7 Chapter 2 - Alluring Nightmare

Part 1

Finally, the merchant ship was tired enough floating into the wilderness of the ocean for almost a half year and had dropped the anchor at the port of Pantala Empire in this early morning.

At the grandiose port, different ships stood by, all types sea vessels and boats, from small and big, new and old. Some were magical ships ran by mana peacefully docked on this port too, which were heavily armed with cannons.

That must been my Papang had been afraid of. Hmm, definitely bad news to any peaceful and more humble community like ours.

Now, it was pass early morning.

The sea gulls noisily chirping, settling down at the folded sails as the different ships anchored in the port. I had already bid my goodbyes and 'see you again' with the old man and his crews, in which, some of them awkwardly cried while others donned their singled-tooth smiles. The old man gave me instruction where I should go.

Heck! He only said that I should just walk straight to the exit gate then gave me a big thumps up and a smile before my butt was literally kicked out from the ship. That was it. How inconsiderate of him.

Nevertheless, I waved them a proper goodbye and never looked back.

After bidding our 'sayonara's, I walked with my sling bag and the pair of arnis' baston hanging in my back. I had only with a virtual map in my mind. Inside the sling bag, the pixie was still logging Z's, deeply succumbed by the dizziness on her empty head. She also secretly dunked some ale on her mouth last night.

Aaaah….

It was always the same as I wandered in this cities and towns, early folks had their discerning eyes staring at me.

Ha! I am unaffected with that.

Well, I would blame not them though.

A young man wearing in his tribal clothes that left his scarred chest and bellies bare open was walking on the middle of the road. Even I, if I were to see a young man with such strange attire would be curious enough to have a querying look.

I had replaced my 'bahag' with the brown trouser that the old man gave. It would be so much of embarrassment if I were to step in the middle of the town predominated with city people openly swinging my arse as I confidently walk around covering only my manhood and my arse hole. Basically, 'bahag' is just a g – string, or for some, a piece of clothe that wrapped around the groin. Of course, I became conscious enough not to bring myself to be a center of crowd's attention. Still, I think the way my upper tribal clothes seen by the people were unfamiliar or strange. Perhaps not only my clothes, the tribal tattoos on my right arm and the light-blue bandana tight in my forehead were also had their fault.

Casting their stares, their murmur, their murmur… or even their murmur aside, people had already scattered in the roads, busy even though it was just pass early morning.

That's a major city for you.

Line two-storey buildings had already opened since long ago and their windows were letting the morning sun to come in. Some crowds were vigorously shouting their precious merchandises and the rhythmic sound of the carriages' hooves were already running down on the cemented road.

The town houses and stores were properly organized. I mean, the white buildings of the city were aligned along the criss-crossing streets. Garbage and the likes were almost lost their meaning, as they were not seen in the tidy streets. Streetlights were lineup. This city was on the next level on what I seen in those previous towns and cities.

I continued strolling towards the port's exit gate and as I grew closing to the gate, more and more of crowds welcomed my eyes, which means, their nonsense buzzing also intensified. Buzzing, for I could not understand what they say. For me, it was as if I was listening to the bees buzzing busily while swarming on their newly acquired beehive.

Speaking of which, a mid-aged woman, who was holding her merchandise while mumbling some advertising tone, interrupted my rubbernecking. I bet she was selling it to me. Well, what other else?

I just simply ignored with a passing look at her that made her stopped murmuring as if she turned into stone, by the way. That's a new way of 'ignoring' nuisance now; looking them in the eyes.

The crowds, the houses and the big stores, their buzzing noises, the lively town, even though I had already seen this settings, no matter how many times I had seen things, they would still leave me astonished and bemused. My sparkling eyes would wander itself to the hectic scene without me knowing while my open mouth left open.

A grandiose gate was ahead of me now, the exit gate. Designed with artistic carvings in the arch, the arch's zenith was a figure of a winged man, an angel, holding a staff with a pair of wings on its tip. To me, it somehow looked like a dove. Nevertheless, it was majestic.

Maybe a patron or a symbol for a religion, or something...

As I approached the exit way of the gate, another woman standing in the front of what seemed a royal carriage caught my attention. She was swaying her dark brown-haired head as she was looking for something or someone.

When our eyes had met, I felt a chill. She fixed her eyeglasses and her mystic brownish pupil somehow sparkled. Dressed up with a black blazer paired with black pants, her fair looks were as formal as she walked her way towards me. An insignia at the left breast designed with an upside-down sword colored with red like a flame or blood, maybe. Every stepped she took was heavy and intimidating.

Fixing her eyeglasses again, the woman stopped in my very front, effectively blocking my way out. Seconds later, she went examining and scanning me while holding her eyeglasses.

S-Scary!

The ways her brownish pretty eyes scrutinized my whole body were scary.

D-Don't stare at me too much. I know that my outfit was a little bit on the weird side. However, you do not have to be so hard!

Hard?

I uncomfortably corresponded a step back as she intently leaned forward to me.

Darn it! Why this Pixie in my bag does was still asleep? Why her Pixies' intuition does not ring up as this suspicious woman approached me? She's dangerous. I'm sure of it. Her beauty is extremely dangerous!

The woman crossed her arms, grinding something. Then, she fixed her eyeglasses again and again and looked at me with squinted eyes.

Suddenly, the woman spoke and murmured something, followed by her hand gesturing a handshake.

"OOOOOOO" She paused. "OOOOO?"

"…..?"

My eyes widened, confused but by that time I had the premonition that she must be the one who would pick me up.

"Oh! OOOOOO!"

Based on her 'eureka' reaction, she was intelligent enough to realize I could not comprehend her words. And as a quick solution, she immediately chanted a skill and her right hand index finger started to glow with mystic brown light.

"OOOOO: OOOOO"

What the! -

Seeing me startled, she softly signed using her left hand saying 'calm down' or 'do not worry'. Then, she slowly pointed her slim finger to poke her glowing finger into my forehead. Everyone would be on guard if some stranger would start to cast a spell on them but somehow I could tell she could be trusted. Yeah, I know. I trust too easily. Perhaps I was just thinking I could get by if anything bad will happen if I were wrong for trusting this woman here.

Ting! The several lines of light brown lights traveled on my mind as if something new had been unlocked. My mind went blank and sooner it was all white.

Gradually and faint from the start, I heard a voice, then a two… then I heard the voice of the crowd. My vision had completely returned to me as well.

"New items from Sicily!" I hastily turned to check upon the man shouting his fabric merchandise in the nearby store.

"OH! That's too much!" "Thank you for your patronage" "I'll be back!"

How the?

"What did you – "I got my attention on the woman again. Now, she did not curse me, did she?

"Oh, you understand me now, no?" The woman asked me while vexingly smiling and fixed her eyeglasses again.

Seriously, what with the constant fixing of your eyeglasses – was I could like to ask but there were more important matters needed to be attended.

"Y-yes... What did you did?" I asked even though it was obvious she casted a skill on me so I could understand the language her.

Oh, not only that. I could speak smoothly in their complicated language too.

"So you do understand me now, uhm, Prince Laum, no?" She said.

"P-Prince? Yes, I am Laum, but do not call me a prince. I am just a humble son of a Humble Rajah."

Wait – what? How did I understand the concept of being a prince?

Even though I am a son of a Rajah, I am definitely not living as a prince. Rajah, paramount datus, and the-likes worked not of a monarchy. In every balangay (village), a Datu was elected based on his charisma, leadership, power, and achievements. Of course, one has to be a Maginoo or adopted by a Datu and had some similar concept with monarchy, but the power of Datu over the members of the balangay was not absolute as the king. Moreover, the Datu of the Balangay owned not the land inside the village's territory and ruled not his subjects but leaded his villagers. Clearly, there is a fine silver line between leading the people and ruling the subjects.

Paramount Datus, Rajah, or Lakan in upper Abbalon were the elected among the leaders of a confederation of Villages, but they did not act like a King since every village was independent from each other. It is more like a sign of friendship among balangays and the chosen paramount leader is the coordinator of the pact. Well, it is not quite right too since Paramount Datus, Rajah, and Lakan were entitled to a Datu for the reason he was the most powerful and famous leader among the neighboring Balangay. Politics and leadership, both are quite trouble prone and too many entanglements after all.

I tilted my head upon pondering these thoughts. Prince?

"Okay, then... Uhm, Mister Tillano? "She stopped as I intercepted her. Mister? That doesn't sound right.

"Laum will do" I encouraged to her.

"Ahem, Laum, we don't have any time left. But I guess, I'll introduce myself again, no?" she fixed her eyeglasses again.

Seriously.

"Johan Alconza, you can call me Johan – or Hon as in Honey if you want." She grinned mischievously while saying that. Then, she presented her right hand again for a handshake.

"Y-yes. Laum Tillano, first son of Rajah Suliman of the Abbalon, at your – "I reached her hand. Two shakes and regretfully, she immediately let go.

"I am the one who was ordered by his highness to pick you." She did her mannerism again, fleetingly turned her back, and walked straight back to the royal carriages. "Come in. You don't need to worry. I am not fond of lying."

Hmm, it's not that I was worried. Besides, the pixie sleeping inside my bag has not given her keen warning. Maybe, it was okay for me to go with this mysterious woman. Well, given I am the protagonist of the story; I should limit myself doing action based on rational thinking. It would be boring. There for it's a go.

Kindly wait for me, Miss Beauty!!!

As she saw my quick nod, she opened the royal carriage's door and entered, then,

"Hurry! We'll have breakfast in the carriage!"

No need, though.

She might have thought that I had not eaten breakfast yet. That was considerate of you but I had already eaten one. Even so, a second with a beauty in front sound not bad enough for me to decline. I guess.

I sprinted out towards the carriage and rode it. The carriage doors slammed, then started moving. And there, I was, rattled. For the first time in my life, I was inside a carriage and with some exceptionally attractive woman.

****

Three days, we spent three days, just the two of us, Johan and I, just facing each other inside the carriages while bouncing up and down as we trailed the country road. Ah, how my butt had been complaining the 'forever sitting moments'. Naturally, we had to stop over towns, cities, or even villages as we passed through. She brought things, not only our foodstuff and other necessities, but apparently, Johan was also buying presents, some cute stuff, which unmatched for her alluring beauty. I wondered if to whom she would give her present.

Teddy Bears again, maybe she bought it for herself… no way.

We victoriously and safely conquered by passing different terrains. We crossed large and small rivers. We passed through the shades of the trees, the forests, and woodlands. We clambered up high mountains and ran down sharp slopes. We rode through the gentle wheat field, which astonished my eyes. We passed through sea of crowds of big cities and crossed different people in the road. Again, I could not help myself to be amazed by the amazing and dazzling views. Hmm, the world was truly vast.

But, something's bothering me.

Sometimes, Johan and I would talk to each other, interviewing about stuff and random things. It would be awkward if we would do nothing but pass stares to each other, which would be embarrassing as hell and also contradicts to what I said earlier.

Yeah, I am a liar… Folk-san...

Then, as time went by, we had finally reached our last stop and drop before we arrive to our final destination. Hmm… for some reason, Final Destination sounds not good.

"Are we there yet?"

Could not come out another thing to talked about and I had yet to know what's bothering me, I cloddishly asked Johan as I was gnawing bread that we had bought in a town that we had passed previously. Yeah, yeah. We had eaten nothing but bread during stops like this, in the middle of nowhere and somewhere.

Apparently, our destination was towards the heart of the continent and naturally, outside the border of Pantala Empire. Right now, we just passed through the Empire's border and officially entered the kingdom's border.

We had our lunch under the shade of a big tree atop of a hill.

"We will arrive before twilight. We just entered the Ferrum Kingdom's border." Johan repeated what I had just narrated earlier while she sat on a log on front of me gnawing a thin stick as a toothpick. The royal carriage's coachman was also eating his lunch but he preferred eating alone. I really felt bad for him, but Johan, being more knowledgeable than I, told not to bother him.

He seems so lonely; it's bothering me. But not that…

The three of us decided to have our break in this nostalgic place. Who would not? The place was too perfect. The cold winds blew from the blue mountain while white clouds in the corner decorated the blue skies and the chirps of the birds were like soothing symphonies, whispering to our outwore ears.

In comparison for the reason to stop because of the scenery's perfection, the less relevant reason was that the two horses were starting foaming in their mouth out from exhaustion.

Hmmm, definitely less relevant…

While gentle blew of the cold wind touchingly carried Johan's mind, I had the perfect chance of snatching one bread to my sling bag without her noticing. The pixie was surely wailing out of her hunger, so I had to do my sneaky moves.

However, Johan, whose mind had just wandering a while ago, fixed her eyeglasses catching me in the act of doing my sneaky moves. Her eyes somehow sparkled stating 'you won't underestimate the other set of my eyes, no?'

I smiled wryly while basking on her stern gaze.

"My bag got a little bit hungry, I guess. Ha-ha." I bashfully scratched my head, trying to make a reason. "Y-you had good eyes"

She replied with a wicked grin on her face but somehow I could tell that she had did not seriously take this one. Perhaps she thought that it was natural for me to do such petty thing because I originated from the eastern seas. Poor me.

I tried changing the subject but I had still yet to come out a topic.

Aha! Speaking of having a good eyes –

"Johan?"

"What, feeling sorry now?"

"I-It's not that. I have my circumstances and responsibility. This bread I hid will be offered to the great spirit who always accompany me." huhu. That was a good excuse. It was true that I had someone who's always with me, but not that great. On the contrary, it was the opposite. A gluttonous one, as a matter of fact.

"You're ritualistic. Is that so? You should have told me, no? All this time I had been wondering why you kept on snitching bread into your bag. Hmm, that was it."

She somehow flowed along with my lame excuse. Well, it's not that all of it was a lie. Half of it was the truth. More importantly, she had already seen me many times doing the embarrassing thing! Then, you could have just already notified me!

"Y-Yeah, But it was not that. I been wondering the whole time – "

"This one again. As I had said, you will know once we get there, no?"

She had concluded that I would ask again, where we were heading. I already had poking her couple of times during our trip and why did I not ended up to the Pantala Empire.

"It's not that one too. It just I noticed, even though we were riding on a royal carriage -" based on the luxurious design and the size of the carriage, I assumed it was a royal carriage. I had spotted one while we were touring around cities when I was with old man. "– we don't attract much of an attention." I attentively observed her doing her mannerism again. "Why is that?"

Naturally, royal carriages attracted a lot of attention especially from those filthy eyes in the corners coming from the thieves and the likes. A royal carriage traversing the wildwoods would be like money walking towards the hand of the bandits.

"Ah. You noticed. I guess I could not underestimate your gray–colored eyes of yours too."

"…."

I looked at her with a 'go on' stare.

"It was because of me, no, rather because of my attribute: mystic"

Still, curious eyes were on her and left her no choice but to continue. Sooner, she let out a resigned sigh.

"I am a Mystic attribute user. My skills include that one I had cast on you, 'Open mind'. As you had experienced, it can make someone understand and grasp something by loading new information in one's mind by creating new neural connections in your psyche. The thing you had asked about is also my skill, a passive one, 'mystic blur', causes my surrounding and I to get a pretty less attention."

"Mystic attribute, huh. I had already encountered that attribute in our village, but I guess every person would have different skills depending on their environment and their personalities."

Even two persons have the same attribute, their skill would differ depending on their environment and personalities. For example, the case of Johan and the voodoo priest I knew back in our balangay (village). Johan lived in this kind of environment, more composite and more crowded, needs her skill to cope up with her surroundings. 'Open mind' is useful in acquiring new info while mystic blur lessens the attention one can get is also as convenient as the former skill. On the other hand, the Voodoo priest that I knew lived in an environment that was crowded with trees, animals, and the likes. Their abilities/skill would be 'Voodoo', 'Hex', 'Summon', etc. which were usually associated with harming enemies from hostile balangays.

Speaking of passive like the pixie now, passive skills are those skills that are not active, obviously. I mean, essentially does not require mana and consciousness to be activated. It needs not be chanted.

Passive skills can be divided in to three broad categories.

First, Aura passive skills. Just like mystic blur, it has limited area of effect. Pure water's essence is also one, which makes stamina, health and mana regeneration doubles within her reach. Bunsoi (my little sister) had the skill.

Second is Chance or possibility passive skill. These passive skills are, as obvious on its name, has the chance to activate if one requirement or requirements had been fulfilled or in some case, randomly activate without a requirement. Example: My Father's 'Counter attack'. If Papang was attacked and hit, he had chance to launch a deathly right-away counterblow on his opponent.

Third is Solo passive skill, exclusive only to the Attribute user. It can be improving ones strength and force, increasing ones speed and agility, sharpening ones senses or resistances. There are too many solo passive skills.

In addition, there are also passive skills that deviate from the common category. Some passive skills require mana to function, some passives skills activate only periodically and some when the user's condition meets a certain condition. Example: Adrenaline rush activates only when one mana hits the critical level, and Unholy Reincarnation activates only when the user had required mana when he dies. There was also Janida and Tide bringer, passive skills that activate or charge up every one hour. It is a complicated stuff to talk about. Besides, I could not relate to it since I do not have passive skill in the first place.

"Did I answer your question?" she asked, fixing her eyeglasses again then clearing her throat.

"Yes, but I just wondered. Who really are you?"

Hearing my words, her toothpick dropped from her lips. After a second or two, she chuckled loud at her amusement.

It was a given that we had a lot of time facing nothing but each other inside the carriage but I did not wield enough courage to ask her who really she was. We talked and chatted sometimes of course. However, the horse footsteps were the dominant sound during the trip. Moreover, the thought of biting my tongue off while speaking reigned over the chitchatting. It would be scary and painful, you know, biting your own tongue. I had similar painful experience when I was boasting to my pals while riding a water buffalo. I bitterly learned my lessons. Maybe she understood that too, that's why she was almost muted during the trip.

Finally, she recovered from the burst of her laugh.

"Ha… As I had already told you, no? I am Johan Alconza." Of course, she had told me back at the Pantala's port "One of the assistant of His highness, King Nero Ferrar, The current king of the Ferrum Kingdom."

"Yeah, that was I wonder. I mean – Rajah Suliman, my father, had told me that I was to be 'given' to the Pantala Empire as a sign of allowing ourselves to be under their empire and also an peace offering 'cause my uncle had done something to voyager named Fer- ferni-whoever he was. So..."

My eyes questioned her.

The case was supposed to be like this. I had been sent since I was a Rajah's son as a sign that the confederation of Abbalon's balangay was allowed with willingness to be under the Jurisdiction of the Pantala Empire. It was not that we were coward; my Father's council of Datus soothed the slaughter of the people, which my father would not allow, if we would fought with the incoming invaders. Therefore, Father, as a Paramount Rajah Abbalon, decided to cooperate and to befriend the Empire. I did not know Other Balangay, but surely, our Abbalon had already fallen under the power and jurisdiction of the Empire. I was just a package deal.

Then, why am I with this mystic-attributed woman? – Why am I going to another Kingdom named Ferrum?

"Hmm... It was maybe the Pantala Empire was not interested to your offering or they did not need someone who came from the eastern seas. They only need the lands and resources. Of course, people were also a resource, but superiority complex...people, superiority complex… that is what we are talking about. Instead, The Empire has seen you as an opportunity and has presented you as a gift to strengthen the alliance between the Ferrum Kingdom and the Empire or so I heard. Pretty clever if you think about it, no?"

Hmm, that made sense since the Empire looked down on us, the ones who lived in eastern seas, inferior. Because I was here as a sign of submission/peace offering, they could not do whatever they want or kill me, which would lead to violation and would lead to nonsense and useless bloodshed. Instead, they efficiently disposed me by giving me to one of their allied nations, the Ferrum Kingdom.

I nodded at her, unsatisfied, and she continued her speech.

"As an allied kingdom and having a lower military force compare to the Pantala Empire, the Ferrum Kingdom had no powers to decline the Might's gift. Well, it's not that we could do nothing but also as safety precaution not to provoke the Pantala Empire, we had no problem receiving you, Laum. As well as a gift to strengthen the friendship between the Empire and the Ferrum Kingdom. Going with the flow, they say"

Hearing her, I could not help but to feel more or less humiliated as the same time heavily angered when the Pantala Empire tossed me as if I was treated as an object, not a person. However, I would not put the blame completely on them either. I understood that the fact that father also 'used' me as way to keep the slaughtering of his people away was also a fault, but it still hurt. It still hurt that I was given as a remedy and a sacrifice, when I had been training my whole life to be the next leader. Of course, there was honor of being the one who save his people, but I could not help feeling that someone had stolen half the meaning of my existence.

From young, I was built and diligently supervised by my grandmother 'Nanang' to become the next Rajah of our Balangay. I trained myself hard to the point that there were times I got myself in the brink of extinction. In the first year of my training, when I was still six, my attribute had not yet shown up, so many had doubted me to become the next Rajah. However, Nanang was there for me, picking me up and telling me where I should start.

She knew I had a thorny path ahead to become a Rajah. I knew it too as a weakling. I crawled my way up and proved myself to the village.

However, nevermind being the next Rajah, I was away now from my homeland. Of course, I had learned many new things thanks to that but…

Still… there was always a lingering pain in my chest.

Now that the responsibilities of the Pantala Empire on me were also handed to the Ferrum kingdom, the Empire had cut its strings with me and the Ferrum Kingdom could do anything with me. In the worst case, I would find myself licking the king's feet as a slave.

Johan, who was looking at me now, saw somehow the train of thoughts running in my head as my face was down to touch the ground.

"No need to worry. His highness is different. Let me tell you this, no? 'Alconza' is related to witches and witchcrafts. In short, I have a blood of a witch, which is widely discriminated and hunted down by the people, no? Nevertheless, his highness sheltered me. He neglected the circumstances that might question his power and the fact that I am a witch itself."

A witch, huh.

That's must be the reason why I had been wondering about this woman. There was something in her. It was not her presence was dangerous, 'cause if that was the case, the Pixie inside my bag would be alarming me a long time ago. (Now, she preferred hiding in my sling back rather than making herself invisible. She said it was tiring.) It was something to do with her mystic attribute, I assumed. She was something alluring which was the opposite of her passive skill, mystic blur.

Casting that aside, if his highness was a kind of person who do not judge a book by its cover, it somehow gave me a light to continue this long journey. It was least possible that I would found myself being a slave. In the best-case scenario, I could be a servant serving directly to his highness. A hopeful thinking of mine.

"However, you must prove His Highness yourself."

"Un, I understand" I nodded after I said that.

"Well, you'll understand better when you see him in person. But at the time being, I must say you must prepare"

Heading to the carriage again, she called the carriage's driver and entered.

"Prepare for what?" While sitting, I shouted.

"Just hurry! Or we'll leave you."