UNEDITED.. MARAMING TYPO

DENISE

Nasa loob kami ng headquarters ni Sky. Nakaupo lang kaming dalawa sa kama. Natutulog naman si Silver sa likod ko. Parang gusto kong pagsisihan ang ginawa naming Binding Ritual. I forgot that once the binding ritual was over and effective, all my resources will be shared with my partner. Wala akong maitatagong kahit ano. Lahat ng items ko ay makikita niya.

Sky was taking his time to check all my items and then he discovered my secret. Nakangiti lang siya habang isa-isang tinitingnan niya ang mga ito. Wala siyang sinasabing kahit ano kaya naiinis ako.

"Don't dare use it," nakasimangot na sabi ko. Para makaganti, tinitingnan ko rin kung ano ang mga items na mayroon siya. He was storing some rare and powerful items. Hindi niya ito ginagamit. Maybe he was saving it for bigger fights. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang makita ang isang rare item na katulad ng sa 'kin.

"You also have an item for dual wielding?" gulat na tanong ko sa kanya. He just grinned and nodded.

"Saan mo nakuha 'to? Sa Lost City?" takang tanong ko sa kanya. "I should have hoard it for myself," nakangising saad ko.

"Yes, greedy wife. And I bet Zero got one too. Hindi ko lang alam kung may iba pang nakakuha ng rare item na 'yan," sagot niya. "You can't use some of the weapons and items stored in here. Ano'ng balak mong gawin dito? Dadalhin mo ba 'to sa Auction Hall?" he asked.

"Marami ka rin namang items na hindi mo magagamit. I'm sure you're going for the Auction Hall too," nakasimangot na saad ko sa kanya.

"When I run out of money," he grinned.

"What weapon are you wielding?" he asked.

"It's a secret," I answered. Sumimangot siya.

He sighed dramatically. "Don't keep secrets from me, my dear wife," he said. I glared at him to hid my blushing face. Napailing siya.

"And don't glare at me like that. Sa halip na tumaas ang intimacy level natin, mukhang bababa pa," natatawang sabi niya. "You should have known better if you wanted to take the spot from Death and Athena."

"I know. Iisipin ko na lang na isa itong dating simulation game. We need to steal the spot. I want to finish this game as soon as possible. Ayokong paabutin pa ng dalawang buwan," nakasimangot na saad ko. "What's the goal of this game? To retrieve the princess to wherever dungeon she was locked?"

"Bakit ka nagmamadali?" kunot-noong tanong niya.

"We need to get out of here as soon as possible," I answered. Seryosong nakatitig ako sa mga mata niya. He could probably see the fear in my eyes. Siguro kapag natapos agad namin ang game, pwede na kaming umalis dito. Without raising any suspicions. This was the safest way for now. Sky sighed.

"Fine. We'll do this fast. If we're playing as a couple. You need to love and trust me. Para mas madaling tumaas ang intimacy level natin. Or couple level, whatever you call it," he said.

"Kailangan talagang love?" kunot-noong tanong ko sa kanya.

"Shoot, fine. I'll rephrase it. You need to please me. You have to make me happy since I'm your partner. You didn't need to love me but you can pretend. Siguro naman alam mo kung paano maglaro ng dating simulation games? You have to be a good girl and please your partner. Whenever we fight, bumababa ang intimacy level natin. I'll do the same," he said.

I hate this set up. Madaling malalaman ni Sky kung napapasaya niya ako sa pamamagitan lang ng couple level namin. Kapag tumaas ang couple level, ibig sabihin, masaya ako o masaya siya. I don't want to admit that he was  making me happy. "Fine. Let's pretend," sabi ko at pilit na ngumiti. Good luck sa 'kin.

"You're too stiff. Just act naturally," he said. "Just think that I'm your friend and you care for me. If you continued like this, we will not be a good pair."

I sighed. "I'll try," I whispered. Kinakabahan ako sa set up na ito. Paano kung mahulog na talaga ako ng tuluyan kay Sky? I can't tell if I'm being controlled or if this was my free will. At pagkatapos ng game na ito, hindi ko alam kung magkikita pa kami. I don't want to fall for him harder. I will surely miss him. Natigilan ako nang humiga siya sa hita ko. From behind, Silver hugged me. He was sleeping soundly and I don't know if he's aware of what he was doing.

"Hindi ko alam kung dapat ba tayong magpahinga ngayon. Dapat tinatapos na natin ang couple quests natin," nakasimangot na sabi ko sa kanya. Hindi pa kami nakakapagsimula dahil dito agad kami pumunta nang matapos ang training ni Silver. I gently caressed Sky's silver hair. He closed his eyes.

"Just for a while and then we will turn the tables after," he smiled. Hindi na ako nakapagsalita dahil nakatulog agad siya. Pinanood ko lang siya. Habang natutulog siya, tinitingnan ko ang dashboard ko. May mga bagong couples na nadadagdag. Kumunot ang noo ko nang makita ang bagong pangalan na sumulpot sa screen. Queen and Fire. I sighed in relief. Kahit hindi ko gusto si Queen, she's still a good choice. I hope she could help Fire too. I hope she could be a good distraction for him.

~~~

Naglalakad na kami nina Sky at Silver patungo sa gates pero huminto kami. The surrounding started 

"Good day players. We have detected and identified the players who are using cheats. For this reason, we will be disqualifying them and fix the glitches to avoid the cheats. And I hope that this will serve as a warning to all of you too," he said. I gasped. Agad na pumasok sa isip ko si Phoenix. Natahimik ang mga players sa narinig at nagkatinginan.

Agad kong tiningnan ang dashboard ko. I checked his location. The president bid farewell and wished us luck. The surrounding's colors were now back to normal when the screen disappeared. Maririnig na ang mga bulung-bulungan ng mga players sa paligid.

"I need to see Phoenix," seryosong saad ko.

"I'll come with you," seryosong sabi naman ni Sky. I nodded. Wala na akong oras para makipagtalo. We sprinted to where Phoenix was. He was inside the town's forest. I saw him sitting on a branch of tree while looking in the blue sky. The birds were flying in flocks. The weather was really good.

"Phoenix," I called him. Kapansin-pansin ang pag-aalangan sa boses ko. He looked down and smiled at me wryly.

"I don't need your pity or are you going to mock me?" he said. He jumped down the tree and faced me.

"It's not that. I don't know what to say in this kind of situation. You're a big help for our party. Hindi kita pinagkatiwalaan noong una pero ngayon... Can't you ask them for another chance?" nag-aalangang tanong ko sa kanya. Hindi niya kailangan ng awa ko. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang dapat ibigay ko sa kanya. I didn't come here to insult him either. Wala akong balak ipamukha sa kanya na nagkamali siya. Mali rin ako. I tolerated him. I didn't try to stop him. As a leader, I should have done that. I should have warn him but I didn't. I did nothing and now everything was ruined and I can't bring them back.

"No. I don't plan to stay here any longer," he answered. As if he knew something. As if he already decided to run from the beginning.

"Let's talk outside the game. We will see you in the park. On your Island. We will see you as Prius and Denise," seryosong saad ni Sky kaya napalingon ako sa kanya. Information. We can get some information from him. Maybe he knew something. Phoenix nodded as if he knew what Sky wants from him. Hindi na rin siya nagulat sa pangalang ibinigay namin sa kanya.

"Let's go now," seryosong saad ni Sky. Sumunod na kami kay Sky. Sky went to his headquarters. Magkasama naman kaming dalawa ni Phoenix sa bahay na binili ng party namin. Hindi kami nag-uusap. Tahimik lang kami maging si Silver. Sabay na kaming nag-log out.

Agad akong bumangon sa kama. Narinig ko ang katok sa pinto ko. I'm sure si Prius na ito. Mabilis ko lang inayos ang sarili ko bago ko siya pinagbuksan. Napangisi ako sa itsura niya. Sinusuklay ng mga kamay niya ang buhok niya. He grinned back. His eyes were smiling down at me. Buti na lang, hindi magulo ang buhok ko.

"Nice comb," pang-aasar ko sa kanya. I locked the door.

"Hmmm. Gusto mo suklayin ko rin buhok mo?" nakangising tanong niya.

"No thanks. Baka lalong gumulo," nakangising sagot ko. Naglakad na kami patungo sa elevator. Sumakay kami sa taxi patungo sa isla ni Silver. Naghihintay na si Siv sa isang parke. He was quietly sitting on a bench. Lumingon siya sa 'min nang maramdaman niya ang presensiya namin. He grinned.

"I thought so," he said and shrugged his shoulder. "Noong pumunta kayo sa unit ko, you stole the some data, right? I installed a detector. Hindi ko lang kayo kinausap dahil hindi ako sigurado sa usernames ninyo sa game. What are you planning to do with the data?" Interesadong nakatingin siya sa 'min ni Prius.

"We will analyze it. Ngayon, gusto kong malaman ang lahat ng alam mo tungkol sa laro. Do you have a copy of it? Saan mo nakuha? I want to know everything. When are you leaving?" sunud-sunod na tanong niya.

He laughed. "Marami akong alam at hindi ko alam kung saan magsisimula. And I'm not leaving. They offered us a spot in Game Crest Organization as one of the developers. Dahil sa ginawa kong mga cheats sa game nang hindi nila namamalayan, gusto nilang maayos ang mga glitches. It will be easy since I know the game's flaws," he answered. "Who are you working for?"

Natigilan si Prius samantalang nagtataka naman ako sa tanong ni Siv. Tiningnan ni Prius si Siv at sinuri kung mapagkakatiwalaan ito.

"If you're working for Darren Raven then I can feed you information," Siv said. Napaawang ang labi ko nang marinig ang pangalan ng kapatid ko. Ano ang kinalaman niya rito? Tinaasan ko ng kilay si Prius pero hindi niya ako tinitingnan.

"How did you know him?" naguguluhang tanong ni Prius.

"He contacted me last week. Sinabi niya na kailangan niya ako. He asked me to make more cheats. More flaws hanggang sa mapansin ako ng organization. He said that the organization will surely offer a position for me. Darren need more information and I'm suitable for the inside job. Everything happened just as he planned," he explained.

"Damn! That freak is really a genius!" Prius exclaimed. Humalukipkip ako. Naguguluhan ako sa mga sinasabi nila. But I really agreed that my brother is a genius. I can't argue about that.

"How did you know my brother?" takang tanong ko kay Prius.

Tumingin siya sa 'kin at ngumiwi. "Magkaibigan kami noong mga bata pa kami. I was once your neighbor for just a few months," he answered. Kumunot ang noo ko. Hindi ko siya maalala.

Muli siyang tumingin kay Siv. "Then I'll contact you again," seryosong saad ni Prius. Tumango naman si Siv. He gave his number to him.

"Bumalik na tayo sa game, Denise," seryosong saad ni Prius. I gaped. Hindi ko pa nalalaman ang mga bagay na gusto kong itanong kay Siv.

"But--" Magrereklamo pa sana ako pero nagsalita si Siv.

"He's right Denise. Find another party member. You need to be stronger. I have a bad feeling on this game that's why I accepted Darren's offer. Something big is coming," he warned us. Tumahimik ako pero tumango. Si Prius na lang ang kakausapin ko mamaya. I need to clarify some things about my brother. Nagpaalam na kaming dalawa kay Siv.

Bumalik kami sa building namin. Agad kong hinila si Prius sa silid ko. "Explain," seryosong saad ko sa kanya. Hindi ako ngumingiti. "You're my neighbor? I can't remember. You're working for my brother? Why? What's happening?" naguguluhang tanong ko sa kanya.

"You can ask him the details," he answered briefly. "For now, let's go back to the game. Kick Phoenix out of your party and find a new one. Let's finish all our quests and let's talk about this tonight," he added.

I scowled at him. I wanted answers now. I can't wait. But maybe he's right. "Fine. Let's go back inside the game," naiinis na sabi ko. He sighed.

"Please... Huwag kang magalit habang naglalaro tayo baka bumaba lang ang intimacy level natin," nakangising sabi niya. Tiningnan ko siya nang masama at inirapan.

"Next week we will visit the Dragon Island. We need our members to reach 100th level," seryosong saad niya. I nodded. "And we will form an alliance with Zero and Queen," he added. Tiningnan ko siya pero hindi ako umangal sa gusto niya. Hindi basta-basta ang Dragon Island. We're already in our fourth week next week. Tumango ako. He patted my head before he leave my room. Shit! Madami akong gustong malaman. I don't think, I could still wait for dinner!

Pagbalik ko sa laro. Phoenix already left our party. I asked Fire to announce that we are looking for another party member. Tinapos ko muna ang lahat ng solo quests ko at bumalik sa town. Level 102 na ako. Malaki ang naitulong ng Lost City. Iniwan ko muna si Silver sa Pet's Training City. I hired someone to train him. Sa susunod ko na lang siya isasama sa mga quests ko.

Habang naglalakad sa Town, isang lalaki ang bumaba mula sa isang puno at lumapit sa 'kin. He was a mage like Phoenix. His handsome too. His hair color was dark blue. May hikaw siya sa isang tainga. His mage attire were black and with glittering blue linings. His username was Rage. Mataas na rin ang level niya at halos kapantay lang ni Phoenix.

"Looking for a new member?" he asked. "I was thinking if I can join you. Ano sa tingin mo?" he said.

Humalukipkip ako. Hindi na ako magiging mapili. Kailangan ko na siya para sa party quest namin. "Welcome to Dark Fortress then," seryosong sabi ko sa kanya. He smiled and thanked me. I gathered all the Dark Fortress' members. Ipinakilala ko sila kay Rage. After the introductions, we decided to finish our party quests. Gusto ko ring malaman kung ano ang mga kayang gawin ni Rage. Mamaya ko na lang siguro hahanapin si Sky para sa mga couple quests naming dalawa. And I have lots of questions for him. Parang gusto ko ng hilahin ang oras para makausap ko na siya kaagad.

~~~

"How's your new member?" tanong ni Sky matapos naming magawa ang couple quest namin. We just dispatched some monsters. We retrieved some ancient relics for NPCs. Sky sometimes flirts with me. I wonder if he's an expert in dating simulation games too. Iniisip ko pa lang na naglalaro siya noon, gusto ko ng tumawa. Sometimes, I want to ask and tease him.

"He's good. Intelligent and strong but weird," I answered. Kumunot ang noo ni Sky sa 'kin. He was waiting for me to clear my statement. "Hindi ko alam kung bakit. Siguro naninibago lang ako dahil wala si Phoenix. Mas alam ko kasi ang mga galaw at skills ni Phoenix. Nasanay na ako," kibit-balikat na saad ko.

"Masasanay ka rin kay Rage," he said. He smiled at me. I nodded.

"Siguro nga," mahinang wika ko. Phoenix was already out of the game. Tahimik akong naglakad sa kagubatan. Kailangan na naming bumalik sa town. Tiyak na naiinip na sa 'kin si Silver. Baka gutom na rin siya.

"Sigurado ka bang ayos ka lang?" tanong ni Sky nang sabayan niya ako sa paglalakad.

"Hindi ko alam. Sa sobrang daming nangyayari, hindi ko na alam," mahinang sagot ko. Hindi nagsalita si Sky pero hinawakan niya ang kamay ko. Nakangusong tiningnan ko siya. He was trying to comfort me and I like his way on doing things.

"Don't let it get in your head. I'm here to support you. You can tell me everything. I can be your partner in crime. I can also be a listener," he said.

"Sure, my dear husband," pang-aasar ko sa kanya. Ngumiti lang siya. Sa tingin ko nga, hindi siya naaasar. He's actually enjoying it. "But right now, you owe me a lot of explanations. So I'll be the listener tonight," nakangising saad ko sa kanya.

He chuckled and pulled me closer. "But I can't answer all your questions. You have to ask your brother for other information you want to know." Ngumuso lang ako. I wonder what my brother was up to. Pero kilala ko siya. Alam kong alam niya ang ginagawa niya.

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TO BE CONTINUED...

Wahaha. Hmm. Update pa ulit? Sige kapag naka-150 comments.. which is impossible haha (of course I don't accept 'update na po' as one of the comments). But don't worry. I'll update next week (Saturday). Thanks sa pagbabasa, votes and comments.. Magtatago na muna ulit ako sa lungga ko.