Chapter 5
The smell of smoke still clung to my clothes, kahit pa matagal na akong nakalabas sa ballroom. My lungs felt heavy, para bang kahit anong paghinga ko ay may abo pa rin na pumapasok. The grand chandeliers that once glittered above had collapsed, flames licking their crystals into blackened shards. My ears rang with the distant echo of gunshots that had already stopped, replaced only by the mournful cries of the injured.
I wiped the side of my lips with my gloved hand—blood. Hindi ko alam kung akin ba o ng isa sa mga taong nasagasaan ko habang tumatakas. My heart still pounded furiously, hindi pa rin humuhupa ang kaba sa dibdib ko.
"Morana!" Athan's voice cut through the haze, deep and steady, but laced with urgency.
Napalingon ako. He was there, striding toward me through the
