My name is Eron, I am 20 years old, 1.80 meters tall.
At this age, almost all of my peers are doughnuts, motorbikes, and are just looking for “first love.”
But me?
I was the guy in the whole village who was called “crazy” when they heard that I was going to marry a 60-year-old woman — Grandma Celia.
She is not a grandmother because she has grandchildren.
That was just a “call” to a lot of people among us.
Elegant, quiet, mysterious, and with money — but not arrogant.
What about me?
The Farmer’s Son.
Nothing is over yet.
There are no savings yet.
There is no motorcycle yet.
But when I first met him,
when he briefly asked if I wanted water because I got hot from welding…
I felt right away:
there was something about him that was deep, warm, and I couldn’t explain.
THE LOVE THAT THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND
We became close.
He taught me how to read financial books, learn English, and invest a little bit of money.
He gave me a dream that I had never seen in my life.
And yes…
I was in love.
It’s not because of the money.
It is not because of age.
But because his heart was younger than the smell of the morning sun shining brightly.
What if I told my family?
“Eron, you should be ashamed!”
“You must have been stunned!”
“Do you like your mother? Not a wife!”
“You’re just trying to make an old man!”
Sinabi ko lang:
“Ma… “You don’t know Celia.”
And even though the whole ship was laughing…
I didn’t back down.
I fought him.
I married him.
THE NIGHT OF OUR WEDDING
The ballroom was elegant.
There’s a violin, there’s a chandelier, there’s flowers that are more expensive than the motorcycle of my dreams.
In the midst of all that,
Celia was the most beautiful woman in my eyes — even though she was 60.
But there’s something I don’t quite understand…
I saw a lot of bodyguards.
A lot of the guests were black.
And in the corner, there was a group of people who looked like they were guarding a politician.
But I didn’t ask.
It was late at night and we were alone in the large master bedroom that looked like we were in a hotel.
When he handed me the envelope with 1 million pesos in cash and the keys to an SUV, I could barely breathe.
“Eron… “This is my wedding gift,” she said.
But I smiled and said:
“Hindi ko kailangan ‘yan, Celia.
You alone are enough.”
Her lips trembled.
It was as if he was hiding something heavy.
“Anak… this… They were…”
“You need to know something before you get me… Accept it in its entirety.”
I don’t understand why he was shaking.
He quickly took off his blazer…
But I hadn’t even touched his hand when I suddenly stopped.
THE TWIST THAT MADE MY HEART STOP
Under His Clothes…
He had a tattoo on his chest.
Not small.
It is not decorative.
It is NOT a design.
A TATTOO OF THE EMBLEM OF A FAMOUS UNDERGROUND ORGANIZATION IN THE PHILIPPINES.
The syndicate that is feared throughout Luzon —
the group that the police hate,
the group that is talked about in the news,
the group that everyone says:
“No one has escaped.”
Suddenly, she burst into tears.
“Iran…
I am not an ordinary woman.
I’m not rich because of business.”
He looked at me, painful, but true.
“I was the ex-wife of the leader of that syndicate.
And all my money…
I’m not asking for it.
That’s the price I’ve paid for the rest of my life.”
It felt like the floor was moving under me.
I didn’t get to talk.
I didn’t cough.
I didn’t react.
He looked at me.
“I left that world 20 years ago.”
“I’m here to live a normal life.”
“But now…
If you’re going to marry me,
you need to know.”
He came over, grabbing my cheek.
“… You don’t want to marry a 60-year-old woman.
You married a woman who was hidden and pursued by so many enemies.”
IT’S MY CHOICE
Her tears flowed.
“Iran…
If you don’t like it, I’ll accept it.
I’m not going to force you.
I’m not going to let you down in my past.”
But I came closer.
I grabbed his hand.
“Celia…
I chose you on the day you taught me how to dream.”
“I’m not going to choose you because you don’t have a past.”
“I chose you because you changed my life.”
“And if someone is going to catch up with you…”
I’ll face it.
It’s not because I’m strong.”
“… You are the most beautiful person I know.”
He hugged me tightly, as if no one had ever protected him before.
AFTER THAT NIGHT
The next day, a security guard approached me.
“Sir Eron, we didn’t expect your decision…
From now on, you will be protected.”
Sabay habol:
“Ma’am Celia has never… EVER… told anyone her past.
He’s never had that confidence.”
And that’s when I understood.
I am not married to a 60 year old woman.
I married a woman who had spent my entire life hiding pain, danger, and past —
but had the courage to leave everything because I was loved.
LESSONS OF HISTORY
True love doesn’t matter age.
It is about who taught you how to be a human being.
Once upon a time, man’s greatest treasure …
He had the courage to confess his darkest secrets.
And if you can accept that —
only then does love become real.
PART 2: THE NIGHT WE WERE TARGETED — AND CELIA’S REAL PAST THAT MADE MY LIFE EVEN MORE DIZZY
THE MORNING WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED
After the wedding night — the night he opened the secret that nearly killed me —
I woke up to the smell of coffee and pandesal.
Sally smiled as if nothing had happened last night.
“Eron, anak… este… “And now we are here.”
But before I could sit down, there was a quick knock on the door.
Three large men, dressed in black, with ear pieces.
Bodyguards.
But it is a different aura.
It’s more tense. Tougher.
“Madam Celia… Something is moving.”
“We got a tip — there’s an oncoming vehicle with no plates.”
“Probably… They are.”
My stomach was shaking.
“If not? Sinu-sino sila??”
Celia looked at me, slowly, with deep eyes—
“I have a $200 million monthly salary…
That was twenty years ago.”
And that’s where the storm started.
THE EXPLOSION OF TRUTH
They took us to the panic room in the basement.
The Guardian reported:
“Sir Eron… Mrs. Celia was not an ordinary woman.
He is the accountant of the syndicate.
But he also made them feel good.”
I couldn’t breathe.
“Why?” he asked.
The guard smiled bitterly.
“To escape.
To survive.
To save money…
which is now in your name as husband and wife.”
I???
I’m a 20 year old and I just want to know how to do it??
Suddenly, my heart beat harder.
Celia lumingon sa akin:
“Aaron… Hindi Kita Dinmay.
But now… I am your wife.”
“And when you’re the wife of the former mastermind of the biggest syndicate—
target ka rin.”
My sweat dripped down the opposite.
I literally shuddered.
THE FIRST ATTACK
It was 9 a.m.
We heard CRAAAAASH!! above.
Mirrors were shattered.
Screams.
Squirrels.
CCTV showed four masked men, armed. They were looking
for something.
Celia grabbed my hand.
“Eron, listen to me…
If something bad happens…
don’t go near them.
Let me talk.”
But I cried out:
“No! We’re going to get married.
Hindi kita iiwan!”
He smiled bitterly.
“Iran…
I’m the reason they’re here.”
“And you’re the reason I don’t want to die right now.”
I had a lot to say but everything was interrupted when the panic room door suddenly slammed shut.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Someone was trying to get us in.
The guard shouted:
“Sir! Ma’am! Let’s move to the emergency tunnel!”
THE TUNNEL OF HISTORY
It was the tunnel —
dark, cold, and full of old boxes.
Box labeled:
“1998 – Bank Records”
“2001 – Offshore Accounts”
“2004 – Evidence”
I felt like I was walking through history that I wasn’t supposed to see.
But there was one box I looked at:
“ERON”
I was surprised.
“Celia… why is there a box with my name on it?”
Her face turned white. She sighed
deeply.
“Iran…
You are the reason I stayed away from them.”
I felt as if I had been sprayed with water.
“What do you mean?”
I didn’t know you before!”
He looked at me, his voice trembling:
“I’ve known you all along, Eron.
When you were a child—
you were the boy I saved from the syndicate.”
My knee was broken.
THE SECRET TO MORE THAN LOVE
I couldn’t breathe.
“How???
“Did you save me?”
“How?”
He slapped me in the face.
“In 2009, there was a raid on a warehouse.
There’s a child crying in the corner —
Scared, scared, no one.”
“A soldier tried to kill you because you were a witness.”
“I was the one who blocked.
I was the one who said ‘NO!’”
My eyes widened. My lips
trembled.
“Are you the one who saved me?”
She shed tears.
“Yes, son…”
“But not as a son…
but as a man who should live.”
Suddenly, the sound of gunfire erupted from above.
The guard shouted:
“They’re out! Hurry up!”
But I couldn’t move.
I don’t know what I am to him. I
don’t know if we should.
But he said:
“Eron… I chose to love you,
even though I knew in my world — love is forbidden.”
THE UNEXPECTED RESCUE
We reached the exit of the tunnel.
An armored van was waiting.
As we were going out —
there was a gun pointing out of the darkness.
POWWW!!!
I screamed:
“CELIA!!!”
But he wasn’t hit.
The guard joined.
We rushed into the car.
As the van was moving,
Celia was trembling next to me.
I grabbed his hand.
“Celia…
no matter what your past…
I won’t leave you.”
“And whoever is looking for you—
I’ll fight first.”
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she smiled.
“Eron… I
don’t know why someone like you would love me.”
I looked at him.
“Because my past didn’t love me, Celia.”
“But you…
you loved me before I knew myself.”
A NEW LIFE FULL OF DANGER AND HOPE
We’re safe… temporarily.
But the syndicate?
It’s not over yet.
And me?
I’m no longer just a 20-year-old welder.
I am now:
• Wife of the syndicate’s former mastermind
• Target of the most dangerous group
• Man guarded by woman with a past heavier than a mountain
And most importantly…
The boy they once wanted to kill —
now back as a man willing to fight for the woman who once saved him.
PART 3: THE NIGHT THE REAL WAR BEGINS — AND THE 20-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO IS NO LONGER JUST A WIFE… BUT A DEFENDER OF A WOMAN IN DANGER OF THE WHOLE WORLD
TWO DAYS LATER — THE SPEED OF THE STORM
Two days after our escape from the syndicate, we stayed in a safehouse in Batangas —
an old villa that was surrounded by bamboo, sea, and guards.
My name is Eron, 20.
And for those two days…
ever since I found out that my 60 year old wife, Celia,
used to be the mastermind of the most powerful syndicate and she was also the one who saved me as a child…
I couldn’t sleep.
It is not out of fear.
But because of the weight of the truth:
I’M THE REASON HE’S IN DANGER AGAIN.
Every night, I would see her sitting on the porch, crying silently as she looked out to sea.
She wasn’t crying for herself.
She was crying for ME.
THE THREAT WE DIDN’T SEE COMING
Around 3:00 a.m….
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
There were a series of explosions.
The guards shouted:
“AMBUSH! AMBUSH! ALL UNITS DEFENSE POSITION!”
Smoke billowed through the windows.
The gunfire echoed.
The screams of the men could be heard in the hallway.
I quickly got up and grabbed Celia.
“Celia, follow me!” Hurry up!”
But when he looked at me —
he wasn’t scared.
Her voice was shaky, but firm:
“Eron…
They didn’t come here for me.”
“They went… It’s for you.”
My eyes widened.
“HOW?? Bakit like???”
He took a deep breath.
“Because Eron…
You are the only child left from their raid in 2009.”
“And you are the secret…
which they have been looking for for a long time.”
I almost lost my breath.
THE TRUTH IS MORE THAN I EXPECTED
As the gunshots approached,
as the screams grew louder outside,
as the floor shook with the grenades—
Celia looked at me, holding both of my cheeks,
her voice almost broken:
“Eron… You are the son of their leader.”
My heart seemed to stop.
The surroundings seemed to be darkening.
It was as if the earth had collapsed.
I drifted away from him.
My body almost fell to the floor.
“Celia… hindi.
IMPOSIBLE.”
But he didn’t run away.
“Eron…
The Blood of the Man Who Led the Syndicate…
flowing with you.”
“And the syndicate now — looking for their true heir.”
“IKAW iyon.”
My body was shaking.
I couldn’t move for a few seconds.
A voice outside shouted:
“LOOK FOR THE CHILD!!
HE IS THE HEIR!!”
THE OUTBREAK OF A REAL WAR
Suddenly, the door swung open.
BOOOOM!!!
Three armed men entered.
I hid Celia behind my back.
“ERON! COME WITH US!
THE LEADERSHIP IS YOURS!
YOU ARE THE SON OF OUR BOSS!”
Sumigaw ako:
“I’M NOT LIKE HIM!!
I DON’T NEED YOU!”
But one of them came forward, saying:
“You don’t know much about it, kid.”
“Your mother… She is not an ordinary woman.”
They looked at Celia, mockingly.
“He was the reason your father died.”
I screamed:
“SHUT UP!!”
Celia, however, didn’t go away.
He walked over and stood in front of them.
“Oo.
How.”
My eyes widened.
“Celia…”
“… ano ibig mong sabihin???”
He took a deep breath.
“I was the one who gave the information to raid the syndicate.”
“I’m the reason your real father was killed.”
“And I saved you too… so that you don’t become like them.”
CHOOSING BETWEEN BLOOD AND LOVE
Everyone stopped.
Go ahead.
And so is the world.
I don’t know if to slap him,
hug him,
or yell at him.
But he took my hand, pleading:
“Eron…
I Killed Your Dad…
so that you can live.”
“At minahal kita…
NEVERTHELESS.”
The man approached with a gun:
“If you don’t come with us…”
We will kill him in front of you.”
My blood went up.
It felt like my head was blowing up.
I nodded at Celia on my back.
I shouted:
“YOU’RE GOING TO SHOOT ME —
NOT HIM!”
ANG PAGSAGIP
Before they could fire—
RATATATATAT!!!
Snipers of Celia’s guard arrived.
One by one, the men fell.
I tore the rope out of the window, pulling Celia out.
We ran towards the armored car as something exploded in the back.
He grabbed my arm as we ran.
“ERON!
PLEASE —
don’t hate me…”
Tumingin ako.
And in the midst of chaos, fire, explosion…
In the midst of all hell—
I saw the woman’s face in him.
• saved my life as a
child • kept a secret for 20 years
• loved me so much even though it was forbidden
• and now ready to die next to me
I grabbed her face tightly.
“CELIA…
I’m not going to leave you.
No matter what the past is.”
She cried.
Suddenly, he grabbed me with all his might.
THE ESCAPE THAT ISN’T OVER YET
We were in an armored car.
Everyone is shaking.
The back is exploding.
And the driver shouted:
“Sir Eron! Mrs. Celia!
It’s not over yet —
the whole Luzon is looking for you!”
I looked over at Celia.
“What are we going to do now?”
He grabbed my hand.
“Get ready, Eron…”
The real war has only just begun.”
PART 4: THE NIGHT THE HEIR’S TRUE BLOOD WAS FORCED OUT — AND THE LOVE THAT BECAME THE GREATEST WEAPON
THE JOURNEY TO THE UNKNOWN TOMORROW
The armored van shook loudly as it was riddled by bullets outside.
Celia’s bodyguards shouted:
“Hold on to the edge! BE PREPARED FOR THE IMPACT!”
My name is Eron, I am 20 years old.
But in that moment—
I don’t feel like a man…
I don’t feel like a wife…
I felt like a child of war.
I tried to stop shaking as I hugged Celia in the car.
“Eron… if anything happens to me—”
“SHUT UP.”
“Listen to me…”
“No. I will be with you till my last breath.”
She shed tears.
Not because he was afraid of dying—
but because he was afraid of losing me.
THE PLACE THAT REVEALS HIS TRUE IDENTITY
An hour later, we stopped at an old warehouse in Cebu—
a location Celia pointed out.
He was silent.
It was as if a memory was being restored.
“Celia… Why are we here?”
“Eron… This is where I first went into hiding when I fled the syndicate.”
“And here, too…
I first found out who your father was.”
We walked through an old metal door.
He opened the padlock with a key he had been hiding for a long time.
His loob—
THOUSANDS OF PAPERS.
LEAFLETS.
OLD COMPUTERS.
PICTURES.
MAPS.
NAMES.
Parang crime museum.
But in the middle of the table—there was a folder with my name on it.
“ERON DELA CRUZ – PRIORITY”
My hand trembled as I opened it.
The first picture?
I—as a child—sat in a crate, crying.
The second picture?
My father—
The former head of the syndicate.
At sa ilalim:
“TARGET: RECRUIT AND TRAIN THE CHILD.”
“HEIR TO LEAD THE FUTURE FACTION.”
My knee fell.
“THEY WANTED ME TO BE RAISED AS A CRIMINAL…”
Celia was silent, her voice almost interrupting:
“And that’s why I ran away from you.”
“I killed your father.”
“You don’t want to be an animal like them.”
I groaned.
I couldn’t stop myself.
Not because I’m angry—
but because of my 20 years of life…
I have never understood why I lived.
DISCOVERING THE WORST NEWS
The bodyguard’s radio rang out:
“Ma’am! Sir! All three convoys are on our radar—going here!”
I stood up.
The tears dried up.
Engulfed in flames.
“Celia… I’m not going to run anymore.”
“Eron—”
“I’ve been running all my life.”
“Now that I know who I am—not anymore.”
I walked over to him, grabbing his hand.
“You were the one who saved me.”
“Now is my time to save you.”
Umiyak siya.
THE EMERGENCE OF THE TRUE HEIR
I was in full gear in a bulletproof bodyguard vest.
Standing in front of the warehouse door.
Celia was behind me, trembling but confident.
Outside—
the sound of the engine could be heard, the convoy was coming.
The Commander of the Guards observed:
“Sir Eron… when you get out of there, you’re no longer an ordinary person—”
“I’ve never been an ordinary person since birth.”
The guard approached, bowing.
“If you are the heir to the leader…
Sir, we are on your side.”
They knelt down first.
The other five are second.
We had fourteen security forces with us.
Armed with a gun, they stabbed a 20-year-old man.
I, who never thought of leading.
I grew up without a father.
I, now…
son of the leader.
She is the wife of a woman who has fled the world.
Celia came over, grabbing my shoulder.
“Eron…
I didn’t create you to be a leader of the syndicate.”
I looked at him.
“No.
But I can be a better leader than all of them.”
Her mouth was open.
“Eron…”
“… You don’t have to be like your father.”
I smiled softly.
“I’m not going to be like him.”
“I would do the opposite.”
“I’m going to be the last one to put an end to all of them.”
FACE TO FACE WHAT IS TO COME
At that moment—
the door opened.
The men were armed outside.
Their leader shouted:
“ERON DELA CRUZ! YOUR FATHER LOVES YOU—COME ALONG!”
I walked out, gun in hand.
Everyone stopped what I was doing.
I looked straight at the enemies.
Silence.
Steadfast.
“I DON’T ASSOCIATE WITH CRIMINALS.”
“COME WITH ME…
SO THAT I CAN FINISH YOU.”
THEY WERE STOPPED.
Even the bodyguards behind me—watching.
Celia—held it in her mouth.
It wasn’t because he was scared.
But for the first time…
He saw the courage of the boy he had once saved—
now the man who was ready to save him back.
PART 5 — THE FINAL WAR“THE WAR IS NO LONGER FOR THE PAST — BUT FOR THE LOVE THAT NO SYNDICATE CAN DEFEAT.”
THE SILENCE BEFORE THE STORM
The sky was still dark when I, Eron, stood in front of the warehouse.
I was wearing a tactical vest, with a gun in my waist, blood on my sleeve—I didn’t know if it was mine or the enemy’s.
Behind me, my 60-year-old wife, Celia, was holding my arm.
He will not be intimidated.
But tonight—I saw something I had never seen before:
I was scared of losing myself.
“Eron… Daughter… My Wife…
If we lose tonight—”
“We’re invincible.”
I grabbed her cheek.
“I didn’t fight to win the war.
I’m fighting to heal your wounds.”
He closed his eyes.
There were tears that wanted to fall.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE THREE CONVOYS
The sound of the engine was heard.
The headlights flickered in the darkness.
There are three convoys.
Twenty-five were armed.
Their leader came down—SALVADOR, my father’s right-hand man.
Tall.
There is a scar on the eye.
There was a voice that sounded like steel.
“ERON DELA CRUZ.”
“You are our boss’s son.
“Why are you behind that?”
He nodded to Celia.
Tumindig dugo ko.
“TRAIDOR??
He saved my life!”
Salvador laughed.
“Have you been saved?
“Son, he killed your father!”
Sumigaw si Celia:
“I DID THIS SO HE WOULDN’T KILL HIS OWN SON.”
Everyone was stunned.
Me too.
Salvador ngumisi:
“Eron?
He is not his son.”
My heart stopped.
“… year?”
Salvador approached—slowly, like a lion approaching the deer.
“You are not our boss’s son.”
“You are his brother’s son.”
“You are the true heir.”
“And Celia—
she’s the one hiding you from us.”
I couldn’t breathe.
My eyes sparkled.
The world is spinning.
“Celia…
totoo ba ‘to?”
He stopped.
It didn’t blink.
“CELIA!?”
He embraced me suddenly—tightly, desperately.
“Eron…
I didn’t save you because of orders…
but because you are a son—
SON OF THE MAN I ONCE LOVED.”
Parang piniga ang put ko.
THE HISTORY I DIDN’T ASK TO KNOW
I looked up at Celia—
the woman I had thought of as my wife, protector, savior.
But tonight…
He also was:
• hid me
• saved me as a baby
• took me away from the world of crime
• and loved me as someone who grew out of the wounds of his past
Salvador cried out:
“Give us the heir!”
“And your traitorous husband is going to die!”
He pointed at Celia with a gun.
And that’s when my head popped out.
I literally couldn’t feel my body as I screamed:
“YOU CAN’T TAKE HIM AS LONG AS I LIVE!”
THE FIRST BLAST
BANG!!!
A sniper from the rooftop.
I was stunned.
But before the bullet hit—
SINALO, NOR CELIA.
Straight to the shoulder.
He slumped to the ground.
“CELIAAAA!!!”
I got down on my knees, grabbed him.
Blood.
Many.
Hot.
“Eron… Don’t give up…”
“Don’t let yourself be the next leader of their hell…”
“You’re my last hope…”
My voice cracked:
“YOU WON’T LOSE… You won’t be leaving… CELIA!!”
I stood—anger I had never known myself.
THE UNFORGIVABLE WAR
I yelled at the bodyguards:
“PROTECT CELIA!!”
And me?
I went out on my own.
Looking at 25 enemies.
They shot me.
I shot them.
The bullet ricocheted off the wall.
The car exploded.
The screams echoed.
The night was screaming.
In the midst of the fire…
I heard Salvador’s voice:
“Eron!
You are not a criminal!”
Sumagot ako:
“RIGHT!
I’M NOT A CRIMINAL—
BUT I’M NOT A COWARD EITHER!”
THE LAST BLOODSHED OF CRIME
With most of his men outnumbered,
Salvador approached—gun in hand.
“It’s over, Eron.”
“Come along.”
I raised my gun.
“No.
I will finish you off.”
Hold your breath.
Going home to heaven.
Smoke is all around.
“If I were a child of criminal blood—
I’d be the one to END YOUR RACE.”
BANG!!!
Salvador was stabbed in the chest.
Collapsed.
And when he fell—his syndicate’s name fell, too.
It’s over.
I’M GOING BACK TO CELIA
I hurriedly ran back.
Celia lay on the floor, stunned.
I hugged him, shaking.
“Celia… please…
huwag mo akong iwan…”
He smiled softly.
“Eron…
You are the son of a man I love…
You are the man I have loved all my life.”
“If tomorrow …
i’m still alive…
You are the reason.”
I squeezed his hand.
“CELIA… I’m not going to leave you.”
“I’m not going to let you save me twice.”
“Now I will save you.”
And I carried him out of the warehouse as the morning caught the sky.
EPILOGUE: THE NEW LIFE
Three months passed.
Celia was recovering—slowly but alive.
I learned how to run my business.
I have removed all of the illegal accounts.
reported to the authorities.
Abandoning the law.
Ako at Celia?
She is no longer married and “a woman with secrets.”
He is no longer a Savior or a Savior.
Kami ni Celia ngayon…
They lived in a house with a garden together.
There is a peace that he has not had in 60 years.
And me?
Eron…
20 years old…
The man who ended the blood race, and initiated the love race.
PART 6 — THE TOMORROW THAT IS NO LONGER HIDDEN: THE DAY THE REAL ENEMY ARRIVES
AFTER THE WAR — THE SILENCE MINGLED WITH FEAR
It’s been 3 months since I finished the show.
I’m Eron, 20 years old,
the guy who brought down the group led by my own blood.
Celia, my wife, 60 years old,
the woman who once saved me, sometimes hid from me,
once almost died in front of me…
Now he is sitting in the garden, watering the plants.
He still had a scar on his shoulder — a scar that would never go away.
I grabbed him by the back.
“Celia… How are you?”
“It would be better, son… This is my wife.”
I smiled.
Bitter but happy.
We thought it was all over.
We thought we could live a normal life.
We thought the running and hiding was over.
But the war…
Once upon a time there was a name that had not yet been published.
THE LETTER THAT NO ONE SENT
One morning, we found an envelope lying on the porch table.
There is no courier.
There was no one in the cameras.
There is no license plate number.
On the front it reads:
“ERON DELA CRUZ – PERSONAL”
My blood was cold.
I opened it.
There was only one piece of paper inside.
It’s just one sentence.
“THE GAME ISN’T OVER YET, MY BROTHER’S SON.”
At sa ibaba:
— THE GREAT
Celia looked up.
Her breath was cut off.
“Eron…
Oh my god… He is still alive…”
“Celia, who is El Magno?”
“Eron… He is the true leader of the syndicate.
He is your father’s brother.”
“And he was the man who could kill a people… if he wants to.”
I shuddered.
The Great.
The Ghost.
The Mastermind.
The Butcher.
The man that Interpol has been looking for for 20 years.
And now
I’m the one he wants to get.
THE MAN IN THE CHURCH
In the evening, I went with Celia to light a candle in the church.
Silence.
There is no one.
But as we walked out…
There was a man sitting on the bench, with his back to him, wearing a jacket, a hat, a cane.
He stood up slowly.
“Eron…
The Son Who Should Be King of My World.”
Huminated puso ko.
Malacca tibok.
Celia took my hand—tightly.
“Ikaw… yes the great?”
He walked closer, silently, like a snake.
“My nephew killed his own father… And my brother.”
“I’m not going to kill.
I defended myself.”
He laughed.
Moon.
Deep.
“Son, I’m not here to kill.”
“I’m here to get you.”
THE RECORD OF THE FACTS THAT BROUGHT US TO A HALT
He pulled out an old photo album.
He tossed it at my feet.
I opened it.
It’s my picture.
Young.
There was a toy.
Sitting with a woman—
It is not Celia.
Not a stranger.
“That’s your mother, Eron,” he said.
I was stunned.
“What are you saying?”
Celia nodded, tears streaming down her face.
“Eron… I didn’t tell you because—”
“SHUT UP!”
Sigaw or El Magno.
He approached me.
“Your mother…
She is not a simple woman.”“She was the woman I loved.”
“And you…
You are the son I should have been.”
It felt like my brain was blowing up.
“Hindi ka tate!”
Ngumisi siya.
“I don’t need DNA to be a father.”
“My brother’s blood — my blood too.”“And your blood…
IT SHOULD HAVE SERVED ME.”
He turned to Celia.
“And you, Celia…
You stole the child who was supposed to grow up as my son.”
Celia was stunned.
“I took him because you were going to kill him!”
“That’s right!” shouted El Magno.
“BECAUSE I WILL NOT ALLOW MY BROTHER’S SON TO BE THE NEXT TO MY THRONE!”
I was stunned.
“Do you want to kill me?”
“NO.”
“I want to train you.”
“And I want you to bring back to me the woman I once loved—
your mother.”
I shuddered.
“How do I bring back the dead?”
He looked at me…
Deep…
The Darkness of the Night.
“He’s not dead, Eron.”
“… He’s alive.
And it’s in my hands.”
THE WHISPER THAT BROKE MY SOUL
Sumigaw ako:
“WHERE IS HE!?”
El Magno whispered in my ear.
At bumulong:
“If you want to see your mother…
Leave it to Celia.
Come with me.”
I shuddered.
Celia fell to her knees, crying.
“Eron…
Daughter…
DON’T.”
Ngumiti si El Magno.
“Close.
Your wife is 60 years old…
Or is your mother alive?”
And there…
Blood flowed through my brain.
My heart ached.
My soul was bleeding.
Celia sumigaw:
“YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR PAST, ERON!”
But El Magno blinked.
And said the sentence that brought my world to a halt:
“Son… “Your mother is looking for you every day.”
THE LOSS OF CELIA
When I turned around for a moment…
It has a metallic sound.
CLING.
CHACK.
When I looked back—
El Magno pointed a gun at Celia’s head.
“A wrong answer…
There will be only one person crying in the cemetery.”
I don’t know what to do.
I can’t.
And before I can speak—
BOOOOM!!!
El Magno’s men attacked us.
Messed up.
There was a blast.
There was a scream.
I got hit in the head with a rifle butt.
Before I lost consciousness—
the last thing I saw:
Celia was pulled into a black car.
Crying.
Screaming.
I was looking for my name.
“ERON!!!
SON!!!!!!!!”
WAKING UP IN THE WHITE ROOM
I woke up in a clinic.
My flesh is just a thing.
And on the table—there was a note.
Notice not even the great.
“Look for me.
If you love your wife.”
“And if you want to see your mother —
this is the only way.”
On the back of the note:
Coordinates.
Located on an island.
And time.
THE END OF PART 6
My name is Eron.
20 years old.
Criminal blood.
A human heart.
And tonight —
nothing can stop me.
Not to be their leader.
Not to be their son.
But to save the two women I love the most—
the husband who saved me…
My mother had been dead for a long time.
In the darkness of the window, I said to myself:
“EL MAGNO…
darating ako.”
And I repented with anger and love:
“And when I come—
I won’t be an heir…
It will be your end.”