Moon of The Afterlife

Chapter 10: Kiss

Arche's left alone in that room; Sidapa almost forgot. The thought of Arche meeting the wife distracted Sidapa, which the man took as an advantage to escape from Sidapa and the cliff of the underworld. He kicked Sidapa's stomach and tried to run, but the ground collapsed, like the place itself was alive and was stopping him from escaping.

"You can't escape this place. Even if I fail to push you down, this place will swallow you,"

"No, please. Spare me!" The man said and kneeled to the ground in front of Sidapa. His hands are trembling. The mischievous smile he was wearing a while ago has faded and got replaced by fear. "I will be good, I promise. Please spare me,"

Sidapa ignored him, and that's when the man started crying.

"Please, I'm begging you,"

Sidapa walked closer to him and labeled himself to the man. He looked into his eyes dangerously before saying,

"If I ended up pushing that man down there as well, I would look for you again, and I will punish you hard,"

After that, Sidapa pushed him down before leaving the cliff of the underworld to go back to Arche with his throbbing heart.

THE ROOM was a mess. Shreds of broken glasses and vases are all over the floor. Arche's vision is spinning, and he can feel the sticky blood dripping down to his eyes from the left side of his forehead.

Arche crawled and forced himself to sit up. He couldn't understand why he couldn't use his power against her; it wasn't working. He lifted his head to look at the woman weakly as she sauntered forward wearing an evil grin.

"I will kill you," she said.

Arche prepared himself for the worst and closed his eyes shut, but before the ghost could even take the last step towards Arche, someone grabbed her and threw her into the gates of the underworld, sending her down into the deep darkness of eternal sadness. And by the time when Arche opened his eyes, he felt a pair of arms wrapping around his body. A warm embrace that melted his heart and brought him safety as the shreds of sweet memories flashed in his mind and made him gasp for air.

Sidapa closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh of relief while holding Arche between his arms. His heart is still throbbing in fear, and although everything has now ended, he couldn't understand the extreme agitation that crept all over him with the thought of Arche getting harmed.

Arche froze for a moment until Sidapa pulled himself away from him. He looked at Sidapa's eyes with so many unreadable emotions as he looked at his face with so much concern.

"Sorry," Sidapa hissed. "I should've had come here alone."

Arche didn't speak or even tried to utter even a single sound. He stayed staring at Sidapa with heavy breaths. Sidapa flashed a sweet smile before collapsing in front of him. The God of death feels weak both in exhaustion and because of the woman's death.

"Hey," Arche worriedly called when he caught his head that almost hit the floor. "Let's go home,"

Sidapa nodded, and in just a snap, Arche found themselves inside Dante's unit, with Dante still lying weakly to the ground. Arche did not hesitate to carry Sidapa to his room. He's bathing in sweat, and his strength was taken away by the two spirits.

LOUISE woke up in the middle of her peaceful slumber. Her eyes stared at the ceiling blankly before closing them again with a peculiar smile plastered on her face.

"How romantic," she hissed.

AFTER wiping off the bids of sweat in Dante's forehead, Arche placed the towel on the side table as he stood beside his bed. Dante's eyes are closed, but his breathing is heavy, and his hands are hardly clutching the thick sheet of his blanket. He's in agony, and he'll stay in pain until tomorrow.

Arche studied Dante's face: his furrowed eyebrows, long lashes, high nose bridge, and rosy lips— the features he used to admire two thousand years ago, and maybe even now.

"Stay," Dante hissed as he furrowed his eyebrows more and tightened his clutch on the sheets before a drop of tear escaped from the thin line gap of his closed eyelids. "Stay with me... please...."

Arche felt his heart banging inside his chest when he realized Dante was dreaming— about him. He couldn't move or even release the breath he was holding. Arche badly wanted to look away, but the crystal tears of Dante are like daggers piercing through his heart.

"Bulan..." Dante called and sobbed.

Arche bit his lower lip hard to suppress the sob building up in his throat and closed his eyes shut in deep pain. He'd never given much thought to how Sidapa could have felt when he suddenly disappeared until now. He couldn't imagine how much he had hurt him, and just thinking about how Sidapa had suffered for two thousand years because of him pains Arche worse than the fear of getting killed. He clutched his hands hard with regret.

To calm himself, Arche took a deep breath before sitting at the side of Dante's bed to take a close look at his beloved Deity. He regrets leaving him, but Arche couldn't find the face to reveal himself to Sidapa. He caused him enough pain, and he doesn't think he's still worthy of his love. Libulan is a coward for leaving his lover behind and choosing to run away. Arche is a coward.

Arche lifted his left hand and brushed the back of his fingers against Sidapa's face to wipe the tears. He stared at his face before flashing a weak, bitter smile and saying,

"I'm sorry,"

Tears rapidly escaped from Arche's eyes together with the sobs he tried so hard to keep in his throat. He was about to stand up to leave when Dante held his hand, which made his heart stop beating for a moment before it continued beating aggressively that almost felt like it could break the wall of his chest in nervousness and surprise. He looked at Dante's face to see if he was awake, but Dante's eyes remained close as he tightened his grip on Arche's hand.

"Don't leave me," Dante murmured. "Please,"

Arche's lips curled upward for a half-bitter smile before he caressed Dante's face using his right hand, and slowly, he leaned forward to press his soft lips against his with so much love and regret.

For the second time, the moon flickered, and the ocean tides rose in the direction of the moon. The cold wind blew above the waters, and the skies brightened for a few seconds, making the moon's reflection appear in the massive mirror-like water.

ARCHE'S kitchen was a little busy the next day. Louise found her brother busily preparing breakfast when she walked out of her brother's room with messy hair, smudged makeup, and an unpleasant smell. Louise reeks alcohol, which Arche immediately noticed when she walked beside her brother to look at what he was cooking. She rose an eyebrow and pouted when she saw Arche flipping the banana pancake upside down— Louise's most hated breakfast.

"What's that?" Louise grimaced, so Arche hit her with a spoon on the forehead. "Ow!" she complained and glared at her brother.

"Stop looking at me like that, brat! Look at yourself. Is that how a decent woman should dress? And who permitted you to go clubbing?" Arche's anger is evident despite how calm he appears. He hit her sister two more times with the spoon before stopping when he saw her winced.

"I don't know what to do about you, Louise," Arche sighed and shook his head before turning around to turn off the stove. "Wash up and eat this. Mom and Dad are waiting for you at home." he coldly added.

Louise's face turned pale in shock as she rushed beside her brother and clung onto his right arm. "You didn't tell them about last night, right, Arche?" Louise nervously asked.

"Get off me," Arche pulled his arm away angrily, frowning at his sister. "Your clothes are pissing me off, and your smell's making me want to throw up. Go away!"

Louise's shoulder dropped as she pouted before marching towards the bathroom, stomping her feet like a five-year-old kid with a tantrum.

"You told them, didn't you?"

"Shut up and wash yourself up, Louise," Arche replied without looking at her. He's busy setting up the table, and looking at his hard-headed sister pisses him off.

Arche ignored the loud banging sound when Louise went inside the bathroom and hardly closed its door. However, Arche stopped halfway, setting the table, when the thought of last night, which he's trying so hard not to think or remember, plastered vividly in his memory.

The sound of Arche's ringing phone saved him and brought him back to his senses, so he immediately turned to the kitchen counter, where he left his phone and picked it up to answer the call.

"Yes, Dr. Jimenez?" Arche greeted as he continued setting up the table.

"I'm on my way to your parents. I already have the results,"

DANTE opened his eyes with his throbbing heart only to see his white ceiling. He glanced at the clock sitting on top of his side table and saw it was already twenty-one past seven in the morning.

"No," he uttered as he looked around. He saw nothing aside from the towel Arche placed beside the Alarm clock. He remembers the vengeful souls he had thrown in the underworld and Arche's terrified face. He remembered coming home, and from that, he remembered meeting Bulan. He remembers his apology and the.... kiss.

"It can't be a dream," Dante said and closed his eyes, trying to remember more details, but that's the farthest detail his memory could recover. After a few seconds, Dante opened his eyes and sighed. "It's a dream," he sadly hissed before getting up, slightly pissed.

He went straight into the bathroom and saw the open cupboard above the bathroom sink. There are also some used pieces of cotton with blood on them sitting above the sink, and when he looked at the trashcan, he saw the empty packets of bandages. Arche must've stayed for a while last night. He thought.

Dante picked the used pieces of cotton and threw them into the trashcan before proceeding with his morning rituals. He's the reason why Arche got hurt, and on top of that, he's late for work, so he quickly took a bath and got dressed before supposedly leaving his unit until he saw the readily-made breakfast on his table, which made him stop from rushing outside.

He went to the kitchen table and saw the banana pancakes, rice, eggs, and bacon, and beside the food was a note saying,

"I won't be opening the cafe today, so rest until you feel better." -A

Dante looked at the food and smiled. They're already cold, but he's grateful for Arche's thoughtfulness. Dante sat on the chair and smiled again before eating the food Arche had prepared for him.

For the first time in two thousand years, someone prepared him an actual meal.

"LADIES and gentlemen, Philippine Airways welcomes you to Manila, Philippines. The local time is 9:18 A.M. For your safety and the safety of those around you. Please remain seated with your seat belt fastened and keep the aisles clear until we have parked at the gate."

A beautiful woman dressed in a pink flowy dress and three-inch stilettos smiled upon hearing the FA's announcement. She glanced outside the window and murmured,

"Welcome back, self,"

The plane had successfully landed, and every passenger are now leaving the aircraft one by one. She waited until there were only a few ten of passengers left. Within just a few minutes, she exited the plane and entered the airport with her stunning smile.

The airport was as busy as it was when she left the country to chase after her dreams, but unlike how heavy she felt when she set her foot inside that building four years ago, right now, she feels happy and excited. The day she'd been eagerly waiting for had finally come, and she couldn't wait any longer to see the person she badly missed. She watched the people entering and exiting the gates and boarding and exiting the planes for a few more moments before she started walking to leave.

Dragging her suitcase and wearing her fashionable shades, she dialed someone while walking across the airport to the exit, and after a few rings, the person she was calling picked up.

"The plane had just landed. Bring me my car this instant," she ordered and quickly ended the call before the person she dialed could even speak.

By the time she reached the exit, she took her shades off and looked around the beautiful city not far from what she remembers— Manila from four years ago. The beautiful city where she met the man of her dreams. The same place where she left him without any explanation four years ago.

She waited for a few minutes until a cute yellow Mercedes car stopped in front of her. The door immediately opened, and a man in his late 60s came out. He went to the woman and handed her the key as he said,

"Your parents are waiting for you, Miss Lily,"

But just like usual, she ignored him. She walked past the man like he wasn't there at all. She also left her suitcase to where she placed it, and just went straight to her car.

"I'm back," she said with a half-bitter smile as she opened the door of the driver's seat. "I'll win you back, Arche."