“Why did you bring her here?! Are you trying to get us all killed?” a tall woman in a flowing green gown hissed, her voice sharp with accusation. Her long, waist-length hair, woven with vibrant flowers of every color, shimmered in the dim light, as if each bloom was alive. Her eyes, usually calm, now sparked with anger and fear, and her delicate hands clenched at her sides as she glared at Leandro.
“She needs help! Her friend has been cursed by the Lakan,” Leandro replied, his voice firm, though there was a note of desperation beneath it. He stood tall, his jaw set, as though bracing for the backlash.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd gathered behind her, their faces shadowed, expressions unreadable in the twilight that clung to the space. The air seemed heavier now, charged, as if the very atmosphere was holding its breath.
“The Lakan does not curse anyone,” the woman retorted, her tone fierce, though there was a tremor of uncertainty behind her words, a crack in her iron-clad composure. Her gaze flickered to Alysa for just a second—brief, yet filled with something unreadable.
Leandro didn’t flinch. “We’ve seen it with our own eyes,” he insisted, his voice low but resolute. “You are the only one who has the power to lift the curse.”
Alysa stood there, her heart hammering in her chest, every instinct screaming that they were out of place, out of time. She felt the weight of unseen eyes on her, the whisper of something ancient brushing against her skin like a chill in the breeze. She swallowed hard, stepping forward slightly, her voice soft but filled with urgency. “Please… help us. My friend’s life depends on it.”
For a moment, the woman’s fierce expression softened. Her gaze found Alysa, and something like sympathy flickered in her eyes, but it was quickly masked. She turned back to Leandro, squaring her shoulders, her jaw tightening.
“If the Lakan really did curse her friend…” Her voice wavered, the strength in it ebbing like a retreating tide. She hesitated, the words hanging heavily between them, her eyes locking with Leandro’s. “Then I cannot reverse it.” She said the words softly, almost as if she didn’t want to believe them herself. Her hands trembled as she clasped them in front of her.
Alysa’s breath caught in her throat. The way the woman spoke, the weight of her regret, felt final. The uncertainty that had been gnawing at her was now a knot of fear in her chest.
The woman took a deep breath, her eyes closing for a brief moment before reopening with a resigned sadness. “The Lakan holds the greatest power in this land. No one can challenge him… not even me.”
The finality in her words was crushing, as if the very air had thickened with the weight of the truth.
ROAR!!
The ground beneath them trembled as the deafening sound echoed through the chamber, rattling the very walls. Heavy footsteps thudded in the distance, growing louder and closer with each heartbeat. Outside, shrieks of terror erupted like a ripple of fear, and the crowd scattered in all directions, their panic palpable. People scrambled, stumbling over each other in their desperate attempt to flee, their faces contorted with the same realization—he was coming.
The doorway groaned under the weight of his arrival. Then he emerged.
The kapre.
His massive figure seemed to fill the entire space, dark and hulking, with eyes like burning embers glowing from beneath the shadows of his towering form. The air grew thick with his presence, the scent of burning tobacco suddenly overwhelming. His gaze swept the room, scanning with a slow, deliberate menace. Then it landed on Leandro—and Alysa.
A wave of cold fear surged through Alysa, her breath catching as the creature’s eyes locked onto them, smoldering with something far more dangerous than anger. Leandro instantly stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body as they retreated slowly, their movements careful, deliberate. Alysa could feel the heat of his tension radiating through the small space between them, the weight of the moment pressing down on both of them.
Leandro glanced over his shoulder, desperate, searching for help. But the tall woman in the green gown had already backed away, retreating into the shadows, her eyes wide with a mix of worry and sadness. She met Leandro’s gaze briefly, a silent apology passing between them. There was nothing she could do.
The kapre’s eyes blazed as they focused on Alysa, his voice booming with a force that seemed to shake the very air. “Give her to me!”
Alysa felt her knees weaken, her body frozen in place, as if the sheer power of his words could shatter her. Leandro didn’t move, standing his ground, his arms spread protectively in front of her.
“Lakan, please stop! Don’t hurt her!” Leandro’s voice cracked as he shouted, desperation cutting through the tension.
For a brief moment, the kapre's eyes flickered, surprise flashing across his fierce expression. He paused, his gaze narrowing. "You!" His voice was a growl, low and seething. "You like her!"
The accusation hung in the air like a dagger. Alysa could feel Leandro’s pulse quicken, the heat of his breath sharp and uneven. The kapre's fury ignited, his body tensing as his massive frame seemed to grow even larger. “How dare you!” His voice thundered through the room, the anger in it primal and dangerous. He lunged forward, his massive form charging toward them, his roar shaking the ground beneath their feet.
Alysa’s breath caught, her vision blurring as her fear swallowed her whole.
Suddenly, she woke with a violent gasp, her body jerking upright in bed. Her heart raced, pounding against her chest like a drum. The remnants of the dream clung to her, slipping through her fingers like smoke, leaving behind a cold sweat on her skin.
“Alysa! What happened?” Bev’s voice broke through the haze, her concerned face inches away as she quickly moved to Alysa’s side.
Alysa blinked, her breath still shallow, her hand gripping the sheets as if they could tether her to reality. She glanced around the room, disoriented, the dream fading fast but the fear still gripping her heart.
“What… what was that?” she whispered, her voice trembling as her mind struggled to grasp the fleeting memory of what had just happened. But the terror, the intensity—it still pulsed through her veins.
Bev looked at her, brow furrowed with worry, her hand gently resting on Alysa's shoulder. "You were thrashing in your sleep… shouting. Was it a nightmare?"
Alysa swallowed hard, her throat dry, the images of the kapre, Leandro, and the woman fading into fragmented pieces in her mind. She couldn't tell if it had been just a dream—or something more.
“I… I don’t know,” she muttered, her voice barely audible.
The cold air of the room chilled her damp skin, making her shiver. The scent of tobacco lingered faintly, as if teasing her senses, reminding her of what she saw.
“I think…” Alysa hesitated, glancing around the darkened room, almost expecting the kapre’s monstrous figure to emerge from the shadows. “It felt like it wasn’t just a dream.”
Bev squeezed her shoulder gently. “You’ve been through a lot. Maybe it’s all just catching up to you.” Her voice was calm, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. “Get some rest. We’ll figure this out together.”
Alysa nodded, but the tension in her chest remained a suffocating weight. As Bev settled back into her own bed, Alysa sank deeper into her pillow, her gaze fixed on the ceiling, the shadows creeping like restless spirits overhead. She shut her eyes, willing herself to drift into sleep, but an insistent unease gnawed at her—a nagging sense that a crucial piece of the puzzle lay just out of reach. What unseen forces were stirring in the darkness, and what awaited her when dawn broke?