*Season's P.O.V.*
As usual, I felt my body floating into nothingness, but this time, I'm not alone. On my right s the azure dragon who's just staring into space as suggested by his blank expression illuminated by a burning fire coming from my left. Yes, it isn't even a literally burning fire because it's the newest astral spirit that has awakened within me, the vermilion bird. Contrary to Quinglong's blank expression, she has a rather grim one. It's as if she's ready to kill.
I cleared my throat and effectively got their attention. A mixture of emotions reflected on their identical jade green eyes. "Would you two explain to me what was that all about?" I asked. I'm mad and confused at the same time. Mad because of the assault on the man that I love when these two creatures are the same creatures that I used to save Kaloy on a life and death matter on occasions, and confused because I don't know how they did it, how they were able to take over my body just like that. Come to think of it though, my emotions mirrored that of their expressions. They really are one with me.
"That's what happens when her fervor gets the best of the both of us." Quinglong sighed, rolling his eyes on Zhoque.
"You're supposed to be the calmer one between the both of us, so why can't you do anything about it?" Zhoque fired back.
"My power can never surpass yours and you know that." Quinglong argued.
"Stop it, will you?" I intervened, they're not answering my question after all. "What were you thinking, taking control of my body and attacking Kaloy like that?" I scolded.
It was Zhoque who gave me an answer. "You wanted to know who you are and what you're meant to be, right? And that's exactly what we are showing you. You see now, we only come out on impulse, depending on your deepest desires at the moment and we can't really help it."
"If you put it that way, are you saying... I'm meant to be a weapon of destruction? Why else would you use my body to kill someone?" The words that those elderly omen choose to describe me came rushing into my mind and I was going to ask more when I started gaining consciousness and the void that the three of us are in, started filling up and soon I found myself being shaken awake by Kaloy.
"Season? Season?" His concerned calls reached my ears soothingly and although my dialogue with the astral spirits was rudely interrupted, I don't complain.
"Don't get too close to her for she might attack you the way that she did. I told you she's monster and you didn't listen to me!" I also heard his grandfather's sister say sternly. But I didn't feel the hand on my shoulder leave.
"Grandma, she's clearly possessed by some sort of spirit. It isn't likely for Season to act that way." I can only cringe at Kaloy's statement, although he's defending me I can't help but agree more with the old engkantada. For even I, don't know my tendency now.
"Her fate is written in the stars and I couldn't be mistaken Kaloy. She's worst than your nemesis so you must eliminate her at once!" I can't help but feel the constrictor in my heart at her statement and before Kaloy could argue more with that, I managed to open my eyes slowly and immediately saw him staring right at me as he slightly hovers above my laid body. I tried to move my hands to cup his cheek apologetically but something is stopping my wrists. Chains.
"You're awake!" He exclaimed and behind him, I noticed the old engkantada, Ligaya rolled her eyes. I can't blame her, I did harm his grandson after all.
"How long was I out?" I asked, trying to pull my wrist out of those chains that tied me to the four posts of one of their elegant beds, and when Kaloy attempted to help me, Ligaya stopped him.
"Don't make the mistake of letting her run loose. She's a dangerous creature." I looked at Kqloy meaningfully, signaling for him to just listen to her. And he sighed, feeling defeated. "You were out for ten minutes and it's supposed to be an eternity now, hadn't you seduced your way into his heart, you cunning witch!"
"Grandma, it wasn't her." Kaloy sternly said and I shook my head at him. For Quinglong and Zhoque are a part of me, therefore, it's still me.
"No Kaloy, it's the spirits that's within me. They... I can't control hem. Please just listen to her and send me away already. Now that everything is fixed in your kingdom, please allow me to go and fix myself." I all but begged, firstly because I really want to know the truth about me now and because I didn't want to harm them, especially him.
"Is that what you really want?" He asked. I know that he doesn't want me to go. And if I would just listen to my heart and the way that it beats for him, I'd want to stay too but I can feel a different burning within me ever since Zhoque was let out, which was probably only a few hours ago, and it's dangerous. So I nodded firmly. "Leave us!" He commanded.
"And what? Let her hurt you again? If I didn't shoot that arrow, you'd be dead by now." So, the old lady was the one who shot me with that tranquilizing arrow. But Kaloy just gave her a hard look which made her sigh and eventually walk out along with the others in the room. The sliding door closed and Kaloy shot a ball of energy on it and successfully locked it.
I cleared my throat, "Maybe you can..." Before I can finish my statement, he had used his powers to free me. "Thanks." I said as I sat up.
"I won't ask you to stay if you don't want to. You've already done so much for me and I guess letting you go is the least that I can do to repay you." I'm now convinced that Kaloy has a way of making things sound painful. But I felt him caress my cheek ever so tenderly that I looked at him in question. “There’s just one thing I’d like to ask before you go…” He whispered as his face leaned closer to mine until pur nose touched.
Does he want a goodbye kiss? Or one that’s a promise of an uncertain return? I wasn’t given much of an opportunity to ask that though, because his warm lips connected with mine and as usual, I didn’t resist, because I don’t seem to have the power to do such a thing. I can never resist him. The way that he kisses me, or the way that his hand explored my body that’s only covered with a thin robe. Hell, I couldn’t even resist the way he undressed the both of us, even if it feels so wrong. I don’t seem to care anymore since this would be the last time anyway.
“Hmmm… Do you really want me to do this?” He asked as he slightly pulled away from our rather hot kiss, his elbows supporting his weight as his naked body hovered above my own.
“If it’s the last thing I’ll ever do with you, I am very much sure that I’ll do it.” I don’t know where that fervor of mine came from but I lifted my head up for a bit to once again unite our lips. He responded as passionately for a minute before his mouth detached from mine as he trailed kisses down my jaw, to my neck, “Ahhh~” he’s giving me such a blissful sensation and it just got stronger when he lowered down to my breast. “Ugh, Kal~” I could only moan when he played with my nipples.
“So beautiful…” He mumbled as he continued his pleasurable assaults. When he reached my navel, he lightly sat up still on top of me and erotically rubbed his hips with mine. “Shit baby, you got me this hard.” I don’t know what affected me more, the immense pleasure that the friction between our privates is producing right now or the way that he called me baby. He sounded so dominant yet so gentle and that’s how he really acted within the next hour. Dominant but gentle. Wild but still very caring. And I guess it’s just right for me to admit once again how much I’ve fallen in love with this guy.
“Kaloy hah, ugh! I love you…” I confessed as I reached the summit of our ecstatic deed and all the sweet juices that built up inside of me while we were making love gushed out from my womanhood.
“I love you too baby… I love you too.” I heard him say as he too spilled his own juices inside of me. After a few more sloppy thrusts, he slowly pulled out his manhood and laid beside me with his arms wrapping around my waist protectively. Gosh, I seem to be in love with this feeling now but I can only let a tear roll down my cheeks cause, I know it ain’t a romantic scenario we’re in. It’s an ending that we choose to seal like this.
It has been a long time since I felt this well rested. My whole body feels so light when I stretched my limbs to wake my system up. But… ”Ahhh!” I shrieked when I almost fell from the six feet high tree branch that I found myself to be at. All the positivity that my well relaxed body brought about were quickly tossed aside as I wondered, with an erratically beating heart, how exactly I got here and where am I. for sure, I’m not in the majestic castle of Lumayan anymore, am I in its forest? Or, I guess the more appropriate question is, am I still in the mythical realm? A honk of a horn answered my question and my eyes flew to the right where there’s a highway with a few cars passing by and I continued turning to the right of that to see a simple tow storey house that would’ve been so normal if it wasn’t for the fact that, it is the very first house that I stayed in a few months ago, when I first got here in the Philippines. In other words, it is my brother’s house.
So I hurriedly checked the state that I am in and sighed in relief to see that I am fully clothed with a loose sweatshirt and some denim jeans, I even have my converse on. Apparently I wasn’t naked, as what I expected myself to be after that, errr, after what happened between him and I. I felt my cheeks heat up at the thought of that but quickly shrugged it off as that would be the least of my concern right now. Although I want to thank him for being true to his words, and for sending me back here, even if he unceremoniously placed me up on this mango tree. Which isn’t much of a problem actually because I managed to get down fine.
As soon as my feet landed on solid ground, I sprinted my way to the porch and hurriedly knocked on the door. But, are they really here? What if they are still at the resort? Or back at Cebu? Are they not looking for me? How long was I gone anyway? How long here on this realm because there seemed to be a time difference between the two realms. My train of thoughts was interrupted when the door finally opened. “Eden!” I exclaimed aas soon as I saw her and threw my arms around her. I’m so happy to know that they’re here. However, her reaction wasn’t something that I expected as she immediately pushed me off of her. “What’s the matter?”
With her eyes wide and her mouth agape, an expression of horror displayed in her once hospitable face as she pointed at me and screamed. “MA! TULONG!” she rapidly turned pale and I panicked, not knowing what to do until mama showed up behind her to see why she shouted that way and to my utter confussion, she reacted the same way as her daughter did upon seeing me.
“Jusko!” She exclaimed as she pulled Eden inside and slammed the door shut. Wait, what?
I furiously knocked on the door once again. “Mama! Eden! Open up. It’s just me.” I pleaded but they didn’t listen. I heard them scamper away into the house so I tried to run on the backdoor, hoping that it is open. And walah! It opened, right when I turned the corner but when mama and Eden saw me, they hurriedly went back inside and I can now hear them climbing the stairs. Why are they running away from me? Are they scared of me? Am I really someone to be feared now? No! I refuse to let those thoughts consume me as I called out my last resort as the sun started setting. “Sean? Sean I’m home!” I called out, the way that he always does when I was younger. If there’s someone who I know won’t run away from me, that would be my brother. I know he’d explain to me what’s going as I’m so willing to explain to him my disappearance as well.
I went back to the front door, hoping he’d hear me out but when the door cautiously opened once again, it was the tip of a sword that greeted me. A sword I know fully well. “Who are you?” My master’s question shocked me as I stood there motionless.
“M-master Cheng…” I stuttered and upon hearing my voice and clearly seeing my face as I raised my hand in surrender, the tough expression on his face softened and he slowly retracted his sword from my neck and into his side.
“Season? Is it really you?” He asked in disbelief. Instead of answering him verbally, I ran towards him, embracing him tightly. His sword dropped on the ground with a clanking sound as he wrapped his arms around me as well. “Gosh it’s really you. You”re alive darling, we thought we lost you.” Excuse me, what now?
“Of course I’m alive. Where’s Sean, I’m going to explain why I was gone for a long time.” I said.
“You really were gone and it’s almost two months since we thought – I mean, we believed that you’re gone for good.”
“What?” I asked. Gone for good? Does that mean they gave up on looking for me that shortly?
“We saw a dead body Season. Your dead body, but I can see that my intuition was right. I kne you’re still alive.” He said as he pulled me to a short hug once again.
They thought that I’m dead? No wonder why the mother and daughter scampered away like that. “Well, I can sure that I’m not a ghost.” I said as he led me inside. But where did that dead body of mine came from when I’m still very much intact?
“Ladies get down here, it’s a false alarm. She really is Season and she’s not a ghost.” Master Cheng called out and mama and Eden cautiously came down, holding a rosary bead and a crucifix.
“How sure are you?” Eden asked.
“Because I know she’s the only one who fights like this.” Master Cheng said as he suddenly swooshed his sword my way. I was caught off guard but I managed to duck and leap simultaneously to dodge his attacks, until he was able to corner me and I have no other choice but to hold the blade on my bare had to try and stop it from slicing my neck as if it could. I wasn’t worried about what will happen to my hand because I knew a long time ago that, as deceiving as this sword looks. It isn’t real. And he knows that I know that. “See? I taught her. And I know her well enough.”
“But we saw a dead body…”
“Mourned that dead body…”
“And even buried it in the cemetery!”
The mother and daughter’s exchange baffled me. They what? They really thought that I’m dead huh? And I have a gravestone now? Who the hell sent them a doppleganger? Doppleganger… My eyes widened at that thought for I know some mythical creatures who exhibits such abilities and my blood boiled instantly. Don’t tell me Lakan and his men did this!
“But it did turn into a banana’s trunk.” Eden continued. Wait, that act sounds familiar.
“So we thought you were killed by an aswang.” Mama continued. Ahhh, yeah. She was the one that told me that an aswang would make a doppleganger of its victims and make it go home really ill to make it look like they died out of natural cause. Don’t tell me the Dalaketnons have those creatures as an ally too. Why not? Aswangs are the enemies of Kaloy’s friend, so it just makes sense that they are friends with his enemies, right?
“It was not quite an aswang but it was still a mythical creature that took me.” I provided. I know they’d be asking so I won’t spare them the details if they want it. I’m done doubting my sanity. I know I’m completely sane and that they’d believe me when I tell them. Or even if they don’t they still deserve to know where I’ve been for that long. But before I’d narrate it… “Where’s my brother?”
They exchanged a worried look that immediately worried me too. Did something bad happen to him? I just have to know! But why are they not saying anything?
“He ummm…” Eden started off and anxiously waited for her to continue but she didn’t.
“He was abducted.” It was Master Cheng that finished it off for her.