"ARE you not hurt?" tanong niya kay Arator. Tinulungan ito ni Xyphyr na makatayo.

"Bukod sa nauntog kong puwet, okay lang naman po ako, my boss lord."

"I see. Xyphyr, you stay with Arator. If that guy comes back, you have my permission," makahulugan niyang utos bago bumalik sa kuwarto ni Imris.

Xyphyr who had a large stitch on his neck posed the story of his death. He was labeled as the grim reaper who, instead of using a scythe, he used a dagger to prey on his target.

Most of the time, Xibel put souls like Xyphyr into the Cage of Darkness, but Xyphyer was an exception. Xyphyr was a general's dog; he grew up as a war weapon who only functioned to kill. The poor kid who died at seventeen didn't even get the choice to think about a good future; his only definition of good was to be of use. And when he was tasked to kill the ducal family from the kingdom beside Fort Galron, he was caught. Xyphyr hoped that he would be rescued, but the general never appeared on his sight again. The betrayal caught up in the mind of the kid and killed himself before his execution day.

Xibel then was sent to take his soul.

Bumalik na siya sa loob. Napakunot ang kaniyang noo nang marinig niya ang paghahangos. Mabilis siyang lumapit sa nakatalukbong ni Imris at hinawakan ang noo nito. Napaatras din kaagad ang kaniyang kamay dahil umaapoy ito sa init.

"Papa, it's so cold." Naluluha ang mga mata nito.

Tumakbo naman kaagad siya papalapit sa aircon upang patayin ito ngunit bago pa siya makabalik sa tabi nito, bigla na lang itong sumuka. Nataranta kaagad ang kaniyang puso. Hinagod niya ang likuran nito. Lahat ng kinain nito kagabi ay nailabas lahat. Tinaas niya rin ang ilang hibla ng buhok upang 'di matakpan ang mukha nito.

As Elia whimpered beside him, his mind ran chaos; he didn't know what to do. His pupils shook in panic seeing Imris' skin turned pale. Too many devastating possibilities left his heart throbbed hard; he would never forgive himself if something bad would happen to her.

"Oh, heavens, please, what should I do?" His palms started shaking when Imris couldn't stop vomiting. Tuluyan na ring tumulo ang mga luha sa mga mata nito. Nakahawak ito sa tiyan na para bang namimilipit sa sakit.

"P-papa . . ." Nilingon siya nito nang mapupungay nitong mga mata. Bago pa ito makayakap sa kaniya ay bigla na lang itong nawalan ng malay.

"Imris!" Kaagad niya itong sinalo. Marahan niyang hinaplos ang pisngi nito upang gisingin subalit ayaw nitong imulat ang mga mata. "Imris, what's wrong? Wake up!'

Napalunok siya nang matuyo ang kaniyang lalamunan. Kinuha niya ang kumot at pinulupot ito sa katawan ng anak. Kahit na nanghihina ang kaniyang mga tuhod, tumakbo siya palabas nang kuwarto upang humingi ng tulong. Wala pa si Jasia kaya nalilito siya kung ano ang puwede niyang gawin.

"Arator, can you use that cell phone to find Jasia? Imris is not doing well."

Napalapit naman kaagad ang dalawa sa kaniya nang makababa.

"Ako na ang bahala, my lord."

"She's sick. Very sick, my lord." Bakas sa mukha ni Xyphyr ang pag-aalala habang marahang dinapat ang kamay sa noo ng bata. "She's barely breathing too."

He flinched. The words creeped inside him that it immediately turned into a shout. "Don't say something like that!"

The heavens knew how he feared to see Imris suffering. If he could take this pain, he had already done it.

He was losing hope when someone opened the door. Seeing the woman entered his house felt like he was saved from death. He wanted to cry but he chose to hold it in instead.

"Isabella!" Mabilis siyang tumakbo sa babae nakakarating lang at pinakita si Imris.

"Anong nangyari dito?" Hinawakan nito ang noo. Kaagad itong napamura. "Shit! We need to take her to the hospital."

Ninakaw nito si Imris sa kaniyang bisig at ito ang nagkarga papunta sa labas ng bahay. Sumunod kaagad siya. Binilin niya muna sa dalawa ang bahay.

Napatigil siya nang makita ang kotse ni Jasia sa labas. "Why do you have this?"

"I'll explain later! Get inside, quick!"

Pumasok na siya sa backseat. Binigay nito sa kaniya si Imris bago pumunta sa driver's seat. Pinaharurot kaagad nito ng babae papuntang hospital. Sa lakas ng kanilang takbo ay sumakit ang kaniyang ulo. Gusto niya ring sumuka pero hindi ito ang tamang pagkakataon para maging mahina siya.

"Can you make it a little faster?"

"Ayoko namang mabangga tayo. Kapit lang. Malapit na." Pansin niya ang paghigpit ng kamay nito sa manubela. Isabella was nervous as well. Maya't maya ang pagsulyap nito kay Imris sa rearview mirror.

Ilang minuto pa ang lumipas, nakarating na sila sa isang matayog na establishment. Hindi pa nito maayos na na-park ang kotse ngunit lumabas na ito kaagad at pinagbuksan siya. Lumabas din siya at sinundan ang babae na pumasok.

Napalunok siya sa dami ng tao na nasa loob. Gusto niyang tumakbo paalis subalit hindi niya naman puwedeng talikuran si Imris.

"Nurse!" sigaw ni Isabella sa isang babae na nakasuot ng puting damit. Lumapit kaagad sa kanila ang iba pa nitong kasama.

Kinuha nito si Imris at nilagay sa isang kama. Nang magdagpi ang mga braso nila, mabilis siyang napaatras. Huminga siya nang malalim nang maramdaman ang panginginig niya.

Please, not now.

Sumunod kaagad ang isang lalaki na may puting coat. He was checking Imris' condition.

"What happened to her?" Nilingon siya nito.

Napalunok naman siya. "S-she vomitted and collapsed after that. She's been feeling itchy since yesterday too."

"I see. We'll take care of her, sir. Kindly wait on the waiting area." Nilingon nito ang tinawag ni Isabella kanina na nurse. May isa pang babaeng pumasok na may dalang maliit na kahon, naglalaman ito ng mga tube. Kulay asul ang kasuotan nito, iba sa lahat ng nasa loob.

Nais niyang makita kung anong gagawin nito kay Imris nang may hinugot itong isang manipis na karayom pero hinawakan ni Isabella ang kaniyang braso.

"Let's wait outside." Hinila siya nito palabas.

"Will Imris be okay?" Nagpatangay lang siya rito.

"They're professionals. They know what to do." Naupo ito.

Dumapo ang mga mata niya sa kamay nitong nakahawak sa kaniyang braso dulot ng panginginig. Tiningnan niya ang mukha ni Isabella at namumutla ito. Mabigat din ang hininga na para bang pinipigilan nitong bumigay ngayon.

"Are you okay, Isabella?" Naupo siya sa tabi nito. And there, he realized his knees had been shaking from the moment they reached the hospital.

May mga taong dumadaan sa harapan nila dahil nasa gilid lang sila ng daanan kaya naman hindi mapigilan ni Xibel na mapayuko. Napapatingin ang iba sa kaniyang mukha. He forgot about his cloak, but he couldn't use his magic recklessly here; there were too many people. Too many noise as well. Nababasag ang utak niya sa ingay nila.

The place seemed to be filled with broken worries.

"Ikaw ba, okay ka lang ba?" tanong nito pabalik sa kaniya. Tinuro nito ang kaniyang mukha. "Namamawis mukha mo."

Imbes na hawakan ang sariling mukha ay napatitig na lang siya kay Isabella. Higit na mas madami ang butil ng pawis sa mukha nito. Isabella was experiencing the same attack.

"Are you perhaps like me?" he asked.

His writer left a chuckle. "You are like me. You came from me, Xibel."

His gaze softened as he watched her faked an expression. She wasn't okay, and yet, she still got the heart to smile at him. What happened to her? was the very question that had been running on his mind since yesterday.

"Tawagan ko muna si Jas." Tumayo ito bago kinuha ang cell phone sa bulsa ng hoodie.

Siya naman ay sumandal lang sa upuan at walang tigil na humiling sa kaniyang isipan na sana'y maayos lang ang kalagayan ni Imris.

Please, heavens, let my voice reach you at least for once. Just this time.

He wanted Imris to be okay. Kahit huwag na ang iba, basta siya lang. Wala siyang pakialam sa ibang mga bagay dahil ang mahalaga lang sa kaniya ay maging maayos ang batang kahit isang beses ay hindi siya tinalikuran kahit makita pa ang nakakasuklam niyang mukha.

Hindi na niya mabilang kung gaano sila katagal na naghintay no'ng lumabas ang lalaking nakasuot ng white coat. May hawak itong papel sa kamay.

"Hello, are you the kid's relatives?"

Lumapit naman si Isabella. "Yes po, doc. Okay lang po ba siya?"

"We run a CBC test and this is the result. And we found out that she had Dengue." Pinakita ng doktor ang papel na hawak. "Her RBC and WBC are fine but her platelet count dropped beyond normal. Luckily, you brought her here before it has gotten anymore worse."

"Then does that mean po na okay na po siya?" Napahawak sa dalawang kamay si Isabella. Siya naman ay nanatiling nakikinig sa dalawa habang mahigpit ang hawak sa kaniyang sutana.

Tumango ang doktor. "She still has a fever, but she'll eventually gets better. May nireseta na rin akong gamot. We'll just have her run test every six hours to monitor her platelet count."

Pagkatapos na mag-usap si Isabella at ng doktor, nagtungo na sila sa kuwarto kung saan dinala si Imris. May nakakabit sa kamay nito na parang tubo at nakakonekto sa malaki at pabilog na nakasabit sa isang stand. Tumutulo roon ang tubig.

"Dextrose 'yan," saad ni Isabella nang mapansin ang nagtatanong niyang mga mata.

Naupo siya sa gilid ng kama ni Imris at hinaplos ang mukha nito. "Get better, child."

Naupo naman si Isabella sa isang plastik na upuan at nakatingin kay Imris. "Buti na lang talaga at naagapan. Kapag mas mababa pa ang platelet count baka kakailanganin na nating mag-donate."

He didn't understand what she said, but based on her expression, it didn't sound good. Napabaling ang atensyon niyang muli rito nang magpakawala ito ng buntonghininga. Isang malalim a buntonghininga na animo'y nakahinga na rin ito sa wakas.

"Buti na lang private room kinuha natin at solo natin ang kuwartong 'to. Baka tuluyan na ako manginig kapag may kasamang iba, e." Napatawa ito at sumandal sa upuan.

Napayuko naman siya at pinaglaruan ang kamay ni Imris. Nagdadalawang-isip siyang magtanong sa kaniyang manunulat.

"Ahm . . . Isabella," he whispered.

"Ano?"

"Would you allow me to ask something about yourself?" Hindi niya pa rin ito tiningnan at nanatili lang ang mga mata sa kamay ni Imris.

"Ano ba 'yon?"

"Do you not like the people as well? You told me I am like you. Does that mean you hate the humans too?"

Inangat niya ang tingin nang hind ito sumagot kaagad. Napansin niyang natigilan ang babae. Ilang saglit bago ito nagpakawala ng isang mapaklang tawa.

"It suffocates me to surround myself to them. I can't stand being around with them, especially men." Tinuro siya nito. "I have been betrayed by someone of your species."

Sumagi naman sa isip niya ang kausap nitong doktor kanina. "But you seem to be talking well with that man earlier."

"Well, unlike you, I could put up a front to other people as long as it is not the person who have hurt me." She crossed her arms and playfully continues. "Let's just say that I am better than you."

Kahit na nakangiti, hindi umaabot sa mga mata ang tunog ng tawa nito. She was trying so hard not to slip any vulnerability from her gestures. They way how sometimes she was so aggressive yet weak at the same time made Xibel understood she had been carrying this burden for years.

He may not be her favorite, but they had way more connection that he expected.

"You wrote me based on your grief, but why did you make me the opposite gender? Isn't it the men you hate? Why did you make it different?" Judging from what she said, Isabella might have a terrible encounter with a man. He wanted to know what it was, the reason why he kept spouting questions. If she wanted to make herself better, she could have killed all the men in her writings. She could have easily trampled them with words.

But why did she choose a different route?

"I don't know." Isabella put both of her hands at the back of her head. She stared into the wall. "Maybe, at some point, I hated myself."

"What do you mean?'

"That everything was my fault." She tilted her head in his direction.

"About--" Hindi niya natapos ang sasabihin nang sapawan siya nito.

"That's not important. That's just my silly thought." She waved her had in attempt to shrug her thought. "The real reason I wrote you because I wanted men to suffer. I put every single worse emotion in you and made you suffer. I loathe men that I had you turn out like that."

"I see." Isabella didn't have the heart to kill. She wanted them to suffer instead. That must also be the reason why he was still alive with an unfinished story. She couldn't end it yet until she was satisfied.

"Are you mad at me?'

"I was mad at you when I still haven't met you." But now that he had seen his writer and heard the agonizing shouts inside her head, he couldn't bring himself to feel those emotions again.

"You update late and very seldom. You keep me and your readers waiting for too long. If this continues, it might not be long until I'll be removed in the popularity poll."

"Ano 'yan? May ranking kayo sa mundo niyo?"

He nodded. "Now, if you wanted to keep our rank, update frequently."

Tumawa naman ito. "Ewan ko lang. Tinatamad ako, e."

Napailing na lang siya. Binalik niya ang tingin kay Imris. Napatigil siya sa pag-aayos ng kumot nito nang biglang lumabas ang system.

[Charater Restoration progress: 45%]

It was moving fast than he expected.

Nakarinig siya ng katok sa pinto kaya napalingon siya. Nagbukas ito at iniluwal doon ang babaeng kanina niya pa hinahanap.

Dumating na rin si Jasia. 

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Winty's note: Hello! No update tomorrow until Monday. I need to finish my acad papers first kasi paiyak na ako HAHAHAHAH. Will resume updates on Tuesday. Thank you for understanding ^^