AZHRIA
Heaven in Hell

I was plunged into the water. My afloat body was between the surface and the riverbed. I also felt lighter than usual.

Where was I? I tried to swim but I was not moving. I was glued on one spot, but I was not gasping for oxygen. It's almost as if I can breathe underwater.

Swimming about, I caught another figure with a similar state as mine. But I couldn't visualize her face clearly as the water was blurrying my sight.

All I knew was that she had already lost consciousness due to drowning. Until her eyes moved open, arms flapped, and legs flipped, swimming her way back to the lighted surface.

From death, the woman saved herself.

Now alone, my body waggled as I felt that I was pulled up by something.

The next thing I knew, I was inside a transparent glass box, while Garem and his henchmen were all smiles, watching me drown to the death.

Knowing for sure that panicking will not do me any good, I tried to collect myself even if I was already dying.

I swam to the front case and started punching it with force. But it was just too thick and hard. I'm unable to go against it by just my fists. Think, Azh!

Right. I was trained to hold my breath for almost ten to twelve minutes. This was an exercise that I was forced to do every morning. But at my current state, it seemed like I wasted half of it.

Just how the hell did I get in here?

Unable to spot anything useful to my situation, I surged to the glass case and placed my palms on the both sides of my face as I tried to peek at the scene happening outside this aquarium.

My eyes were blurry and mind hazy, but I think something chaotic was ignited by someone outside the glass.

At the same time I swam nearer on the front case, a bullet hit it and made some cracks to it. Instantly, I swam backward, pulling myself away from the myriad bullets fired against the box. They were making noticeable cracks but those were not enough to completely shatter the glass case.

Until one powerful shot was fired that turned the glass into shards. The water inside swiftly flowed out, until the air kissed my skin and swirled inside my lungs again. As my body hit the floor after the aquarium was drained dry, I immediately inhaled, grasping some air to breathe life to my body again.

While knees and palms were placed against the wet floor, supporting my weight, I cocked my head and sought ahead. Then I saw one handsome head.

Amidst the all-white room, Yuzeyo stood out in his dark get-up with a huge machine gun resting on his shoulder.

When our eyes met, his face softened for a moment. Until he clenched his jaw as if maddened. He then glared.

Not on me but Garem who had just pushed himself up to his feet from being seated on his ever golden chair earlier. Like Yuzeyo, he was furious.

"I told you not to touch that woman, yeah?" The side of Yuzeyo's lips turned up as he shook his head. "Ah, I forgot. Monsters like you don't listen to mere words. So I'll let my gun do the talking, then. Eyes up. It's payback time, Kuya."

"Seize that bastard! Fire away!"

Even before his henchmen could make a move, I didn't mind being soaked in water and carried myself up as I kicked the balls of one jerk. Thrown midair, I grasped his gun and started shooting Garem's puny servants.

Yuzeyo, who was far ahead, likewise did the same. We both dodged their attacks with controlled moves and exquisite stunts to the side. We shot and fight and ducked and dodged.

Until we were cornered in the middle, our backs pressed against each other.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him as I savagely shot one jerk dead.

Kicking one jerk to the side and firing at another on his left, Yuzeyo sighed.

"Doing what I didn't do for Zorya."

As if my heart was clawed, I paused for a second and felt a strange qualm.

"Watch out!" But Yuzeyo didn't need to warn me. I easily knocked out one jerk who tried to smack me from behind. And then a roundhouse kick likewise rendered one unconscious on the floor.

I stared at Yuzeyo with a cold face.

"You might have the machine gun, but I'm still the assassin here," I asserted.

Yuzeyo just shot one jerk behind me.

"Even an assassin can be grateful, too."

He sprinted away and beaten several asses and shot multiple jerks alone.

Meanwhile, I was not fazed even when I ran out of bullets. Instead, I leaped and performed my survival mastery through my kicks, smacks, punches, thwacks, and masterful headlocks.

Yuzeyo and I were yet to conclude the fight in our favor until the two doors banged open, welcoming Rosh pushed by a guard and bedridden Rumi held by Quiro inside. We were put to a halt.

"You can always try to fight us," Rosh bitterly gnashed his teeth, "but alone or together, you can't win against us!"

Behind them came numerous men with huge guns, filling the entire room.

Para bang may pabrika sila ng mga tauhan. Hindi talaga sila nauubusan.

The smirking Garem joined them.

It's Yuzeyo and I against all of them.

"Just confess to your sins and repent with all your heart, you will still be forgiven . . . by the high heavens."

Pinilit kong hindi matawa saka bumaling sa demonyong pari.

"Why not tell it to yourself, Quiro?"

I then glanced at Rumi whose body, less the arms and legs, was covered with bandages while laid on the rolling bed. Well, she deserved that rest.

"Gusto ko rin namang marinig kung paano mo aaminin kay Rumi na hindi ka naman talaga kasing linis gaya ng ipinapakita mo. Ilang beses ka ngang naghasik ng dilim sa loob ni Zorya. Kaya sige, Father Quiro. Aminin mo na kay Rumi kung ilang beses mong narating ang langit sa pagpupumilit mong pasukin ang templo ni Zorya."

Namula ang mukha ni Father Quiro, samantalang lumuha naman ang mga mata ni Rumi. She was pained but she was unable to talk about it. Hindi ko tuloy maiwasang isipin kung sino ang may gawa niyan sa kan'ya. Kahit si Rosh ay halatang may iniindang sakit.

"Let's all quit the drama and face the truth. Tanggapin ni'yo na lang na ang matayog ni'yong pamilya ay tuluyang napabagsak . . . ni Azhria Yrozama."

"So you prefer to be called Azhria now?" Garem chuckled. "If it's for the craziness, I'd say you're fitting to this family. But in general, you just can't be any one of us. Because you're weak."

I shot him a stare of disdain. "Well, I'd rather be a booger than a Balzuari."

"Sorry to break it to you, but you are already one." When Rosh rolled closer, Yuzeyo inched our distance as well.

Bumaling naman sa gawi niya si Rosh.

"At ikaw naman," tukoy niya bigla kay Yuzeyo, "you're a Balzuari by blood but you never acted like one. Why? Was it because we messed with your beloved, Zorya?" Rosh then playfully smirked.

Naramdaman ko naman ang pagpigil ni Yuzeyo sa sarili niya. He's right beside me and I could feel his heat rising. I could almost hear the wild beating of his heart. Yuzeyo was mad.

"In my bedroom, in the bathtub, on the floor, even at the garage. Yes, Yuzeyo. I fucked her there and everywhere. In every fucking way, I devoured her."

I held and squeezed Yuzeyo's hand as I felt his urge to sprint and attack. I looked at him and eyed him with a controlled gaze. I shook my head.

"They could easily dispose of you if you snapped now," I whispered just enough for him to hear. "If you really want to win this, you will wait for my cue."

Kahit halatang nahirapan ay tumango si Yuzeyo. He swallowed his fury and had his jaw clenched as he harshly breathed to calm himself down.

"Everyone had already divulged their stories, so allow me to reveal mine."

We waited until Rosh speaks again.

With an indecipherable expression, Rosh's eyes gleamed as if riveted.

"Garem and I used to be summoned inside Daddy's room before. But hey, we weren't assaulted like Rumi! On the contrary, we were forced to watch and touch ourselves as he raped Mommy."

I glanced at Garem as his face fell flat.

"We were just, what, grade-schoolers, then? We barely know a thing about what they were doing. It only occured to me years later when I developed a brain to comprehend sex, rape, and abuse. And then I realized Daddy was crude. A beast, monster, devil . . . he surpassed them all. He's the baddest of them all. But how could I resent him for that? It's the reason why we were born. So how could it be deemed as wrong? Daddy just did what he had to do. He served his manly purpose."

There has to be an igniter to attain a certain character and behavior. It was highly crucial to look after the young during their childhood years. One way or another, the things that will have a great impact on them during those years will be the determining factors of the personality they will be having as they truly age, thrive, and mature.

Children are good imitators. Show to them a person and they'll become that person. Act on them and they'll follow.

"It had become my favorite show." Rosh's eyes were dreamy as his lips stretched to a wicked grin. "Two people kissing and succumbing to each other's warmth, extending equal pleasure to their hungered system. It became my dream. To find my own mate that I will blithely rape until death do us part."

"What a fucking machine you are!"

"It was never an insult to me," Rosh quickly replied as he gazed at Yuzeyo.

Then his face turned dark, pained.

"Masuwerte ka, Yuzeyo, dahil hindi ka lumaki sa impiyernong mansiyon na 'to. And I always envied you for that. Oo, nagselos ako! Oo, nagalit ako! But I never felt guilt for everything that I did. I enjoyed them. Sex is what keeps my dead soul alive. And if given a chance to relive my life, I would still fuck Zorya until I drained her dry."

Hindi ko na napigilan pa ang bilis ng galaw ni Yuzeyo. Sa isang iglap lang ay nakatutok na kay Rosh ang barili niya.

"You can't shoot us all," Rosh noted.

Face void of any emotion, Yuzeyo replied, "I'll only be shooting you."

When one jerk kicked Yuzeyo's arms and his gun slipped to the floor, the furious Yuzeyo dashed up to Rosh and pulled him off his wheelchair and beaten him up with great brutality.

To back him up, I leaped and twirled midair as I started shooting every jerk that crossed my sight. As I expertly landed, I managed to send a quarter of their number down. But I was not satisfied. And so I went in full blast.

Category: Greatest killer of all time.

Ngayon pa lang nila makikita kung sino ba talaga si Azhria Yrozama.

With an intent so deadly, I then fired bullets against numerous jerks. While my hair swayed in my every flip and turn, I showered them with no mercy.

I caught Quiro pushed Rumi's bed to the side to save her from the chaos.

Meanwhile, Garem rushed to the back of his golden chair, hiding like a child.

While I was malevolently shooting practically every jerkhead that I see, I turned to Yuzeyo's side and spotted his brutal display of madness. He was atop Rosh and continued punching his blooded face but Rosh only smirked.

"Yes, Yuzeyo," he even mocked him. "I tasted Zorya . . . and she tasted me. I entered her with the every inch of me."

Vexed, Yuzeyo then grasped his neck, pulled him up, and smashed his back against the wall. But Yuzeyo's fury knew no bounds. And so he forcefully tossed Rosh back to the floor and with gaze so cold, he aggressively whacked everything there is to harm in him.

"No one," Yuzeyo punched him hard, "could sully," and released another blow, "Zorya's name," he gave him a gut-wrenching thwack, "in front of me!" With one final thrash against his face, Rosh finally lost consciousness.

Pulling Rosh's damaged body upward, Yuzeyo effortlessly threw him against the wall. "Let that sink, you fuckwit!"

If only my back was not hit, I would have spent more minutes watching Yuzeyo as he dipped to his savagery.

The young jerk gulped as I turned around to face him. I only smiled.

"What's a teenager doing here?"

He took a step back. "To do this?"

He showed me a black remote that he pressed before me. Almost instantly, I felt electrocuted. Looks like he didn't punch but place a device on my back.

While being electrocuted, I managed to kick the boy's chest that pushed him back. The remote slipped off his grasp and fell to the floor. I swiftly removed the device that was clipped to my back.

But to my surprise, Garem had taken advantage of my being distracted and appeared right behind me, holding my neck while harshly pressing his golden revolver against my still-wet temple.

At the same time Garem held me captive, Yuzeyo rose from the side. With him was Quiro, who was similar to my state, held captive as well.

"Shoot her and I'll kill your whore!" Yuzeyo threatened with a glare.

Nang dumiin ang pagkakatutok ng baril ni Yuzeyo sa sentido ni Quiro ay naramdaman ko naman sa likod ko ang pagkalabog ng dibdib ni Garem.

"I promise you," Yuzeyo added, "before the sun rises . . . you'll be dead, too."

"Oh, bless your humor, kid!" Garem overlayed his fear with faint bravery. "You can't do that. You're a weakling!"

"Oh, but I can!" Yuzeyo immediately countered. "The devilry of this family had already exhausted my patience. So I dare you to try me now, Kuya. Hindi na 'ko natatakot sa sinuman sa inyo."

I spotted the grit and determination on Yuzeyo's face. Gone was that little boy who could barely control his tears from falling non-stop. I no longer spot any fear in his eyes. Yuzeyo had fully grown into a fierce and valorous man.

Garem must have noticed that as well since I felt his tight grasp on my neck slightly quivered. And he inhaled a deep breath as if keeping his cool.

Palihim kong sinulyapan si Yuzeyo. Marahan akong tumango habang kumunot naman bigla ang noo niya.

As soon as I secretly nodded at him, Yuzeyo had received my message.

"Don't bother, Yuzeyo," I casually told him, disregarding Garem's tightened grasp. "Wala akong pakialam kung mamatay ako. Isa pa, bayad naman na ako. All I want now is to make Garem mourn his greatest heartbreak. So go ahead, Yuzeyo. Pabayaan mo na ako. Before Garem, shoot that priest now!"

"No!" Sa pagdaloy ng nagsusumidhing emosyon ni Garem ay nakalimutan na niyang mag-isip. His grasp loosened, and I took that opportunity to elbow his ribcage and pulled his arm on my neck. I then lowered my stand and threw him ahead from my backside.

Kaagad lumagapak ang katawan niya sa sahig. Napangisi ako saka baril ko naman ang itinutok ko sa ulo niya.

"You've always liked blowing some man's head," I muttered slowly. "Now it's my turn to blow your head, Ate!"

I was about to shoot him dead when I heard Yuzeyo groaned from my back.

It appeared that several henchmen attacked him altogether and Quiro was freed from his captivity. Now, Yuzeyo was fighting four jerks all at once. I gritted my teeth as I sprinted to him.

Eventually, we both trounced all the jerks with our combined martial arts.

"Let's just get out of here," he told me.

Not waiting for an answer, Yuzeyo gently pulled me forward, leading to the opened doors. And I allowed him.

"Baka nakakalimutan ni'yong hawak pa namin si Sachiko!" I heard Garem from the back. We continued still, not until: "And oh, we also have Grazy."

I stopped Yuzeyo from pulling my hand and instantly turned to face Garem.

As if rehearsed, another wave of henchmen entered the room. With them was a middle-aged woman with silver glasses. She was donned with a purple suit, grayish hair curled to its back, and expensive complexion.

Regardless of the wrinkles written all over her face, elegance remained still. Though she was chained and captured, her dominance and powerful features still retained as I caught her eyes rolled as if the present situation bored her.

Seeing her inside this white room, I suddenly realized one thing I failed to notice before. And it amazed my being.

Grazy almost resembled Zorya's beauty.

Only after securing that Rumi was on a safe position in the room did Quiro take charge and claimed Grazy from her former captors. He then glared at my and Yuzeyo's location in the room.

The priest seemed like celebrating their victory wrapped in deception.

"According to my investigation, this old bitch was your only remaining relative. So I thought I should kill her."

Hearing that from Garem, I smiled.

He then motioned Quiro to move.

Quiro walked up to the still-calmed Grazy and played with her gray hair.

"You have no idea what's coming for you," I told him. "I suggest you summon the devils now and pray hard, you must. Your death is on its way."

With a glare so cold, Grazy just dropped a bored gaze at Quiro.

"My husband is a jealous beast," she voiced so sweetly. "Now rest in peace."

Hindi ko napigil ang ngisi ko. Maging si Yuzeyo ay napakunot ang noo. And everyone else was as fazed as him.

They must have skipped the part that I was just a single link in a huge system.

Kung sa akin nga, halos malagas na sila, paano pa kapag kaming lahat na?

"This is how it should end," I muttered to myself as I raised my chin at them. "Buckle up, fuckers. RSC has arrived."

At the same time my brow raised, myriad agents in their battle suits flipped, leaped, and dashed inside.

They entered like an army raiding a den of criminals. The white room suddenly became dark and gloomy.

In a blink of an eye, they already incapacitated all of the jerks, only leaving Garem and Quiro standing.

Our number was massive. Our force was domineering. We fight and we win. We conquer with no remorse.

We are the angels of the night. The Regiment of the Shadow Chasers.

While the other agents filled the room entirely, one man with an ivory suit silently marched to the middle where both Garem and Quiro stood affright.

Now freed, Grazy walked up to her handsome husband and kissed him.

Then Grazy glanced at Quiro's side.

As if they had an understanding, her husband pulled his katana and with a frown so dark, he mercilessly slashed Father Quiro's head off his shoulders.

I watched how it rolled down. He who liked receiving heads lost his head.

"Only I can touch my wife," Grazy's handsome husband, Commander Woshik, pronounced in a flat tone.

"Yeah, me too!" The hair on my body almost stood to their ends when I heard Rosh's monstrous voice again.

He was right behind me, I'm sure.

Alarmed, I then caught Yuzeyo's jaw clenched as his eyes went through me, furiously looking at Rosh behind me.

For a moment, I was frozen.

"If I can't have her, no one will!"

The following scenes happened so swiftly. I heard a gunshot. Yuzeyo hugged me. He switched our position.

Several agents fired at Rosh. Multiple times, he was shot. His wounded body then descended and reunited with the floor. Rosh bathed in his own blood.

He who dug the pit fell into it.

With that, the war finally ended.

The only monsters left were Garem, now hysterically crying over Quiro's beheaded body, and Rumi, who was silently weeping on her rolling bed.

While overwhelming emotions swirled inside my stomach, I hugged Yuzeyo back. Until I felt liquid on my hands.

"It's over, Azh," Yuzeyo managed to whisper as his knees weakened, unable to support his stand. "I'm done here."

I aided him downward and placed his head on my lap. Then I stared at my palms covered in red. Yuzeyo's blood.

Yuzeyo switched our position.

Rosh fired a bullet behind.

Yuzeyo caught it . . . for me.

Yuzeyo was shot by Rosh.

"I finally saved you this time."

I groaned as I felt a sudden jolt at the back of my head and a thud on my temple. Then I heard voices again.

"Leave, Yuzeyo! Listen to me, please! They will kill you if they find you here!"

"I already died when they caught you."

In my mind, I vividly saw how Yuzeyo unchained Zorya as he carried her out of Rosh's room. When numerous men followed their escape, Yuzeyo carefully put Zorya's weakened body down.

"Do you think you can run?"

"It's not a matter of 'can'. I will run."

"Okay. Climb over the fence. Run to the wild. Find my car. Drive to safety."

"No. Run with me, Yuzeyo."

"I must slow them down."

"No! I won't leave you here!"

"They won't hurt me!"

"You don't know that!"

"I wove you, Zorya."

Yuzeyo then took out a silver necklace with a star pendant and gently hung it around Zorya's bloody, damaged neck.

"We have no time! Go now!"

"Mahal din kita, Yuzeyo . . ."

"Walang mamamatay sa atin."

"Susubukan ko."

"Zorya . . . takbo!"

While Yuzeyo stood against numerous men, fighting them, Zorya ran as fast as she could, with Garem, Rosh, and Rumi, madly chasing her from behind.

When I blinked, I was back in a white room, with Yuzeyo laying on my lap, hardly breathing and surviving.

"Yuzeyo . . ." was all that came out of my mouth. I didn't know why, but it pained me seeing him in pain. It's like my heart was breaking . . . for him.

But I don't love him!

I shouldn't love him.

Yuzeyo faintly reached for my cheek.

"Awam kong ikaw 'yan," Yuzeyo could barely voice those thoughts. "You were my first, wast . . . and best wove."

At the same time Yuzeyo's eyes went shut, hands descended to the floor, and breathing stopped, tears cascaded down my cheeks. Oddly, but I cried.

I cried for the only Balzuari who gave Zorya's hellish life a taste of heaven.

***