FLAW: FORTY-NINE
**TRISHA POV**
"You're a clairvoyant, Trisha?" Clairvo...what? I raised an eyebrow at Sky's statement. What he just said was actually out of my vocabulary.
"Clairvoyance is a psychic ability to see things that aren't visible to normal people's eyes. In short, you can see things that only you can see. That's how you see Incubus. Incubus is an evil spirit, and spirits are not generally visible to ordinary eyes," explained Alex, shedding light on the matter.
"So, does that mean I can also see ghosts?" I asked, scanning my surroundings, hoping to see something, but at the same time, hoping not to.
"Sort of," Alex replied, causing a shiver to run down my spine. It's not that I'm afraid of ghosts, as long as they appear beautifully, without blood, wounds, or ugly faces.
"Well, that's just scary," I commented as I embraced myself after getting goosebumps.
"Don't worry. You'll get used to it," Alex comforted while patting my shoulder. I gave him a forced smile to hide my fear. I noticed Alex looking at Tita, so I also turned to look. But then I saw her black halo, sending chills down my spine.
I instantly grabbed my phone and opened my aura color chart. I looked for the color black, which I found immediately. I read the description, and fear once again filled my body.
"Guys?" I called to them, but my eyes were still on the phone. I couldn't take my eyes off the description of the black-colored aura.
"What is it, Trisha? You look pale," Maica asked, stopping me from staring at my phone. I looked at Maica, then Tita. When I saw Tita lying on the floor, I couldn't help but cry. Maica was surprised to see me crying. She instantly stood and came directly to me, a worried look on her face as she tried to calm me down. "What's the problem?" Maica asked with concern. I hesitated on whether to tell them or not, but they had the right to know.
"I saw Tita's halo..." I bit my lip when I realized that my tears were flowing even more. My lips were trembling as I tried to hold back my sobs. "...it's bl—black."
Shit! Help yourself, Trisha!
"What about her black aura?" Alex asked. I was about to answer when a dark figure suddenly appeared next to Tita. His red glowing eyes met mine, widening in fear. I trembled as I witnessed the presence of the so-called Incubus.
******
**ALEX POV**
By the look on Trisha's face, I knew she had seen something that terrified her the most. And there was only one creature right now that could evoke such a reaction from her—the Incubus. She was staring at the wall beside Tita. If I'm not mistaken, the Incubus was there. I instantly conjured a force field surrounding Tita's unconscious body.
"What?! How can you—" Trisha mumbled, a surprised expression on her face. We witnessed Tita's body being lifted from the floor. Her body floated as if she were levitating. "No," Trisha said again, crying even more.
"Looks like your force field failed," Sky commented as I watched Tita's body.
"Stay away from my mother! Leave her alone!" Maica cried out in a mix of anger and tears. In an instant, Tita's body was plastered against the wall near her, with her hands extending in opposite directions. We were shocked by what we saw, but Trisha was more horrified than us. Witnessing how the Incubus manipulated its victims was undoubtedly terrifying.
"Oh, no," Trisha said while shaking her head, still crying.
"I SAID, LEAVE HER ALONE!" Maica shouted at the top of her lungs. Suddenly, we were thrown along with some items in the living room when a powerful force of energy shoved us. It felt like my shockwave but less destructive.
"STOP!" Trisha exclaimed as well. We looked at Tita, and my body stiffened when I saw her condition. Her eyes were wide open as if someone was pulling them out. Her mouth was also open, while her cheeks collapsed. Then, four sharp objects materialized on both of Tita's wrists and shoulders.
Trisha was right. They were like flints but could pierce like knives. Glossy and tinted in a pitch-black color.
"He's sucking Tita's spiritual energy. If this continues, Tita will die!" Trisha exclaimed while I sat there, helpless. I couldn't do a single thing to stop him. If only I could see him!
An idea popped into my head, which I immediately acted upon. I knelt, closed my eyes, and placed both of my hands on the floor. I released an energy wave that spread throughout the house. As expected, I was able to locate the Incubus. Spirits like the Incubus emitted spiritual energy, which my endar could detect. His appearance was vague since I was only using his energy.
With my other hand opened wide, I visualized a string extending out from it and immediately wrapped it around the Incubus's energy signature. I instantly clenched my hand into a fist, immobilizing the evil spirit. Now, what to do next?
"Alex?" a young voice called out to me, and I realized that it was my Alter who spoke.
"What?!"
"Need some help?"
"Yes, if you can."
"Lucky for you, I can."
"Then, help me end this thing!"
"I will, but I have to tell you something." I could feel a hint of disappointment in his voice as he said those words.
"What is it?"
"What you will do now will cost 90% of spiritual energy. If you use this, the shield will be totally destroyed," he said, leaving me speechless. Here I am again, stuck between two choices. Pick one, and the worst is yet to come. This was not what I expected. "Alex? Are you listening?"
"I am."
"So what are you going to do?" Actually, I didn't know. I didn't want those monsters to be here in our world, but I also didn't want Tita to die! They said that everyone would have to sacrifice one day, but if I were to be asked, I'd rather sacrifice myself than the lives of others. "Alex?! Time is running out!" my alter shouted, diverting me from my thoughts. I had to do this.
"What should I do?"
"Think of the sheet that you saw a day ago, along with the happiest memories you have," he instructed. But instead of the shield, I visualized my body, full of spiritual energy. This also included memories of the joyful times with Tita, especially when we celebrated my victory over the monster.
"Now channel it onto the string that connects you and the Incubus..."
I followed his instructions, but I felt my energy being sucked up. My body felt tired, and I started to gasp for air as if I were on the verge of death.
"When it reaches him, allow the energy to spread in his body," he instructed, which I followed. Through my endar, I could see the energy signature of the Incubus deteriorating. It seemed to be disappearing slowly. I hoped I wasn't too late.
******
**TRISHA POV**
I was amazed at what I'm witnessing right now. I stopped crying when the Incubus halted its absorption of Tita's spiritual energy. It was attempting to escape from the string made of light tied around its body. I didn't know what that was, but I'm sure it came from Alex, who was silently kneeling on the floor with his eyes closed.
However, I noticed Alex's halo starting to lose its color. From intense red, it gradually faded. I glanced at the Incubus as the lights started to flicker again. I saw the Incubus jerked in the best way it could. I could also see white lights escaping from its body through tiny cracks, resembling cracks in a mirror.
The Incubus's four tails that kept Tita on the wall detached from her body. They wriggled fiercely like whips being swung in different directions. I could feel the Incubus's pain through its behavior. Before long, the light emitted by the string tied to its body became even stronger.
I glanced back at Alex, and to my surprise, I saw the black halo above his head that I had seen earlier with Tita. According to my aura color chart, the black halo symbolized "incoming death."
"Sky, stop Alex!" I urgently commanded Sky.
"Why?"
"I don't know why, but his aura is black."
"What about it?"
"Black means death! Now, stop him!"
Sky instantly stood up and went directly to Alex. But it seemed like he couldn't get close. "He's inside his force field. I can't get in!" Sky informed us, causing more concern. Whatever Alex was attempting wasn't good for him. "I can't even enter his mind. I can't use my telepathy on him!" Sky added. I noticed Maica approaching from the side. She was about to say something, but I didn't listen to her because the Incubus caught my attention.
The strings glowed even more, causing me to cover my eyes. After a while, the light engulfed every corner of the house. I closed my eyes as the light spread. It lasted for a few seconds until it disappeared. I opened my eyes again and immediately looked at where the Incubus was earlier. I saw no traces of him.
Did we defeat him?
"Alex!" Maica called while kneeling beside the unconscious Alex. I noticed Alex's pale lips as if every hemoglobin in his blood had been sucked out.
"He's still breathing, but he's getting cold," Sky informed. I sighed in relief. But I was still concerned about his halo, which still had no color. It's not gray; it's black, but a bit lighter.
"I'll go get Tita down," Sky added, and I nodded. I just stared at Alex while Maica continued to attend to him.
"One! Two! Three! Four! Five!..." Sky counted, causing us to look at him. My eyes widened when I saw Sky performing CPR on Tita.
"Mom!" Maica immediately ran to where her mother was, while I remained standing in my place. I knelt when I noticed that there was no longer a halo above Tita's head. I recoiled as I couldn't bear to see Tita in her current state. Maica was crying heavily as if trying to wake her mother through her wails.
I looked at Alex's face, and I couldn't help but cry when I saw tears streaming down his closed eyes. It seemed like he knew he hadn't saved Tita alive. I just held his hand and continued to sob.
I started to hear Maica expressing her gratitude towards Tita as if thanking her for everything she had done for Maica. I, on the other hand, couldn't stop the tears from falling.
Tita? I know you can hear me. Wherever you are now, always remember that you'll always be the best Tita I ever had. You did things for me that my biological nor foster parents could ever do. You were the only one who treated me as a daughter. You're not just my Tita; you're also my mother. Not by blood, but you took good care of me as if I were your own. Tita, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for everything.
I will never forget all that you've done for me, for us. Your smile will forever be etched in our minds until our last breath. Your warm and loving embrace will keep our bodies warm. Your gentle hands will push us to strive and fight. And your sweet, lovely voice will always be a beautiful melody in our ears.
Thank you for everything, Tita Mary Cristavilla. May you rest in peace.