulam, ibinilin niyang itago nito sa pulang garapon ang ilang piraso ng kanyang laman at isilid din doon ang isang botilyang naglalaman ng kanyang dugo. She told him to seal it with an enchantment and hide that red jar and forget about it...

He did as told.

And as per their deal, that peasant became the king of his own land.

From the ashes, the greatest kingdom in Eastwood was etched into history.

The throne was passed down from generation to generation ever since; wala itong kaalam-alam na hindi pa rin tuluyang namatay ang mangkukulam. Her soul remained. Yes, she lied dormant inside their head, passing herself down from generation to generation as well, waiting for the right time to wake up and trigger the chaos she planted...

That was when Red Ridinghood was born from their bloodline.

The moment Eteilla confirmed that that girl was the maiden who will help the werewolves, Miss Evelyn woke up from her deep slumber inside the princess' head and started appearing in her dreams. She was also the culprit of all her headaches.

Now, here she is.

Alive again.

Wala sa sariling sinulyapan ng mangkukulam ang tahimik na kaharian mula sa bintana ng silid. Oddly enough, this place looks exactly like the kingdom of King Lycaon, the one his own sons destroyed all those years ago.

"So you shall destroy this place as well. Or else, I'll send you back to your graves, wolves."

The five undead werewolves growled in response. Tumalim ang mga mata ni Miss Evelyn sa kanila nang tuluyan na silang makalabas ng kanyang silid. The door slammed shut, and the witch was left alone with her own thoughts.

*

Inside the tower, Red Ridinghood weakly opened her eyes at the sound of footsteps against the stone floor.

'Nasaan ba ako?'

Agad na nagising ang kanyang diwa nang maaninag ang anino sa bukana ng pintuan. Makalipas ang ilang sandali, nakilala niya ito. Nanghihina siyang umupo at sinamaan ng tingin ang lalaking pumasok sa kanyang silid.

"You're already awake. That's good."

"Anong ginagawa mo rito, Lancelot?"

Isang makahulugang ngisi ang sumilay sa mga labi ng binata habang humahakbang ito papalapit sa kanya.

"Well, I'm just here to keep you company."

She tried not to feel intimidated, but it was no use. Red Ridinghood scooted away until her back hit the cold wall. Sa presensiya ng kanyang "kapatid", hindi siya makahinga nang maayos. No, not after what they did to her in order to extract that witch from her head.

Hindi rin nakatulong ang katotohanang para bang nauubusan na rin siya ng lakas. She was drained of energy and her body still hummed with pain.

But she's never going down without a fight.

Nang ilang talampakan na lang ang distansya nito sa kanya, doon na naalarma ng prinsesa.

"Lumayo ka sa'kin..."

"Wala ka sa posisyon para utusan ako, kamahalan."

He crouched down to meet her eyes and smirked as he trailed a finger down the side of her face. She shivered at his touch, feeling disgusted when it suddenly ventured to her neck, down, down to curve of her collarbone, until---

SLAP!

Amber eyes were wild with hatred and disgust. Her hand imprinted on his cheek as his head turned to the side. Nanginginig pa rin ang kanyang mga kamay sa galit.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME!"

Sumunod ang sandaling katahimikan sa pagitan nila. At nang makabawi na si Lancelot sa kanyang ginawa, napasinghap na lang ang prinsesa nang maramdaman ang talim ng isang punyal sa kanyang leeg. He pushed her against the wall, caging her like an animal.

"You should've thought twice before you did that, sweetheart."

The fortune-teller purred dangerous close to her ear as he started pressing the blade against her skin.

"B-Bitiwan mo ako..."

"Alam mo bang ito rin ang punyal na tumapos sa buhay ng hari? It's such as shame. You should've seem him...so much red oozed out of his body."

She balled her hands into fists. "Paano mo nagawang patayin ang sarili mong ama?!"

Sinamaan siya nito ng tingin. "Hindi siya naging 'ama' para sa'kin, Rieka. Hindi ko na siya kinilalang ama mula nang pinili niyang kalimutan ang anak niya sa labas. Despite the fact that, by our laws, I am the rightful heir to this damn kingdom, he never bothered to search for me. Ni hindi niya alam na ang manghuhulang tumulong at nagtaksil sa heneral ay ang sarili niyang dugo't laman!"

Puno ng hinanakit ang boses ni Lancelot. Nakayuko na ito, para bang binabagabag ng masakit na katotohanang 'yon. Pero gustuhin man niyang maawa para sa kanyang "kapatid", after everything he's done, Red Ridinghood doesn't think she'll be able to feel any sympathy for this monster.

Still, she needs to get out of this situation and end this curse.

"Hindi pa huli ang lahat, Lancelot... Please, just listen to me. We can still---"

"What? Kill the witch, save everyone and let those beasts live happily ever after?" Pagak siyang natawa. "Sorry, but I don't take orders from anyone, Rieka. 'Wag mo na akong utuin. Now, where were we?"

Lancelot smirked, lowered the dagger, and started caressing her bare shoulders. Nagpupumiglas si Red sa hawak nito, pero sadyang mas malakas ang binata kaysa sa kanya. Wala siyang kalaban-laban.

"W-Wag mo akong hawakan! Please stop...a-ayoko... Please l-let me go!"

He pushed her down on the floor and licked his lips at the sight of her delicious and quivering form.

Lancelot's hands started sliding to her skirts.

"Shh... Thank me later."

Ilang sandali pa, hindi na niya alam kung anong nangyari.

*

She woke up feeling lightheaded.

Hindi niya alam kung ilang oras na ang lumipas mula noong binaboy siya ng kanyang kapatid. Red woke up, clutching herself as the sun slowly faded into the horizon. Hanggang ngayon ay nanginginig pa rin siya sa pandidiri tuwing naaalala niya ang pagkikita nila kanina ni Lancelot.

Huminga siya nang malalim at ipinikit ang kanyang mga mata.

She could just jump out of the window, but then again, it was a hundred foot fall.

Not a pretty death.

Ilang sandali pa, muling bumukas ang pinto ng kanyang silid. Red scooted away, thinking it was her half-brother again. Pero nagulat na lang siya nang si Pied Piper pala ito. Hindi niya alam kung dapat ba siyang matuwa o lalong mabahala.

"Get up. You don't want to be late for your own death sentence, now, do you?"

Gusto niyang matawa.

Damn. What a fucking great way to announce her end.

Sa huli, wala na siyang nagawa kundi sumama rito. Nang makalabas na siya ng tore, agad siyang nag-isip ng paraan para makatakas. Sa kasamaang-palad, mukhang naisip na rin ito nina Piper dahil nakaabang na sa magkabila nilang gilid ang dalawang werewolves. Ash gray and ebony black---Socleus and Eumon, respectively.

Eumon growled at her, making sure to flash his sharp canines.

Wala na siyang kawala.

Napabuntong-hininga na lang si Red. 'Paano ba humantong sa ganito ang buhay ko?'

Nang makalabas na sila palasyo, agad niyang inilibot ang kanyang mga mata sa paligid. Doon niya napansin ang isang kahoy na poste sa gitna ng plaza. Below it, mounts of wood were prepared as fuel. Nanindig ang kanyang balahibo nang maaalalang ganito rin ang nakita niya noon sa mga paintings sa kastilyo. The execution method used during the witch hunt in King Lycaon's time.

'So, they're gonna burn me alive?'

Nanlata ang prinsesa nang mapagtanto niya ito.

A moment later, she was being tied to the large post. Napadaing siya sa sakit nang hinigpitan ni Piper ang lubid sa kanyang mga kamay. He chuckled without remorse and snatched the Tarot cards from her pocket.

Isang mapaglarong ngisi sa kanyang mga labi.

"You won't be needing these anymore."

Damn.

Now all hope is lost.

Nang dumako ang kanyang mga mata sa balkonaheng nakakonekta sa throne room, she saw the old witch glaring down at her. Maya-maya pa, namalayan na lang niyang kinakaladkad na pala ng mga undead werewolves ang kanilang mga kapatid. They were covered in wounds. Dirt coated their sweaty skin. No doubt, they tortured them not long ago. Nakatali ang kanilang mga kamay gamit ang mga pilak na kadenang nagliliwanag sa itim na mahika.

Lycros, Carteron, Linus, Helisson, Macednus, and Nyctimus.

From where she was tied, the princess smiled sadly at them.

'Wala na akong kawala rito,' malungkot niyang isip bago bumaling sa kalangitan. Papalubog na ang araw. Nakaabang ang mga kalaban. Alam niyang hindi magtatagal ay lalamunin na rin ng apoy ang kanyang katawan.

And just like that lone candle she left in the dark forest on the night of her englightenment ceremony, it will only be a matter of time before the light in her amber eyes extinguish into nothing...

---

Look into your dreams!
Beyond where the clouds form a memory of your screams.
Look into your fragile mind.
Does it deliver you into this decaying time?
Keep painting the pictures of your brain turning outside in.
Are you ready for reality to fall in?
I didn’t think so;
the dark is already in.

---"A Cloud Of Dreams", David Irvine