Eternal Promise: Fragments Of Us

SHELDON/SIDAPA

I MADE a huge mistake. I had not intended for things to end in this manner. All I ever wanted was to see my beloved Libulan again. But I messed everything up.

All I wanted was for us to have another opportunity to be together. Our story was brief, and we didn’t even get to savor the moments we did have.

I was well aware of the consequences from the start, but I chose to disregard them. In comparison to Libulan, I should have been able to accept our fate with ease, but the tables have turned. Death, which had always been a normal occurrence for me, became my greatest fear and weakness. I was terrified of losing Libulan forever. It drove me insane.

But my desperation only exacerbated the situation.

Time slowed down as Libulan stood up and confronted me bravely. He was looking down, but I could see that he was enraged at me. This was not how I intended for him to feel. And I was certain he would be disappointed in me, which is why I sealed his memories away.

Part of me was hurt because he seemed to accept our fate so easily. But it was I who taught him to stand his ground, whether it was right or wrong. That was one of the reasons why I decided to take the chance.

But there was one more reason I couldn’t tell Libulan what I’d done. And I had no intention of telling him because he would almost certainly refuse to fight me.

“Libulan, finish him off!” Likabutan said something. Despite being in a bad shape, he found the strength to pull himself together. Throughout this revelation, he acted with hatred and hostility toward me.

Libulan reluctantly activated his warrior mode. He drew another spear and pointed it at me, telling me flatly that he was going to pierce me again. He looked at me with a troubled expression. He was on the verge of tears, but he kept a straight face.

“Sidapa! Don’t do it! Are you serious about fighting Libulan?” Lisuga stepped in, her eyes welling up.

“Whatever your reason, I am willing to listen to you, so please-!” Libulan exclaimed, tears streaming down his feverish cheeks. He was still as beautiful as ever, regardless of form or era.

“You’re not going to beat me if you fight me in that pitiful form, Libulan,” I said coldly. “Reclaim your true God form by unleashing your true powers.”

He hid his hurt feelings by acting tough. “Does it bother you that I no longer resemble the Libulan you once knew?” he retorted.

“Well…” Before responding, I gave him a sarcastic smile. “Weren’t Leon and Sheldon just full of lies? So what’s the point of resembling them?”

It hit Libulan. It ought to have. When he was lost, Sheldon was all he had.

I knew who I really was the moment I was born as Sheldon. Even though I couldn’t find Libulan, I was itching to see him. And when we finally met as regular people and began a typical model-fan relationship, my heart ached to lavish him with affection. But having no recollection of anything and everything would shock him. So I resisted.

I played the ideal boyfriend he could have. Every time I made love to him, I made him feel wanted and loved. I kept my cool throughout, even though I wanted to keep him to myself at times. There were times when I considered locking him up, but that would only make him hate me and possibly trigger his memory. So I kept pretending to be someone who would always be there for him. That way, he’d learn to rely on me.

But when he told me his name was Leon, I should have realized it sooner. I failed to gain his trust right from the start. He was terrified of everyone the entire time, just like he was when he was a God.

My desire to dominate him had negative consequences, and I was about to face the consequences of my actions.

“I had faith in you…” Libulan muttered to himself before gripping the spear’s handle tighter. “I was very fond of Sheldon. I adored you!” He yelled at me, frowning and saddened that he no longer had an excuse to avoid this fight.

“Don’t be shy. Kill me with that spear of yours and show me that you are a true warrior,” I said. I pounced on him without waiting for his response.

Libulan obstructed my path with his spear. He almost collapsed, but he kept going and tried to match my aggression.

“Sidapa!” Libulan yelled and shoved me away. He barely succeeded, but he made me step back a few inches.

“Not bad, my Libulan,” I said with a smile before going on the offensive.

All of my blows were blocked, albeit reluctantly, by Libulan. His current state and resolve were frail. He was still trying not to hurt me any further. I could tell because he kept looking at the wound he had inflicted earlier on my left shoulder. He felt bad about it.

[Libulan, what are you thinking right now? Did your affection for “Sheldon” fade along with your hatred?] I was thinking while continuously attacking. I wasn’t yet giving it my all, but Libulan was struggling to keep up. Any more and he’d be defeated without even putting up a fight. I couldn’t possibly go all out.

“What’s the matter? Your attacks are ineffective. Let the God within you shine!” I tried to provoke him, but it was pointless. He was far too softhearted.

“Shut up!” he retorted, but his expression suggested otherwise.

[You’ve given me no choice,] I reasoned, and I escalated my hostility to elicit his rage.

“You haven’t changed at all. You’re still far too frail!” I insulted him, which distracted him for a moment and slowed his pace. “Your indecision is the reason you can’t make a decision for yourself, and you end up hurting everyone who loves you!” I yelled, and he snapped and stiffened completely.

“That’s not true,” he grumbled. Suddenly, the air around him spun around. It was his warrior vigor. It was bursting at the seams with power!

[That’s it! Release your true power and listen to me!] I exclaimed excitedly in my head. My adrenaline was pumping and I could feel my blood boiling.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“What are you looking forward to?! Combat me!” I grumbled. My smoke dispersed, covering the entire area around me. “If you don’t take me seriously, Libulan, I’ll kill everyone here!”

“You-!” Libulan gritted his teeth until he decided to break the seal and take over the human body he was born with.

We were all blinded by a bright light. The force of Libulan’s divine transformation blew off some low-lying branches and destroyed the majority of the ground plants nearby.

I wasn’t expecting his presence to be so strong. He had never shown me this side of him before, so I was perplexed. If he went all out, he might actually kill me.

“Stop it right now, you two!” From afar, Lisuga yelled. Regardless of how many tears she shed, her attempts were always ignored. She couldn’t persuade a single person in this room to put their desires aside.

I held my ground while waiting for Libulan’s light to reach me. I could feel its immense power as soon as it touched my bare skin. It was enough to scratch my skin deeply. If I stayed any longer, I might end up with serious wounds all over my body.

But it was time to stop staring. I dashed for his abdomen just as Libulan was about to fully transform. A huge ball of fire was about to rush in my direction when I transformed my own right arm into a sword to pierce Libulan with it. It was too late to flee, and before I knew it I was already engulfed by the raging madness of that fire.