Chapter 13

/ LEOX ACHERON SOLACE /

It was five in the morning when I woke up.
As I stepped outside my tent, the first thing that caught my attention was the sky. The cold morning breeze brushed against my skin as I looked up. The sky appeared deep and dark—almost black—fading slightly lighter near the horizon. The stars looked like tiny crystals scattered across the heavens, quietly twinkling.

Ito ang unang beses na nakita ko ang langit nang ganito ka aga. Kahit palagi akong gumigising nang maaga, hindi ko binibigyan ang sarili ko ng pagkakataong tumingin dito at mamangha. My life in Quintessa had been overwhelming, demanding, and constant—leaving no room to even glance upward, let alone find beauty in it.

Habang nakamasid ako sa kalangitan, napansin kong may gumalaw sa katabing tent. Nang tignan ko, saktong papalabas si Dal sa tent niya. Magulo pa ang kanyang buhok at inaantok pa ang kanyang mga mata.

“Good morning,” I greeted him warmly.

He blinked, surprised—maybe because someone was awake before him, or maybe he didn’t expect the greeting at all.

“G-good morning,” he replied awkwardly.

I looked back at the stars and sighed.  It was a sigh that didn't quite comfort me, yet it eased something heavy in my chest. It wasn’t warm, but it was familiar. Naramdaman ko ang presensiya niya sa tabi ko.

“You like the view?” he asked.

A small smile tugged at my lips. I turned to him, now staring at the masterpiece above.

“I like them as much as you like the ocean,” I replied.

“They’re the opposite of each other.”

“How do you say that?”

He looked at me like I had caught his full attention. What I noticed about Dal was that he always paid attention to details. He gave meaning to the smallest things, even if he saw them from a different angle.

“Nakakamatay ang dagat, habang ang langit naman ay nagbibigay ng pag-asa.”

I couldn’t see his face clearly in the dark, but I felt the weight behind his words. That’s where we differed. We both saw meaning in everything, but from opposite sides.

“Want me to comment on that?”

He scoffed. “You always do.”

“Pfft. Yeah, right. Pero tama ka naman. Nakakamatay ang dagat, pero nagbibigay din ito ng pag-asa. At ang langit, nagbibigay ng pag-asa… pero nakakamatay rin.”

A long silence stretched between us. I couldn’t tell if he was listening or just lost in thought. We stood there, quietly watching the stars fade as the sun began to stir from its slumber. Slowly, those tiny sparks vanished, and the sky turned pale. Rays of light beamed down, kissing every green leaf, giving life a gentle push forward—reminding us that morning always comes.

“Yeah,” Dal suddenly said. “It gives hope.”
Maybe he realized that everything in this world has a dual nature. And that it’s up to us to choose which perspective we live by.

"The sky is just like the ocean," I murmured. "Boat rides grow bumpy in the waves, just like planes do when they hit the clouds.The little sparkles of the ocean are schools of fish dancing through blue water, while the stars are scattered gems above, twinkling across the sky. And the moon...ah, the moon," I sighed. "...is the lighthouse of the heavens, casting its silver glow like a guiding light across the vast, quiet sea of night. Both hold their own kind of beauty, their own kind of wonder—but both can be deadly when they roar."

I sounded like a poet. Wow. I didn’t even understand myself anymore. It felt like I was becoming a stranger to myself… at least when I was with him.

"Dualities," he said. "Like peace and chaos, beauty and danger, light and dark… Yeah. You’re right—they have those traits."

"Well," I said softly, "people’s perspectives vary depending on what they’ve been through. So I get it. We understand things differently. But I appreciate that you were open to the realization in the end."

I hadn't forgotten the words he once told me, and maybe… he hadn't realized yet how deeply he could see beauty. He just focused too much on the rough edges

That’s probably why he accepted the truth so quick because deep down, he already knew.

"You know what, even though I hate how shameless you are, I still like having deep conversations with you. Because you tend to contradict my perspective, but I didn't even hate it. I like how you made me understand your point—even that theory you have back then and now. I mean... you make sense."

A good sign.

He's opening up more.

I smiled and reached for his hand, but he suddenly pushed me away—gently—and flashed a teasing grin.

"Not so quick, Acheron."

I burst into laughter and watched him walk back toward his tent.

"We’re heading home later, right?" he said as he started packing up his things. "I’ll get my stuff ready."

The whole area was now bathed in morning light. The rest of our group was beginning to wake and stir, laughter and movement filling the air again.

After a while, everything was packed. We cleaned the site carefully, leaving not a trace behind. Then, we began the trip back.

Isa-isa ko silang hinatid. Inuna ko na sina Kim sa bahay, at kasunod ang apat na kaagad nagpasalamat. 

And then… it was just the two of us again.

"Sinasadya mo ba na ihuli ako nang hatid?"

"I’m not done touring you around," I said.

"Ha?"

I looked into his eyes and smiled. "I promised I’d show you the beauty of Lindenvale. We came here to forget our problems, remember? So we might as well do everything we can."

Hindi siya sumagot at hinayaan ko ang katahimikan sa pagitan naming dalawa hanggang sa huminto ang kotse sa harap ng bahay niya.

Lihim kong pinagmasdan ang bahay. May kalumaan na pero nanatili pa rin ang kagandahan nito. Gawa sa kahoy ang mga dingding habang gawa naman sa glass ang mga bintana. Elegante, pero ramdam ko ang bigat ng awra. Na para bang kalungkutan lang ang pumapaloob nito.

May kahabaan na ang mga damo sa paligid na uti-unting nilalamon ang konkretong daan. May ibat-ibang kulay ng bougainvillea naman sa may porch na tila alaala na hindi gustong mawala. May mga wildflowers din na sumisilip sa pinabayaang lawn.

Palipat-lipat ang tingin ko kay Dal at sa bahay at napagtanto kong pareho sila ng awra. Quite. Wounded... pero nakatayo pa rin sa kabila ng lahat.

There were questions I wanted to ask, but I didn’t dare. I wasn’t sure he’d answer anyway.

Inside, the contrast was striking. The interior felt warmer, lived in. A real home. Navy blue couches in the living room, a few figurines on display, porcelain vases tucked in corners. Simple, calm.

"So, what’s the plan?" Dal asked suddenly. "Don’t tell me you’re planning to move in."

I smiled faintly.

Dal's house was comfortable… yet empty.

"Do you own a yacht?" I asked, out of the blue.

"Bakit? Saan ba tayo pupunta?"

I just shrugged my shoulders and looked at him.
"I'll be back at seven in the evening. Nothing to prepare, and you don't have to wear fancy clothes," I said before leaving.

Pagbalik ko sa kotse, saktong tumunog ang cellphone ko. It was from a familiar number.

"Hello?"

"Where the hell are you? Do you know how chaotic your fan base is right now?"

I rolled my eyes, although he couldn’t see me. I started the engine and before driving off, I took a quick glance at Dal's house.

"I'm on a honeymoon," I said jokingly, then focused on the road.

"What the fuck! Did you secretly wed the guy in the picture?"

"As if I can do that. I'm just enjoying the romantic aroma of the honeymoon stage. Why did you call?"

"Nasaan ka ba kasi? Ang daming naghahanap sa'yo. Even Gerica's been bugging me about you."

Tsk! That leech.

"Nasa kotse ako ngayon, nagmamaneho. Ikaw ba?"

"Leox, I'm serious."

Sus, seryoso raw. Pero ramdam ko naman sa tono ng boses niya. Hindi ko lang talaga pwedeng sabihin kung nasaan ako.

"Far away from Quintessa."

"Well that’s good, because people here are going crazy trying to find out where you are. After the scandal broke out, everyone in the industry was shocked, but they actually accepted it later on—especially in the CE, since we’re the ones who really know you. But that’s not the reason why I called."

Nagiging madaldal na naman siya. Ano na naman kaya ang trip nito at ako pa ang naisipang tawagan? I doubt he's bored—he's a very busy soloist, after all.

"No sched?"

"Hmm. I'm getting bored and suddenly wanted to talk to you. Ayaw namang sabihin ng manager mo kung nasaan ka. But just to make sure... you’re not in Lindenvale, are you?"

I didn’t know if this guy had psychic powers or what, because he always knew where I was. I mean, we’re friends, so he knows a lot about me, but he's always eerily accurate.

I didn’t bother answering. I knew he already figured it out. This call was just his way of announcing his arrival.

"Oh shit! Nasa Lindenvale ka? Talaga? I’ll book a flight going there. Wait for me, I’ll bring pasalubong!"

May makulit pala akong bisita sa susunod na araw. He didn’t wait for my response and hung up. Sana lang walang nakarinig sa kanya. Ayoko ng gulo.

Pagdating ko sa bahay, sinalubong ako ni Kim. She didn’t look okay; her gaze was full of worry.

"Leox, pupunta ako ng Quintessa for an interview. Sinabi ko sa president na ako muna ang haharap on your behalf. But don’t worry, I won’t answer any personal questions."

"Are you okay with that? You’re here to protect me and keep me away from the crowd. And you’re also one of the people being bashed. Ayos lang ba talaga sa'yo na ikaw ang haharap? Kasi kung ako lang ang masusunod, ayokong pumunta ka. Let the issue calm down first before we do a press conference."

"The issue won’t calm down if people don’t hear anything from you."

But I really don’t want her to go. Kahit magsalita pa siya para sa akin, it won’t make the issue go away. Kahit ako pa ang sumagot sa lahat ng tanong nila, it won’t matter. If I ignore them, maybe people will realize I just don’t care. That I don’t care if my success gets thrown in the trash.

"Kim, we know how this works. Those people out there? They just want drama. They want us to talk so they can twist it into something worse. So stay here."

I gently tapped her shoulder and slowly pushed her back inside the house. Jeric was at the doorway, silently listening to our exchange. Our eyes met, and he gave me a small nod.

"Sinabihan ko na siya na huwag pumunta. Mabuti't napigilan mo."

"Pahinga muna kayo. I'll be in my room."

Kim isn’t just my manager. She’s my friend. My family. Everyone knows how I treat the people around me—and that’s why I know they’ll be dragged into this mess, too.

Ayoko ng gulo. Sapat na ang gulong ako ang may gawa. Ayokong madamay pa sila. I’ll face the mess I made… but not now.

Right now, something else matters more.

- B M -