Naglakad ako palayo sa kalsada. I needed noise. I needed chaos to drown her out. Pumasok ako sa isang lumang arcade sa Recto. The sounds of cheap synthesizers and button mashing filled the air. Pero hindi sapat.

"Bakit mo siya pinatawad?"

Napahinto ako. The voice didn't come from my ears. It vibrated directly into my skull. It was a woman's voice. Cold. Shattered.

"Hindi ko siya pinatawad," bulong ko sa sarili ko, gripping the joystick of a broken machine. "Kinain ko lang ang utang niya."

"Magnanakaw," she hissed. Suddenly, my vision warped. The arcade machine in front of me turned into a bloody staircase. I could smell the metallic scent of fresh blood mixed with the arcade's stale cigarette smoke.

Napaluhod ako. People started looking. "Boy, adik ka ba?" someone asked.

I wanted to tell them to run. Instead, I laughed. A dry, painful laugh. Kasi hindi nila alam kung gaano sila kaswerte. They only have their own demons to fight. Ako? I fight everyone else's.

"Umalis kayo," I growled. My eyes felt like they were burning gold. The hunger was changing. Before, it wanted sin. Now... it wants justice.

And for a Sin Eater, justice is poison.