NATURAE FRUCTUS

Eira Ysabelle's POV

Hindi ko maunawaan kung bakit ako nariritong muli sa gubat. I was wandering alone since I woke up from my sleep, my deep sleep. Hanggang ngayon ay ramdam ko pa rin ang pagod mula sa practice battle namin na nangyari kahapon.

"Group D, please come up on stage. Your practice match will now begin," Mrs. Mina Dunes, an S class support, called.

Habang papaakyat kami ng stage, kinausap ni Clyde ang bawat miyembro at ipinapaalala ang mga gagawin nila. The commander is on act, eh~

I climbed the stage with my chin up and my lips curved in a smile. Sinigurado ko na walang bakas ng takot na makikita sa mukha ko. Hindi ko maaaring ipakita sa kanila na natatakot ako dahil alam kong hindi talunan si Khione. Hindi ko maaaring sirain ang imahe niya.

Nang tumunog na ang hudyat ay nagsilabasan na ang mga pangit at malalaking mga halimaw.

"Hey..." pagtawag ni Clyde sa akin. Lumingon ako sa kanya at tinaasan ng kilay. "What?"

"Be safe." Nginitian ako nito at tsaka ibinalik ng tingin sa unahan.

"Move to your positions and remember your tasks," utos nito na agad naming sinunod.

Nagsimula nang umungol ang mga halimaw at saka sumugod papunta sa kinaroroonan namin. "Now!" pagkasigaw ni Clyde ay nagsimula na kaming umatake. Pinaikot ni Julian ang spear na hawak niya hanggang sa may maiwang mga duplicate nito sa ere. Nang tumigil ang pag-ikot nito ay itinutok niya ito sa walong kalaban. Parang isang controller ito na sinundan ng mga duplicate dahil bumulusok ang mga ito papunta sa dibdib ng mga target niyang halimaw na nasa unahan. Now, that was fast.

Gabriel is holding his flaming sword and shield. His pieces were literally engulfed in flames. He quickly slashed the sword. My mouth almost gaped in awe when the fire left by his sword reached the enemies in front of him, leaving burnt marks and earning shrieks from them. It's like, the pressure it creates travels a great distance to reach the enemies' bodies and give them a great impact. I learned that he's from a great family of swordsmen, and his skills proved it to us at this moment.

A group of ten monsters were approaching our side at a fast speed. I was about to send them ice spikes when I saw Clyde releasing a huge water snake in front while throwing balls and blades made up of water simultaneously. Every throw he makes deals a great amount of force and pressure. Kaya nawawala kaagad ang mga kalaban kapag tinatamaan sila ng mga ito.

I need to stop observing them. I need to move. I closed my eyes and focused on the pits of my stomach. Slowly, I felt it, the tingling sensation in my stomach, followed by the cooling of my hands. I opened my palms and turned them down. Then, I let my magi flow towards the floor. A faint bluish-white light covered my hands and snow started forming around them. I smiled when I felt the decreasing temperature surrounding us. When I completely made a thin layer of ice on the ground, monsters started losing their balance. Those wet monsters because of Clyde's water were now freezing because of their direct contact with the ground.

I looked at the side of the mages when I heard loud explosions. They were bickering with each other like no monsters were in front of them.

My eyes widened in surprise when wings started to grow on the back of the monsters trapped in my ice. They started flying everywhere. A dragon blew fire at us but a barrier appeared in front of us. When the fire vanished, Fred removed the barrier. Then, a huge water spear flew directly in the dragon's mouth before it closed completely. Before it could even shriek, its head was cut off by a flaming sword.

"Zoe, it's your time to shine! Shoot as many arrows as you can! Don't forget to protect our blind spots." Bumunot si Zoe ng tatlong palaso at tsaka itinira sa ere. Nakakamangha kung paano ito naghiwa-hiwalay hanggang sa tumama ito sa dibdib ng tatlong mga halimaw na lumilipad.

"Aubrey, help our defenders and try to shoot five daggers at a time!" Sinunod naman ng huli ang suhestiyon ni Clyde. She threw a dagger in front and it multiplied into five while traveling mid-air. Kapag tumatama ang daggers niya sa ulo ng mga halimaw ay nahahati ang katawan ng mga ito sa dalawang bahagi kaya't makikita mo ang mga lamang-loob nila at ang dugo nilang kulay luntian. Gross!

Our support was acting calm and cool. Gumagawa siya ng barriers hindi lamang para sa mga knights kundi para na rin sa amin. Patuloy rin siya sa pagbibigay ng karagdagang lakas sa mga atake ng bawat isa. He's trained well, I must say. Patingin-tingin ito sa crowd at kapagkuwan ay ngumingiti. Halata sa kanya na nagpapapogi siya sa mga babae sa baba ng stage. Mukhang effective naman ito dahil maraming babae ang isinisigaw ang pangalan niya.

"Hazel, heal our frontliners, quick!" utos ko. Nanghihina na kasi sila at napakarami na rin ng sugat na natamo nila.

"Fred, create a strong barrier for her! Don't let the monsters hurt her!" Dinig kong sigaw ni Clyde.

I need to buy them time. I stepped on the ground and ice spikes surrounded us, sharp tips pointing at the monsters around us.

I looked at Clyde when I thought of doing something. He met my eyes and as if he knew what I was thinking, he nodded his head. I smiled and ran beside the frontliners.

"Gabriel, cut all the ice spikes around us!" I ordered. "Fred, speed him up!"

"Clyde, surround me with a water ball at my signal!" Hindi ako lumingon pero alam kong nage-gets na niya kung ano ang binabalak kong gawin.

Umikot nang mabilis si Gabriel habang nakatapat ang espada niya sa mga spikes. Binuksan ko ang mga palad ko at inilagay ito sa gilid ko. I slowly raised my palms until I felt the tingling sensation upon them. The spikes cut by Gabriel approached my direction and floated around me. I can control the spikes' movements at my will. When the spikes around us were all cut, I made them encircle me like it was dancing around me.

"Now!" A water ball appeared around me as the ice spikes continued dancing around me. I ran and the ball and the spikes followed. I smirked before running towards the direction of the monsters. I was surprised how my stamina is not yet depleting. I already used a lot of magi. How can this be possible?

When I felt something surge inside me, I leaped. As soon as my feet touched the ground surrounded by a lot of monsters, the ice spikes went out of the water ball, completely freezing the ball. From the outside, it will look like I was surrounded by an ice ball. I bet it looks pretty. The stage was filled with screams of pain from the monsters. Nice one!

Time to end the act. I closed my palm into a fist and the ice bubble burst. Then, I waved my hand to control its remnants. I moved my fingers in a circular motion before pointing it at the eyes of the S class giant. The monster roared when the icicles reached both of its eyes. I need to blind him to increase our chance of having the upperhand.

"Attack!" Gaya ng utos ko, muling nagsimulang umatake ang mga kagrupo ko. Puro ungol at sigaw lamang ng halimaw ang maririnig sa paligid. Inihagis ng higante ang malaking maso papunta sa direksyon namin kaya't nagulo ang aming posisyon. Mukhang malakas ang pakiramdam ng halimaw kahit wala na siyang kakayahang makakita. Pero ayos lamang ito dahil mas malaki na ang advantage namin ngayon.

"Praemia!" magkasabay na sigaw ng kambal. Sumabog ang isang parte ng binti at braso ng higante dahil sa ginawa nilang pag-atake. Dahil dito, pwersahang napaluhod ang higante sa sahig.

When I felt something cut its connection with me, I felt my body weakening. Oh my God! What is happening? Were all that adrenaline rush?

I looked at Clyde and told him what I felt with my eyes. His serious expression softened before he nodded at me. Then, he released a huge wave of water towards the monster. When it reached his torso, I immediately froze it to trap the monster. Gabriel jumped high with our support's help then he cut off the giant's head.

A signal appeared stating that the battle was overe. We won, thank God. With a huge sigh of relief, I went dizzy and felt my body falling onto the ground, until a pair of strong arms caught me.

That's how I ended up having a deep sleep. I was tired. My stamina is not high and strong enough so my body used an alternative energy. I've felt it. I sensed it coming from everywhere. I don't know what it is and where it came from, but I knew something was coming inside my body. I know it's not from our support. It's like I'm using something to replenish my strength without using my magi. Kaya siguro hindi ako mabilis napagod. Nang mawala ito ay hindi ko na namalayan ang sarili ko. I was wrong for thinking that was adrenaline acting, it was something else.

Nagpatuloy lamang ako sa paglalakad hanggang sa marating ko ang isang ilog na nasa baba nitong mataas na lupang tinatapakan ko. Napansin ko ang bilog na buwan na ngayon ay tila kumikinang. Ang ganda...

Napalingon ako sa likod ko dahil may naririnig akong kaluskos. May nararamdaman din akong isang masamang intensyon na naging sanhi ng kilabot sa aking katawan.

"Tumakbo ka na hanggang sa makakaya mo, malapit na ang katapusan mo!" sigaw ng isang boses. Teka...parang pamilyar ang boses na 'yon at ang pangyayaring ito. Kulob pa rin ang boses ng kung sino mang taong nagsabi ng mga salitang 'yon. Hindi kaya—

Tumingin ako sa likuran ko dahil sa pagkakatanda ko ay doon siya magpapakita. Hindi na ako natatakot sa kanya. Handa na akong harapin siya.

Maya't maya akong tumitingin sa paligid upang abangan ang paglabas niya. Ramdam ko pa rin ang presensya niya at ang maitim niyang balak. Alam kong may masamang budhi ang nasa paligid ko ngayon. Pero ano bang kasalanan ko sa kanya? Bakit gusto niya akong patayin?

I was caught off-guard when an arm snaked my waist, trapping my arms. A sharp knife was now pointed at my neck. Hindi ako makapagsalita dahil sa takot at kaba. Ang tangi ko lamang naririnig ay ang malakas na tibok ng puso ko.

Nakagat ko ang ibabang labi ko nang maramdaman ang tip ng kutsilyo na unti-unting tumutusok sa leeg ko. Hindi ko namalayan ang mga luhang nag-uunahan sa pagtulo mula sa mata ko habang marahang itinatarak ng taong ito ang kutsilyo sa lalamunan ko.

"Natatakot ka na ba?" nagdulot ng isang matinding kaba sa aking sistema ang mga salitang binitiwan ng taong ito. It's cold, unclear, and different. Tinanggal niya ang kutsilyo sa leeg ko at tsaka ito itinaas. I know they are planning to stab my chest, ngunit wala naman akong magagawa dahil masyado siyang malakas. Kinakabahan pa rin ako. Walang tigil sa pagkabog nang malakas ang puso ko at wala ring tigil ang pagtulo ng luha mula sa mga mata ko. Kasabay nito ang pagdagsa ng mga alaala ko kasama ang mga kaibigan at pamilya ko. Katapusan ko na ba 'to? Naging mabagal ang paggalaw ng lahat ngunit wala pa ring ipinagbago. Wala pa rin akong lakas. Wala pa rin akong magawa para iligtas ang sarili ko. Katulad lamang noong araw na ako'y nabangga ng truck.

Nang isang pulgada nalang ang layo ng kutsilyo sa dibdib ko ay may isang pangalang biglang pumasok sa isipan ko.

Clyde...

Clyde, tulong.

"Clyde!"

"Khione?" Niyakap ko agad ang taong umaalog sa aking balikat. Akala ko ay mamamatay na ako. Akala ko ay katapusan ko na. Muling pumatak ang aking mga luha. Hindi ko pa rin binibitawan ang taong ito na ngayon ay nakayakap na rin sa akin. This time, I found myself secured in his arms.

"Everything will be alright. I'm here so you can calm down now, hmm?" Hinawi niya ang mga hibla ng buhok sa aking noo papunta sa likod ng aking tainga at pinunasan niya ang mga pawis na namumuo sa aking mukha.

'I wonder what happened to her. She's scared,' I heard him say. Wait, what—

Paano ko siya narinig kung hindi naman siya nagsalita?

Nawala ng tanong sa isipan ko nang makaramdam ako ng ginhawa nang himasin niya ang buhok ko. Naramdaman kong muli ang unti-unting pagpikit ng mga mata ko.

Kinabukasan, nagising ako dahil sa ingay ng mga taong nakapaligid sa akin. Ugh! Ang iingay! "Can you guys lower down your voice? Natutulog 'yung tao oh!" Tumahimik silang lahat nang sumigaw ako. Ang iba ay nakabuka ang bibig na tila nagulat. I want to laugh at their reactions.

"Got you," sabi ko at tsaka tumawa.

"Pashnea ka talaga ano? Akala ko pa man din wala na yung Khione na mabait. Sayang naman."

"I knew you were kidding," sabi pa ni Luna at tsaka tumawa.

"A princess with a morning attitude." Tinawanan lang din ako nina Drac at Giea kaya inirapan ko lang sila. Lahat sila ay nakaupo lang sa sofa at kumakain ng agahan. They're eating their breakfast here. How cute...

"Here's your breakfast, Khione." Inilapag ni Clyde sa harap ko ang isang pinggan na puno ng pagkain at ang isang cup na may lamang sabaw. Ang katabi naman nito ay isang baso ng gatas. Tinignan ko siya nang masama. Bakit ang dami? Pupurgahin niya ba ako sa mga pagkaing ito? Bakit gatas?

'What's wrong with her?' He looks baffled. I heard his voice when I looked into his eyes. What's weird is he did not even open his mouth to speak. Where did that even come from?

"Replace the glass of milk with a cup of coffee, please." I know he can't resist my cuteness. Kinuha niya ang baso ng gatas at ipinainom ito kay Isaiah. He looked tired and sleepy. I wonder if he slept last night.

"How are you?" tiningnan ko si Lauren at tsaka nginitian.

"I'm fine."

"Looks like you are. You've been asleep for three days," nanlaki ang mga mata ko at bumukas nang kusa ang mga labi ko. Tatlong araw? "I'm really worried about you. Mabuti na lang at hindi ka hinayaang mahulog ni Clyde that day."

"Baka may ma-develop na naman sa pagitan ninyong dalawa ha~" Kusang sumama ang tingin ko kay Khiera na papahigop na ng kape niya.

"Come back for real?" Gaga talaga itong si Sandra. Humanda ka sa'kin mamaya.

Malakas na sumarado ang pinto kaya't napalingon ang lahat dito. Clyde was walking with his cold and straight face. What's with him? "Sorry, it slipped."

"Here's your coffee. I'm heading out," napalunok ako ng sarili kong laway dahil natakot ako sa kanya. Sobrang seryoso ng mukha niya at tila hindi ito nababahiran ng pagbibiro.

"T-thanks." kinakabahan pa rin ako dahil wala siya sa mood.

'Shit!' I really hope he was okay.

"Susundan ko lang siya," pagpapaalam ni Isaiah na sinundan din ni Giea.

"What's gotten into him?" Lauren blurted out. Wala namang makasagot sa kanya dahil kahit kami ay hindi rin namin alam ang dahilan.

Bumukas muli ang pinto at pumasok dito ang isang lalaking may edad na. His dark green orbs were stunning and it fits his hair color and his face perfectly. He's a healer, of course. Tiningnan niya ang mga kaibigan ko at tsaka yumuko. Tila naunawaan naman nila ang sinabi ng healer dahil lumabas silang lahat.

"Good morning, Princess. If you don't remember my name, I'm Robert Friar, the head physician of the academy, an S+ healer," pagpapakilala niya. Wait, his surname is familiar. I've read it somewhere in the history book.

"Uhm, sir? Can I ask?" Tumango lamang siya bilang sagot.

"Kaano-ano niyo po si Dr. Ginov Friar?" tanong ko. Dr. Ginov Friar is the legendary healer of Kosmos. Unfortunately, he died after the great war. He sacrificed himself to save the others.

"Oh, well, he's my father," kaswal na sagot niya. The son of the legendary healer was at the academy? Amazing!

"I have here the results of the tests I made while you were asleep. You see, our body must contain enough and strong energy to maintain good performance in battles. This energy will give us more magi, which is the main source of our abilities," sabi niya.

"If our body cannot produce any more magi, it will eventually use an alternative energy from our nature. That alternative energy is called naturae fructus. It is the energy that you've felt and used during the battle. Nature chooses only those who deserve it," dagdag pa niya. So nature chose me to borrow its energy?

"Don't be too happy yet. Naturae Fructus can lead you to your painful death if your body can't control it. So I am requiring you to have more exercises and training." Nanlumo naman ako nang marinig ko ang word na 'training' mula sa kanya.

"I will give your recommended exercise sets and training schedule to your guardian. He will be handling your training sessions. Good luck, Khione."

From this day forward, I think I will be having a hard time dealing with muscle cramps.

♛