*Kaloy's P.O.V.*
I have done my fair share of stupid things that caused me a few consequences but none of them broke my heart the way that its pieces are literally shattered right now. I sat in front of a huge caldron that has nothing but a clear boiling water, no matter how many gold nuggets I dropped in there, I can't locate her. Yes. Her. Season Tarver, the only girl that has ever caught my interest in terms of romance.
"Mahal na prinsipe?" I almost panicked when the automatic sliding door opened but was instantly relieved to see who came in.
"Kalista." I acknowledged her presence and motioned for her to step inside and she did, by doing so, the door closed, keeping us safe from the prying eyes of the guards of Lumayan. These armored soldiers are always looking for something to report to the queen, my mother.
"Pinatawag mo ako?" She asked and followed me around the caldron that originally belongs to her. You know, this caldron is not just an ordinary caldron for it belongs to the engkantadas who have the ability to see prophecies and events. It has been passed down from generation after generation among mg mother's lineage. And on that note, I just implied that Kalista is my sister, by our mother. She isn't one of the royals but still carries a noble blood, my mother I mean, that is why she was a fitting bride for the late king, my father. However, because of the fact that I am their only offspring, and the power of the caldron can only be activated by a female, I wasn't fit to inherit it. So, it eventually fell on the hands of my half sister which my mother had with a mortal, a few years after my father died on a war. But of course I had a good use of it too, so she let me borrow it anyways.
"It's her. I can't find her." I said, opting to speak in English now because as far as I know, those guards doesn't understand it very well.
Kalista dipped her hand in the boiling water and stirred it a little bit, not really affected by its temperature. But still, the waters remained clear. "Something is blocking my magic. She must've been protected by the power of an albularyo or well, someone holy." She said, voicing out what I initially thought of, but of course I refused to believe that. "But why so sudden? She doesn't seem like the type to be superstitious or super religious. Did you do something to scare her?"
I can only stare at my sister. I hate how smart she is really and that she's not afraid to speak her mind to me. I mean, I don't fully hate her okay? There are just times that I grow annoyed. "I may or may not have possessed her."
Her eyebrows rose at my statement. "You possessed her to help her against that duwende, she didn't stop you, she didn't look scared either." She pointed out.
I sighed. There's no point of hiding anything from my sister because she knows of my feelings for that mortal girl and she's not against it. She and her father are probably the only ones that are not against whatever relationship I have with Season and I feel grateful that these souls exist. Firstly because, they are not very traditional, they compromise. And it means a lot to a prince who bears a heavy weight on his shoulder. "Your albularyo brother told her more about us. Just like what happened to your father. And somehow that information is driving her away so, I..."
"You did something stupid. You know what, Season may had a choice and you just ensured that it won't be you." There you go with that direct to the point fires again. "You can't blame her though, or if it wasn't her that choose to stay away from you, it's her family and you can't blame them too." She even added.
I know how right she is but, I really don't want to feel this helpless. I'm a prince, I'm not very accustomed to this feeling at all. Even if she doesn't want to see me, I want to atleast know if she's doing well. "I know but I still want to assure that she's fine. And if I can't use your caldron to do that, then I'll go look for her myself." I decided but before I could walk out, she grabbed a hold of my wrist.
"Ah, ah. Wait up." She said and eventually let go of my wrist. I turned to face her again and saw how she dipped that very same hand she grabbed me with into the boiling water. A cloud of mist appeared and the clear water projected me in Season's room, talking to her. I had her in my arms and our conversation resounded in my room.
"I love you. Mahal kita." I had proclaimed passionately, hoping that it would make her listen to her heart and take back what she implied earlier. But she stepped out of my hold and said something quite heartbreaking.
"I don't." And those two words sliced my heart, hearing them all over again didn't hurt less. But it's not what she said that hurt me, rather it's the way that she forcefully said it that does. I can see it in her eyes that she feels the same way but she has chosen not to.
"Do you really not?" Came my response despite the deep cut that her words pierced in my heart, as if asking her again would change her mind. I mean, I'm literally begging her to just be honest of what she feels, to, I don't know, maybe ignore the consequence that she learned of?
"N-no... I mean, listen. You matter to me okay? It's just that, this whatever we have is too complicated and I-I am not willing to go further." So she admitted that I do hold a place in her heart but she also just implied that she's not going to listen to her heart about this in one go. Yes it's true that whatever we have is complicated but I'm pretty sure my end of the situation is more complicated than hers.
"Do you think you're the only one between the both of us who has to give up something for what you feel?" Came my next question. Of course, she only knows what's going to happen to her if ever she chooses to be with me but she doesn't what would it would mean for me as a prince. Disgrace, disappointment, and I guess disinheritance. That's what is waiting for me for being with a human. But, she doesn't really know that. And she doesn't know how hard it is to give up on either of them, my position and my feelings.
"I... Maybe. But I can't give up my life to be with you." That's it! It pains me so much to know that the person who I'm willing to give up almost everything for, doesn't really want to do the same for me. But, did I really expect her to reciprocate everything in that way? Maybe, because...
"I promised to wait for you."
"No matter how long you wait, my answer is no. No."
I closed my eyes at that. She is still not aware of how deep my feelings for her actually is. "Season. I had never wanted anyone like this before I met you. There was no engkantada and no other human that caught my attention the way that you did. So I'm not giving you up." When I said that, I sensed somebody coming, her brother and my blood boiled, if it wasn't already boiling earlier. I know that he is the reason why Season would not choose to be with me. She can't leave him, she can't leave them but she's very willing to leave me for them so, this is the part where I did something stupid.
I made myself one with the air and entered her body in my spirit form. At first, it was a challenge for me to take over because she had a little bit of her guard up but when I fought my way in control, her confussion and uncertainty cracked her defenses, letting me take over. I don't know why I did that though, maybe I'm mad and hurt, and I envy the fact that she loves her brother more than she could ever love me. "She belongs to me! She's mine! MINE!" I let out with rage and this sent him to a state of panic. That's right, fear my wrath and let me have her. I know I'm being desperate but I don't even want to think about loosing her, even if I barely have a hold on her, I'll hold on real tight.
His family came in the picture soon after and I had striken fear in them the way that I did to him but they kept on holding on to Season's possessed body and with great hardship, managed to bring her to the nearby St. James' chapel. But it takes more than somewhere holy to actually faze me and when the priest showed up, I became more aggressive, triggered by his chanting ritual. They don't seem to understand that none of that can make me give up on my love. They have such shallow minds, only thinking that we, engkantos, are descendants of the devil, not at all seeing the fact that we are capable of falling in love and we sure can do more for the sake of love than these futile mortals. These futile mortals, like my Season who's not willing to acknowledge what she feels for me because of the dark truth of my being.
That last thought weakened my resolves as pain took in. And that's when Season's consciousness started gaining on me. I all but begged her to stay, with me. To come with me but, as I've said so many times, she's tougher than any human I've ever known. I know it was her and her refusal to take my offer that pulled me under and out of her, more than the ritual of the priest. But it was also her that caused me to be badly wounded by the holy artifacts that he used against me until the priest actually became successful into sending me back to my realm, unconscious.
The waters cleared after that, making me look at Kalista, rather ashamed of myself after realizing the weight of my actions. "So it was the priest that knocked you unconscious for three days. You ought to be thankful that it was my father who found you in the forest." Her statement made my eyes go wide.
"I was unconscious for three days?" I didn't know how long I was out really. When I found myself in my room earlier, the first thing that went into my mind was Season. And I gathered enough strength to use the caldron to find her, which was to no avail.
"Yes. And if that's so, you're not in a good shape to go out there. Plus, if they had re-blessed the house for the purpose of warding off an engkanto, even someone as powerful as you are, future king, would be affected so much. Whereas, a half human like me, would only be scratched." The implication in her statement made me narrow my eyes at her.
"I am not permitting you to get out there. Lest you want mother to blow off if she finds out." Right, Kalista was never allowed to go out of Lumayan for reasons I don't have time to enumerate, right now.
"Kaloy, use your brain, she doesn't need to find out. This is the only logical way for you to know where she is plus, I'm the only one you can trust in this case. You can't ask someone else to do it." She insisted. The hell am I including her deeper into my mess. But before I could think, the door opened and Polano, one of the generals came in.
"Mahal na prinsipe, hinahanap ka ng mahal na reyna." Of course. I just looked at Kalista and nodded once at her. She grinned ear to ear and I just gave her a pointed look before I followed the general. A part of me knows that she'd be responsible enough, it's just that I'm worried. But as usual, I don't have time to think too much because soon, I stepped into the main receiving room, the Punong Bulwagan where my mother is seen sitting on one side of the double throne seat. She's been sitting alone on that large, intricately designed chair for two decades now, since my father died and I don't know how long she's planning to keep things that way.
"Kaloy, ikinagagalak kong makita na magaling ka na." She said, standing up from her chair and giving me a hug as soon as I approached.
"Magandang araw ina." Was my only greeting.
"Ano ba ang nangyare sa iyo anak?" She asked directly upon sitting back down on her side of the throne.
"Nanggaling ako sa isang parte ng Dalaket ina upang magmasid sa kung ano man ang mga ginagawa ng ating mga kaaway." I said. That wasn't entirely a lie because, right after I made sure that Season crossed the portal safely, I decided to spy on the Dalaketnons, our mortal enemy, despite not living in the mortal realm. You got me?
"At ano ang nangyare? Napalaban ka ba? Bakit wala kang malay ng tatlong araw?" She asked, both concern and suspicion laced her voice.
Now, I really have to lie for she won't be very pleased if she'd know that I went to see Season again. For after that time that I brought Season here in the palace, she warned me not to connect with that human again lest I might have a chance of falling in love with her and that can't be. The future king of Lumayan must find himself an engkantada that's fit to be his queen. There's no room for humans in a royal blood's heart, however it was a human who took away my own. That is why, I've been lying to my mother for a couple of times now.
"Medyo. Nagkatagpo kami ni Lakan noong pauwi na ako." Lakan is my nemesis, he's also the future king of Dalaket and my mother knows how our powers conficts with each other, it's either I badly hurt him or he'd do that to me, which is a very convenient excuse for me to use.
"Ganoon ba?" She seems to be buying it. "Lumalakas na ang pwersa ng ating kaaway, kailangan talaga nating maging listo at kailangan natin magpalakas."
"Siyang tunay ina." I agreed. And I have to get myself together too. Season is truly conflicting with my duties as a prince, but I didn't give much regard to it actually.
"Anak, hindi ba mas malakas ang hari sa tabi ng kanyang reyna." Now she's starting. I really hate it when she talks about the throne and my marriage at the same time. Mainly because, the only girl that I want to marry is not the one she and our wholle race, would want me to sit beside with on the throne. So I remained silent. "Kaya naman sana pumili ka na ng mapapangasawa, upang maibigay ko na sa iyo ang korona."
Hell! I'm not going to marry just because of that freaking crown. I could care less about power, all I want is Season. However, I can't disregard the dying request of my father, I can't let my kingdom down.
"Mahal na reyna, mahal na prinsipe." I turned around to see Kalista bowing before us. Eh? It didn't take her long to be back from the mortal realm, if she'd really been there then.
"Kalista, napabisita ka anak." Our mother said, giving her a hug too. Of course Kalista and Teodoro doesn't reside in the palace because it would be a disrespect to my late father but everybody knows about my mother's other family, with a human. Talk about hypocrisy.
"Opo ina, nais ko lang po kayong kamustahin." My half sister answered when they let go of the hug.
"Ganoon ba? Hindi ba ang kapatid mo ang sadya mo rito? Nabalitaan kong parati kayo nag uusap sa kanyang silid." See? Those guards are really doing their job, it is just that, it's not in my favor. "Bakit hindi ninyo ako isali sa inyong pagpupulong ngayon?" She taunted as she held both of our hands and started walking towards the direction of my room. Oh well. Kalista and I were exchanging glances until we eventually reached our destination.
Mother's eyes landed directly on the caldron that once belonged to her, sitting on one of my tables and then she turned to us. "Ano ang ginagawa ng mahiwagang kawa dito sa silid mo Kaloy?" As expected.
"Hiniram ko iyan kay Kalista." Which isn't really a lie. "Upang madali kong mapagmasdan ang iba pang mga kahariang may banta sa atin." And that's half the truth too.
"Ganoon ba?" I reckon, she asks that when she's partially convinced. "Sana nga. Sana nga binabantayan ninyo ang seguridad ng ating kaharian. At wala kayong ibang binabantayan. Lalo ka na Kaloy." And with that, she marched out of my room.
I am not totally intimidated by my mother, however, I do respect her a lot that is why I choose not to say something everytime she's reprimanding me. When the coast is clear and we're sure that she has gone a good distance away, I turned to Kalista with a raised eyebrow. And she just shook her head.
"She's not there. The house was empty."
"What?" Was all that I could ever ask.
"Come see." She beckoned for me to look at another projection she displayed in the clear water. "Only memories remained when I got there."
She's right as my eyes landed on the two roses that still stood on a vase in her room. Only memories remained after I did that very wrong move. I just closed my eyes and laid on my bed. I just wish things weren't this messed up right now. But what was I thinking? That she'd still come running back to me when I gave her a reason to run away?