"I will fly," saad niya kay Zaratras nang makarating sa labas. Ayaw niyang makita ang kaniyang mukha ng mga tao. At higit sa lahat, ayaw niya ring may makasalamuha.

"Sure. I won't be walking too."

Although he couldn't see the face of Zaratras, he could tell she was smirking. Bago pa siya makasagot, mabilis itong nawala sa kaniyang harapan. Lumipad kaagad siya sa himpapawid upang hanapin ito.

He scanned his eyes around the area. When he saw a silhouette moving fast from the roofs of every house and building, he immediately followed her. Her speed that could best a flying creature made him focus his eyes only to her. Sa isang iglap lang, puwede niyang mawala si Zaratras kaya hindi siya puwedeng kumurap.

Ginawa niyang panangga sa hanging pumapasok sa kaniyang mata ang braso. Ilang segundo pa lang ang dumaan pero nakarating na kaagad sila sa lugar na sinasabi ni Zaratras.

He landed on the rooftop of a two-storey restaurant.

"You're fast," saad nito.

Umiling naman siya. "You are the fastest one."

Zaratras just chuckled and pointed at the door. "Get inside there. It will lead you to the second floor."

"Are you not coming in?" tanong niya nang mapansing naglalakad ito papunta sa railing.

"I'm going to find my brother first. I want to see if that annoying brother of mine is here." Hindi na siya hinintay nitong makasagot at nawala na sa harapan niya.

Pumasok na rin siya sa loob. Bumaba siya sa hagdanan. Habang papalapit siya sa nakasarang pinto na sa tingin niya'y naglalaman ng isang kuwarto, palakas nang palakas din ang boses na naririnig niya. Pamilyar ang mga boses nito at narinig na niya ito sa Fictosa.

"Annoying villains." He stopped in front of the door. Huminga muna siya nang malalim upang ihanda ang sarili sa ingay nila. Truly they were the loudest he had encountered, and he wouldn't be surprised if he would lose all his energy to talk later.

Pinihit na niya pabukas ang pinto.

Isang nakasisilaw na ilaw ang bumungad sa kaniya. Bukod sa isang lamesa at dalawang mahabang upuan, wala nang ibang laman ang kuwarto. Maaliwalas ito at malaki ang espasyo. Subalit kahit na malaki, pakiramdam niya'y masikip pa rin ito dulot ng mga nakakairitang nilalang na takbo nang takbo.

"Oh, you're so disgusting! Don't you try to put that hands on my pretty face!" sigaw ng isang villain. Napatigil ito sa pagtakbo nang mapansin siya. Tiningnan siya nito mula ulo hanggang paa bago umaktong nasusuka. "Oh my gosh! I'm surrounded by disgusting villains! Ew!"

"Pahingi lang ng isang buhok. Please, my dear species friend!" pamimilit ng humahabol nito. Bigla itong tumalon at parang lintang niyakap ang maarteng nilalang. It was Cretaceous--or rather it was his clone. He could tell for the man wasn't wearing any glasses.

Naglakad na siya papasok at hindi pinansin ang dalawa. Bahagya niya pang tinakpan ang isang tainga dahil sa matinis na sigaw ng maarteng nilalang.

Papalapit siya sa lalaking nakaupo sa sofa. Nakatalikod ito sa kaniya. Bago pa siya makarating, nilingon siya nito. Isang matamis na ngiti kaagad ang tumakas sa labi nito.

"Hello there, mister necromancer."

Annoying face.

Hindi siya sumagot hanggang sa makaupo siya sa tabi ni Rasheed. Pinasadahan niya muna ang hawak nitong libro bago nagtanong. "So how did we get here?"

"Can you at least greet me back?" Umakto itong nalulungkot.

Napangiwi siya. "I am not here to exchange greetings with you."

"You're so cold." Binalik nito ang atensyon sa binabasang libro. "Well, to inform you, we are in the real dimension."

"Why would the system put us here? Isn't it against the rules to cross paths with the humans?"

Rasheed flipped the page before answering. "Did you not know? Before we got here, the system have been acting crazy because of that one lunatic."

His forehead creased. "Lunatic?"

"Zero, I mean." He gave him a glance before reading at the book again while chuckling. "I wonder how it feels to be that powerful. If my author finds out there's a character like that, she'll be jealous."

"Inggitera kasi author mo," sabat ng maarteng villain at umupo sa kaniyang tabi.

Rasheed chuckled. "How did you know?"

"Magkaugali kayo," sagot nito. Ginawa nitong pamaypay ang mga kamay. Bahagya pa siya nitong tinulak. "Can you move away? I don't like you near me."

Dahil sa sinabi ng maarteng nilalang, pakiramdam niya'y may sumuntok sa ulo niya at tuluyan siyang mainis. Sinamaan niya ito ng tingin. "I sat here first."

"Wala akong paki. Ikaw pa rin ang mag-a-adjust." Inirapan siya nito.

"I could kill you right now." He threatened him. Xibel didn't like the way this villain treated him nor did he like him at all. Sa simula pa lang talaga hindi niya na gusto ang pananalita nito. "A villain from the Romance genre doesn't have the right to tell me what to do."

Napatigil ito sa pagpaypay dahil sa kaniyang sinabi. Sinalubong nito ang kaniyang tingin. "Are you looking down on me because I don't have any magic like you Fantasy dudes have?"

"What I said is just what it is. I didn't say I'm looking down on you unless it is how you see yourself . . ." Mapanuya niya itong tiningnan. "Inferior."

"You ugly villain!" The man was ready to slap him but Rasheed intervened.

"Oops! No fighting, please!" Hinarang nito ang libro bago tumayo at naupo sa pagitan nila. Nginitian sila nito nang pagkatamis-tamis. "It's againts the system's code of conduct."

He just scoffed and looked away. Umirap lang din ang maarteng nilalang at hindi na siya pinansin. Bigla na namang lumapit ang clone ni Cretaceous sa direksyon nila kaya dali-daling tumayo ang maarteng nilalang habang tumitili.

"Annoying," he muttered. Nilingon niya si Rasheed. "What were you saying earlier?"

"Zero ruined Fictosa. Thomas' assumption is that the system malfunctioned. The reason why the system is no where to be found."

"A malfunction, huh?" he whispered. Now, it made sense. Fictosa sending him here in this odd place called the real dimension wasn't on purpose. It was indeed a trouble from the system. "How long do we have to stay here? Will the system find us?"

"I don't know. The system always finds a way so, yeah, maybe." Rasheed shrugged. "Why do you look like you didn't have a single idea though? Hindi mo ba nakita ang kaguluhan sa Fictosa?"

"I did." He crossed his legs before looking away. "But I slept."

Napatawa naman ito. "What an unbothered man you are, mister necromancer."

Hindi na siya sumagot at isinaisip ang mga nalaman ngayong araw. Dahil hindi maaaring magkita ang isang piksyonal na karakter at totoong tao, hindi na siya magugulat kung sakali mang magising na lang din siya isang araw na nakabalik na sa Fictosa. Kaya bago pa iyon mangyari, dapat mahanap na niya ang totoong magulang ni Imris.

They were alive. Imris became an orphan because her mother left her in an orphanage. He saw from her memory a figure carrying her while sobbing. But it wasn't too clear for him for the memory of a child was nothing but a dream, smudged with blur and luminiscence.

But where would he start finding her? The orphanage in her memory was different from the orphanage where he took her. It just meant that the latest orphanage wasn't the real orphanage she first arrived at.

He had no clue of her real father however. What he had was the orphanage. And he needed to find where on earth it was.

Naputol ang kaniyang pag-iisip nang makarinig ng pintong bumubukas. May dalawang pigura na pumasok. Isa roon ay ang tunay na Cretaceous, habang ang isa ay ang nilalang na nakita niyang nasubsob no'ng araw na nagkagulo ang Fictosa.

It was Adamas.

He didn't want to stare at him but because of his face, a little reminiscence tickled his mind. He once had that face too. Although Adamas' had an odd eye and defined features, the expression of his face and his soft-looking skin made him think of an innocent Baby Blue. He once had that face too--as innocent as that flower. 

Nagtama ang paningin nila. Bago pa siya makaiwas bigla itong nagsalita bago siya lampasan.

"You look so damn hideous."

Tenths. Thousands. Count all the million words, and Xibel could recite all the ugliest ones; the words which defined him. Horrible, disgusting, dirty, unclean, grotesque--all of these were only a few of the humiliating words he received.

I am used to it, he told himself all the time, but was it the truth? He was a creature that was once loved but is now feared by mankind. He surpassed all beauty but now he couldn't even climb the first line. Used wasn't the right term, but rather endurance.

He wasn't used to it. He was just enduring them. No matter how many times a dagger is pierced through his heart, he could only endure the throbbing pain. Because he would never be able to change the way he looked.

Not unless . . .

He immediately shrugged his thought and stood up. Kung saan na naman napunta ang isip niya. Kapag pinagpatuloy niya pa, baka mauwi na naman siya sa isang patay na pag-asa.

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah," sagot niya kay Rasheed at lumabas sa kung saan siya pumasok kanina.

Lumipad na siya pauwi sa kanila. Nang makarating, unang pumasok kaagad sa isip niya na sasalubungin siya ni Imris. Ngunit sa pagbukas ng pinto, wala kahit ni anino ang lumapit sa kaniya.

"Imris?" tawag niya.

Naglakad siya papasok. Wala rin ang dalawa niyang tagasunod. Umakyat siya sa ikalawa at ikatlong palapag ngunit wala pa rin. Nagsimula na siyang kabahan dahil hindi niya alam kung saan posibleng nagtungo ang tatlo.

Bumaba siya patungo sa unang palapag at lalabas na sana ngunit napatigil siya sa harap ng pinto. May boses na narinig ang kaniyang utak.

He took a step backward and waited for the door to be opened.

"Papa!" Ang maaliwalas na mukha ni Imris ang bumati sa kaniya. Karga-karga ito ni Stone. Habang nakasunod naman sa likuran nito si Arator.

Tinaas nito ang dalawang kamay kaya kaagad niyang kinuha si Imris sa mga bisig ni Stone. When he felt her warm hug, his heart immediately hushed in nervousness.

"Where were you?" nakakunot ang noong tanong niya sa dalawa niyang alagad. For a moment, he thought he had lost her.

Naglakad siya papunta sa sofa habang karga-karga si Imris.

"My apologies, Lord Xibel. Imris wanted to play outside, so we brought her out," paliwanag ni Stone.

"Playground pala tawag doon. Ang saya. Gusto ko ulit pumunta roon." Malawak ang ngiti ni Arator at dali-daling tumabi sa kaniya. Dumutdot talaga ito dahilan para mainis siya. The man really didn't know about personal space. "Laro ulit tayo, Imris, ha?"

"Hm-hmm!" Tumango naman si Imris.

"Can you move away?" inis niyang sabi ngunit siya lang din ang umusog. "Have you feed Imris already?"

"Of course, my lord."

"Imris love it so much!" sabat ni Imris. "Chicken is yum-yum!"

"What? Chicken?!" Namilog ang mga mata niya at kaagad na nilingon si Arator. Sunod-sunod ang mga tanong sa kaniyang isipan. "You fed her chicken? Do humans eat chicken? How could they fathom to eat such a thing?!"

"Calm your soul, my lord. I cooked the chicken. I'm not stupid to let her eat it raw and alive," sagot nito sabay tawa. "Inisip mo bang buhay ang pinakain ko sa kaniya?"

Hindi kaagad siya nakasagot. Iniwas niya na lang ang tingin dahil sakto ang sinabi ni Arator. Akala niya'y buhay na manok ang pinakain nito. Malay niya bang isa sa mga niluluto ng mga tao ang manok. Kahit isang beses, wala siyang nakitang kumain ng manok o binanggit man lang ng kaniyang manunulat sa kaniyang perspektibo kaya wala siyang kaalam-alam.

"Papa, you eat chicken buhay?"

"Of course not," mabilis niyang sagot sa tanong ni Imris dahilan para matawa si Arator.

"My lord, do you want to try a raw one? Mukhang interesado ka," tukso ni Arator. "Just tell me and I will gladly serve you a whole piece of crowing chicken."

Natawa si Stone kaya mabilis niya itong pinukol ng masamang tingin. Tumikhim kaagad ito at umiwas ng tingin.

Ramdam niya ang panginginit ng kaniyang tainga bago binaling ang atensyon kay Arator. This damn mongrel always had the nerve to be sarcastic with him. He didn't seem to care that he was a powerful being, and that he could wipe him out if he wanted to.

"Do you want to die again, Arator?" banta niya.

Naupo ito nang matuwid. Arator immediately shook his head while still smiling. "Kagaya ng sinabi ko kanina, no, my lord. Dying twice is only a fool's wish."

Lumubo lang ang inis na nararamdaman niya dahil sa nakangiti nitong mukha. He was still unfazed even if he threatened him. So annoying.

Hindi na lang siya sumagot. Binaba niya si Imris sa sofa. Nais niya munang matulog at mapag-isa. Masiyado siyang napagod ngayong araw, idagdag pa ang mga sandamakmak na ingay na pumasok sa kaniyang utak kanina no'ng nakasalamuha niya ang kagaya niyang mga kalaban ng kuwento.

He hated facing people for he could hear their grief even if he didn't want to. And it was too annoying. And loud. And suffocating.

"Papa, wait!"

Napatigil siya sa paglalakad nang hawakan ni Imris ang dalawa niyang daliri.

"What?"

Bigla itong yumuko at pinaglaruan ang kaniyang kamay, nahihiya sa nais na sabihin.

"What? Spill it, little human."

"Imris has . . . a wish," she whispered.

"What is it?"

"A toy." Inangat nito ang tingin. Pinagsaklop nito ang mga kamay at tinitigan siya. "I want a toy, Papa."

"What kind?"

"A big one and fluffy!" paliwanag nito habang minumuwestra sa kamay kung gaano kalaki ang gusto nitong laruan.

Kumunot naman ang kaniyang noo. Napaisip siya. "A big one and fluffy?"

What toys are like that?

He tried to recall toys played by humans, but to his surprise, he couldn't think of anything. Not even one. What he could only remember where their smiles as they play with nature. And their face of horror when he became the terror.

"I want a fluffy, fluffy toy!" pag-uulit ni Imris.

"Do you know what it is called?"

"Stuffed toy! A teddy bear, Papa!" Patalong tumayo si Imris sa sofa. "I want a teddy bear."

"A bear?" Kumunot ang kaniyang noo. "Kids play with bears?"

"Hm-mm!" Mabilis na tumango si Imris. Kumikinang ang mga mata nitong nakatingin sa kaniya, hinihintay na ibigay niya ang nais nito.

Nilingon niya muna si Arator at Stone para makasigurado pero nagkibit-balikat lang ang dalawa.

"I'm not sure, my lord. I don't know what is that stuffed toy is. My kids only play with dolls," Stone said.

"Maybe it's really a bear," Arator said. "May narinig akong bata kanina sa playground na may alaga raw silang ahas kaya hindi imposibleng nakikipaglaro rin ang mga totoong tao sa isang oso."

"I see." Binalik niya ang tingin kay Imre. "Then I shall grant your wish. But you have to promise first--"

"Promise!" Hindi niya pa nga natatapos ang sasabihin, nagsalita na kaagad ito.

"Silly. I want you to promise me that you will take good--" Napatigil siya sa kaniyang sasabihin nang mapagtanto ang ginagawa. He was doing the same thing as how he blessed children. He sighed. It had been a while since someone asked him for a wish. "Nevermind."

"Huh?" Pinilig ni Imris ang ulo dahil sa kaniyang inakto.

Hindi niya iyon pinansin at ginamit ang kapangyarihan. "Strike thy art. Come fill my desires." He then snapped his finger. As the sound of his fingers perished, the huge pile of dust coming out from his fingertips, slid along the air and formed a shape of a bear.

He let out a heavy breath before releasing another portion of his Coriar,  his source of power. An ocean-like smoke came out from his breath; it was a portion of his soul. He altered its form and turned it into an animal.

Napanganga naman ang batang nasa harapan niya habang pinasok ang nagawang kaluluwa sa itim na oso. He snapped his fingers again to complete his spell.

Bumagsak ang itim na oso sa katabi ni Imris. Magkasing-laki sila ng bata.

The bear roared, making Imris gasped in excitement.

"Wah! A bear!" Kaagad nitong niyakap ang oso.

Tumalikod na siya at naglakad na paakyat ng hagdan.

"Thank you, Papa. I love you!"

Napatigil siya saglit dahil sa sinabi nito. He just cleared his throat in response and didn't bother looking back. Nagpatuloy na siya sa pag-akyat.

As he reached the second floor, he took a glance below. Abala na itong makipaglaro sa dalawa niyang alagad at pati na sa binigay niyang uso.

He shook his head.

One corner of his lips curved into a smile. "Curse you, silly little human."