Magnus Academy: The Cursed Blood

Chapter Three

Reality's Deceiving

I've always thought she reminded me of someone. Her face complexion, her eyes, and the way she'd sometimes smile. Then she told me she is Andrei de la Valliére, Andrea's older sister.

"She's telling me to save someone that she didn't even bother saving in the first place!"

"That's because she couldn't."

Before I knew it, I was already avoiding her gaze. Their family isn't perfect, and I knew they were far from it. A Saint for a mother, a leader of Elites for a sister, no wonder Andrea feels so inferior to them. Ginusto niyang maging malakas hindi lang dahil gusto niya akong malampasan, she wanted to acknowledgement from her family too, she wanted to feel like she was one of them. Or perhaps she just actually wanted to make a name for herself, not just one of them.

Andrea hates her mother, she also feels that way to her sister, yet despite that she wanted to face them head-on, that she didn't want to be weak in front of them. Kaya siya sumama sa Exodus dahil gusto niya maging mas malakas, she'd even risk her happiness in exchange for solitude and loneliness, a small payment for acquiring power.

"You mentioned a friend who walked that path, did you not? Perhaps you only envied her to the point where you were trying to follow what she did so you could understand her when thought you couldn't."

"You pretend to be strong when in fact you're just scared. You pretend to be a villain, a monster, when truth to be told you only seek salvation, redemption."

I am annoyed by those words popping out of my head. So what if I envy her? Is that even wrong? Is it wrong to keep wanting something you don't have? Is it wrong to pretend to be someone I'm not? Everyone has a thing or two that they want, and I'm no exception. I guess I'm not that special after all.

"Would it have been better if I told you another name instead?" She asked after a sigh, noticing my troubled expression. Just like a certain someone, she could always notice and see things like that.

"If you did I would have hated you for hiding it. But why didn't you?"

"I wonder." I closed my eyes sighing after hearing that. Bakit ba palagi nalang niyang iniiwasang sumagot? "Pero siguro hindi ko ito tinago sa'yo dahil ayaw kong isipin mong minamaliit kita. That I didn't want you to think I only spared your feelings." Somehow that answer is very complicated to understand.

But was she saying she didn't want to spare my hurtful feelings right now? Na ayaw niyang isipin kong mahina ako dahil nasasaktan ako sa katotohanang siya ang nakakatandang kapatid ng babaeng tinuring kong matalik na kaibagan and yet I said those horrible things to her before. She told me to save someone she didn't even bother saving in the first place huh? Bakit ko ngaba sinabi iyon?

Deep down I knew I didn't mean it, deep down I was aware I was telling myself that. She couldn't save her because she couldn't. She neither have the strength to bring her sister back nor even face her, not after she betrayed Andrea's trust just like that nung bata pa ang isa, when Andrea was just a child with no one to rely to, not even her older sister anymore.

"May rason ka ba kung bakit pinili mo ako bilang maging apprentice mo?" She's the leader of the Elites after all, at kahit ilang araw palang ko siyang nakikilala, alam ko na ang personalidad niyang wala siyang pakealam sa iba unless it's work-related or personal-related. I wonder if she took me in because it's both. Ano kaya ang mararamdaman ko kung malaman ko? Galit? Inis?