Chapter 61: Through It All

"The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected. Maybe they always have been and will be. Maybe we've lived a thousand lives before this one and in each of them we've found each other. And maybe each time, we've been forced apart for the same reasons. That means that this goodbye is both a goodbye for the past ten thousand years and a prelude to what will come." —Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook (The Notebook, #1)

"Remember me and smile, for it's better to forget than to remember me and cry." —Dr. Seuss

"What is that feeling when you're driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? - it's the too-huge world vaulting us, and it's goodbye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies." -Jack Kerouac, On the Road

***

Sitting side by side with each other, both Arlan and Xenia were in an awkward silence. They weren't saying anything and the other two girls did not want to spoil their reconciliation.

"Do you remember, Xenia?" Began Arlan, looking at the moon above them. "We were sitting side by side like this when we first met."

"Yeah... And you have snot running back and forth from your nose that time."

"Hey! That's not what I remember! I think it was you who had that!"

Xenia was vigorously waving his right hand to refute Arlan's claim.

"Nah, nah! It was you. You were always sniffing that time when we first became friends!"

"Then, it's the two of us! No more arguments!"

Then, Xenia cracked a laugh at Arlan, which the latter eventually guffawed too. Well, they might have been trying to kill each other earlier but now they were all buddy-buddy once again, laughing alongside each other.

"I'm just wondering... We never know what really happened to Franzia and Zeb. When we realized that someone was acting as the two of them, everything on this island turned upside down."

None of them have any idea where and when the two of them, Franzia and Zeb, died and were buried. They could not imagine how the two of them were taken care of by the fakes that posed as Franzia and Zeb.

When Xenia was about to answer, Lakambini butt into their conversation as she stood up and began walking towards them.

"Franzia and Zeb are buried not far from here. Even if we exhumed them, you would not recognize them since they will be all bones."

"How did you know?" Pack intervened. "What do you know, Lakambini? Is your tribe the one responsible for their deaths?!"

She shook her head ever so lightly; Arlan and Xenia waited for her reply.

"My gift allows me to know more than I do. I saw through it that the siblings were brutally massacred by the impostors and buried to fulfill their plan. It happened around a month ago."

"A month ago..."

"They vanished without us knowing and saying goodbye to them."

"Franzia, Zeb... We have avenged both of you. May your souls now rest in paradise."

Clasping her hands together, Pack prayed for her dead friends. Not just the siblings but also the siblings that she lost. Every human being that died all for the sake of... what? Power? Peace?

"Is the trifle now finished? If so, what are you three gonna do now?" Asked Lakambini.

They wondered, pondering with their heads what to answer. When they could not come up with an answer, they just shrugged their shoulders off.

"We don't really know."

"Can't all of us leave the island?"

She closed her eyes as she shook her head. Her intention was not to disappoint them but it was the harsh truth. Only one of them will live through everything.

"Only one among you will survive. We can't cheat fate. It has already been written that only one person on the island will be able to leave once the others are all dead. Think about it and discuss between you three who you want to save. But I want you to remember that whoever comes out on top will be forced to carry on the burden of all the lives that have been lost on this island. It will be heavy but I'm sure someone from the three of you will be able to live with it."

Mischief and Bandit landed on the ground, inside the cave, and craved some human flesh. Yes, they began pecking at the fake Franzia's and Zeb's flesh, eating them. They watched the two ravens continue feasting on the dead bodies until they all looked at each other.

"You look pale, Xenia! You've lost a lot of blood."

Arlan and Pack were in a panic when Xenia lost his balance. All of the wounds and blood loss were now wearing Xenia down. His body was on the verge of collapsing and he was nearing his end.

"Haha... I guess I will be parting from the two of you sooner than I expected. I actually want to spend some more time with the two of you but..."

He coughed blood and they stopped him from saying anything anymore. His condition was at its worst state possible. It was a miracle that he was still alive and standing even after all that wound.

"Me too... Honestly, I don't think I'll survive the outside world. Wait, can't we just live here? That's possible, right? We don't have to leave the island and die!"

That sounded plausible for a second until Lakambini had to inform them of the bad news.

"Unfortunately, the island will sink to the bottom of the ocean. There is not much time left. One of the three of you must survive and leave."

"No way... Is that really the only way?"

Disheartened at the truth, Pack sank on her butt on the ground.

"Xenia is one breath away from death and Pack just lost her will to live. It's only you, Arlan, that is left. So, it's settled, then?"

Faced with a hard decision, Arlan fell silent. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He was in a dilemma.

"Hahaha... I'm just a kid, unaware of what lies outside this island. Even if I survive now, I might just wish to die from the harshness of reality. I don't think I'll be the right fit. I think Xenia will do just fine in the outside world. After all, he is the most knowledgeable about what the real world looks like."

Xenia had told them about the Earth he used to live in. Every story he narrated to his friends was all true with a little bit of add-ons to keep the excitement going.

Upon hearing Arlan's words, Xenia strongly refused.

"No, I can't live! I killed your brother. I will be dying here! I deserve to die anyway!"

"Am I still your friend, Xenia?" A warm smile was on Arlan's face.

"Of course, you are!"

"Then, please live. This will be your punishment for taking my brother's

life with your own two hands." For a split second, Arlan glanced at Pack and smiled. "Goodbye, both of you."

Before Xenia realized it and could do anything about it, Arlan had slit his own throat with a knife. Xenia had no idea where the weapon came from. It was from the siblings. Their reserved weapon.

"Eh? A-Arlan?"

"Haha... I knew Arlan would do it. Then, I guess it's my turn."

"No, Pack! Please, live! I want you to live!"

"Xenia, I'm tired... I want to rest now. Without my family, my life is meaningless. I'd rather die than live and wake up every day knowing that I won't see them anymore. You've been a great friend, Xenia. Farewell, my dear friend."

No matter how much Xenia forced his body to move, it would not. Just when he needed his body to move the most, he could not. He helplessly listened and watched his friends bid him farewell.

"Tears won't even come out now..."

Silently, Lakambini gets to work. She used the same knife Arlan used to kill himself and cut the flesh off of Arlan's body.

"Now, now, you can't die. That will completely ruin what fate has done and arranged for your journey."

Xenia's vision was blurry. He could feel his head lying on Lakambini's soft lap and his hair being caressed.

"Open your mouth and stand up once again, Xenia."

Her words didn't resound in his ears but then he heard her after a few seconds.

"Wake up. Wake up." Was her sentence to Xenia. "You have to wake up. You still have a job that needs to be finished."

Then, he opened his eyes for the second time and was reborn. He felt lightweight, free from the multiple pain all over his body and he was full of energy.

It was so bright when Xenia opened his eyes. And he was not inside the cave anymore but was lying on the sandy beach on the shore. Waves were splashing, loudly reverberating in his ears.

"I've prepared the boat and food you will need on your journey, Xenia."

"How long was I asleep?"

"Hmm? About an hour?"

"An hour?!"

"Yeah? Why are you so surprised? Don't you remember? When you died last night, you woke up in the morning after I fed you Arlan's flesh. You acquired his gift. And when you wake up, you tried killing yourself but unfortunately, it didn't work like how Arlan did it to himself. I don't know the reason why you didn't die but I'm glad."

"I... didn't die...?"

Eventually, Lakambini convinced Xenia to ride the small boat with food and water he will need on his journey.

The boat began to sail with every paddle whilst looking at Lakambini. She didn't say anything but just waved him goodbye.

As soon as he was far from the island, the seawater began to rise and Xenia dumbfoundedly watched the island be engulfed by the water. Soon, the weather on the sea turned bad and Xenia found himself struggling in the middle of a heavy storm, which ultimately flipped his boat over. And he lost consciousness right after.

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