The assassins wore black overalls, covering their faces like ninjas emerging from the shadows.

"Nagkamali kayo ng binisita ngayong gabi," pagbabanta ni Everick bago kinuha ang pares ng samurai mula sa kanyang trench coat. "If you're looking for the cemetery, I'll personally send you there myself!"

The weapons shone in the darkness of Kleopatra's room, catching the moonlight from the nearby window as it clashed with the assassins' blades. The Knight cursed under his breath, kicking and slashing them away from Kleo's resting place when they attempted to get closer again. He'd be fucking damned to even let them near her! Sa kabilang dako naman, maliksing umilag sa bawat pag-atake ng Neverwood ang dalawang mamamatay-tao na lalong ikinagalit nito.

Metal against metal sliced the silence.

"Did her bastard of a father send you here?!"

Everick growled, tripping one of the assassins and pinning him to the floor with the samurai.

Napasigaw sa sakit ang assassin lalo pa noong idiniin ni Everick ang pagbaon ng talim sa hita nito. Dumanak ang dugo sa sahig ng silid habang sinusubukan nitong makakawala. Everick's heart thumped, a familiar chill creeping into his system. All too consuming. Almost clouding his thoughts again.

Kill.

Kill.

Kill.

'Fuck, not now... not now, I can't go mad now...'

The beast inside him started meddling with his mind again. Isang nakakalokong ngiti ang sumilay sa mga labi ni Everick habang iniisip ang mga maaari niyang gawin sa dalawang ito. A blade to the thigh is not enough to satisfy his sadistic tendencies... no, perhaps he should dice up their tongues? Amputate a leg or two? Rip their ugly hands from their forearms? Sayang din, dagdag sa kanyang koleksyon.

'No, no, no. Fuck, Everick. Not now! Wala rito sina Evil!'

Isa pa, mahimbing na natutulog si Kleo sa 'di kalayuan.

He can't let his demons loose right now, fearing he might harm her too.

Everick scolded himself internally, the moment of distraction gave the other assassin enough time to drive a kunai into the base of his throat.

"ARGH! WHAT THE---?!"

Namanhid ang buong katawan ni Everick nang maramdaman ang sakit nito.

Nanlaki ang kanyang mga mata, agad nararamdaman ang mali sa sitwasyon. Sa bilis ng mga pangyayari, hindi na niya namalayang nakatayo na pala ang assassin na nakahandusay sa sahig kanina. Everick watched in disbelief when the assassin casually lifted himself up, discarding the samurai like it didn't dug into his thigh a while ago.

The wound fully healed.

They blended into the shadows, dark figures slowly creeping to his maiden's bed.

"Shit," Everick cursed, knowing they used the immunity Evil warned them about. "LAYUAN NIYO SI KLEO!"

Grabbing his severely bleeding neck, Everick ran towards them, hoping to ward them off before it's too late. Please, please... he needs to save her this time. Not again. He can't loose her again...

Not again.

The door suddenly slammed open.

Nabaling ang atensyon nilang lahat nang biglang lumitaw ang mga hibla ng sinulid mula rito. In a split second, the two assassins were hoisted up in the air like puppets. The threads gripping their joints and slowly twisting their limbs into impossible positions.

Nakabibinging sigaw ang kumawala sa mga bibig nila.

They dropped dead on the floor a while later, their bodies now distorted in odd angles and their necks twisted.

Blood pooled aroud them as the Puppet Master walked in to Everick's aid.

"Narinig ko ang ingay mula sa pasilyo," simula ni Nicholas Gaspard. Nang makita nito ang dumudugong leeg ni Everick, agad niyang inalalayan ang Neverwood at ipinaupo sa isang gilid. "What happened to you? Can't you heal that by yourself?"

Bullets of sweat formed on Everick's forehead as he struggled to breathe, hands still clutching on to his open wound. A pale light coming from his palms, disappearing after a few seconds.

"For some reason, my healing abilities are slowed down... may kung anong kemikal silang nilagay sa patalim at naaapektuhan nito ang enerhiya ko," hirap nitong sabi sa kabila ng iniindang sugat.

When Evil first told them about the immunity, Everick's first thought was that it would be impossible for him to be affected by it. Kung magagawa ng immunity na i-block ang mind reading ni Joker at hypnotism ni Evil, siguro naman hindi nito mapapatigil ang healing abilities ni Everick, hindi ba?

But it was too soon to celebrate, he realized.

No, screw that.

He became careless, not figuring out that they can affect him in other ways.

Dumako ang mga mata ni Everick sa patalim na ginamit sa kanya kanina ng assassin. Doon niya lang napagtanto ang hidden agenda ng pagpapadala ng killers dito. At first, it seemed like either a pointless mission to harm Kleopatra (she was her father's asset before, but she's sleeping now... she's not a threat to him in this state) or even a suicide mission sending out these assassins. Pero marahil ito lang ang gusto nilang isipin ni Everick.

"They were after me."

"What do you mean?" The Puppet Master frowned, trying to make sense of this madness.

"I suspect my healing abilities can't be affected by whatever immunity they prepared because I'll just nullify it. So they played dirty and made sure I'll be out of the game..."

Mahinang natawa si Everick at nanghihinang inabot ang duguang samurai na sahig. He took off his hand, angling the blade to show them the reflection of the wound left by the kunai earlier.

Mayroon nang namumuong mga pulang ugat sa palibot nito.

A bitter smile on the Neverwood's lips.

'The devil knows how to get through us, indeed,' Everick thought in despair, imagining all the horrible things that can happen now that he won't be able to heal anyone in battle.

'I'm sorry, brothers.'

"They infected me with something that blocks my healing abilities."

---

The world is a scary place
to hold on to your happiness for long,
because what is life but a big gamble
—where some days can go terriby wrong?

---Chayse Dayanghirang