Find My Way

Staring at a blank page in front of her, Carrie had no idea what to write about. Then again, what was the purpose of her bringing out a piece of paper and a pen, anyway? She was supposed to write something.

Only... she couldn't recall what.

Ilang araw nang ganito ang nangyayari sa kanya. Ilang araw na hindi mapakali. Ilang araw na may hinahanap. Ilang araw na may gustong gawin pero hindi niya makita ang punto kung para saan.

Even with that, she knew it was all related to one word.

"Seohae."

Definitely sounded Korean, but it doesn't exist in South Korea at all. Even in the North. Ilang buwan na ring lumilitaw sa isip niya ang salitang iyon. Kaya naisip niya na kung hindi nag-e-exist ang salitang iyon sa kung saan mang lugar na alam niya, isa lang ang ibig sabihin niyon.

It belonged to another place. Perhaps... in another world.

Pero sinong tanga ang maniniwala na may ibang mundo nga maliban sa kinalalagyan niya?

There is another world out there. Multiple worlds. Meron ngang parallel universe, 'di ba?

Hindi alam ni Carrie kung saan nanggaling ang maliit na tinig na iyon sa kanyang isipan. Pero napakunot-noo siya dahil hindi niya akalaing may lilitaw na ganoon sa kanyang isipan. Hindi niya maintindihan kung para saan iyon. Could it be related to the desire to write something for a long time now?

"Please... Please tell me what I have to do."

It could be a desperate thought running in her mind. Pero ilang araw na rin siyang binabagabag ng mga isiping hindi niya alam kung saan nanggaling. She needed answers -- only clueless on where to start finding them.

"You'll find me again, I promise..."

She raised her head as soon as that thought echoed. And no, it wasn't her own thought. Lalaki ang narinig niyang nagsalita sa kanyang isipan. Pero paano nangyari iyon?

Unless...

"I'm fated to leave you this way. I can't let you stay here with me or you'll die..."

Nag-umpisang sumakit ang ulo ni Carrie pagkatapos marinig iyon mula sa kanyang isipan.

"There has to be something that could tell me the meaning of those words..." Pero hanggang sa sarili lang niya nagawang sabihin ang mga iyon. Ngayon lang naman kasi nangyari ang ganito sa kanya mula nang... "Mula nang bumalik ako galing Sagovarre."

She did recall leaving that town three months ago with no real recollection of what had happened to her. Hindi rin masagot ng mga kaibigan niya ang tanong niya kung bakit ilang araw siyang walang malay pero wala siyang maalalang dahilan upang mangyari iyon sa kanya.

Maliban na lang kung... "May bumura sa alaala ko." Pero posible ba iyon?

Writing on a paper... It could be the only way for her to realize the answer. She'd been meaning to do just that for a long time now, anyway.

Ngayon ay alam na niya. She'd been wanting to write a letter to someone. Perhaps to the guy whose voice she kept hearing in her mind. Ano ba'ng meron sa boses na iyon at ganoon na lang ang epekto niyon sa kanya?

Ang problema lang ni Carrie, hindi niya alam kung kanino ipapangalan ang sulat na pinaplano niyang isulat. Pero mas mabuti pa siguro na umpisahan na lang niya ang pagsusulat, Hindi niya alam kung ano ang mailalagay niya sa sulat na iyon. Ang hiling lang niya, makarating iyon sa taong gusto niyang sulatan.

Let my words reach you... Please...

As tears began to fall from her eyes, she started writing the letter.

xxxxxx

Three years... Rhistel had been unconscious for that long. Then again, he was the one who took the full brunt of the attack. Of course, even someone whom the other Seohae Guardians referred to as their strongest member would end up this way.

Pero alam nina Kymil at Ianro na patuloy pa ring lumalaban si Rhistel para magkaroon ng malay at tuluyan nang makabalik sa kanila. Patunay lang ang nakalipas na tatlong taon matapos ang pinakamatindi nilang laban. Both of them looked at their unconscious colleague once again for how many times that day.

On Rhistel's unmoving hand was a rolled paper. For some weird reason, he hadn't let go of it even when they found him unconscious and hanging between life and death after their battle. Hanggang sa maalala nila na isa iyon sa mga canvas na iniregalo ng Osmerth Guardian na si William kay Rhistel nang opisyal na itong maging bahagi ng grupo ng Seohae Guardians. But other than that, they had no idea what that canvas could actually do.

"Hanggang kailan tayo maghihintay nang ganito? We might have prevented another dimensional war that could destroy what remains of Seohae. Pero hindi natin alam kung ano ang naging epekto n'on sa Human Realm." Marahas na napakamot na lang ng ulo si Ianro matapos sabihin iyon.

"Stephen told me that the Human Realm didn't suffer any obvious damage except for occasional flickering of lights whenever the lightning would occur. It could be because of the clashing of energy blasts from both sides," Kymil explained and sighed. "Ang hindi ko lang maintindihan, ano'ng nangyari sa Sagovarre three years ago para maging ganoon kaagresibo sa laban si Rhistel?"

"Ano nama'ng mangyayari sa Sagovarre? Oo nga't portal natin ang bayang iyon papunta sa Human Realm. And yes, we even stayed there just until we made sure that Seohae somehow recovered from being almost turned to complete ruins. Maliban na lang kung sa paglabas-labas ni Rhistel ay --"

"May nakilala siya... na posibleng nagpabago sa pananaw niya."

Napalingon sina Kymil at Ianro sa nagsalita na kadarating lang.

"Well, from what I can see, I don't think it changed Rhistel for the better if he became even more aggressive in the battlefield like that," said Ianro.

Bumuntong-hininga lang si Helion at tiningnan ang walang malay na kaibigan. "It's not aggressiveness. More like desperation... to protect whoever that person is."

"Isa lang ang taong alam kong nagsilbing catalyst para maging ganoon si Rhistel. But we all know that that person died during the First Dimensional War."

"She reincarnated... but not in this world. And in my guess, she has no recollection of who she was here. Whether or not Rhistel actually knew and met that person, hindi natin alam. Pero isa lang ang masasabi ko. The person that he might have met in Sagovarre wasn't her reincarnation at all," sabi ni Helion na hindi inaalis ang tingin kay Rhistel.

"Paano ka nakakasiguro sa sinasabi mo?" may dudang tanong ni Kymil. Ilang sandali pa ay nanlaki ang mga mata nito. "Don't tell me...?"

Tumango lang si Helion. "Walang ibang pagpipilian si Erven kundi basahin ang isip ni Rhistel noong ilang araw pa lang na wala siyang malay-tao. Alam n'yo naman na silang dalawa ang mga naunang nagpunta sa Sagovarre noong mga panahong pinipilit pa rin nating ibalik sa dati ang lahat kahit alam nating imposible na."

Napatingin na ring muli sina Kymil at Ianro sa walang malay na kaibigan pagkatapos n'yon."

"I wonder who that person is..."

Nakatingin man dito, hindi pa rin nakaligtas sa kanilang panginin ang unti-unting kumikilos na mga daliri ng kaliwang kamay ni Rhistel kasabay ng bahagyang pagliwanag ng hawak nitong nakarolyong papel. Dahilan iyon upang tuluyan nang makuha ang atensyon ng tatlong Seohae Guardians sa silid na iyon.

"What the..."

"I'll go inform the others." Iyon lang at umalis na ng silid na iyon si Ianro.

Naiwan roon sina Kymil at Helion at binabantayan ang anumang posibleng maging pagbabago sa mga kios at maging sa kabuuang sitwasyon nito. They couldn't see any signs of him finally opening his eyes. But they knew they musn't give up hope. The rolled paper on Rhistel's hand was still glowing. And slowly, it stopped doing so. Nakikita na nila na hindi na blangko iyon. Instead, there were writings on them.

Human Realm writings.

And then...

"Ca... rrie..."

'Di naiwasang mapatingin sa isa't-isa sina Kymil at Helion.

"Who's Carrie?"

Pero alam nila na sa mga sandaling iyon ay wala pa silang sagot na makukuha kay Rhistel. They would know in time. But now they realized -- whoever that person was, they owe Rhistel's revival to her.

"You'll see her again, Rhistel. Just come back..."

xxxxxx

I've only used the name Carrie for the female lead for now dahil wala akong maisip na pangalan ng bidang babae sa Jungkook-inspired one-shot na 'to. Nagkataon lang kasi na nanonood ako ng journaling videos sa YT channel ni Carrie Walker nang isulat ko ang one-shot na 'to. Pero kung gusto mo namang pangalan mo ang gamitin ko as a female lead sa main story, why not, 'di ba? Nagbabakasali lang naman. Hehe! Joke. Anyway, I'm just glad na nagawa ko nang i-type ito dito dahil ang tagal na rin pala mula nang isulat ko ito sa papel. I guess you could say it's about time. By the way, Sagovarre is a fictional town na nagawa kong isa sa main setting ng series dahil ayokong gumamit ng pangalan ng totoong lugar. At least for this one. And yes, may mga characters galing sa isa pang series na na-mention dito. As for the timeline I mentioned, a month in the Human Realm is equal to a year in Seohae.