Until Heavien decided to meet Leonthan's relative, his uncle. She was here now at his uncle's house. Thanks to social media, she was able to locate his address. She pressed the doorbell, and someone who was wearing a company uniform approached her. He called out to the person she was seeking.
"Hija, what can I do for you?" Leonthan's uncle is a fine man in his late 40s. He's wearing casual home clothes. And obviously wealthy. They sat on the sofa in the living room. He drank his coffee.
She had no time to waste. "I'm going straight at it. Do you know someone named Leonthan Hortaia and Shaunrey Hortaia?" This was her direct question.
He was stunned for a moment and fell silent. Did he know something?
"I don't know if this is just a coincidence, but I don't know those names. Frankly, I never heard of it. Oddly, someone has their things here in my house. I'm single and don't have a family of my own, but have the names, 'Leonthan' and 'Shaunrey', on some of the stuff here."
She saw that there were people from a moving company moving some belongings inside the mansion. They must have hired them to move a lot of unfamiliar stuff in this mansion.
"They are the things that I do not own. It's a mystery why it ended up here."
She observed the mansion. There was a large box. Inside it were bags, books, school supplies, video games, and more. She instantly burst into tears when she saw some familiar things inside it. This was Leonthan's bag and his brother, Shaunrey's, belongings. Some of their stuff still had their names on it.
She wiped her tears. "Can I have them?" she requested to their uncle.
"Okay, I don't mind. There's a lot more upstairs in the two bedrooms. We gave away the others and threw them away." He was a little confused by what she asked. "I'll give you those, but what for?"
"I just want to take these things that are no longer familiar to you." She smiled sparingly.
Before leaving the mansion and taking home the large box, she said goodbye.
"You no longer remember the relatives who are important to you," she said, handing him a photo. "I hope you keep this photo."
It was a photo of Leonthan and Shaunrey together with their uncle. They were smiling and sounded so happy.
The uncle is shocked, staring at the picture. "I don't have any idea how this picture was taken… But I won't mind keeping this."
He no longer asked more questions. There might be some sort of awakening that he became familiar with those faces.
Heavien left the mansion carrying the box filled with belongings. She rode a public vehicle to go home. She entered the house. Her mother and brother invited her to eat a snack, but she went up to her room first. She also missed her room, her haven.
She opened the box and saw Leonthan and Shaunrey's belongings. She got to know Shaunrey even better through his stuff left in their uncle's house. Leonthan had a collection of classic books that he read. There were also piano music sheets. He also had math, science, English, and history books. She read his lecture notes. This was exactly what his handwriting looked like. She laughed at his doodles on the back of his notebook.
When she turned to the last page of his notebook, she saw something written, 'Heavien Cyre Luvitos'.
What could Leonthan be thinking while writing her name on the back of his notebook?
She put his and his brother's belongings in the box again. She got off and went to their yard. She dug up the ground and burned the box full of Leonthan's and Shaunrey's memories. When it turned to ashes, she covered it with dirt and a large rock on it. This would be the grave of their memories. The memories she'd regained slowly started from the least significant to the most significant ones. No wonder she remembered her not-so-close classmates easily, but not her dearest group of people—her best friends, family, Leonthan, and even her own identity came last.
They ended up protecting each other. They ended up saving each other. They ended up caring for each other. He didn't want to lose her, but he ended up losing himself. How heartbreaking could this be?
Heavien went back to her room. She hid a photo of Leonthan and pinned it in her journal notebook. She sat down at her study table. She rummaged through the drawers, and she saw a big notebook. A sketch pad!
She immediately opened it and burst into tears when she saw Battle 21. She grabbed a pencil and an eraser quickly. After a few minutes, it was done as well. Only battle 21 was in the drawing because she drew it when they were in the castle. And at that time, Eleventh, who was Shaunrey and Jecko were considered dead, so she couldn't draw them. Since Jecko showed up in the last game and she saw Shaunrey in the nth planet's cemetery, she inserted them both into the drawing. She included herself, too. She lifted the sketch pad and smiled. Battle 24 was now complete.
Starting from first to the twenty-fourth player; Leonthan Hortaia, Heavien Cyre Luvitos, Brenille Artheo, Rochevel Javinendo, Rochedan Javinendo, Sixth, Seventh, Myriana Quevas, Alexus Pavett, Tenth, Shaunrey Hortaia, Twelf, Jecko Noman, Forzen, Fifzen, Yriel Evirez, Sevenzen, Seyah Miaje, Trake Lo Vega, Twentieth, Firstwen, Nadine Tarris, Karson Lu, and Fortwen.
She requested Author for the names of her friends that she never had a chance to know, but it didn't favor her. Not all the 23 dead players had their real names on the cemetery. One would never know the names of those who died early unless one reached a certain level where one regained memories or other co-players told them. How unfortunate, but at least she had this sketchpad with her. Author did not give her an acknowledgment gift for winning the fifth tri-games because she simply played again and used the 'time' to play again.
She smiled because Author couldn't stand her, and here was her sketchpad that came from the nth planet. Author still gave this as a gift.
She searched further in her drawer and found a compilation. It was just pure bond paper with binder clips. This was the comic she made after she won the fourth tri-games. She wrote and drew this for 60 days before she could totally forget the game. She typed everything about the game and drew it before. It consisted of 40 chapters, including the prologue and an epilogue.
A story not just written by the author's fictitious mind but experienced through the game itself. Confused values, mixed emotions, and contemplations. A comic that was not just to entertain, inspire, and gain popularity, but to remember the tragic events until the author loses memories of the game. A game and story that would confuse one between illusion and reality.
She thought that the survival game was finally over, but would she be able to survive forgetting everything that happened? It seemed like it was even worse than when she was playing tri-games. There were times when she felt lonely because she was left alone to be the sole winner. She wondered what happened to the first and second tri-games.
What happened to the winners? And how were they coping?
Even so, she thought of a way. A way not only would she benefit, but everyone would. No one who lived on Earth would have any memories of Battle 23, but they would live through the comic she wrote. Despite being dead, leaving the world with a legacy would live in the hearts of every person.
She knew what the title of her comic would be. It was simple yet straightforward. 'Triumphant Game'.
It turned out writing had never been a passion of hers, but the tragic events of the game motivated her to do it.
Heavien wondered...
Who would be the next players?