Debt Must be Paid

Eric looks up and gasps, I turn to look and see Carlo standing not far away from us. From the way he stares at us, it seems that he was there the whole time. He looks scared, angry then sad before he runs away. I never think of following him but Eric stands up and pulls me up.

"What are you doing?! Follow him!" He said as he weakly drags me up.

"Why?! I don't want to leave you alone, not now that you finally belong to me."

"As much as I want you here with me, you need to talk to him and apologize."

"Again… what for?"

"Because I think he loves you too! And I took you away from him, I will apologize later but you need to talk to him first." Too? Did he say "too"?

"You love me too?" I ask smiling.

"Don't fucking change the subject and follow him you jerk!" He pushes me towards the direction to where Carlo went.

I see Carlo trying to set the wood on fire near our settlement, he is sobbing quietly. When he sees me he stands up and tries to run. I follow him even though he tried to tell me to stay away from him. I run faster when I notice that he is near the forest but thankfully he is tripped by some roots of the tree. He doesn't try standing up; he just put his arm to his eyes and sobs.

"I'm sorry, we can just be---"

"What?! Friends? We can just be friends?! And then what? You will say to me that it is not my fault? It is just better for you to shut up." He lifts is arm to glare at me. "It is better for you to just sit there and watch me suffer because of your own doing." Then he covers his eyes again and cries.

I don't know how long he cried that night. I just sit beside him watching him crying as I pull out weeds near me. I never saw someone cried that hard and never in a million years thought that it will be my fault. I knew that I never lead him on and let him think that I like him too. But what did I know? Carlo is still in pain right now.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I said some harsh thing to you just because I am hurting." He smiles awkwardly at me.

"I deser---"

"Don't you dare say that you deserve it or I swear that I will throw a rock at you." He laughs softly when he interrupted me.

"Remember what you said to me when we were on the institute?" I muttered hesitantly at him afraid that he will cry again. He blushes and looks away.

"About the fire tattoo?"

"Yes…" I say softly at him. He stares at me for a while and proceeds to explain.

He never saw me with my insignia and just pretended and lied to me about it. Days before he came back to the institute, a regal man suddenly appear in front of their house when he was at home alone. That man said that he was a fortune teller; he told Carlo everything about him and eventually believes him.

"The man also said to me that I will find the person who will love me the most if I say some things to him." Carlo stares at me painfully and continues. The man said that the guy with red dyed hair will see him and that's where Carlo will tell him about the tattoo.

"How did you know that I will be in the institute that day? Did that guy tell you?" Carlo shakes his head no and explains what happen. He suddenly woke up because of a warm sensation near him. Then he saw himself burning a screaming rat, he explains that he felt like a spectator on his own body. He can't move his body on his own and watches himself standing and staring at the rat. He can't close his eyes or even move his head but he notices that he can move his lips so he screams for help. That's when his brother saw him, Carlo said to him that he doesn't know what he was doing and asks for help.

"My brother looked at me with pity and distinguished the fire. The poor rat died." He sits up and leans to the nearest tree. "He told our parents about it and that's when they decided to bring me back to the institute."

Parents? So he got human parents that eliminate the possibility that he is a demi-diwata. Should I believe him? After all he lied to me the first time we saw each other.

"It hurts to see my parents look at me with pity. I tried my best to not backslide or do it discreetly but I still disappointed them."

"You're their son, they will accept you especially if it is a mental health problem."

"I am just adopted." Huh… That's when I told him about the possibility of him being a demi and about diwatas in general. He doesn't believe me at first until I shifted in front of him. Unsurprisingly he just stares at me with wonder and he is not afraid. Telling me that he is jealous of my power but wishing that he really is a demi giving him answers why he is that way.

"Sometimes true family is not based by blood. But by the love they give to each other and the memories that they cherished." I sincerely tell him, he nods his head and smiles at that. We are silent for a moment; he closes his eyes and sighs. We sit there for a long time letting him take his time and pace.

"There is something I learn this night after what happened." He whispers that I barely heard him.

"What is it?"

"I never really love you, I just… I am in love to be loved by someone. Is that makes sense?" He looks at me inquiringly and I nod my head. "It still hurts though…"

"Sorry."

"Don't worry, Cedric promised me that he will marry me when he grow up." We laugh at that.

He finally wants to go back to our settlement. I help him stand up and we walk back to our camp. Eric is tending the bonfire and Cedric is sleeping, oblivious on what transpire that night. When Carlo sees Eric, he rushes to his side and hugs him. Eric become stiff for a moment and hugs him back.

"Congratulation." Carlo mutters to him.

"For what?" He stares at Carlo questioningly.

"For being happy again, you deserve it after all of you've been through."

"You deserve to be happy too." Eric taps Carlos' head.

"My time will come… Don't worry."

I woke up to someone whispering my name. When I open my eyes, I see Mapolan staring at me. She hushes me and she floats away from our settlement. I discreetly follow her as I tried to not wake anyone up. I see her standing on one of the clearing near the forest entrance.

"I have some news for you my child." She says to me as I sit to a big rock.

"What is it?"

"First let me congratulate you. I can now freely protect you as the two of you became lover." She serenely smiles at me. I return the smile and thank her sincerely. She is the reason why Eric trusted me more easily.

"Few months from now the portal will be open again in the city. Engkantos will bring more humans again to this plane. That's the time for you to escape; I know that you still can't open a portal that crosses planes so this is a good opportunity to you. Be prepare." That's some huge news… a very good one.

"I will tell the others so that they can be prepare too." I eagerly say to her.

"Unfortunately my child I advise that you will just bring the three humans that are precious to you." I ask her what she meant. She explains that the engkantos that will be here are aswangs. They are fast and many people will be killed before we can escape. Worst case scenario is that the portal will be close fast when they see us escaping. We have to do it discreetly. She will move the portal away from the city so that no people will be hurt in the process.

"We also need humans on this plane or the beasts will try to escape and bring chaos to your plane."

"Why though... why did the deities bring humans to this plane to be eaten?" I ask her.

"There's so many reason to be explain but the most important thing you need to know is there are deities who is inherently evil. You need to stay away from them or force to experience a painful death." A shiver runs down into my spine when I heard that.

"There is also another reason why I am here Apoy." She looks at me intently. "The debt needs to be paid."

"What is the favor you want to ask my Goddess?" I ask humbly at her.

"In the time of your escape, the Alpha of aswang will come. Stand on your ground and never do a thing for fifteen seconds. Keep your feet on the ground and count, that's all." She declares and I powerful force envelops my body. As if the declaration has a powerful meaning.

"What if I can't do it?"

"Then the favor will not be realized, deeming the debts unpaid. Eric will be scared to you again."