#6: Banta

Estefro appears at the battlefield, and he shifts his eyes everywhere only to see Kaifer crouching in front of Azer.

"Kapatid!" Estefro sprints toward Kaifer, "mali ang iyong gagawin! Magagalit sa'yo si Anna kapag ang tagapagligtas niya ay iyong pinaslang–"

Kaifer moves his hand from Azer's wrist, and he arises with narrowing eyes. "Manahimik ka't dalhin ang baguhang ito sa silid tulugan. Hindi ko siya nais paslangin."

Kaifer turns around and begins to walk calmly from Estefro. "Kapag may ginawa siya o sinaktan niya si Anna ay siya'y aking papaslangin."

Afterward, Estefro is standing in front of a mattress with a young man laying on the bed. 

The door behind him begins to move forward and a woman steps inward the room. Her eyes sees the back of Estefro and she moves her eyes beside Estefro and takes a glimpse of a young man laying on the bed.

"Nakapagtataka kung paano niya nagawang talunin si Kaifer," she's pushing the door forward, "ni ang kanyang abilidad sa pakikipaglaban ay hindi gano'n kalakas upang malagpasan ang abilidad ni Kaifer."

The corners of Estefro's lip begin to curve upward. "Batid ko na naiinggit ka Lifia sa nangyari kay Azer at kay kuya."

Lifia raises her hand and snaps her fingers as her brows are knitting and folds can be seen on her face. "Hindi ako naiinggit, Estefro."

The eyes of the unconscious young man begin to move as his fingers are shivering. 

His eyes begin to unseal themselves and his fingers stop shaking, and then he looks beside him and sees Estefro calmly staring at him.

"Tabi!" Lifia pushes Estefro aside, "marami akong itatanong!"

"Si Kaifer ay nakilaglaban kasama ang hukbo ng Ulaiya noong una at pangalawang digmaan!" Lifia's hands are holding the blanket surrounding Azer's upper and lower body, "paano na ang isang tulad mo ay nanalo laban sa isang bayani at nagkaroon ng titulo na 'kakampi ng hangin'?!"

"Patawad," Azer raises his hand and moves his eyes toward its fingers, "marahil nagkataon lang ang naganap noong naganap na labanan."

Lifia's eyes begin to widen and it narrows immediately. She grits her teeth as she turns around and runs towards the door; she opens the door and steps out of the room.

Azer moves his hand down as his eyes remain staring at the door whichise moving forward to their frame.

"Hayaan mo na muna siya, Azer," Estefro turns his eyes toward Azer, "kumusta ka? Maayos na ba ang iyong kalagayan?"

"Hindi ko alam subalit sa tingin ko… kaya ko nang makalakad," Azer inhales deeply, "ang aking abilidad ay parang sirang bumbilya."

"Sirang bumbilya?" Estefro moves his hands inward the pockets of his pants, "Ako nga pala si Estefro, kapatid ni Kaifer. Isa ako sa mga kapitan sa nayong ito."

Azer moves his eyes toward Estefro and speaks, "Hindi ko nais na makasama si Kaifer."

Estefro's eyebrows arise as he utters soft laughs. "Sa lahat ng baguhan na nakasama ko, ikaw ang siyang pinaka pambihira sa lahat."

"Bakit?" Azer asked.

Estefro moves his eyes beside him and notices an empty wooden chair. He walks toward it and installs himself and then he looks at Azer.  "Sapagka't naalala ko sa'yo ang estudyante ko na aking tinuruan, ayaw na ayaw niya kay Kaifer dahil masungit daw ito."

Azer begins to chuckle whilst Estefro giggles and then he stops giggling but he remains staring at Azer.

"Hindi lahat ng taong nagsusungit ay nais lamang magsungit," Estefro looks away from Azer and moves his eyes up to the brown ceiling, "kaya gano'n ang aking kapatid sa'yo ay dahil pinagsisisihan niyang hindi niya nailigtas si Anna."

"Anna?" Azer arises and moves backward until his back hits the headboard, "si Anna ba ang nawawala niyang anak?"

"A-Anak?!" Estefro moves his eyes toward Azer and shakes his head, "hindi. Si Anna ay anak ni Alkalde Jaral."

"Ngunit ako ay may tanong," Estefro smiles at Azer, "maganda ba si Anna?"

"Aba, oo naman," Azer replied.

Estefro tells the young man. "Azer si Kaifer ay may pagtingin para kay Anna."

Azer's eyes broaden. "Talaga?!"

Estefro chuckles once again, and then he looks at Azer with calm eyes. "Si Anna at si Kaifer ay nagkakilala noong mga panahon na inaalagaan ng ina ni Anna si Kaifer.

"Aking nasisilayan kung gaano kalakas ang ngiti ni Kaifer noong kalaro niya pa si Anna.

"Ngunit hindi lahat ng mga masasayang oras ay mananatiling mangyayari habang buhay.

"Sapagka't noong nalaman ni Jaral ang nagaganap sa pagitan ng dalawa: ginawa niya ang lahat para sila'y paghiwalayin."

Azer moves his eyes downward and begins to clench his hands. "Napakasama naman ni Jaral."

"Ikalma mo ang iyong puso't emosyon, kaibigan," Estefro tells Azer, "noong umaalis si Jaral para dumalo sa pagpupulong sa ibang nayon, ang nanay ni Anna ang siyang naging pasimuno upang magkita sina Anna at Kaifer.

"Nagkita naman sina Anna at Kaifer dahil si Jaral ay dumadalo sa pagpupulong sa ibang nayon, ngunit kagaya ng lubid ay napuputol pa rin ito," Estefro holds his hands; rubbing his fingers altogether, "noong nalaman ni Jaral ang nagaganap sa pagitan ng dalawa ay ginawa niya ang lahat kay Kaifer; ipinabugbog niya si Kaifer, tinakot, at ipinakulong si Kaifer."

Azer holds the blanket and throws it from his whole body, and then he bounces from the mattress.

Estefro stands up from his seat whilst Azer begins to scramble from the room.

Estefro shakes his head as he rubs his chin while laughing softly. "Ano nang gagawin niya? Mga baguhan nga naman, mga pasaway."

Estefro installs himself once again on the chair. "Hahayaan ko na lang siyang umalis. Babalik din naman ang baguhang iyon."

Azer arrives at the town center, where he is surrounded by food stalls and a few people ambling everywhere.

Thence he begins to walk in a certain direction not until he enters an alleyway.

The alleyway is dark, the walls have random painted words painted on the walls in different styles, and the filthy smell of filth coming from the small narrow hole filled with dirty water is being carried by the wind.

Azer falls on his knees as his sight is getting blurry, he begins to arise but his knees remain on the ground while fighting against his strength.

He yells while moving himself upwards. "Ano itong nagaganap sa akin?!" 

A man comes out from the filthy water, and he lands in front of Azer. He slides his hand inside the pocket of his coat, and from there, he brings out a knife with a rusty blade.

He opens his lip and moves his tongue toward the rusty blade; he starts to lick the rusty blade. "Isa kang banta na dapat naming tapusin. Patawad, ngunit trabaho lamang wala kang galit na madama."