Eternal Promise: Fragments Of Us

LEON

I BARELY made it in time. I parked my motorbike a little farther from the studio so they wouldn’t notice that I was here. I hid myself in a dark corner, and decided to message Derrick before I proceeded.

Leon:

Where are you?

Derrick:

Doesn’t matter. Where are you right now?

Leon:

Still in front of the studio, but I hid in a dark corner. Where the hell are you?!

Derrick:

Don’t mind me. Go at the back, but don’t get yourself caught.

Leon:

Caught?

By who?

Derrick:

Can’t explain.

Just do it.

-seen-

I clicked my tongue in annoyance. I had no idea why Derrick was acting weird. He was adamant about it. I was about to leave my spot when he sent me one last message saying:

Derrick:

Please be safe

-seen-

I attempted to reply as it bothered me. What was going on, really?! I made sure that my phone was put on silent before I walked my way to the other side of the building. I felt uneasy, but I still had to do it.

IT WAS quiet, so I began to think that Derrick must have set me up and plotted to perform silly pranks on me. I took my phone to see the time and learned it was almost midnight. I put it back inside my bag and went on. I tried to be careful not to make any unnecessary noises. I looked to my left, then to my right. There was nothing unusual. Soon, I saw a glimpse of dim light coming from the farthest corner. I followed it. It led me to an abandoned garage. It was still part of the studio, but I had no idea that this existed.

“I’m surprised Director Kim didn’t use this place for a horror set,” I chuckled sarcastically, but I covered my mouth with my hand after that.

After a while, I heard footsteps. It was hard to tell where it came from because the sound resonated in the whole building. Every step was heavy, and it felt like time slowed down.

“What do you want?” It was Sheldon’s voice! I hid somewhere dark, but I wasn’t a hundred percent sure if he would see me from here.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Did you come alone?” That one belonged to Alynna!

?Do they actually have a secret affair?!」 I exclaimed in my mind.

“Of course,” Sheldon confirmed. He sounded disinterested. “Now, what do you want? Didn’t I tell you that we can’t meet too often? It’s risky,” he said.

“I know,” Alynna said. “Derrick is starting to suspect me,” she added.

“When did he start to notice?” Sheldon asked.

“I’m not certain. But, after what happened between him and Leon in the dressing room, he started acting weird. Derrick was always the loud type. He’s not someone who would bottle up his thoughts,” she answered. “We must tell Leon the truth, Sheldon. I can’t keep lying to him forever!”

“Then what?!” Sheldon half yelled. It was the first time I heard him become upset. “You have no idea how much it took me to come this far!”

“I know, but is this how you want him to find out?! Are you just going to let things end this way, Sheldon?!” Alynna exclaimed, then I heard her cry. “Let’s stop this. Please, I beg you!”

“I’ve already made up my mind, Alynna. I can’t let him remember, no matter what,” Sheldon insisted.

?Remember what?!」 I thought to myself.

“But that black entity…” Alynna uttered, before sniffing. “It’s going to kill Leon. Are you okay with that?” she asked.

“I am trying my best to keep it dormant, as much as I can,” Sheldon replied.

“But it’s growing stronger everyday. He’s absorbing all of Leon’s anxiety. I feel sorry for him,” Alynna said.

?Hold on a minute! Why do they know about that thing?! I never told them anything about it, or my unintentional meeting with Roark!」

I got caught up in the situation that I didn’t notice my necklace started to emit a faint glow. I felt an excruciating pain in my head, and it weighed down on me. My vision became fuzzy, and my chest tightened, making it hard for me to breathe.

“You know… You can’t lie forever to him. Or… Do you intend to?” It caught my attention when I heard Derrick’s voice from a distance. Where the heck was he all this time?!

I heard whooshing sounds disperse in the area. Even if it was risky, I stole a quick peek to see what was going on. My eyes couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

A white smokey aura floated around Derrick. He looked more mature, and I couldn’t see any trace of his goofiness. It was unsettling. Sheldon’s back was facing my direction so I couldn’t see his facial expression. Alynna was standing in front of Sheldon, but a little farther away. She was still crying.

Derrick had a brooding presence. It was as if he was trying to provoke Sheldon. But my boyfriend was unfazed. “You think you can scare me with that murderous look on your face?”

My heart skipped a beat after hearing that.. For some reason, I couldn’t breathe. I tried to grasp anything within my reach, but the dark blinded me slowly.

?My necklace! It’s tightening around my neck!」 I shouted in my mind. I opened my mouth to make a sound, but nothing was coming out.

I heard a loud bang from their direction, and Alynna spouting indistinctive words. I felt my body going numb. I crawled my way out. I was scared! And just when I was about to let them know that I was here all the time, something exploded.

It halted me as I coiled in mixed fear and shock. The explosion repeated two times before I opened my eyes and witnessed a scene that I never once imagined would come true.

Sheldon was pushed and half buried against the wall, and Derrick pinned him there by grabbing his neck with his bare hand. Alynna was crying her eyes out, trying to stop the two. But, she was not in good shape. She was wounded. She must have been caught in the explosion earlier.

“What the hell are you doing?!” I finally got my voice back. The necklace tightened again when I spoke, leaving a nasty mark on my neck.

Both Sheldon and Derrick were surprised to see me. Alynna gasped, like she was frightened for my life.

“I told you to stay away!” Derrick scolded me.

“No! You told me to stay safe, so I hid!” I defended, and the necklace tightened once again. I groaned in pain and they noticed it.

“It’s the same!” Derrick insisted.

Alynna hurried to my side and helped me get up. “Leon, are you alright? What’s this on your neck?!” she asked in horror.

“I have… no idea…” I said, before coughing. “It’s getting tight the more I talk,” I continued, and coughed again.

“Let go of me, you bastard! I must cut that necklace off!” I heard Sheldon plead to Derrick.

“No way in hell! You can’t fool me!” Derrick declined, and pushed my boyfriend further against the wall. It made Sheldon cough out some blood.

“Derrick, don’t hurt him!” I shouted. But, I too, were in so much pain each time I spoke.

Derrick was taken aback, but he didn’t let go of Sheldon. Resentment and hatred was present in his eyes, and they were directed to my lover. The white aura around him still oozed out tremendous amounts of energy. It was overwhelming and scary.

I continued to cough. Breathing became a struggle, and my body was hurting all over. But nothing could compare to the excruciating pain in my head. It hurt so bad, it made me want to bang it until the pain went away.

“Leon, you’re hurt. Don’t move,” Alynna said in concern.

“No, Alynna,” I refused, and gently pushed her away from me. “You, three…” I paused, because I could already feel the cord of the necklace slowly burrow its way in my neck. “Just who the hell are you?!” I asked, a little irritated for not knowing a single thing that was going on with them.

I felt outcasted, unwanted, and betrayed. What did I do wrong to deserve all of these? Just how much more was I not aware of? Was everything I knew about them all a lie? If not…

?Then why does my heart ache so much?」 I thought, before my ears started to shed.

“Leon!” I heard Sheldon call out. He sounded worried. It was his usual, calm voice – my lover’s soothing voice! I looked up to him and saw his regretful expression.

“Sheldon…” I responded as my tears continued to trickle down. “Just tell me the truth already. I’m begging you!”

I saw a droplet of tear fall from Sheldon’s right eye. Judging from his hesitant reaction, he didn’t want me to find out at all. He looked so terrified. “You might not be able to forgive me after this, Leon,” he said.

“What?” I uttered in confusion. I attempted to run towards him despite the numbness of my feet, but I was stopped halfway when he spoke again.

“I, Sidapa, God of Death, lift up the curse of the thousand years of darkness and ignorance of the truth,” Sheldon weakly lifted up a finger, and pointed it at me. In a wink, the necklace broke and the pendant split into two. A tiny ball of light floated out from the broken pendant, and it crept its way to my forehead. Before I knew it, it already pushed itself inside. “Wake up from your deep slumber, my Libulan.”

Fast forwarded scenes flashed before me. I even caught glimpses of my memorable moments with Sheldon, happy times with Derrick and Alynna, fun conversations with everyone at the studio, and even the day when my mother first held me in her arms. Then, another set of familiar scenes came to mind. They were a bit slower than the others. It featured two unusual beings who secretly shared passionate times with each other every night under a big tree. They looked happy and content.

“I love you, my Libulan. Let’s stay like this forever.”

?That voice… He sounded just like Sheldon. It was the same voice in my dreams. It was-!」

“My beloved, Sidapa,” I bawled.

I got my memory back.

?to be continued」