Kamala

Group 2
Authors Sub-Authors
Juayno, Jomelyn Rose D. Gilbuena, Alliah Mae

Juliano, Kristel Anne P. Gual, Jasmine Chaine

Fernandez, Rica M. Pineda, Alyssa

Ermino, Thristan Jay

— Kamala and Tarrah
I stood on Tinago Peak, a serene getaway deep within the jungles of

Mammanway. Cleansing my mind in the wind and realizing my life from this

perspective. I sighed as I thought of the power bestowed upon me. I never wanted

this; it was neither anticipated nor hoped for. Ever since I grew up with my

grandmother, I knew something special was in me; I am endowed with

superpowers. People are impressed and jealous of my abilities, but I wonder why I

don't feel the same way. Instead, I often wonder what my life would be like if I

were a typical lady who solely cared about her studies and daily attire. An ordinary

girl who enjoys herself and isn't worried about what she'll do next. I'm sometimes

grateful for my ability to save people; other times, I wish it had never been created.

This ability demonstrates both how terrible and amazing my life is. I now have a

great deal of doubt about everything around me, and I believe that everybody close

to me would be in danger if they knew I was given the power to save others and

myself.

At first, these powers I've had since birth were fun and made me feel special, but

as I got older, I noticed that things weren't going well with the person close to my

heart due to this. It is my grandmother. Our relationship is in disarray as I have to

distance myself from her, or she will be in danger. I watched the soaring trees, the

greens, the cliff, the muddy place, and the breezy afternoon pass by as I ran down

this precipice. I can sense danger within a few kilometers.

I rushed inside the house with my heart beating more quickly than usual. It is

racing twice as fast as expected, so I can tell something terrible will happen. I

halted before I could even step my feet inside the door. Anguish and misery ran

through me, and I began questioning everything. Who did this? Why does this

have to happen? I don't remember doing anything wrong for me to deserve this

suffering. Why, of all people, does it have to be her?

I entered the house, my heavy breathing being the only sound that could be heard

through the four corners of the room. Although my head is loud and full of

thoughts. My grandma's body is lying on the ground, full of thorns and iron nails,

with blood dripping. Her breathing contrasts significantly with mine; it's gone. I

can't seem to accept reality, but I know she's dead. I tried healing her… Doing

everything I could to save her, but it was impossible. I was too late, and the

wounds were far too deep for me to handle. I looked at her face one last time; her

eyes closed forever.

D ays, weeks, and almost one month have passed since my grandmother departed
from this lifetime. I can still picture that moment like it just happened yesterday.
Without my grandmother, my life is as gloomy and depressing as a room without
light. She was my only family. She was the one who taught me everything and
guided me to the right path. Now that she's gone, I don't see the purpose of living
anymore. My heart is so clouded and I feel lost. I brushed away the tears that
escaped my eyes and looked at the window with the sun setting down. “Grandma,
I’m going to find the one who killed you and make sure they suffered much worse
than you did,” I whispered, finding the only reason to continue my life.

“Kamala!” I gasped when someone called my name. “Someone needs your help.”
It was Aryani. He was a part of our tribe. “There are intruders from the opposing
tribe in our community. One of our tribe’s men was attacked by them.” After
hearing screams from afar, I stepped outside and realized I must save them. The
enemy tribe is attacking the members of ours. I nodded as a response to the news
he brought me and began to run, suddenly filled with energy within my body and
feeling the strain of it on myself. I found my group in the middle of towering trees.
“Kamala, we need your help. Many of our people are injured due to the attack. The
enemy is equipped with different weapons.” I sprint to the direction where injured
people are. Most of them have bruises and cuts all over their bodies, and one of
them even has a fractured bone in her leg. I began to heal their wounded parts one
by one. I leaned closer to their ears and I started to whisper my healing words.
“The sick will be healed, the depressed will be cheered, and the suffering will be
relieved.” I chanted these words three times, and as I did so, the cuts and wounds
began to heal.

I got up from my seat and looked around me; the expressions on people's faces
indicated that they were grateful and happy. I sprang into action when I heard,
“Kamala, on your back!” A group of spears were heading my way. With my last
burst of energy, I prepared to use my psychokinesis to turn their own weapons
against them. “Bull’s-eye,” I muttered, feeling the blood rush through my nose.
My vision blurred and I felt dizzy. My knees began to weaken. And everything
went black.
I was awakened by the rising sun. I didn’t know where I was at first until I
noticed the familiar photo that was located on the bedside table in my room. It was
a picture of my mother and grandma, both smiling. It made me tear up as I thought
of how much I miss my grandma’s smile. I wish I could go back in time to when
she would always be in front of me as soon as I opened my eyes, giving me her
benign grin. My thoughts were interrupted when I saw an unknown person
standing behind the door. I stood up slowly and turned to face the strange woman.
“Who are you?” The old woman approached me and held my hands. “How are you
feeling? You must be stunned and curious about who I am.” Indeed, I’m clueless
and impatient to know who this unfamiliar woman is and the reason she is here.
I'm here to tell you something very important: if the villain finds the book of
powers before you do, bad things will happen. The woman's message caused my
brows to furrow. “Your grandmother has the book of powers, and that is the only
way to utilize your power to its full potential.” There is also another person who
wants the book solely for her own gain, and she will use this book to harm even
more innocent people. Therefore, you must find your grandmother's tomb as soon
as possible and quickly find the book.”
A week later, as the bright daylight appeared on the horizon in the morning, I

began searching for my grandmother's tomb in every village, town, and graveyard.

However, despite my efforts, I found nothing. I had to return to my village empty-

handed, feeling the rush and pressure, worried that the other person might find it

first before me. When I got to the village, I learned about the situation that is

currently happening, which forced me to refocus my worries in a different

direction. The enemies we managed to drive away attacked once again. The

wounds our men sustained immediately came to mind, and I immediately thought

of treating them. While doing so, the sight of the enemies swarming on Aryani

caught my eye, which made my heart race quickly. The image of my grandmother

lying on the ground suddenly flashed through my mind. I had a strong bad feeling

about this, but I can't just leave the person I'm currently healing to help him

because they're also in critical condition. “Let's trust him,” I tried to persuade

myself, believing that he could pull through and focused on tending to the wounds

of others. The situation continued in this way, with me attending to patients and

occasionally feeling relieved to witness Aryani skillfully disposing of the enemies

one by one. It boosted my motivation to help more people because I thought we

could survive this. At least, that's what I believed until I suddenly heard a scream.

It was a mixture of them yelling my name in desperation and Aryani's name in

concern.

I hurried over to where Aryani was as a cold sweat rolled down my face. This bad

foreboding of something terrible happening feels nostalgic. “Aryani,” I called,

caressing his face. His heart was precisely pierced by iron nails, leaving him in

critical condition. A symbol etched at the tip of it caught my eye; it was similar to

the thorns and nails that my grandmother had. This must be done by the same

person who killed my grandma. “Kamala,” he struggled to utter even my name due

to the pain. I was about to tell him to just close his mouth and I’d do everything I

could to save him, but he started speaking again, knowing what I was thinking.

“The book…” My brow furrowed as I heard him mention something unexpected.

Does he know something about the book? “It was…” he couldn't even finish his

sentence when he started coughing up blood. I sobbed and used all of my abilities

to heal him, nearly draining my energy, but he raised his hand, motioning me to

stop. “You’ll faint again if you keep doing this, Kamala. It's pointless; I can feel

my life shortening and I only have a few minutes to breathe. I want to use that time

to tell you something.” I sobbed even more but nodded my head to his plea.
“I found you unconscious in your house when your grandmother died. You
probably fainted from using your power to heal too much. Thankfully, I arrived
immediately before someone could harm you, but I feel deeply apologetic
knowing that I was too late in saving your grandma, I apologize for that. You
won’t wake up due to exhaustion no matter what I do, so I just buried her alone. I
was her student. You probably didn’t know because she was training me in secret,
careful that you would not find out. I know something very crucial related to the
awakening of your powers. She entrusted it to me because she knows how much
you despise your ability and you were not interested in finding it out. I’m sorry for
keeping it a secret.” I was dumbfounded. All this information coming in at once
was too hard to process. I didn’t ask about what happened after that incident with
my grandma because it was too painful to remember. I have no idea who buried
her or who found me in that state and brought me to my room. I just assumed that
it was one of our tribesmen. It turns out that it was Aryani all along.

He didn’t give me time to respond and continued. “The book of powers... I know
where it is. I was with your grandmother when she hid it. It is located in the
churchyard in South Mammanway. But be careful in going there, Kamala. Even
though you have powers, they are not yet fully developed, and it will not be as
easy as you think.” He was barely breathing. Something in me wants to silence
him, but another part of me wants to hear what he has to say. I opened my mouth,
feeling bad and grateful for everything. “Thank you, Aryani… And I’m sorry you
had to endure all of this…” He cut me off again before I could even finish my
sentence. "You have.... you have a sister... be careful.” I reached him and realized
he was breathing very sluggishly. I was holding him trying to feel his temperature,
and he was cold. Then he drew his last breath and peacefully rested. He was gone.
F
or the first time in my life, it was the silence that did not give me peace. Every

time I was left alone, I kept hearing the laugh of my grandma that I took for

granted and the voice of Aryani calling my name in my head. I felt bad, guilty, and

I feel like all of this is my fault. Aryani’s last words also lingered in my head for a

while. I can’t understand… I don’t remember grandma mentioning that I have a

sister before, so all of this is perplexing to me. I was questioning how I never knew

that he was her student all this time. Who is the person behind all of this and what

are their motives? A lot of questions remained unanswered and I have a feeling

that it can only be explained by the person who killed my loved ones. But I also

know that I don’t have the luxury of time to just idle by and blame myself all I

want. I have to find the book and seek out any clues leading to the killer. “The

symbol on the weapon,” I muttered to myself. It was the same symbol I found on

the murder weapon. As I was thinking that, a glimpse of a silhouette caught my

attention. I became nervous and my heart beat rapidly. I feel like someone is

watching me from afar. Someone is listening. I tried to convince myself that it may

have just been my imagination. After all, all the things that had happened didn’t

seem real to me.

Everything went like a flash after that. I buried Aryani in the middle of the forest,

surrounded by gigantic trees. As sure as the stars in the night sky, I started looking

for the location Aryani instructed me to search for a few days ago. I've already lost

two important members of my tribe, so the prospect of losing another worries me.

When I turned to look around, I noticed the cresset all over the place, several trees,

and a huge church; this is the churchyard in South Mammanway. The church has

been abandoned, and according to what others informed me, only a small number

of people are aware of its existence. I entered and looked around. The church had

been severely damaged; bricks were falling and plants were sprouting everywhere.

I noticed a tombstone blocking the entrance to the hole beneath. This gravestone is

unusual in its shape. I think it is made of granite, which is hard to move and has an

opening for the deceased to enter. This is it. I approached the tombstone and began

to concentrate.
I motioned with my left hand for the stone to be moved from its current location.

As I descended the staircase, the first thing I saw was a casket made of stone. I

looked at it closely and my heart began to ache. My grandmother's memories

flooded back to me. I couldn't hold my emotions, and as I proceeded slowly

towards it, I ended up bursting into tears. The coffin beside me felt rough, and the

only source of light was coming from the torches that were hung around the tomb.

“I felt useless and responsible for your death since you passed away. My life began

to fall apart after you were gone. Tragedies kept happening one after the other. Is

this a curse, grandmother? Aryani is also dead now. I saw with my own two eyes

how he lost his life. I couldn’t do anything to save him! I was too weak! I’m a

failure. I failed, grandma! I don’t know if I can go any further… I’m so lost.” I

tried wiping away the tears but it kept on falling. I was having my moment when a

spear suddenly appeared out of nowhere. My left shoulder was grazed by it. It

stings but I endured the pain to turn in the direction where the metal came from. A

person that looked as tall as me with a familiar presence was standing before me.

She was oozing with a dark aura I’ve never seen before. Her black dress matched

with her dark boots, and the thick eyeliner she was wearing emphasized her

mocking gaze. But something else has caught my attention. A band of leather was

hanging around the left side of her waist. Inside there were the weapons that were

used in killing my grandma and Aryani.

I ron nails. After seeing a bunch of iron nails in the woman, Kamala
automatically sensed danger through her. As if a lightbulb had been switched,
everything started to make sense, and she instantly knew that the opponent she
was facing was the killer of her grandmother and Aryani. But she feels the need to
confirm it first. She needs to hear it from her mouth.

Tarrah reaches across her body, preparing for another attack. She grabs the
handle of her other spear and swiftly holds grip of it, drawing it out to face the
enemy in front of her. In a matter of seconds, Tarrah snaps her long spear, aiming
to pierce Kamala, but her opponent was even quicker, repelling the attack using
the psychokinesis. The side of her lips rose as she dodged the attack, “She's good
for someone who claimed to have never trained her ability.”

Tarrah managed to spin away, unscathed. Another spear flew forward. Kamala
shoved it aside once again. They stared at each other, watching and looking out
for the other person's next move. Even the corpses in this place can sense the
tremendous tension between them. “Who are you?” Kamala asked, breaking the
silence. Tarrah's mouth remained shut, as if pushing Kamala’s patience to the
edge. She’s definitely in control of the conversation. "I said, who are you!?"
Kamala attempted to ask again, now shouting. "Are you the one who killed them?"

"Know thy enemy, know yourself and you shall ever be victorious," Tarrah finally
opened her mouth with a response completely unrelated to Kamala's queries. "Do
you know what this means? You, a clueless idealist who's never been exposed to
the real world and thinks she can save and protect everyone." This just intensified
Kamala's frustrations of not knowing anything. She's indeed clueless about herself
and even more so, about this enemy in front of her. While the opponent seems to
know a lot.
“Did you came here to discuss or fight?” Tarrah questioned, mocking.

“I came to obtain the book of powers that my grandmother wishes me to have."

Kamala revealed. Tarrah didn't give any reaction to that and just launched a

powerful push on Kamala's stomach, however, it had little to no effect due to her

healing ability. In return, Kamala unleashed all of her powers to lift all of the

rocks around them, planning to aim them at Tarrah.

Kamala felt something odd while fighting her. It was strange enough how she

didn't question the reason why Kamala's here, like the woman knew it all along.

Kamala also kept wondering why this person followed her all the way here and

attacked her all of a sudden. The longer Kamala stays with her in a distance, the

more she becomes familiar with her presence and more questions are forming in

her head. The enemy emits a presence that is very similar to what she's felt before.

If that's the case, then one of Kamala's unanswered questions has been solved.

That means the enemy has been following Kamala for quite a while and that aligns

with her guess that she's the one who killed Aryani and her grandma.

They exchanged more spears. The clashes of their weapons are as loud as the

thoughts inside Kamala's head. The fight carried on for what seemed like an

eternity. They moved back and forth across the abandoned churchyard, in spirals;

Kamala lifting whatever she saw and throwing it at her, while Tarrah's spear

struck at her shoulder, knee, and twice at her leg. Tarrah would grunt now and

then at the wounds she received, and Kamala who's heard all of this just fought in

a sullen silence, oblivious of her own wounds.

Kamala attempted another conversation, hoping that the enemy in front of her

would answer her this time. "Who are you?!" she shouted. "You killed them, didn't

you? You're the one who killed grandma and Aryani!" she accused, almost certain,

while attacking and dodging the enemy at the same time. "Why are you doing this

to me?!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as she flung the massive rock at

Tarrah.

“You talk a lot for someone who has just lost two loved ones, sis.” Kamala halted

and stepped back. She was stunned, uncertain how to respond to what she had just

called her. Confused, she asked, “What are you talking about? Stop calling me

your sist–” Kamala stopped in the middle of talking. The words that Aryani uttered

before he died suddenly flashed inside her mind. Her head started aching, trying to

process the speculations that were forming inside. Tarrah watched her in that

state, feeling the anger that is starting to build in. “That’s right,” Tarrah started,

which made Kamala turn her eyes towards her. “I’m your twin sister.” Along with

that revelation followed another sudden attack, trying to take advantage of the

stunned Kamala.

“What are you talking about?” she asked in confusion, still managed to evade the

attack. “I don’t have a sister. You are not my sister. You’re just a murderer. I

know it now, you killed them.” Kamala was still in a state of denial, not wanting to

accept the fact that this woman who is claiming to be her sister is also the one who

killed her loved ones. Tarrah, a child isolated from the world and who has never

felt acceptance before, felt furious that even her own sister doesn't want to

acknowledge her. She sneered, “That’s right.

A person like you, who has always been in the middle of the spotlight, getting

praised everywhere and has never tasted loneliness before, would never

understand," Tarrah added, clearly devastated. “And yes, I killed them,” a loud

laughter escaped Tarrah’s mouth while Kamala watched all of this in shock. “So

what? I want you to experience what it feels like to lose important people to you.

Now, how does the agony of being alone feel? Look, we are the same now, sis!

We’re twins after all!" A hysterical laughter echoed throughout the cave. In

contrast to Tarrah, Kamala was silent, at a loss for words. She has so many

questions for her, she wanted to shout at her and blame her for everything that's

happened but nothing’s coming out of her mouth.

"Your suffering doesn’t give you the license to commit wrongdoings, Tarrah.

That's not a good enough justification to kill anyone," Kamala rebutted, the only

words that she had managed to say. “Shut up! You don’t even know anything,”

Tarrah immediately responded. “You don’t know what I’ve gone through and what

happened to our mother. What we’ve had to experience,” she declared, almost

sobbing. Kamala was surprised to see Tarrah who was laughing like a mad

woman just earlier, switching into an emotional one just at the mention of their

mother. She couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly do you mean happened…?”

After telling that question, a long story of how they were born and got separated

began.
H ere once lied a woman that was forcefully raped by an unknown man. After

being left assaulted and pregnant with twins, the woman became despondent and

thought of aborting the unwanted children inside of her. However, the idea of

abortion suddenly became a difficult choice to make after hearing her mother’s

advice. “Do not ever get rid of the children, for it none of it was their fault.” The

woman was in shock. She never expected her own mother to disagree with her

decision. With tears streaming down her eyes, she knelt down and grasped her

mother's hands. “But mother, these babies were not made from love. They are the

fruit of my pain and suffering,” she pleaded. “No, you will retain them as much as

I want and as much as you hate.” said her mother while looking at her sternly.

“Don’t include the babies. They are innocent,” she added. Her mother took back

her hands and left her daughter on the ground, broken. Feeling utterly helpless,

she opened her mouth and let words come out in the midst of her sobs. “Mother,

please, hear me out just this once!” she cried. Her mother throws her one final

look. “I’ll look after one of them, and I’ll leave the other child in your care,” she

finally adds, turning away from her daughter as she sobs bitterly.

The woman on the ground was left defeated. Feeling like the world has turned its

back on her, she hit her stomach and screamed. “Why, why does it always have to

be me?! Why can't I just be happy?” Her stomach ached, as if the babies were

responding to her misery. She stopped the hitting and looked at herself in the

mirror standing beside her. All she saw was a reflection of a mistreated woman,

who was feeling nothing but anguish.

---------
After enduring the pregnancy months, the day the woman gave birth to two healthy

infants finally came. She named them “Tarrah” and “Kamala.” Her mother

looked at the babies. “They look beautiful. It was a good decision to stop you from

aborting them, as they carry the pride of our blood.” The woman didn't respond

and she just stared at the babies, agreeing to what her mother said inside. She

took responsibility for the first born, Tarrah, and gave up her second child

Kamala for her own mother to take care of. They parted ways after that, her

mother deciding to live in seclusion. However, as unfortunate as it may be, the

woman who gave birth to twins died after a week. Due to this, Tarrah was left all

alone, in which she would then be found and adopted by the Gadanggana tribe.

Both of the girls were blessed with white, silk locks, but the eldest one, Tarrah,

had hers changed into a gradient dark red after three years of being born since it

was a golden rule in the tribe in which she's a part of. Her dark black eyes had a

piercing gaze within them. She has this dark aura surrounding her that everyone

who meets her can tell in a glance that she's bad news. Kamala, on the other hand,

was the polar opposite of her twin sister. Her white hair remained as bright as

ever, giving light to everyone she met and her ocean blue eyes complimented her

soft features.

Just like how the two children’s appearances are the polar opposite of each other,

so is the way they lived their life. As they grow older, Tarrah has to endure the

bullying and abuse she's had to face from being different from children her age.

She's not an official part of the tribe, a total outcast with neither parents to protect

nor comfort her. She was treated as slave and had to work to death in order to

survive.
The tribe leader instantly knew how dangerous she could be the moment they

sensed her aura so they gave her a leash even before seeing her manifest her

abilities. She was an excellent child, managing to defeat the adults who've trained

for years with just her combat abilities. The same as they were threatened, they

also saw this as the perfect tool to use however they pleased. When the day came

in which she learned of her powers to determine and manipulate death through

whisper, she was already tied to the tribe. She has to fight the enemies of the tribe,

putting her life on the line all day and when the night comes, she's had to undergo

the sorrow of being alone, not accepted by anyone and the disdain of having no

one by her side. It's a living hell. This made her hate the world, especially her

family for leaving her to suffer alone; it made her twisted and she grew up with so

much hatred filling her empty heart.

Kamala, on the other hand, lived filled with love. Everywhere she goes, she was

acknowledged as a savior that everyone is grateful for. She also has her

grandmother to fill the void that a parents should fill, thus, she never once

questioned where they are. For her, her grandma is enough. She was much more

excellent than her peers especially since she has the ability to sense danger from a

far. She was praised even more after having her power to heal through whisper

and psychokinesis manifested on top of knowing archery. Everyone wants to be

together with her as she gives this sense of security that as long as she's there,

everything will be alright. She is that powerful. Despite being a child, she's

already entrusted to do whatever she wants and their tribesmen listen to whatever

she says, her grandma being the only exception. A hardworking child blessed with

talent and filled with love from everyone. A life that contrasts greatly with Tarrah.

Tarrah knew that she has a twin sister after reading the letter that her mother left

her in the basket in where she's in. It's like her mother already predicted that she's

going to die and have everything prepared. As soon as Tarrah found this out, she

trained and trained in order to be given permission to go outside and after

achieving so, the first thing she did was to go where

Kamala was. The moment she saw her, she instantly knew that it's her and it's true

that they were twins. She thought of coming near and introducing herself but she's

afraid that Kamala will not believe her and the shackles that the tribe leader

bestowed stopped her from doing so. She just left after seeing Kamala doing well

and promised to come back next time. However, as time passed by and the longer

she kept seeing Kamala living the life, she felt extremely bitter. The hatred and ill

will started there.

---------

As soon as Tarrah finished telling the tale, Kamala’s fingers flew towards her and

grasped her neck. She wanted to kill her even more after knowing everything.

Anger overpowered her sympathy for her. She continued choking her, not feeling

herself. Kamala finds herself using all of her power to lift Tarrah and she then

forcefully slammed her to the ground.

Kamala noticed her eyes but refused to meet them. She runs to her and

immediately chucks her fist on her nose to obstruct any vision she may have had.

She's in a lot of pain, but Kamala knows that she has to keep going. She knew what

her abilities could do. Kamala threw another forceful punch, leaving her sister in

a nauseated state. “I need to ensure that she can't move by the time I'm finished

with her.” Kamala thought to herself.

She took advantage of the situation and ran as fast as her legs could go. Heading

to her grandmother’s tomb, her goal was to obtain the book of power laying

beside it.

Kamala noticed the book gleaming as she approached the grave as if it was

drawing her attention. She used her final burst of energy to lift the book and bring

it closer to her. She grabs hold of the book with victory coming closer to her mind.

Tarrah, who was slowly coming to after a short moment of unconsciousness, was

now searching around for her sister. Her ability to determine death through a

whisper, which she had never once used during this fight, was now coming into

her mind as her last resort.

After running around for a while, she finally spots Kamala holding the book of

power in her hand. Tarrah knew that things would not end well for her if her sister

used the book. Desperately, she tries to snatch away the item by attacking her as

she comes closer but to no avail, Kamala manages to evade all of them. Before
Tarrah could take away the book, Kamala quickly opens it and reads the chant

written inside that would enable the user to use the full potential of the power that

they possess.

"The dark will vanish and the brightness will triumph over it. May the divine being

continue to provide me with its light. Let the power bestowed upon me now be fully

unleashed to its utmost capacity.” Kamala yelled as her voice shakes, showing her

overflowing rage and eagerness.

As she shouted the chant, Kamala's hair turned into a blinding golden white color

as if it was radiating light rays like the sun. Her wounds had healed, and she felt

more powerful than ever. She floats, and her dress returns to its original shade of

green. Tarrah tries to reach her but fails miserably seeing as Kamala is already

levitating, and her entire surroundings appear to agree with her. She takes her

golden bow in one hand and her arrow in the other to attack the enemy. She

swiftly aims at Tarrah’s heart.

Fear was starting to show in Tarrah’s eyes. What the tribe leader repeatedly kept
on telling her seems to be flashing in front. ‘Tarrah, the moment you think you

have the upper hand... That's when you must be extra careful, okay?’ The tribe

leader was cruel but he was wise. He never stops using his head and almost never

pays attention to what his heart says. That's the mistake Tarrah made. She forgot

that lesson and became emotional, letting the psychological upper hand she once

had slipped. Kamala, on the other hand, felt horrible as she aimed her arrow at

Tarrah seeing the flustered look on her sister's face. She felt hesitant, thinking of

giving her a second chance. As she was doing so, the images of her grandma and

Aryani appeared and her conviction was reaffirmed. She must do what she needs

to do.

Tarrah, as if cold water had been splashed, came back to her senses and prepared

for the attack.

I hold still in my position, ready to release the arrow at the right moment. “You

can't kill me, and you never will,” she stated, provoking me. I looked at her in

disbelief. She shows no remorse for what she’s done and knows nothing of

humility, even hurling her final spear at me. She wants me dead. Either I die or she

does, no in between. I understand that much. We can't exist in the same timeline or

we'll only hurt each other. This was the final push. I adjusted my bow to the proper

angle and released the arrow.

Tarrah gathered all the nails she brought to form it in a form of a shield and

prepared to defend. A blinding light and hideous darkness collided. I screamed,

pushing myself to the limits to pierce through her shield. It was hard since she was

too powerful. She's skilled in combat and I would have died if it wasn't for the

book, providing me with an additional boost. The surrounding trembled and tiny

rocks are falling due to the impact. I drained all my energy for this last attack,

wanting to end it as soon as possible so we don't destroy the tomb. At last, Tarrah's

attack was becoming smaller. The light overpowered her and I caught a glimpse of
her expression before the arrow struck her heart. A tear escaped my eyes after

witnessing her eyes curl up for the first time.

My sister lay down on the ground and just stared up, holding her bleeding chest. It

was quiet and my footsteps, as I came near her, could be heard. I stopped a few

kilometers away when she started laughing. It was the same laughter I heard when

she confessed her sins but this time, with tears rolling on the side of her cheeks.

"We're the total opposite of each other from our physical appearance to our

lifestyle. But if there's one thing that we are similar to," she got up despite the pain

in her chest to face me. "It's that we are both a murderer."

It left me dumbfounded. She didn't give me time to think as she spoke again.

"While I was watching you from afar, I thought hard of ways to make you suffer as

much as I did. I planned it for years and it's come to fruition now," she smiled at

me with her teeth showing. "What do you mean? I'm not like you! I didn't kill the

loved ones of someone just to make them experience the same misfortune I went

through." The blood spilt from her mouth.

 She must be in so much pain but she's not letting it show in front of me and
continued. “No… We are the same, Kamala. We are similar in a sense because
you, too, murdered a member of your own family for the sake of vengeance."
Tarrah declares with her very last breath.

The frustration in me bursts out. "You… you wasted your whole life for this?
Why!? You could've just lived with us and all of this wouldn't have happened.
Why would you do such a thing!?" I imagined a life with Tarrah in it. What if she
just lived with us? We could've saved more people since she can determine death
and I can prevent them. Grandma wouldn't have to die and I bet she'll be good
friends with Aryani as well. "That's the problem, Kamala. I was bound with the
tribe my whole life. I was too naive to realize back then and even if I had

introduced myself the moment I saw you, I was already tainted. The only exit is
death. I'd rather die than live my life in hell whilst knowing that you probably
neither even experienced pain nor discomfort. It made me resent you so much that
I wanted to kill you or I'll otherwise face death itself. Now that you have already
dirtied your hands, I'm happy to leave this world. I'm forever etched in you now.”
Tarrah finally rested, closing her eyes and smiling peacefully. She's also gone now.

Nevertheless, I still responded with a pained expression. “You are mistaken. A

person is entitled to choose whatever path they wish, and you allow the darkness to
swallow you. You just died in vain, for you have chosen to side with the darkness.”
I glanced at her one last time before leaving the tomb.

A rustle of wind greeted me as soon as I came out. I looked at the sky and the
rising sun welcomed me. In the end, brightness will always come after the dark. I
closed my eyes and let everything that happened sink in as I reflected on it.
Tarrah was right. She will be forever etched in me. She will be a reminder to never

sway on the wrong path. All these lessons and experiences I've gained are all due

to her. It's tragic. Losing the people important to you is so painful that I want to

pull my heart out to not feel anything anymore.

But despite these tragedies, I won't let the darkness swallow me. Even if I despair,

nothing good will come of it. Instead, I will use them to give even more

enlightenment to everyone so they don't go through what Tarrah did. My name is

Kamala and like my ability, I will heal from this.

— The End —