Chapter 19

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Hindi ko alam kung ilang oras na ang nakakalipas simula nang mangyari ang pag-atake ng Exorcists sa labas ng Hydra. Pagkatapos kasi no'n ay pinapunta kami sa kanya-kanya naming kwarto kaya naman nakakulong lang ako rito.  
 
Bigla naman akong may narinig na ingay sa labas kaya napabangon ako. I carefully approached my door and peeked outside. Nakita ko si Ryleigh na naglalakad sa hallway na parang may hinahanap.
 
“Ryleigh!” mahina kong tawag sa kanya at bigla naman siyang napalingon. Napahinto siya sa paglalakad at ako naman ay lumabas sa kwarto ko. I walked toward him and I saw him carrying his sword. 

“What are you doing?” tanong niya at napakunot naman ang noo ko.

“I should be the one asking that. Saan ka pupunta?”

“I’m searching for a training room.”
 
Wow. This guy was really obsessed with getting stronger. But then, I realized it was already night and he couldn't sleep.  
 
“May I come with you?" tanong ko pero kumunot lalo ang noo niya.  “What?” tanong ko.

“Nothing.”
 
Nagpatuloy kami sa paglalakad at medyo kumalma na ang pakiramdam ko dahil may kasama akong kakilala ko. My nerves wouldn't calm down ever since I arrived here in Hydra. I was glad I saw him because somehow, I feel like I was not alone.
 
Napahinto naman ako nang may marinig kaming kaluskos sa paligid. Nagkatinginan kami at bigla akong kinabahan dahil baka may sumusunod o ‘di naman kaya ay may nakatingin sa amin.
 
He suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me inside a room we just passed by. 
 
“Wait－!”

“Shh.”
 
He covered my moutj with his hand and he focused on the noise outside. It was somebody's footsteps. Hindi ko rin alam kung bakit kami nagtatago pero siguro instinct na rin naming lumayo dahil baka mahuli kami.
 
“Do you think bringing the kids here is the right choice?”
 
Nagkatinginan ulit kami ni Ryleigh dahil narinig namin ang boses ni Master. They were talking about us.  
 
“I hope so," replied another familiar voice, Gavin. "We shouldn’t take the prophecy lightly, just like what we did before.”

“The last prophecy, huh? Kung sana ay inintindi ko nang mabuti ang nakalagay doon, sana . . ." Master's voice trailed off.

“Hanggang ngayon ba, sinisisi mo pa rin ang sarili mo sa nangyari?”

“I can’t help it. Lalo na’t estudyante ko ngayon ang anak nila. Natatakot akong baka mapahamak din siya dahil sa akin. Ikaw ba? Are you not afraid for your students?"

“I can’t say I’m not afraid but I believe in their strength. After all, I trained them.”

“Tch. You’re a cocky one.”
 
Matapos no'n ay hindi ko na marinig ang pag-uusap nila dahil nakalayo na sila kung nasaan kami. Tinanggal na rin ni Ryleigh ang kamay niya mula sa mukha ko pero hindi pa rin ako gumagalaw sa pwesto ko. 

“Let's go. Baka may makakita pa sa atin－”
 
Ryleigh's words faltered and panic crossed his face when he couldn't open the door.
 
“Shit.”
 
Ryleigh hit the door in frustration. Napasandal na lang siya sa pader habang paulit-ulit ko namang pinihit ang knob. After a few minutes, I gave up, too. 

“Sorry,” he softly said while looking at the opposite side.

​“It’s okay," sabi ko. "Wala na rin naman tayong magagawa.” 
 
I scanned the room we were locked into and it was empty. It was nothing but bright, white walls and . . . spirit particles. No, it wasn't empty. It was filled with spirit particles. 
 
“Bob, sal-ve.”
 
Nagulat naman ako nang biglang tinawag ni Ryleigh ang guardian niya. It seemed like he decided to train here so I followed suit. 
 
I closed my eyes and willed myself to concentrate. According to Master, our relationship with our guardians deepens as we rely to each other during battles, that’s why we must show them that we could lead them and utilize their abilities efficiently. If I get stronger, so are my guardians.
 
“Jerry, Carlos, sal-ve!”
 
Jerry and Carlos appeared right beside Bob. Carlos and Bob both roared while Jerry greeted me with a loud bark. I noticed that both of them grew a bit compared to their size last time and that made me smile. At least, I could see my development as a Divian through them.
 
“You’ve improved,” Ryleigh remarked. "You summoned two of your guardians simultaneously. Impressive.”

“Thank you,” I replied with a smile.
 
Pumosisyon kami para harapin ang isa’t isa at tumayo ako sa pagitan nina Jerry at Carlos. They growled at Bob and he did the same in return. I could envision the attacks I needed to order them to defeat or at least subdue Bob and Ryleigh, but I don’t know if I could do that in reality. Well, I guess that would be the purpose of our training. I needed to step up my game.
 
Ryleigh and I quietly checked each other's movements, waiting for the right moment to attack. 
 
“Infremo!”

“Dankana!”
 
We simultaneously chanted our incantations and our respective guardians respond. Jerry and Carlos roared thunderously while Bob unleashed spirit particles shaped like a claw. Bigla naman akong tinulak ni Jerry at napunta ako sa likod ni Carlos. Napahawak ako nang mabuti sa kanya dahil bigla siyang tumakbo nang napakabilis kaya naman tumama lang sa pader ang attack ni Bob. Then, he got paralyzed after hearing the growls of intimidation of both Jerry and Carlos.  
 
Nagpalitan pa kami ng iba’t ibang atake at hindi ko alam kung paano ko nagagawang magsabi ng maraming incantations nang hindi nanghihina. Ilang minuto na rin ang nakakalipas nang lumabas sina Jerry at Carlos. Bakit hindi pa ako nawawalan ng lakas?
 
“Isn’t this weird?” biglang tanong ni Ryleigh at pareho kaming napahinto. “We’re not running out of gas and our guardians seem to be stronger.”

“Napansin ko nga rin. How is that possible?” 

“So you guys finally realized it.”

We both stepped back after hearing another voice in the room. All of a sudden, a door appeared on the far side of the room and a guy stepped out of it.
 
It was Henric. 
 
He walked toward our direction along with his cat guardian. There was an air of superiority around him and despite his young age, he really looked and felt like a Spirit Master.
 

“What do you mean by that?” biglang tanong ni Ryleigh sa kanya.

“This room is saturated with spirit particles, that’s why your guardians are unconsciously using them instead of your stamina," he explained. "However, the moment you get out of this room, your body will compensate for the amount of energy that your guardians used during your stay here. In short, you might faint or even die if you get out of here.”
 
Napanganga ako nang narinig ko ‘yon at bigla akong natakot. How many minuted had passed? What if my guardians consumed spirit particles greater than what my stamina could offer? Would I die if I get out of this room?
 
“But, I won’t allow you to leave,” Henric added.

“And why is that?” tanong ni Ryleigh at lumapit siya sa akin.

​“Because your training with the Spirit Masters starts now.” He spread his arms and smiled at us. “Welcome to my playroom.”

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