Awakened Bloodline - Khel’s Visions: Book Three
Dan’s POV
Chapter Two
“All this time, akala ko iniwan tayo ni Dad because of some random chic sa Cebu. Ikaw pala ang nang-iwan, Ma? Anong klase kang ina?”
Nanginginig na ako sa galit. Hindi ko maintindihan. The words came out before I could stop them. Masakit. Pero mas masakit yung realization ko na hindi pala si Dad ang nang-iwan sa amin.
“No... no, it’s not like that!” sagot ni Mama, her voice cracking. She reached out to me, pero umatras ako. I couldn’t. Not now, Ma! Hindi ko pa tanggap ang narinig ko mula sa'yo!
“No, malinaw na sa akin lahat ngayon!” At bigla akong umakyat sa kwarto ko at iniwan siya mag-isa dun sa baba.
Pagkasara ko ng pinto, I collapsed on my bed. Hindi ko na napigilan ‘yung luha sa mga mata ko. Hindi ito ‘yung usual drama sa bahay ko. Akala ko siya ang BEST MOM ko. Nagkamali ako!
This feeling I have right now...is different.
Bakit hindi niya sinabi kaagad ang totoo?
I always thought si Dad yung kontrabida sa buhay namin. ‘Yung selfish na iniwan kami ni Mama. Hindi ko man lang inisip na what if... what if may side din siya kung bakit niya kami iniwan?
And worse... what if si Mama, the one person I trusted the most, wasn’t just hiding something — but shaping a lie? And she knew about what is unique about me? Ano 'to? Ahhhh! Ayoko na!
I closed my eyes, hoping na pagdilat ko, everything would reset. Like a bad dream. Pero hindi. The shimmer was still there — faint sa gilid ng paningin ko. Since Celeste opened my Sight, I’d been seeing flashes of light, silver threads between people, even strange flickers sa mga bagay na dati normal lang. Minsan pati yung wall clock sa hallway, umiikot paatras.
My hands shook as I stared at my palms. Was I cursed? Gifted? Doomed?
Bigla kong naalala si Celeste.
Kailangan ko siyang kausapin.
The next morning, hindi na kami nag-usap ni Mama. Nagsaing siya, nagprito ng itlog, pero hindi ko kinain. I just grabbed my bag and left.
Pagdating ko sa school, I scanned the corridors for her — Celeste. Hindi siya nagpakita sa class, hindi rin sa Science Club room. Parang naglaho na lang siya bigla.
Pero may iniwan siyang note sa locker ko.
“Meet me sa Old Library. 4 PM. Don’t tell anyone.”
Kilala ko ang sulat niya — neat, slanted a little to the right, parang laging sigurado. And I knew I had no choice. Kailangan kong malaman kung anong kinalaman ng shimmer sa lahat ng ito — pati kay Mama.
4:01 PM – Old Library
Tahimik sa lumang library. Hindi na ito ginagamit since nagpatayo na ng bagong media center ang school two years ago. But the books were still there. Dusty. Sacred. Luma ang amoy — amoy na parang...basta. Gets niyo na kung ano ang ibig sabihin nun.
She was there, waiting. Nakatayo sa ilalim ng malaking stained glass window. The light behind her made her glow. Pagkakita ko sa kaniya, biglang nawala ang galit ko, ang sakit ng puso ko. She looked at me like she already knew everything about me.
“You read the shimmer, don’t you?” tanong niya, diretso.
I nodded. “More like… the shimmer reads me.”
She stepped closer. “You’re not ordinary, Dan. Hindi ka lang napili. Pinanganak kang may seal.”
“What do you mean ‘seal’?” I asked, feeling that same chill from the first time she touched my hand.
“Ibig sabihin,” she said, eyes locked on mine, “hindi ikaw ang dapat pumili kung magigising ka o hindi. May selyo sa dugo mo. Sa lahi mo. You were always meant to awaken.”
“Is this connected sa ginawa ni Mama?”
Celeste inhaled deeply. “Your mother was once part of the Circle. She was the Keeper of Silence.”
Nag-blink ako. “Circle? Keeper of Silence? Si Mama? My mom is a call center supervisor, not some fantasy warrior.”
“No,” she said calmly. “She was. Before she left it all behind.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Parang masyado nang maraming piraso ng puzzle na hindi ko alam kung paano buuin.
“Sino si Khel? Bakit ako yung next? Anong nangyayari sa mundong ‘to?”
Celeste led me to an old wooden table, and pulled out a leather-bound book — dusty, worn, but glowing faintly.
“This is Codex Vitae. It holds the stories of those connected to the shimmer. Si Khel, si Elijah, si Isolde, and your Mom — lahat ng mga may Sight. And now, you.”
Si Mom, how?
Binuksan niya ito sa isang page na may drawing ng isang batang lalaki — black hair, medyo may hawig sa akin. Below the sketch, my full name:
Daniel Alaric Velasquez.
Born under the Eclipse.
Bound by the Keeper’s Blood.
Awakener of the Third Cycle.
Halos malaglag ako sa upuan. “This... this can’t be real.”
“You were born during a celestial eclipse, Dan,” she explained. “And your mother — she sealed your vision. Not to trap you, but to protect you. From the Shroud.”
Tumayo ako. My voice shaking. “So hindi ako normal? May kwento akong hindi ko pinili? Destiny? Ganon?”
Celeste looked at me gently. “Hindi ka pinili ng kwento, Dan. Ikaw ang nagsimula nito.”
Hindi ko alam kung matatawa ako o maiiyak. Everything was falling apart. And yet, everything was starting to make sense.
I took a deep breath. “Tell me everything. Walang filter...please!”
So she did.
The Truth About the Circle
There was a time — centuries ago — when humans could see the shimmer naturally. They lived alongside the Guardians: beings of energy and balance. But greed, war, and darkness clouded the Sight, and only a few bloodlines retained it.
The Circle was formed to protect the boundary between the worlds. They weren’t soldiers — they were Watchers. Keepers. Silence-bearers. Each member had a role, and Hannah Velasquez, my mother, was one of the last full-blooded Keepers.
She fell in love with a Shard-bearer — my father. But when a rift threatened the barrier between realities, she chose to leave him, erase his memory, and seal me.
“She sacrificed love for protection,” Celeste said. “She left him because he was being watched by the Shroud.”
“And me?” tanong ko, barely able to speak.
“She hid you in plain sight. Normal life. Ordinary school. But now... the seal’s breaking.”
Naglakad kami palabas ng library, pero sa utak ko, ang gulo pa rin lahat. Mas magulo pa rin ang nararamdaman ko ngayon. Napagsabihan ko si Mama ng masama. I remembered Mama crying on the porch noong birthday ko. I thought she was just emotional. Turns out... she was mourning a truth she could never tell.
Pagdating ko sa bahay, gabi na. The lights were dim. Sobrang tahimik.
Nandun si Mama, nasa sala. May hawak siyang picture namin ni Dad. She didn’t even look surprised nung pumasok ako.
“You saw it, didn’t you?” she asked.
I didn’t answer.
“Dan,” she said gently. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? All this time..."
She stood up, tears in her eyes. “I did it to save you.”
“No! Hindi mo ako sinave. You lied to me my whole life!”
“Because I had to! They would’ve taken you, Dan!”
“Then maybe they should’ve! Baka mas mabuti pa ‘yon kaysa mabuhay sa kasinungalingan!”
“Daniel—”
“No, please stop!”
That night, I didn’t sleep. Ikaw ba naman sa sobrang daming iniisip, makakatulog ka pa ba? My eyes were open, pero ang utak ko, gumagala sa ibang mundo.
I saw flickers — memories na hindi akin, visions na lumulutang. Khel’s voice. A burning city. My mother wearing silver robes, standing against the wind. A symbol glowing on her forehead.
Then I saw myself — holding a blade of light. Facing something dark. A figure cloaked in smoke and eyes of red.
And a voice whispered:
“Awaken, Daniel. The shroud is coming. You must choose: protect... or destroy.”
The Next Morning
Pagbaba ko, wala si Mama. Her room was empty. Her car — gone.
I found a letter on the dining table.
Dan,
If you're reading this, it means you're ready. I left for a place called Aetherium. It's where I was trained. It's where you'll find answers I can no longer give. Follow Celeste. She knows the way. Whatever happens — remember that I love you.
Always.
– Mama
I held the letter close, heart pounding.
So, she knew about Celeste, too?
Sigh.
This was it.
No turning back. Maybe, oras na rin para tanggapin ko kung sino talaga ako.