03 I had never asked Jonah how she knew me and I haven’t told her why I felt we knew each other the first time I met her… I was happy how we were and I knew she was happy with me too, and I felt contented with that. It just felt that we were two pieces of puzzle that had been waiting to fit into something for so long, until one came along.

I had forgotten about Kate afterwards. I have never thought about her until that night when I recalled of what happened today, when I laid down on bed. But she just passed as quickly as I remembered what Jonah said that she had always known me. Was it possible that we were related before? Or what were we before anyway? I didn’t believe in reincarnation…but maybe, yeah, I thought it was possible.

I tried remembering my dream, but I just couldn’t remember what that girl told me. I just know that that Jonah was the same as the Jonah on the other room right now. Should I tell her about it?

I doubt she’d believe.

I suddenly had the urge to go to her room at this moment and just be with her. The urge to be with her was growing too much that she was becoming a drug to me that I can’t live without. And we have only just met yesterday!

Jonah, Jonah, Jonah…I wished she’d hear me, as my heart ached to have her. I fought the urge and craving and won eventually.

Soon the world of sleep started to dwell on me and my consciousness gave way. I was dreaming. Or maybe I wasn’t. The whole thing just felt so real… I saw myself, a warrior, wearing a bronze body armor over a gray suit and a headgear on my head, while I held a heavy bronze shield too. I was fighting off dozens of people on a dull, foggy day…or maybe half-people because although they had human bodies – their heads were not! They were ugly lizards under a tight fitting headgear also made of bronze. I wasn’t afraid. I felt strong, fierce and angry. And I realized that they weren’t strong enough to fight as I was. Their skills were nothing to what I had learned.

Why was I fighting anyway? I was the type who would coward away during fights. But I was fighting! I beheaded a lot of the lizards and threw them off. Soon the blood was everywhere, it looked disgusting. There were also a lot of beheaded bodies around me, just lying on the ground, piles and piles of them… And their smell…! It was awful, I thought, it was making my stomach churn. I felt like I wanted to vomit. Then I saw the vultures come down and feast on what was left of the lizards. I realized that they were mine. That the vultures were my pets and that pain and bloodshed were my power. I was not a god, but a prince. A son of the god of war.

But I was still walking. Or no…I was searching for something that was why I was here… And as I searched more, the more my heart pounded with excitement.

Andito lang siya… I heard myself say as I continued to look around.

As I killed the last group of lizards, I saw her at other the end of the river. My heart pounded more with excitement, like it had found what it had always been looking for. She was the treasure. She sat there at the other end of the river, beautiful as ever, wearing a white flowing dress with its neckline plunging midway down her waist, showing the cleavages of her breasts.

She was beautiful with her long, dark, brown hair and brown eyes that sparkled under the sunlight. And while my part of the river was dull, her’s was sunny. The irony of falling in love. There were trees and rocks around her, and even birds. And as she sat on one of the boulders, I happened to notice that she was carressing her womb…as if she was pregnant and talking to her future child. Or was she really pregnant?

I felt the warm mist of my breath as I watched her. I smelled life. It was then I realized that what she was carrying was mine… Ours.

She then looked up at me and gave a smile. She was calling me.

I took a step to cross the river and be with her. But as soon as my foot dipped into the water, I suddenly felt heat. What happened next became too hot and intense to explain. The river became fire, until everything around I saw was fire! She was burning but never appeared to be hurt!

Dal’lang! I called her and tried to reach out to her. But it wasn’t her hand that grabbed me.

Agui! I screamed. Angry.

Then I saw two yellow, bright, fierce eyes staring at me through the fire. The same eyes as those of the other lizards I have killed. But this one was different. This one had power and this one had curse on it.

Hindi siya sa iyo! The lizard spoke with a very low voice, like it came from the depths of the earth. Sinusumpa ko kay Sidapa na malilimutan mo ang lahat ng ito!

Then as soon I as saw his bifid tongue come out, I suddenly woke up.

The first thing I saw was my dark room, and the banner big Philippine flag on the ceiling.

I felt warm, like I was about to have a fever. My whole body was so warm, it literally felt like I had just come from a big fire.

I felt more sweat form on my forehead. My shirt was half-soaked also.

I placed a hand on my chest and felt my heart. It was beating fast like I just came from a marathon. At least I was alive and had not really been eaten by the fire!

The dream felt real, I said. It felt so real, like it really did happen before or it just happened.

I removed my soaked shirt and laid back on bed half-naked. I don’t know why I was having these dreams, I almost didn’t want to sleep already, afraid that the next day I wake up I’ll realize that I have gone crazy.

Jonah, Jonah…I almost chanted. I was feeling sleepy again. I looked at the clock beside me and saw that it was only 2AM in the morning.

You make life complicated, I thought. On the otherhand, why did I even say that?

Soon I was falling into deep sleep again.