Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Sojin led me in the middle where there’s a wide space, and everyone looked at us with little emotion. Among them, Kylo has the brightest smile. Deep inside, I want to punch her until her teeth fall from her gums.

I’ve been telling myself that in everyone’s eyes, I am a girl. I have to get used to this scenario when men approach me and flirt. Seriously, I’ve never been good at this. Maybe I have to learn from Sojin because someday, a goddess might come after me. I do not know how to flirt because women usually do the chasing, and I’m just chilling while ignoring their stupidity.

“May I touch you?” Sojin asked.

My eyes widened together with the crossing of my brows.

“What? Are you crazy?”

His eyes moved side by side to avoid my gaze.

“I mean, how are we supposed to dance when you look like you’re going to kill me if I lay my fingers on you?”

He slightly smiled and bowed down.

“Thank goodness, you knew.”

“I will not force you, so I’m asking your permission. May I hold your hands and waist so I could lead the dance? Oh—and without being stabbed by a knife.”

I thought I was good at hiding, but he noticed the knife I’ve been keeping inside my pocket. I grinned and whispered to his ears.

“Make one wrong move; you know what’s going to happen,” I said while I grabbed his right hand and placed it on my waist. I clasped my left hand against his. He gulped and smiled.

A piece of unfamiliar music played as we swayed with its rhythm. The stars shined brightly as we danced into space. I find it romantic, when I don’t even know what it feels like.

“Do you know that we only fall in love once in a lifetime?” he asked.

His cheek pressed against mine.

“Well, that’s unfortunate. Humans fall in love a hundred times. Sometimes, they date many girls at the same time. Most of the time, they cheat. Annoying, right?”

I almost rolled my eyes.

“I don’t know the science behind such a weird cycle. We also fall in love a million times, but with the same person.”

My brain stopped thinking for a while. How is it possible to fall in love a million times with the same person? That’s insane.

“What a curse. Falling in love with the same person all your life and not getting bored? What a skill.”

He softly chuckled.

“Being faithful to a single person is not a curse, it’s a gift. A few people have that gift, and I’m one of them. Aren’t I lucky?”

At that moment, everything seems to fade away. I could see no one around us, but the entire outer space. I felt like we were floating in endless darkness with the spheres of heaven. That moment, a realization hit me. I haven’t fallen in love, so what right do I have to say something about it?

“You haven’t fallen in love, have you?”

He looked at me with confusion. Is he a mind reader?

“Why would I fall for something unnecessary? I don’t need anyone, but myself. I’m perfectly capable of loving myself.”

His eyes tell something I couldn’t interpret.

“I pity you,” he said.

My brows furrowed. No one dares to tell me such a shameful comment.

“If there’s one thing that you need to experience before you die, it is to love someone eternally. It’s the best gift of being alive. If you don’t love, you’re just like a puppet. I may not have a heart, but I have feelings.”

My blood boiled like I’m about to blow up. I don’t like this conversation at all.

“So it’s true that you don’t have a heart. How possible is that?”

I placed my left hand on his broad, bare chest.

“We have different anatomy. Let’s say that they cursed us. We don’t have a heart, but when we love, we give everything. When our partner is not with us, we eventually die.”

He held my hand and placed it on his right cheek. Our eyes met like something destined us to spark a connection. But before that happens, I cut the line between us.

“That’s the worst curse ever.”

The music stopped, and the ambiance of the outer space disappeared. Everything went back to what it was before. I walked out and snatched Kylo’s hand. We went out of the bar and ventured the dim tunnel.

“What’s wrong?” Kylo asked.

“It’s Nothing. We finished breakfast. Now, let’s find a way out of here.”

“What about Sojin?”

“It’s better to stay away from that man. We still don’t know his motives. Don’t be deceived with everything around here, Kylo. Let’s find the damn ritual. It might be hidden somewhere in this island.”

I let go of her hand and walked ahead of her. The road was rocky, and the cold air was getting stronger. We do not know where we’re headed.

“Wagner, are you sure about the path that we are taking? I think it’s better if Sojin’s here.”

“Stop that nonsense, Kylo. We can figure this out. Trust me.”

I stopped walking when I felt a sudden movement in the ground. It’s shaking like there’s an earthquake. I held her hands and made sure that she’s beside me. At times like this, we need to stick together.

The earthquake stopped after a few seconds.

“That was weird. Maybe there’s a fault line in here,” she said.

“Everything is weird, Kylo—“

Before I could finish what I’m saying, the ground under our feet created a hole, and we fell deep into what seems to be a bottomless pit.

Our screams were loud and clear while we fell into the dark hole. The cool wind blew our hair up, and it disoriented our faces.

“What’s going on?” she said in a hushed tone.

“Do I look like a fortune-teller? One thing is for sure. I hate falling!”

We ached in pain when our bodies landed on the ground. There was a loud bang when our bones cracked in unison.

“My spinal cord!”

I was terrified if it disconnected my backbones. Kylo groaned while patting her shoulders.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“Do I look alright?”

She tried to stand up, but her left leg didn’t move an inch.

“Wagner, I can’t feel my legs!”

She’s on the verge of crying while holding her left leg.

“Calm down. You’ll be alright. I’ll take care of you.”

I wrapped my arms around her and assisted her body. She trembled in fear that she might fall down. We strolled toward the narrow path. Its walls have intricate drawings. It has carvings of Sojin’s kind, like the Egyptian Era. It reflects how they live, and bizarre symbols were hugely written.

We made a few steps before we were trapped. There was no door in front of us, but a plain wall. There was nothing.

“What are we going to do? There’s no way out,” she said.

“If there’s another earthquake, we’ll be smashed in here,” I said.

“Is that supposed to calm me down?” she hissed.

I put her body down as she laid her back against the wall.

“I don’t think there’s no way out. Look at these drawings. They made this path on purpose. I’m sure there’s something important down here.”

I traced my fingers on the lines on the walls. It was wet and made of sulfate rocks. The marbles sparkled like diamonds.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m looking for clues.”

I looked at the carvings closely. There was a big circle with people around it. It seems to be their life cycle. What surprised me the most was the human figures. They hugged Sojin’s kind, and there came a baby. I drifted my gaze at Kylo.

“What do you think this means?” I asked while pointing at the carvings.

She narrowed her eyes.

“I think they are couples, and the woman gave birth to a child.”

“We have the same thought, but look closely. This is Sojin, while this is a human being, and this is their child. Can you see the difference?”

“Are you saying that they are supposed to be with a human being?”

“Maybe? We can only speculate.”

I walked back and forth while staring blankly at the ground.

“Hello? Is anyone out there?” Kylo yelled.

I lowered my body and covered her mouth.

“What are you doing?”

She removed my hand and glared at me.

“Calling for help. Someone might hear us. Sojin might be around.”

She looked desperate, and I could hear her loud heartbeat.

“Do you have claustrophobia?”

Before she could answer me, we heard a loud screeched. It came from the wall. A door opened at the bottom, but it was so small. I knelt down and sneaked.

“Be careful,” she said.

“There are shelves inside. I guess we can fit in if we crawl.”

“But I can’t move my legs.”

“Then I will remove your legs.”

I raised my brows up and down as I teased her. She flashed her distorted face at me.

I crawled on the ground and went inside. Kylo lay down. I pulled her body into the door with utmost strength. I fell to the ground and sighed.

Specks of dust flew as we sat down and roamed our eyes. We were inside a wide library.