CHAPTER TEN
✨ "The Meeting of the Diwata and the Sugo"
A few minutes had passed in the town of Urdaneta while the celebration was underway in the plaza. The event was lavish and loud, filled with people dancing.
The crowd was vibrant and delighted as performers danced on the stage prepared by the City Hall for the day.
In the middle of the celebration, a few people suddenly started running through the area.
Others didn't know what was happening to them, but they were panicking and rushing toward the crowd.
This quickly caused chaos and alerted the Guardia Civil.
The police immediately surrounded the mayor's position in case of a stampede. They formed a barrier with their shields to protect their mayor.
They immediately assumed this was due to the rebels, but they saw no attackers around them. The mayor could only look at the Governor-General's reaction, who seemed to be waiting for the start of the trouble.
"It's time to hunt the rats," the General said.
The mayor quickly approached him, begging him to take it easy because of the businessmen in town who might get caught up in the chaos, but as usual, the General had no interest in indulging the mayor.
The General rose from his seat and brushed aside the old man blocking his path. He called the police and directly ordered them to kill any rebels they saw attacking.
"You will leave none of those rebels alive. We will make this a bloody day for the indios," he said.
The police began to scatter and took out their high-caliber weapons.
They prepared their mobile cars around the plaza.
But they were greatly perplexed because even though people continued to run from a distance, they saw no rebels attacking or causing violence.
"Mayor! Bad news!"
A police officer rushed over to the mayor to report events in the city, where giant tree monsters were attacking.
According to him, an unusual creature with a body like a tree was rampaging, destroying and smashing everything in its path.
The mayor didn't believe him and was angry at what he thought was a ridiculous report from his men.
"Idiots, get yourselves together, you're ruining my birthday. What are you talking about, giant trees walking on the street?" he said furiously.
A moment later, they suddenly felt the ground shaking. The tremors occurred every three seconds.
This was accompanied by a loud sound, like the pounding of footsteps.
They looked toward the end of the street, about a kilometer from their position in the plaza, and saw massive objects approaching.
They were greatly shocked to see a colossal, moving tree walking in their direction from afar, while numerous other tree monsters ran around it.
The people there couldn't react immediately and seemed mesmerized by the sight. Car alarms went off due to the tremors, which continued to intensify, caused by the footsteps of the gigantic trees.
"Damn it, what the heck are those things?" the city mayor exclaimed.
"It looks like the rebels prepared their birthday gift for you very well, Mister Mayor," the General commented.
The mayor immediately approached General Slasher, desperately begging him to do something about the rebels.
"Shut up. I don't care if the people in your town die, but don't worry, I will still hunt them, as that is my duty," he said, brushing aside the mayor who was clinging to him.
While the attack was happening in town, Erik was alone in a hut in the Siklaon camp, as the group had left to execute the attack.
After the events, he did nothing but sit on a sofa facing a small table, waiting for Alfredo to return, as he had promised.
An electric lamp on the small table lit the room, and the only sound was the crickets outside. His mind was muddled with thoughts, and he couldn't decide what to do next: whether to just wait or leave the area.
Was waiting for his friend's return worthwhile, when he clearly didn't agree with his friend's desire to annihilate people just to reclaim their town?
He didn't know if he could still face his friend if he succeeded, as he would be considered a demon-like destroyer of people.
At that moment, the mysterious woman suddenly appeared in front of Erik and sat on the small table facing the young man.
~ Erik's PoV ~
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to do anything?" she said.
I didn't know what the woman in front of me meant by her question, nor did I know why she was here when her mission was to follow Alfredo.
She asked me again what I thought of Alfredo's actions, who was now proceeding with his plan of revolt against the Spaniards.
My only answer was to shake my head. She knew I disliked it, but she also knew I was taking Alfredo's side because of how close I was to him, seeing him almost like an older brother.
"He wants to avenge his parents' death, and because he is desperate to accomplish this, he sacrificed the entire membership of his grou..." she said.
"Stop it!" I suddenly shouted to silence her.
I abruptly stopped her from speaking, but she continued to emphasize Alfredo's wicked plans, as if he were a terribly evil person using people for his own ends.
"He sacrificed his current family to avenge the memory of his deceased parents, but for what? It seems like madness, doesn't it?" she said.
At that point, I stood up and shouted at the woman again to stop speaking against Alfredo. I tried to stop her, seemingly defending my friend's actions.
I lashed out at her from my seat without thinking.
I grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back onto the small table where she was sitting, trying to make her understand that Alfredo wasn't a murderer as she claimed.
"Stop it! Alfredo is not a bad person!!!"
A spirit like her truly knew nothing about what Alfredo was feeling. He lost his parents right in front of him and endured that sorrow. He had blamed himself for a long time for not using the diwata's power to save them at that time.
If you think about it, he was just doing what was necessary. That's right, this was what needed to happen for everything to be fair and for justice to be served.
I felt his genuine care for every member of Siklaon, like siblings, mothers, and fathers, so I knew Alfredo didn't want to endanger his comrades and see them die.
I was sure of that, but nonetheless, he became desperate because he had no other option to succeed against the Spaniards but to use Tayog's power.
Siklaon was a group ready to sacrifice their lives for the Filipinos abused by the Spaniards in the city, so what was wrong with what Alfredo did?
How could he be a traitor to his family in Siklaon when every one of them knew what their lives were dedicated to?
"Even now, you still hold him in high regard and treat him like a hero," the mysterious woman interjected while I was speaking.
"They will die for the noble goal of freeing the Filipinos. To me, they are heroes of the country." I insisted stubbornly.
"So, he used his comrades' lives for his plan to massacre the Spaniards? Do you think that is the work of a hero?" she countered again.
At that point, I seemed to snap back to reality and suddenly let go of her.
I couldn't fathom it, but my anger and frenzy seemed to vanish as soon as I heard what she said.
I could only step backward and sit back down in my chair, pondering those thoughts.
"Only noble things are done by heroes, and I think this is far from what your friend is doing."
I realized that she might be right in saying that heroes only do noble things, and that was vastly different from what Alfredo was doing now.
Maybe I was wrong to assume Alfredo was a good person. He was kind to me, and I deeply valued his care and concern, like an older brother.
"I grew up with no one else who cared and worried about me like an older brother the way Alfredo did. I hoped it would continue. Wrong, I wanted it to continue, which is why I couldn't bring myself to be angry at him despite the wrong he's doing," I told her.
"So, you're just going to let him do what he wants, even if it's not right?" she said to me.
She replied as if blocking what I was saying. I didn't get what she wanted to say, but even if I disliked what Alfredo was doing, there was nothing I could do.
Even if I opposed it, nothing would change. I could only sit here like a useless person, waiting for the result, and that was the truth.
The woman sat on the small table she was lying on and said to me, "It's not true that you can't do anything. Between the two of us, you should know better that you can do something." she said.
I was surprised by what she said and stared into her red eyes.
Here, I suddenly recalled what she had said before about my status as a Sugo that I still hadn't accepted. I had no idea what power I would gain, but I felt a sudden desire to accept it.
"Do you want to stop him using your power as a Sugo?"
I was surprised when she said something as if reading my mind. She mentioned that the Sugo's power was unique. Not just because it could stop enemies, but because it could save lives.
To be a light of hope, a hero to everyone.
A power that could change the situation. A power possessed only by the heroes of the town. That's right, a power that could be used to help and save people.
But wait, if I did gain it, where would I use it?
I was too excited by the idea that I could do something, but if I did gain it, what would I do?
Would I use it to stop him from his plan? But if I did that, it meant I would be fighting Alfredo, and if I helped him, I would be facing the Spaniards.
"But if I succeed in stopping Tayog, the sacrifice of Siklaon will be meaningless, and the abuse of the Spaniards on the Filipinos in town will continue," I whispered to myself.
"It feels like everything is useless. I can't fight, and especially not kill anyone, so how can I stop a battle?" I added.
The surroundings fell silent for a moment, and I started to sulk again, as if beginning to lose hope of doing anything about the situation.
I was so foolish to think I could do something if I gained power, when I never even fought with other children because I was afraid of getting hurt, so what could I do in a real fight? When I go to that battlefield, what will I do?
"I can't stop Tayog or the Spaniards. I can't do anything." I whispered with my eyes closed, disappointed with my own weakness.
The place was silent for a moment, and we just seemed to be waiting for time to pass. The mysterious woman sensed my weakening spirit and my lack of self-confidence, so she thought of a way to help me.
"Is that truly what you think?" the mysterious woman suddenly said, standing up from the small table to approach me.
She knelt in front of me while I was seated on the sofa, and then the woman brought her face close to mine until our foreheads touched.
At that moment, I suddenly felt a presence, like electricity flowing through my body when our foreheads touched.
I couldn't speak and suddenly stopped my negative thoughts because my full attention was on the mysterious woman in front of me.
A moment later, she closed her eyes, as if sensing my presence as a Sugo while saying:
"A hero saves lives, and is not a bringer of death. Just because you stop him doesn't mean you have to kill him. Not all the time is blood required to achieve success."
A very light presence enveloped me, as if lifting my body. I gradually saw a white aura emanating from her body until we were surrounded by it, as if trapped in a cage of light. This aura felt incredibly soothing.
I could no longer see the appearance of the room I was in because of the white aura surrounding us both. A moment later, the light consumed us, and the things around me vanished, as if we were transported to a white dimension.
"Remember this: not everyone you fight is an enemy. You will stop them to save, not to destroy," she suddenly told me.
Here, the woman asked me if I wanted to save Alfredo and Siklaon from the evil they were embracing. At that moment, I truly had no idea how, but I replied without hesitation.
"I will save them to the best of my ability."
At that point, she held my eyes and told me to close them.
"Remember this: only noble things are done by a hero, and sacrificing one's life for a cause, as your friend is doing, is merely an escape. You don't need to die to be called a hero, because you have something far more important to fulfill."
"Erik, you need to be the strength of every person."
My eyes gradually closed, and I felt a change in my surroundings. Here, I felt a cool wind touching my body. I could hear the humming of the wind and the chirping of birds.
I slowly opened my eyes. It was then that I realized I was floating in the air with my arms outstretched, and when I lowered them, I was shocked by what I saw.
Because, for the first time, I was in a plain filled with flowers and plants. I observed the incredibly peaceful surroundings.
The clear sky, the pure white clouds, the fresh air I breathed as it passed me, the clear water flowing in the river, and the animals and birds playing around me.
It was amazing to see a place like this. But then I suddenly thought, why was I in a place like this?
Everything was unclear to me how I got there, and I was puzzled by the disappearance of the mysterious woman who was with me earlier.
In the middle of my contemplation, a mysterious voice suddenly spoke, and it came from behind me.
"What do you think of my home?" it said.
My eyes widened when I recognized her voice. Memories of my fragmented dreams, where I heard that voice, flashed through my mind.
I quickly turned to see the owner of the voice, and as I turned around at that moment, a strong wind suddenly blew, forcing my eyes shut again.
But...
At that moment, when I lowered my arms and opened my eyes again, I saw a beautiful woman standing in the middle of the flowers in front of me.
She was smiling at me, and her blue eyes, as blue as the sky, gazed at me.
A young woman with white hair that had yellow tips on each strand. She wore an unusual dress resembling traditional Ifugao tribal clothing, while on her head, she wore a headband with two feathers on the side as decoration. The wind carried three ribbon-like strands behind her that had stars at the end.
I couldn't explain why my heart felt so happy, as if I felt incredibly light when I saw her.
I felt excited and captivated to finally see the full appearance of the woman I had only guessed at from the chaotic memories of my fragmented dreams.
She smiled at me and said, "How are you, my Sugo?"
At that moment, I realized that the woman from my weird dream, who was now in front of me, was the guardian diwata they referred to in the story, and she had chosen me to succeed her in her duty.
As a Sugo of the Diwata.
At that time, I couldn't take my eyes off her, perhaps because I was mesmerized by this diwata's beauty, or maybe because I couldn't believe the diwata from my dream was real.
But in the middle of our silence while facing each other, the diwata suddenly said something that greatly puzzled me.
"Ah... um... May I ask, my Sugo, why are you here?" the diwata asked curiously, with her hands on her hips.
"Huh?!" I replied briefly.
~ End of Chapter ~