✓ | The Assailant's Affection (Fate's Transgression Series, #5)

TAA 37: Worst Enemy

CHAPTER 37: WORST ENEMY

FABBY | FABIENNE

“Zaryn!” I blurted out. Hingal na hingal akong napabangon sa kama at agad sinapo ang aking ulo. Damn it, ilang beses ko ng napanaginipan ang lalaking ito at parang hindi na magandang tawagin na isa itong normal na panaginip. I always dream of him, extending his arms for me to embrace, and that soft expression shouting how much he missed me.

Masyado na akong nalululong sa pagkaulila na pati panaginip ko, parang totoo. I would rather dream about nightmares, instead of dreaming about him, mas lalo ko lang siyang nami-miss. I don’t get myself either, ginusto ko naman umalis, pero bakit ako nagsisisi?

I won’t deny that I am missing him. The room was devoid of his presence, and the only sound that filled the air was the distant chirping of crickets. Nang umalis ako, parang bumagsak din ang kalahating saya ko. The remnants of the dream clung to me, making me yearn for something I couldn't quite put into words.

Humiga ako muli, at napatitig sa kisame, as if hoping to find answers in its plainness. Bakit ako laging nananaginip tungkol kay Zaryn? Naisip ko tuloy, paano kung nandiyan nga siya, pero hindi ko lang maalala? Minsan, para akong nawawala sa sariling isipan, nahihirapan intidihin ang mga nangyayari sa paligid ko.

Sa kaharian ng Zegordia, ang umaga ay unti-unting dumating, pinalitan ang dilim ng liwanag mula sa kakaibang araw na tila laging sumisilay mula sa mga ulap. I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the lingering emotions from the dream.

Muli akong tinabihan ng kakaibang lungkot, isang kahigayahan na tila hindi naman nararapat na nararamdaman. Paano kung ang mga panaginip ko ay mensahe, o kahit isang paalala lamang ng mga bagay na kinalimutan ko? All these questions floated around my mind as I got ready to face the reality of the day ahead.

I slowly rose from the bed and began to prepare for the day. Hinahanap ko pa si Veilclaw na siyang prenteng nakaupo sa bintana at tumitingin sa mga taong nagsimulang punuin ang mga kalye.

“How do we find your master?” I asked him. May hawak akong baso ng kape at hinihipan ito para hindi ako mapaso sa init. “Do you have any options on how you can find him? Like, the sound of his voice, or how tall he is, or even his presence. Every individual in Zegordia have different presence, we can probably start there.”

“I said, your highness, we were summoned without our own accord, and the moment we opened our eyes, it was the forest that greeted us. I am also baffled as to why I wasn’t summoned to the ritual place,” he said.

“Ritual place?” I asked, my curiosity is evident in my voice.

“To summon a Dalaysian Beast, a ritual has to commence, the person who will speak about the rites, shall be our master,” he explained.

“Does that mean we need to find the ritual spot?” I said, trying to connect my thoughts to his explanation. Tumango si Veilclaw bilang sagot sa tanong ko kaya’t agad akong napabuntong hininga. “Paano naman natin hahanapin ‘yon?” bulong ko sa aking sarili. “This town is small but the land is expansive. Hindi ko alam kung nasaan tayo. All I know is this is Zegordia.”

“Can you sense something is wrong, your highness?” Veilclaw suddenly proposed a confusing statement, making my eyebrows cross. Hindi ako nagsalita at sinundan ang direksyon kung saan siya nakatingin. “These people, they don’t look like they are from here. Most of them are tan, but the mountains were high enough to be filled with fog that covers the sun. They should be pale due to the extreme cold temperature.”

“Really” hindi makapaniwala na sabi ko. Tama ang hinala niya, most of the people have dark skin. If this town had been established for a long time, they should have adjusted to the weather, pero hindi, their skin was dry and tanned, almost like they are living by the sea.