Threads of Fate

Chapter 24: The True Observer

Roan and Noiram arrived in front of Maria Sinukuan's house in Mount Suko. They saw her standing in her garden while paying with a few butterflies flying around her. A smile formed across her lips as soon as she saw them. "Welcome back." She greets the two.

"Thank you." Roan replied bluntly before turning to Noiram, signaling him to wait there. The young bard just nodded telling her that he understands.

Roan and Maria Sinukuan entered the hut, inside that magical garden that seems to be from another dimension. Maria Sinukuan chose to sit on her favorite place to where wild flowers grow around her. "You did well. I didn't expect to see such a huge transformation on Minggan." The diwata said.

Roan turned at her, looking at Maria Sinukuan with a stern gaze. This time, she couldn't help but to pour her heart out. "Minggan is such a nice creature. He doesn't look bad at all. Well maybe his nostrils are just big, and his other eye is damaged, but I'm sure you can do something to fix those flaws with just a flick of your hand. Why can't you love him? I know that you can feel how pure and true his love for you is, so I do not understand why can't you open your heart and give him a chance... A real chance to win your love. How could you bear to hurt him?" these are the questions that she mean to ask right after she met Minggan.

Yes, she agreed and made a deal with the diwata, however, she later realized that that deal was a huge mistake. But it was too late to back out. She just hoped that Maria Sinukuan would find the heart not to hurt Minggan, but she was devastated when she was just what happened earlier. She saw the sorrow and pain in Minggan's eye. She feels extreme guilt being part of the plan to inflict an unbearable pain to the pitiful giant whose sole mistake is to love a diwata.

Maria Sinukuan was shocked upon hearing what Roan said. Never did anyone, even the gods of Kaluwalhatian, talked to her like that. But despite being shocked by those worlds, she knew that she deserved to be questioned. She have hurt someone on purpose, and she hated it. She's guilty beyond doubt. However...

"You don't understand, Roan." She said while a fist is against her chest, feeling her heart throbbing in pain.

"Then make me understand!" Roan hissed.

"I cannot love Minggan because..." the diwata said with anxiety but she decided to tell Roan anyway, she needs to make her understand what pushed her to do such an injustice.

"Because he's indecent? Because he stinks? I did a great job working around those flaws, right?" Roan butts-in. She couldn't contain the anger boiling inside her heart whenever the sorry figure of Minggan flashes inside her memory.

Marian Sinukuan gently shook her head, "No... That is not it."

"Then what?" she was truly upset in her heart. A fat tear suddenly fell from her eyes. She gently bit her lips to stop herself from crying.

The diwata looked straight into her eyes, asking her to listen to every word she was about to say. "Roan, have you loved someone before?" she asked.

Roan was taken aback when she heard the diwata's question. She doesn't know what to answer nor how to answer.

"I am in-love, Roan. I know exactly how Minggan feels because I feel the same pain as he feels now." The diwata smiled bitterly as she looked at Roan's eyes. "The man I am in-love with cannot love me back... he used to, but not he can no longer do so. But despite that, I still continued to love him all these years unconditionally." Maria Sinukuan's eyes started to water as she recalled the past.

"Mount Suko, as the people around the mountain calls it... Where it stands used to be a flat prairie. It looks exactly like this place where we are sitting, Roan. In fact, I created this place inside my house to remind me of that piece land."