10 Chapter 2 - Alluring Nightmare

Part 4

What is this place?

It was so dark. Everything around had simply darkness. Afterwards -

A spotlight?

Slowly a spotlight illuminated a young man who was sitting with face down on a stool, short enough to make the young man's arms to lay over to his knees. It was as if the young man was hiding his face to Laum. Something was off about him. Something dark was smoking out on his body.

Wait? I know this young man.

Laum walked further to examine the young man. I know this young man very well. His hair, his clothes, his tattoo, his posture, he had seen it before. All was too familiar to him that he could even tell even with his eyes close to whom they belonged.

I know him very well.

He was – Laum's gray pupil shrunk, frightened as eerie man's pale white faced up on him.

"HOW COULD YOU FORGET?!"

He yelled at front of Laum with voices of hundreds - no – thousands crying demons. His mouth was so deep like the deepest abyss and eye sockets were empty as a void.

No, this is not me!

To his abrupt panic, Laum hurriedly turned his face away but only to see the same horrid images. His widening eyes searched around for a way to escaped but the eerie young man's images had completely surrounded him.

No, this is not me!

It was a demon of the abyss, he convinced himself. Something he had met before. As the young man cried again, Laum felt the unholy forced, which threw him backward and sent him to another scenery which was nothing but all white. Now, he stood up and curious what the heck was happening but his shaking legs was obvious that he was still to recover from the previous horror. He unconsciously checked upon his shoulder, but there was no Pixie to be found.

It must be a dream.

As if it was all he needed, he forced himself to conclude that this was all ill illusory of his mind. That he was only inside of a lucid dream. He walked forward as if he had direction. Sooner, he heard a voice calling him somewhere. It was another familiar voice that he missed so much, her sweet voice, which was like the morning call of the early birds in the green trees. Then somehow, as the surrounding became vivid and colorful, he smelt his own scent and found himself sleeping in his own bed inside their Nipa house.

****

"Kuya!" The gentle voice was calling him muddily as if he was underwater, head submerged. "Kuya, please, wake up!" Now her voice became clear as the day. (Kuya means Big brother.)

"…What? I need more sleep, so leave me alone~"

Laum's cute little sister was currently waking her hibernating big brother. She was wearing a deep blue-colored tube covering only her underdeveloped breasts, which left her slender belly exposed. Her right arm was tattooed with a blue wave, which its background was her light brown-colored skin.

Her black pupil fixed its annoyed gaze on her sleeping big brother. Her light blue colored hair band already kept her raven black hair and had already ponytailed, even it was just as early as this morning.

Bubblehead, Even if you are that cute, I do not need that cuteness for all I need to sleep. Sleep is justice!

Last night, he was fiery battle with some evil creatures. No wonder his body denied her early wake-up call.

Evil creatures, eh?

It was always like this every early morning when the sun was yet to rise. The ground was still wet from the morning mist and the first thing that his ears were not the first cry of the early roaster but her sweet little voice.

"It time for your training, Kuya?"

Her voice and appearance somehow resembled their gorgeous mother but her outgoing and cheerful personality apparently was from their Father.

"I know, I know. You don't have to tell me" he answered, though it was obvious he was not planning to get up. Laum was still lying in his bamboo bed overlaid only with woven linen. It was hard on the back but his body had adapted to it. "Just give me one more moment, okay?" Then he turned on the side facing the Nipa wall.

"That will not do, Kuya" Her little sister was persistent, resilient. She walked closer to his bed, closer to his sleeping brother. "As the next Rajah in line, you must discipline yourself just even to wake up early without my aid."

"…."

Laum had always thought his little sister's stubbornness was annoying; he grabbed a woven blanket, curled up, and covered his whole body. He hated the cold morning air but more her early sermons and wake up call.

"Kuya…"

She leaned forward scrutinizing his brother.

"…."

"Kuya?"

After a series of looks from left to right, she realized something was unquestionably odd. Her voice rose while she pulled of the blanket out from his brother's. "Don't tell me…"

She, Mayumi, crossed her hands around her body and let out a sigh when she failed to put away the blanket from the grip of his brother. Shaking her head, out of nothing to be done than but the last resort, she recovered her sigh and -

"Then, how about this? " Slowly she raised her hands to gather mana by which her little hands started to glow blue. When the blue light adequately intensified, she compressed it with her palms. With a sudden, she released it create a huge water ball.

"Water Attribute: Aqua ball"

She divided the aqua ball into two halves by playing tricks on her hands and seized his brother inside it and the other half was used to grab the pair of arnis stick together with the sling bag.

"Bunsoi...bluh... Bluh...Bluh..." I am fully awake now. I am fully awake from the fact that I am drowning to death! (Bunsoi means youngest sib)

Splendidly, she controlled the aqua balls and thrown it outside with her big brother without any other considerations.

"Awake now?" A big smirked was clearly on her face while she was crossing her arms witnessing his lazy big brother coughing with water and trying to catch his breath. Fully awaken, mission complete. She thought

"Y-yes, yes… Thanks for the great h- help."

"Then, keep going now" She pointed her finger with poise towards the edge of the village. Then crossed her arms again and smiled with the scent of victory. She turned her back, leaved him outside, and went inside the Nipa house abandoning her drenched big brother.

"What a heartless Bunsoi"

While recovering the sling bag and the pair of baston, Laum was shivering from the cold morning blow that he hated so much. However, before going to his training, he decided to change his drenched attire.

I don't want to catch cold.

He stood to walk his way inside the house again, however his mother stood like a block at the entranceway. The end of her lips slightly rose seeing her son who was drenched like a poor chick looking a shelter from the rain. (Inang means Mother)

Adeptly knowing her ability, her mother pouted her soft, red lips and whistled calling out the eastern winds. Warm and gentle wind started to circle around and dried her drenched son and his attire in the process. As always, her wind-attributed ability was the top-notched among the village. Well, given she was the only wind-user in the village. Not only that, she could also cast her spells without chanting.

"Thanks, Inang" Laum smiled at her with his cheap gratitude. That's my Inang; her ability was warms as her love.

"Don't worry about it, just don't take too long. Okay?"

He replied her with a nod and tapped the pair of arnis sticks to create Bubble barrier. Flying with the newly created bubble barrier, he turned his head when Inang shouted to remind him of something,

"Papang's gonna be here soon, make sure to be here before he arrived."

"Okay!"

Before dashing forward again to his destination, he slowed down when another tinkling voice shouted from his back.

"Hey! Don't leave me behind!"

It was a pixie. Flipping hard her dragonfly-like wings as she flew toward him. To make the pixie get into the barrier, he made a hole just fit for her and – shoot – as she made her way inside of the barrier. Together, they floated toward Laum's usual training ground passing by other Nipa house in the village on their way. Some early birds greeted them while they passed by which Laum responded their greeting with 'good morning'.

Laum always admired those kinds of people who could withstand the charm of the bed from this cold morning breeze. The morning sun was still to peek at the mountains' cleavage, yet these people always wake up early.

****

Rivulets of sweat had already permeated his clothes. Laum decided to end his daily training in magic and in arnis. Well, the shy sun had finally decided to peek out from the mountains and he had to hunt something for the breakfast, which was also considered as a part of his training. He wiped the sweat in his forehead and headed to sit a flat stone to catch his breath, next to Marikit.

Hmm, this pixie... I bet she forgot what I had told her yesterday.

His head turned to follow the pixie when she sat in his shoulder. Then, as usual, she smiled when their eyes met.

Not that I could blame her, but it's hard to wake up every morning with your own life is in stake.

The fact that she was a pixie; at least she could be some use, like waking him up instead of his grumpy little sister doing the thing and so he began the chiding ceremony.

"How many times did I tell you to wake me up after the first cry of the rooster?"

Looking at her with an intimidating glare, she greatly shrunk on his shoulder making a bitter smile.

"Eh? Ah… have you told me?" She scratched her tiny head pretending not to remember that he had said something like that. "I could not recall? Hehe"

"I just remembered. "

The chirping of the birds and the calm sound of the river nearby were evident. The air was warming up and it felt right when the breeze touches Laum's moistened skin. However, even in those soothing and calming scene, Laum could not hold the veins on his forehead not to throb in irritation.

"What is it?"

The pixie asked sensing the danger on those words of his Laum.

"The shaman next to the Balangay (village) was looking for some special ingredients for his magical potion"

He glared at her. He witnessed how the pixie panic attack disheveled her pretty face upon hearing his treat.

"EEH? You're not – "She bumptiously stood up and grabbed his ear in which added the irritation Laum's experiencing.

"Maybe I could give him some pixie, no?"

"Eh? Promise, I'll do whatever you want. You want me to wake you up early in the morning, right?" she kneeled down, still on his shoulder and grabbing his ear. "I'll do it. I'll remember it!"

"Stop pulling my ears!"

The blue sky started to shine brighter indicating that he had to hunt for the breakfast. He stood up and prepared to leave, grabbing his Arnis sticks. The pixie held on the shoulder, ensuring not to lose her balance and fall.

"Nee, you won't do it, will you?"

It pained him seeing her worried face. She was important to him and he knew to himself that she would not do such thing like giving her to shamans knowing that she would die on their hands.

"Who knows? I might change my mind."

She was obviously worried, which made Laum thinks that it was too much. Pity from her reaction, he deliberately changed the subject, he said –

"Then, let's go hunting"

"Y-yes!"

****

They, the pixie and Laum, went to farther inside the forest to hunt for breakfast and a result, they had captured a deer.

Now, while they were on their way back to the village together with their prey, Laum accidentally saw a man with a bolo in his waist with a red bandana on wrapped in his head. In his back, a large wooden shield was hanging. He was dressed with 'bahag' and red colored collarless and sleeveless jacket indicating the Datu of the village.

"That was…"

He was heading same direction with them, walking forward to the village also.

"Papang!"

His father looked back in his direction. His face somehow had the hint of sadness. With the transparent bubble barrier popped, Laum landed in front of his father while Laum was holding his prey on the right hand. Marikit was still sitting in her favorite spot, Laum's shoulders.

"Oh! Laum, my son, great hunt you had in there"

He looked at the deer while its own blood was dripping out from its mouth. Somehow, Laum noticed his father not making a direct contact to his gray eyes. Then he looked and greeted the pixie on his shoulder. "Yon, Marikit"

"Yon, Papang!" The pixie replied right away.

Why was that? Laum thought.

"No, just got lucky" Laum was being humble, scratching the back of my head as he hid his embarrassed smile printed on his face. He was surprised when his father patted his shoulder gently, at the other side where the pixie was not sitting.

Praise from my Papang. It was unusual thing. Why was that?

Letting out a deep breath, Rajah Suliman asked a favor to his only son. "… Just leave the deer to me"

"Sure, anything"

"Anything, huh? In that case, go fetch your Nanang (grandma), we're gonna share your hunt with the old lady" As he said that, his eyes was drooping, looking down, but he recovered it with a smile.

"R-right away, Papang"

Laum bowed down in front of him and created a bubble barrier again.

Without any second thought, both of them, Marikit and Laum, flew towards the Nipa hut of his wise grandma, which was located at the edge of the Balangay. It took merely quarter of an hour to reach her hut. Upon reaching her hut, he called for Grandma, who was already watering her ornamental plants. He told her promptly his cause.

"Oh, what's this?" The pixie enthrallingly reacted to the ornamental plants that Grandma had took care all of this years. It was simply her nature as a pixie to be attracted to flowers, next to food. Indeed, the blooming flower was beautiful. The flowers were on different colors, which for that reason, she's bewitched and could not help but to become slave to the seduction of the plants.

"Just don't eat them up, okay?" Grandma chuckled.

"Humph! I am not that glutton, you know"

So, you acknowledged you're really a glutton.

While the Pixie was on it, mesmerizing the ornamentals, circling and examining them, Nanang grabbed her staff and prepared to leave her hut. Her naughty intent came into his grandson and so Laum secretly casted another two bubble barrier, one for him and one for Nanang.

Decided they should go ditch the Pixie, they silently made their way without the Pixie knowing.

****

They were already near home. Laum immediately saw Inang (Mother) waiting for their arrival with a worried face, which somehow vanished and replaced with her gentle, warm smile seeing them heading toward her.

As they enter the Nipa hut, the aroma of Deer's meat soup and grill meat welcomed their noses. There in the dining room, his little sister, Mayumi, was already wolfing down the breakfast and sitting beside her was father, who was staring at nothingness.

Something's definitely wrong.

As Papang noticed grandma's presence, he looked at his mother, crutching with her wooden staff, and he gave him a faint smile, then a nod.

In an instant, like an open book, Nanang had read the perplexity on her son's sobered eyes. Just both of them staring at each other made the atmosphere of the room sullen. However, as Inang did not want to let her dishes wait further, she interrupted the two by calling their attentions.

"Now, why don't we have breakfast beforehand... right, Irog? " Inang gave father a gentle smile. "See, Bunsoi, she already gnawing the food." (Irog means Beloved).

"Yeah, have a seat Inang" Father offered a seat for his mother.

"Right, speak your mind later, Suliman. Breakfast first."

Nanang agreed, nodding. She looked at Laum, saying he should take his seat too. They, the adults, could not hide completely the sullen atmosphere in the room. Laum sat next to Bunsoi and flowed with them.

As always, If Nanang was in their home, she could bare to see her grandchildren with a serious face. Therefore, lively chuckles and laughter was heard from the small Nipa hut as she cheered and made them laugh by telling funny stories and fables.

It was not that Laum was childish. However, as expected from his Nanang, decades had honed her talent telling stories; charmed everyone to listen to her more for her stories.

They laughed and smiled as they finished breakfast. The deer that Laum hunted together with some fresh vegetables and fruits Inang gathered early in this morning from their backyard garden was their menu.

His Nanang definitely succeeded to make them forgot the heavy emotions earlier. However, at some point, Nanang made an unusual serious face, making all of the laughs and smiles vanished in an instant.

It was so bizarre to see his Nanang to wear such steeled expression. For most of the time, Laum depicted her smiling and laughing, showing her last hanging tooth behind her rough and dried lips. Her drooping eyes looked at her son, who, in the moment, almost jerked off, surprised as her mother turned the room in serious mood unexpectedly.

"So, how the meeting with the council (of Datus) went?"

Holding the endpoint of her wooden staff with her two wrinkled hands, she asked her son with a deliberate and humorless tone. Everyone's attention was on Papang who was clearly arranging his words with a composed expression. Even Bunsoi, who was still eating noticed the seriousness roaming around the room.

"Well, as you had heard, Brother had killed Ferdinand" Clearing his dried throat, he paused and looked at the eyes of his mother."And, I was told that the Pantala Empire will send another Captain. Moreover, I learned that the Datu Humahog conspired with Ferdinand's right hand whose name's Sebastian"

Datu Humahog, Rajah Suliman's cousin, was the chieftain of the neighboring island and was his critic. He must have used this opportunity to subdue Rajah Suliman and throw him from Abbalon. Datu Humahog also plotted the attack of the Balangay that Rajah Suliman's brother handled and when he failed, he looked as Rajah Suliman as his next target.

The Datu that killed the captain named Ferdinand was half-brother of Rajah Suliman. They did not share the same Mother.

"Traitors!" Hearing his son, Rajah Suliman, Nanang stomped her wooden staff. Then with a calm voice she – "Well, I see it coming"

Why the reaction then, Nanang? – was Laum would ask her but his Father continued.

"But, Sebastian negotiated with the council and suggested that bloodbath is no need... "

"As long as …" Nanang wanted him to fill the missing words. She lowered her head slightly or maybe it was a slight nod, but it commanded his son to continue.

"… As long as we agree to their demand that we'll be under their wings, the Empire's. As the Rajah of the Abbalon, I'd like to fight until the last drop of my blood to protect the Land. But as a father of this village, I could not tolerate to see my people being slaughtered."

"With the advice of the council, I decided to agree with the foreigner's proposal. And to compensate for the lost life of their Captain, Ferdinand, it was decided that we've offer someone, who has a Maginoo blood, to be given to the Empire. "

With that, Rajah Suliman turned a troubled look to his son, who was sitting next to Mayumi, and his sorrows that he had been holding overflowed from him. "And that was you, the son of Rajah, who was the next in line, was chosen."

No! Datu Humahog must surely influence the decision of the council. It must be it! So Papang, don't agree with this.

Laum wanted to speak aloud with those words but he could not utter a single word. Instead, in his place, His Mother strongly raised her objection.

"No!" Inang yelled as she stood up. "There must be another way, right Irog?" She looked at Rajah Suliman, looking for reassurance. However, Suliman shook his head while facing down.

"No..." Inang leaned backward and sat slowly at the bamboo chair, dejected. "There should be…"

How could Papang let his son to be the sacrifice? How could he toss me to the foreigners to save others?

I mean, Yes, it was for the sake of the majority, but Laum was also his son.

How could he?

For a moment, screaming silence took over the room along with boiling heavy emotions smoking out from them. Laum even noticed his little staring at him with wet eyes. Nevertheless, a bell-like voice with pissed tone broke out into the room, enough to trigger an explosion.

"Where was Laum? I'm gonna make the boy pay!"

She found Laum immediately but stopped, tilted her head as she noticed something was off in the room.

"Hello?" She turned around, confused. "W-What's wrong?"

"Papang?" Laum asked, looking at his father. His voice somehow vibrated.

The sudden appearance of the pixie gave Laum courage to look at his Father, asking also for his reassurance. His father answered by not looking at him. Laum felt something was throbbing on his chest. The word 'betrayal' instantly flashed into his fuzzy mind. "We… We could fight like uncle did, right?"

His Father gazed at him. "We're not the same as your uncle, Laum. We think!"

"Of course, we are! We have the same blood running through our veins"

"He was just lucky. The fact that the foreigner's big boat loaded with magic cannon ball could not approach near your uncle's Balangay. He was just lucky"

His Father was talking about the foreigner's warship, armed with magical cannons. It was low tide during the foreigner's attack or it was said, so the warship was useless for it could not go near at the uncle's village.

His Father explained.

"Now that Ferdinand's death was known to their Empire, they will send hundred if not thousands of bigger boats that will trample our villages! Do you think I could permit that? We, the villages would not stand for a minute if they attack using that."

As he stood up, Rajah Suliman looked down on Laum, as his Father was taller than he was.

"Warriors from the villages will be folded like trees against the raging storm. Innocent blood will be spilled on our own soil. Say Laum, my prudent son, would you permit your eyes to see Bunsoi lying on her cold red blood?"

As his father said that, His little sister went crying and hugging their mother.

Of course not! He was left terrified by the horrendous idea. However – What about me father? What about your son? All this years he diligently trained his self, preparing to be the next Rajah, and all would be go waste.

It's not only that – But he was his only son. Laum shook his head at Papang with betrayed look. With all the confusion and entangling emotions rumbled in his tightening chest, without thinking, he grabbed the pair of arnis leaning in the corner, then created a bubble barrier, and fled from their hut away.

The first to respond was his mother who tried to prevent his only son.

"Laum!" She shouted but Laum ignored his Mother's call and continued to flee. Seeing Laum still flying away, His mother turned at the Pixie to order her to follow him.

"Marikit!"

"Y-yes!"

Even though Marikit was confused and was yet to know what was really happening, she immediately followed Inang's order. With swift and rapid flipping of her wings, which was proved effective when she caught Laum's pace, she called him many times from behind.

"Laum!" She knocked the barrier, asking her to enter.

"…"

"Laum"

Not quite so long, because he thought of her as a companion, Laum let her in.

****

It was still mid-morning when they had left their home.

Now, with the help of the bubble barrier, they were floating in the middle of the vast blue sea. The deep blue waters sparkled as the High noon sun's ray reflected to it. It was shining that could make one's eyes go blind temporary.

Apparently, almost three hours had already passed. Deep forest, mountains, villages, rivers and even islands, they had already passed through, but still, Laum had some mana left to spent. He seemed he had no plan to stop from floating. However, it was not limitless and he had to eat something, somewhere, to refill his mana. Beside the pixie sitting at his shoulder started to complain.

"Ney. Laum, we've been in the air for ages now, and my head started to spin. Can we land somewhere? Besides…"

"…"

He looked at her guessing the next words that will come out from her tiny but perfect lips.

"We need to go back."

Just as I thought. With a sigh, he faced forward, trying to ignore her. He answered her with a short, single word "No."

Wrapping her hands across her blue dress which was glittering like the waters of the sea, she pouted her lips and –

"Laum is stubborn sometimes, you know?"

"Yeah, I am. So let me be now"

She flew in front of his face and spread her wings and arms. Looking in his gray eyes, he saw her pretty face, which was worried about him. At the same time, there was a determination written on her pretty face. Which he found funny when her next words were practically would describe her.

"That's not it." She rubbed her tummy, hinting him.

Ah, I see.

"Somehow, I am hungry, you know."

A sigh again came out. However, the pixie made a point; he also felt that as his belly produced weird a sound. Somehow, not away from them, he saw a lone island eastward. Therefore, since it was the closest, he decided to go in there as to rest and at the same time, to gather some food to eat.

Deactivating his bubble barrier, his feet landed the hot white sand of the island's shore. Looking around if there were some islander living in here, he found something; ruins and statues. The island must have been occupied but evidently it was a long time ago as the only thing that were left here was carved stones, statues and some remnants of huts.

The statues was in the form of an weird creatures which somewhat resembled a bird with two horns on its head, and the other one was a serpent whose in the act of eating a ball.

Weird.

Nevertheless, they paid a little attention to them for island viewing was not their intention why they came here. Food! Food now was all we need.

With the urgent business they had here, to ease the complaining Marikit's stomach, well, he was a little bit hungry too, they gathered and picked food, which was all fruits. All them were almost berry; guavas, bananas, some blue and blackberry that they did not really know if it was edible, still, their mouths munched it. They even gnawed coconut meat. As refreshment, of course, virgin coconut juice was the best.

As Laum reached his stomach threshold, he lied back against a coconut tree. It was sublime.

Sitting under the shade of the coconut tree as the sea breeze gushed against his haggard face, like an air giving him life, he found pixie was also staring afar. The sound of the waves was too calming. Somehow, Laum's feeling had now tranquilized by looking afar at the vast blue sea. Maybe also because of the effects of having a full stomach.

The cheerful pixie was in deep thought also, which was uncommon for her. After a while, she broke out the silent.

Maybe, she overate - He though, as seriousness printed in her face. This was the first time he saw this pixie so serious. The smile in her gentle and pretty face was nowhere to be found.

"What happened out there?"

She asked. Not that he could blame her not to ask, but Laum preferred not to talk about it either. Nevertheless, she was his companion and he felt he was obliged to let her know what really happened.

"Ah, about that" Now that his head was cooler, he thought he could talked about it somehow. Displeasingly, he chuckled and scratched the back of his head as he spilled out everything before her.