Chapter 4

/La Provincia de la Laguna de Bay, June, 1705/

It is a place of religious worship, Biñan. It is the first thing one would notice.

     There are religious figures at the center of the town. Divine stone figures crafted by their town’s ancestors and erected at the center of the town and has been worshipped for centuries. Lucas’ parents go there to give worship two to three times a week and give their offers to appease the deities – as prescribed by the elders of their town, who are also the descendants of the ancestors that erected these divine images. These would include a handful of flowers and vegetables from their harvest and a part of their tithing.

     Lucas is now thirteen, he’s trying to follow in his parents’ footsteps and so he does this too. But he prays like how his father gathers flowers, and how her mother licks her thumb to collect flakes of salt. It is more of a coerced habit to him more than devout faith.

     For Lucas, the concept of the divine is not new, but Lucas has gotten some ideas about divinity being new due to Soleil – who said that the greatest danger in having a patron is allowing the soul to be consumed by the rules of the divine.

     Soleil, who grew in the center of the village next to the small river. It was she who believes that worshipping those deities is a foolish thing. She believed that the deities sided with the rich and the royalty. He believed that they have no time for the poor.

     Lucas’ father believes that Soleil is crazy.

     His mother added that the man already had his ticket to the void – a place where deities punish those who will ever go against them. When Lucas told Soleil what his mother had said, the madman cackled in his face, he said there was no such thing except for darkness under the soil and eternal slumber.

     “What about realm of the divine?” asked Lucas.

     “Child, you are too young and blinded by the practices of these fools. Do not be a sheep.”

     At thirteen, Lucas is wondering if it is compulsory to pray to the deities.

     Today was supposedly the day that they were supposed to go to the city, but for the first time in six years, Lucas declined to come with. His father promised to take home a fresh new journal for him to draw on, but Lucas was bored of drawing. He has memorized every part of the village and every route they have passed through. His mother decided that it is not fitting for him to go to the market this year. He has gotten too big that he can no longer fit with his father in that cart.

     His mother wanted him to be more like Kai Parker, gentlemanly, innately incurious, and self-contented with working with the hectare of land that they share with the village; but he does not know how to be like Kai, nor does he 'want' to be like Kai. He only wants to go to the city, to be able to explore what he hasn’t explored yet.

     “Please,” he begged as his father climbed up the cart. He should have sneaked in among the produce and hid himself under the tarp. Sadly, it is too late; when Lucas reached for the wheel, his mother catches him by his wrist and snatches him back and he falls to the dirt.

     “I said, no!” his mother's voice deep and loud in anger.

     His father looks at him blankly and proceeds to command the horse. The cart starts to go and Lucas tries to tear free from his mom’s presence. His mother’s hand flashes out again but this time her claws digging into his clothes and into his back. Tears managed to come out of his eyes and he squeaks due to the pain while his mother slaps him on his right cheek. “I do not like repeating myself. You’re no longer a child,” she says calmly.

     Lucas finally understands – but not wholly – he feels like he’s being punished for growing up. He is so angry that he wants to run away. He wants to smash all of their unharvested produce and burn all of the budded flowers they have in their small land, but all he could do for now was watch his father’s cart round the bend and vanish from his sight. He waits for his mother to let him go and assign him to do chores.

     He tries to look for Soleil. Soleil who 'once' believed in the deities.

     Lucas must have been four or five when he first saw the man throw fruits into the river. Without hesitation, he just threw eight of them, one by one. After which he closed his eyes – Lucas asked the old man why and he said he was praying to the deities.

     “What are you praying for?”

     “One of the villagers is sick with an incurable disease,” she replied. “I asked the deity of the river for a smooth and speedy recovery; they are good at doing that.”

     “But what’s with the fruit?”

     “My dear, Luke, the deity of the river is greedy.”

     'Luke' – a nickname, one his mom thought of as only a divine entity may be called but a name that his father adored. A name shorter than his current one which was 'Lucas'.

     Today he found Soleil in his garden, lying next to the vines of squash, next to thorns of the roses. It is the middle of the year, and the ground is damp with the rainwater from last night. “How did you talk to them?” he wonders. “The deities, do they have a name?”

     Soleil sits himself up, cracking his dry and old joints. “They are not addressed via any form of language.”

     “Is it witchcraft, then?”

     Soleil shoots him a look, “Do you want be to be burned at the stake?”

     “Then how did you call for them?”

     “I used gifts, and I used to praise them a lot, but they betrayed me. They never answered.”

     “Is that why you say that they don’t exist?”

     “They exist, I just don’t believe in them anymore.”

     He sits next to the old man, “How many deities do you think there are?”

     “As many as there are multiple objects,” Soleil answered. There was bitterness in his voice, but Luke knows to be patient. You cannot force out answers from an irritable old man. Soleil inhales deeply. “Deities can be everywhere,” he starts. “As long as the world is alive, you can try and call upon them if you need anything. They don’t always respond however,” he continues.

     Luke lays down on the space next to him, “Could you teach me to communicate with them though?” Soleil sighs, he knows that Luke won’t take 'no' for an answer. He stands up and heads back to his house. Luke follows, he’s afraid that Soleil will close the door on his face. Once Soleil reached his door, he turned to Luke. “Child, listen to me. There are rules you must follow before communicating with these deities. You must never challenge them nor compare yourself to them as their equal. Always offer them gifts, something most precious or important in your life. Most importantly, be careful what you ask for,” he warned.

     “What? That was it? They seem simple enough,” Luke responded. Soleil knelt down so his eyes were levelled with Luke’s eyes. “The deities are no mere joke, child. They are not kind, nor are they merciful. They will not take pity on you. Take this as a word of warning, or you will pay the price,” he warned dreadfully.

    “Anything else I should know about?” Luke seemed too complacent with these rules. Soleil grabbed him by the shoulder, “No matter how desperate you are, no matter how much help you need with your life, 'never ever' beg to them to heed your prayer. They will betray you, and use you for their own amusement.”

     Three days later, Lucas’ father returns, bringing him an empty new journal and a set of lead pencils. The first thing he does is grab the newest most well-carved pencil and wraps it with a prayer from the journal his father bought for him. He prayed that next time his father leaves for the city, he will be allowed by his mother to go with him.

     Soleil knows that the deities heard Luke's request, but to them, it wasn't so important.

     He never came back to the city again.