After the soldiers left, Alice rushed to the tree where Ken had left the food and water. Pedro and Isabela quickly followed. When they saw the flask and the meat, their stomachs began to growl."Let’s eat first before we continue our journey," Alice suggested."No need to rush. I’m somewhat familiar with this area," Isabela said."Where are we now?" Pedro asked."We’re at the boundary of Taguig. In about an hour, we’ll reach my best friend’s house," Isabela explained, talking with her mouth full."That’s great, you’ll get to see your best friend soon." Alice felt envious. She wondered when she’d see Odette and Johnson again."We need to walk quickly. There are snakes in this part of the forest. We must be careful," Isabela warned them.They followed Isabela, and after walking for more than an hour, they saw the outline of a large house. Its design was distinctly Spanish, resembling a mansion. They approached it quietly."This is the backyard of my best friend’s home," Isabela said exci
Alice and Isabela exchanged glances before looking at Pedro, both hesitant to speak."What? You’re just going to stare at me like that?" Pedro asked, clearly needing clarification.Isabela was the first to respond. "Well..." she hesitated, glancing at Alice.Alice didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She wasn’t sure if it was the right time for Pedro to know her secret, but the situation seemed to demand it, so she didn’t stop Isabela."My best friend Leonida was like a witch," Isabela said softly."Witch? What do you mean? Was she a bad person?" Pedro asked, confused."No, no. Leonida was a good witch. She could make things happen if she wanted to. She could use telepathy," Isabela continued."She could make things happen? Then why did she die?" Pedro asked, still puzzled."One factor could be overwhelming emotion. Leonida might have been so emotional at that moment that she couldn’t think clearly about what she wanted to happen," Isabela explained.Pedro slowly turned to Alice, his m
Johnson and Isagani were imprisoned with newly captured prisoners by the Japanese soldiers. It had been over a day since their last meal, and the water was far from clean.After the ambush, the camp descended into chaos, with soldiers targeting all males aged 17 to 60 in the town, branding them as guerillas and a significant threat. Innocent men faced cruel implications and torture.Even the wealthy were not spared. A man, his head covered with a woven bag, pointed out those he accused, sealing their fates regardless of their innocence."That man is despicable," Isagani whispered."How can he do this to his fellow countrymen?" Johnson questioned, bewildered."Selfishness blinds him. He thinks only of himself," Isagani growled.They watched women at the camp entrance, waiting for officers to acknowledge the gifts they brought in exchange for their loved ones' freedom.Older women carried heavy supplies, driven by desperation, their eyes filled with hatred for the man in the woven bag.K
As Alice stirred from her dream, she realized the voice calling out "Mama" wasn't coming from Leonora, but from somewhere else in the darkness. She sat up, her heart pounding with a mix of confusion and dread. Slowly, she turned her head, expecting to see Leonora awake and calling out to her again. But instead, she found herself facing the shadowy figure of a woman standing at the edge of the room."Mama, help me," the voice pleaded, echoing through the darkness.Alice's breath caught in her throat as she recognized the voice of Leonida. She blinked in disbelief, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Leonida had passed away, yet here she was, standing before her, her features shrouded in darkness."L-Leonida?" Alice whispered, her voice trembling with uncertainty.Leonida stepped closer, her form flickering like a ghostly apparition. "Alice, my dear, you must help me," she said, her voice filled with urgency.Alice's mind reeled with disbelief. Was this real, or was she still tr
Corazon, the woman in black, hurriedly entered her house, her heart racing. She felt she had seen the ghost of Leonida staring at her."She's already dead; it can't be her," she muttered, pacing back and forth in her living room. "It's impossible." She shook her head slowly from left to right, trying to dispel the haunting vision that lingered in her mind.Entering the secret room in her house, she locked the door behind her. Her gaze fell on the grotesque statue of a devil-like creature at the far side of the room. She had created an altar for that statue and worshiped it every day.Lighting the black candle in front of the altar, she knelt before the statue. "My Lord, please tell me it is not her nor her ghost," she implored. "The witch is dead; I saw her body being buried." She stared quietly into the eyes of the statue, searching for some sign of reassurance.After a few minutes, she stood up and pulled out a basin filled with water from under the altar. She lit another black cand
It will be dark soon. Leonora had already woken up after a few hours of rest, feeling recharged and full of energy.“Hey, Leonora, I’m your mama’s best friend from when we were young. I will bring you to my home.”“I know you; I saw your pictures with my mama. Please call me Orang; that’s what everyone in this house calls me,” Leonora replied to Isabela.“Oh, okay! I’ll call you Orang from now on,” Isabela smiled at the child.“I also know your parents because my mama always brought me with her whenever we visited your house while you were gone,” Leonora smiled back.“Then there will be no introductions needed when we get home.” Isabela felt happy knowing that her best friend often visited her parents, easing their worries.“My mama always tells your parents that you will be coming back, but your brother can’t go home anymore. Your mama cried a lot when my mama told her that,” Leonora said, her eyes sad.Alice noticed that Leonora sounded mature, feeling like she was more grown-up tha
Leonora stopped running, her chest heaving as she reached the gate of her home. Her legs trembled with exhaustion, but her urgency kept her upright. She knocked furiously, her knuckles raw from the frantic pounding.Within seconds, the door creaked open, revealing Diego, her father, his face a mixture of hope and fear. His eyes widened when he saw her.“Isabela!” he exclaimed, pulling her inside with a rough, desperate grip. His hands trembled as he held her, as though afraid she would disappear if he let go. But then his gaze shifted beyond her, and he froze. “Leonora?” He blinked, confusion etched into his face, as he realized Isabela was not alone. Leonora, the young girl clinging to her hand, looked up, her tear-streaked face pale with shock.Diego immediately shut the door behind them, locking it hastily before turning back to his daughter. He enveloped Isabela in a fierce embrace. "Thank God you're home!" he whispered, his voice cracking as tears brimmed in his eyes."Father!" I
As dawn's first light barely kissed the horizon, Corazon’s lips curled into a grim smile. She had planned this moment meticulously. Today, she would find Leonora. Today, her vengeance would finally feel whole, for simply watching Leonida suffer wasn’t enough."Soon, Leonida, you'll know what true suffering is. Your happiness is a thorn in my side, but I will tear that thorn away by ripping your heart out piece by piece." Corazon’s thoughts hissed in her mind like the venomous curses she had whispered over the years. Her footsteps quickened along the dirt path leading to Isabela’s house, where she knew Leonora was likely hidden. "Just you wait, Leonida. I’ve hated you ever since Alejandro set his eyes on you at that cursed feast."The memory made her blood boil. She still remembered that day with bitter clarity—Alejandro, the boy she had grown up with, the one she thought would be hers forever, gazing at Leonida as if she were some divine being. "Vixen," Corazon spat the word into the
Alice knew that to face Corazon, she needed to understand her enemy completely, even if that meant delving into the shadows of Corazon’s past. And so, as her friends remained close, Alice channeled her energy toward the spirit realm again—not just to search for Johnson and Leonora, but to uncover Corazon’s beginnings, the seed of darkness that had once blossomed within her.A Glimpse into Corazon’s PastIn the heart of a small village nestled between ancient trees and winding rivers, Corazon grew up as a child unlike any other. Long before she became a black witch, she was simply a girl with dark, curious eyes and a mind that wandered where others dared not go. While the other children played and laughed in the sunlit meadows, Corazon’s gaze lingered on the shadows that seemed to shift and breathe along the forest’s edge. She noticed what others ignored—the spaces between light and dark where strange things lurked, unseen yet undeniably real.One evening, as she watched a faint shadow
Alice lay awake, her mind thrumming with the image of Johnson’s ghostly form flickering before her and his haunting warning. She’s coming. The words echoed in her mind, making her feel more vulnerable and hunted than ever. Corazon was not just a shadow from her past—she was coming, and she was hungry for vengeance. But Alice wasn’t the same person Corazon had once overpowered. She had grown stronger, mastering gifts that went beyond anything she’d ever imagined.With each night, her powers sharpened further. She could feel the pulse of life in the plants outside her window, the murmur of the animals in the woods nearby, even the whispers of energy in the air. She was beginning to see that everything around her was connected, woven into an intricate web that she could touch, manipulate, and reshape. The world had become her ally, a vast and powerful force that flowed through her veins as naturally as her own blood.But as her power grew, so did her dread. The closer she got to Corazon,
In a matter of weeks, Alice had nearly perfected her skill in astral projection, slipping into the spirit realm with ease. But her triumph felt hollow; despite her dedication, she still couldn’t find any trace of Johnson or Leonora. She had poured months into honing her abilities, pushing herself beyond her limits night after night, ignoring Leonora’s advice to train gradually. The toll on her body was unmistakable, yet she persisted, consumed by the need to master her skills.One evening, Alice opened her eyes slowly, her surroundings a blur as she struggled to focus. The room was dimly lit, and as her vision cleared, she saw Pedro seated beside her bed, his face drawn with worry.“How are you feeling?” he asked softly, his gaze flickering with concern.Alice managed a weak smile, though it took almost all the energy she could muster. “I feel… drained, like everything’s been sapped out of me.” Her voice was barely a whisper, and her limbs felt heavy, as though her strength had seeped
As Alice and Pedro stood under the whispering trees and flickering lantern light, the elements pulsed around her, each with its own rhythm, calling her to push deeper. She had trained so hard, seeking a breakthrough. Tonight, she felt closer to something—some truth lying just out of reach, a glimmer of hope. Johnson, Leonora… they had to be there, somewhere just beyond the veil of her consciousness.Pedro’s eyes followed her, worry mingled with a quiet awe. “What do you need me to do?” he asked, ready for anything.Alice looked up at him, grateful for his steady presence. “Just stay here. I… I think I need to try something new.” She bit her lip, remembering what Leonora had told her once, about the power of sending one’s spirit out beyond the body. It was a risky skill, one Leonora had called astral projection, but Alice knew she had to try. If she couldn’t find her loved ones physically, maybe she could rea
Alice felt as though time had abandoned its flow, suspended in an endless haze. Since her haunting vision of Johnson and Leonora in Corazon’s mansion, silence fell over her mind's eye, as if Corazon had locked them away, hiding their presence in the shadows. That brief, final glimpse had stirred her desperation to a fever pitch, sparking a fire within her that pushed her powers to new heights.Now, her mental telepathy had reached an extraordinary peak. No longer confined to human thoughts, her mind wandered through the murmurs of animals, the whispers of trees, even the silent language of earth, wind, fire, and water. She felt each element as if it were an old friend. The animals, plants, and elements communicated with her in a language as clear as her own thoughts, weaving nature into her emotional tapestry.Yet with every new surge of strength, a faint ache gnawed at her heart—a reminder of the ones she couldn’t reach. Her bond with Johnson, her best friend and love
Alice’s pulse quickened as the dark, chilling presence crept over her, a feeling she’d come to recognize all too well. It wrapped around her like a shroud, suffocating and persistent, pressing into her mind until her senses screamed with dread. She reached out instinctively, stretching her mind toward Leonora and Johnson, but their presence was faint, as if something blocked her from connecting to them fully. The sense of wrongness was so profound that it stole her breath.In the nights that followed, the visions began again, as vivid and invasive as they’d been in the past. Alice saw Corazon's mansion, its lavish halls draped in silk and gold, filled with the muted sounds of revelry and dark promises. Flickering images came to her—Leonora, now eighteen years old, isolated in an opulent room, her pretty face pale yet steady, as though prepared for what was to come. But beneath that calm façade, a steely determination glimmered, tempered by a fea
As soon as Alice and the others stepped outside, she felt a sudden lightness, like a weight lifting from her shoulders. The dark presence that had lingered around them for days seemed to vanish, dissipating like fog in the morning sun. She reached out with her powers, searching the vast, invisible web that connected her to Leonora and Johnson, but there was nothing. It was as if the darkness had never existed.“She’s gone,” Alice muttered in disbelief, her voice a mixture of relief and frustration. She dropped to her knees, feeling a wave of helplessness. “I can’t find them, any of them—Leonora, Johnson, Corazon... It’s like they’ve disappeared.”Pedro knelt beside her, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. “We’ll find them, Alice,” he assured her, his tone soft yet firm. “You’re not alone in this.”Alice nodded, though her heart felt heavy. She allowed Pedro to help her
Alice’s vision blurred as the winds around her finally began to calm, her anguished shout echoing into the stillness. Her grief and fury had summoned a storm within her, the very elements responding to her pain, swirling around her with a force she could barely contain. Pedro, Fernando, and Odette gripped her shoulders tightly, trying to steady her. The stormy air crackled with an unearthly energy, as if the world itself were on the brink of something vast and impossible.But even as the winds died down, Alice’s heart was consumed by a single, desperate thought: I just want to know if Nana -----will be safe.The wish burned within her, fueled by an unyielding need to see a future where Leonora lived free from Corazon’s evil grasp. She felt the wish so strongly that it seemed to become a part of her, as real as the ground beneath her feet, as deep as the bond she shared with her companions."Do you feel that?" Alice asked, her voice barel
Alice’s frustration grew with every passing day, the sting of her last encounter with Corazon lingering in her mind. She had come so close to breaking Corazon’s hold over Johnson, only for the sorceress to escape, shrouding herself and Johnson within an impenetrable barrier. Desperate for answers, Alice sought out the one person she thought might understand magic’s intricate workings: Her Nana Leonora, the young girl with a natural gift for healing and an innate sense of the unseen.Leonora sat cross-legged on the floor of her her bed, her large eyes fixed on Alice with quiet understanding as she listened to her tale. Though young, Leonora had wisdom beyond her years, an intuition that Alice admired. When Alice finished describing Corazon’s spell and her failed attempt to break it, Leonora’s expression grew thoughtful.“It sounds like Corazon’s magic isn’t just dark but deeply rooted,” Leonora said softly. “Her spell is made to bind, to hold. Breaking it will take more