Chapter 2: The Jade Island

Raymundo Palmero was the youngest of his sisters. He’s the only son of the patriarchal family. Meaning, he’s the only ruler left of Jade Island. 

Jade Island was the most exotic place left in existence in the ruins of the old Highlands. No one remembered the Highlands. Those were the times of great evil brought by all Magicians. If their lines were still practicing the perfect laws that they had now, there would be no downfall for the Highlands. But, the Rulers were too carefree to care about those gods, angels, and demons, thinking they had the same agenda as humans.

The Sirens were the only creatures who knew about the great past. And, they exactly knew what happened in the Great Tribulation which was the Great Silence for the Magicians. Aside from the Sirens, only the Magicians remained with their power. Unlike the Sirens, the Magicians were wiped of memory as humans did. But, being half-breeds, they could never get rid of power; but as punishment, they had to relearn it.

Raymundo was a carefree spirit and he loved a good party. The island had never had any tragedy since the Great Tribulation. It was a land of happiness and Raymundo was king of it. 

However, Sirens were not allowed to dwell with humans. They were the ones, his great-grandmother, who summoned out a judgment from the gods for what the Magicians did to their clan. In favor, the actors were punished but the Sirens had to live separately. But, they had a sacred duty – translator of the messengers – and it was so long ago since the gods favored a request from humans. 

There was a time that a demon passed the threshold and requested a name. Then, for the second time, it was an angel – both with the same request, the same name. 

It triggered his curiosity. What were the deities up to?  He would know it. 

"The Child of the Great Sun would wake his Father and bring the Eternal Fire. Search the child and prevent it. The Realm is in great peril," the demon said on the first visit and which was seconded by an angel on the second visit.

"My great apologies to your deities," King Ray said. He added, "Sirens are interpreters, not searchers."

"I understand your standpoint, Your Highness," the Angel said. "But you have to relay this message to the Child of the Moon Deities. Her Royalty should remember her truth for the sake of all of us who still live." 

"Her?" Ray asked. "Does she have a name?"

"My apologies, Your Highness," the Angel said. "But we are just messengers."

Ray nodded. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, your Highness," the Angel said. "This scroll was written on her Royalty's magic. Along with our message, you will know her through this scroll."

The scroll was sealed with a Royal mark of the Rulers, the Hierarchy of Deities responsible for Deities Politics. Ray accepted it. 

"The one who broke the seal should be the only one to search for the Lost Angel. Her Royalty's power could only be revealed to the one who would break it."

Ray nodded for the second time and was overwhelmed by the mark that was facing him. He asked for more messages but that was it. So he gave each of them a coin of reward as their return ticket. 

He did not open the scroll for one week. He gave further thought to this quest and was considering giving it to his sisters. But the scroll was like calling him. Some nights, he was visited by some strange dreams. He felt like he could see Her Royalty's image in a blurry vision. 

Until he was so bored on his throne, he did not notice that it was the scroll that he opened. He remembered that the old scribe turned to gold and the message came flushing to his mind like flashes of old memories. He did not know her but in his memory, he saw Her Royalty when she gave him the quest. 

That was it. He gathered his council and appointed his sister's husband for leadership while he's gone. He made all necessary ceremonies before he removed his crown, specter, and hood and tossed his last cup. 

Not from a distance, he could see that a boat was being prepared. The crystal sea was so magnificent but he’s not feeling it. He would be leaving the world that he knew for some quest that the gods were so afraid of. A Siren never packed. They were shapeshifters and of all, that’s worthy, shapeshifting was the last resort on an agenda that was close to failing. There’s no need to bring several things when they had magic. Besides, who would starve to death on the land of so many opportunities? 

He climbed down from his balcony, walked the widespread hallway to the outside of the Palace. He walked towards the prepared boat. Everyone should bow but no one did. He was among the crowd of different people, different messengers from different worlds. No one knew him. Every request was submitted to a council and every accepted request was admitted to the throne hall. Only then, they could see the king. Now that he removed his Royal garments, outside the Palace, he's just an ordinary traveler. Jade Island was nothing but a transactional oasis. The busy streets disregarded him and no longer, he just disappeared from a king to nothing. He wished nothing but to go on with his quest.

Magic flowed on Jade Island. The island was the portal kingdom where all the worlds meet. From the cauldron to the seas, it might lead to a world unknown. Earth's portal was a volcano in the middle of the ocean - at least, that's what he knew. 

The sea breeze played his hair and he could no longer smell the scent of land. Then, like an engineered yacht, his boat stopped midway; his destination was still far but he could already see it. Then, the ferryman arrived. He was walking on water and the man signaled him to disembark. A traveler needed to listen to the ferry, however dangerous it might sound. 

"Trust is the foundation of all journeys," the ferry said along the road. "If you do not trust your ferry and yourself, you won't survive the journey."

"Yes," Ray agreed. He felt that they had passed the veil since the scenery had changed. It was no longer the ocean but of a great white cement. Not a kilometer afar, he could see the entrance of the portal. He looked for the ferry but he realized that he was already alone. One of the principles of travelers: read the signs. 

So he read the signs until he reached the wooden gate which admitted him to the portal. There, he met the ferry again. 

"Are you certain of this journey?" 

"Yes," Ray replied. "This message is from the gods."

"Very well," the ferry said. "Continue. But mark this word traveler. Earth is a precious world – full of wonders and adventures, but not a friendly place. However, the Ferryman has to remind you that you could not return until your purpose has not yet been fulfilled. The King should also understand that the people on Earth might be difficult. So, he must be careful. On his return, a traveler to Earth should ask something from the children of the earth as a gift to the gatekeepers of the crossroads. If one forgets it, he could not enter the gates.”

“What sort of gift?” 

“A gift which shows that your quest and message has been delivered.”

The gates opened and a staircase showed him the way. When he reached the peak where the directions told him it was, he realized it was the mouth of the Volcano. The direction was to plummet down the big hole. 

His heart raced. This was not just an ordinary journey. He might have second thoughts but this was it. There was no turning back. He closed his eyes and waited to let the air stop wailing as he plummeted. The second he opened his eyes, the sound of a police car and plumes of street smoke greeted him. 

IT WAS a sunny day in Davao. The clouds never showed any chances of rain. Dr. Beatrice Villanueva tossed the curtain open to reveal her office inside her glass windows. The air outside could not enter her lab. She never liked the smell of smoke and the mixed dirt on it. So, she consistently maintained air fresheners and air conditioners. 

She ran Renu Laboratories for five years now since she earned her degree in Medicine. Now, just two years after Medicine, she was about to earn her Degree in Bone Surgery. She's 28 now. With her profession, she's quite too young to get such big accomplishments. 

However, she never earned any experience in public practice. Though many requested her services considering that she's very adept at her skills, she always declined and only preferred to do her practice inside Renu. Running a private establishment was not a problem to her. Her father left her a wealth that was beyond abundance. She could pay her instructors to pass her even not going to school. That’s what she did. However, she never failed an examination. She's more of a self-learner and she did not trust the knowledge of her instructors. 

She was not an antisocial person though. She got friends but she preferred all her going-outs and ins were held inside her establishment. She got private pools and rest houses in different regions in the entire country just to avoid dust when going out. So, talking about school and learning, she knew that schools and hospitals were never clean. She's a weird genius. 

"Good morning, doc," Nurse Stephanie greeted her. Stephanie was her truest friend and her most trusted nurse who helped her since she started the laboratory. It was her best friend who stayed during her tempest and she loved her for that. 

"Same to you, Steph," she replied as she sanitized her hands, and then grabbed her lab coat. "What do we have today?"

"We have an order for 100 boxes of vaccines and 126 liters of serum on the top," Steph answered as she passed the list to Betty. 

"Wow," Bet said as she looked at the list. "I believe we have worked to do."

"We have," Step chuckled. "But, I think you need to take some break. Vacation, maybe?"

"I got exams on the next day," Betty defended. "I don't have time . . ."

"Nahhh," Step cut her off. "How rich do you need to be?"

"It is not about riches, Steph," Bet answered. She took her pen and wrote the schedules of the coming shipment for the order. "We need people here." 

"We have enough people here. Besides, you only hire people who know what they are doing. So, please. Take some time off."

"I don't have time . . . " 

This conversation was disrupted by the entrance of a young man in her thirties. He wore a white long sleeve tucked inside his black jeans. He was wearing a white lab coat as well. 

"Good morning, Bet," the man greeted. "Same to you, Stephanie."

Stephanie and Betty gave a meaningful glance at each other. Then, Betty decided to break that silence. 

"Good morning Philip," Bet said. "Why too early for a Saturday morning?"

"Well, I got to deliver fresh flowers to you but I realized that Renu is a restricted place for flowers."

Stephanie, hearing this conversation, cued her exit leaving Betty and Philip alone. This left an awkward silence between the two. So, the man grabbed his entrance. 

"Bet, I don't want to make this long but you know that I am into you for some time already," he said. "Can we go out tomorrow for a friendly chat? If you are available, of course. My place . . ."

"You know that I do not go to other people's houses, right?" 

"Yeah," he answered. "But I made sure that it was so clean and clear of dirt. I am a doctor too, you know."

"I see that," Bet said. "But, still the same."

"I wanted to make this special."

"I can agree with you for only this time," Bet said. "You know my place in Iloilo?"

Philip nodded and already had his guess. 

"If you want to make it special then you can prepare that place for me. I will visit there by next week."

Philip smiled. Though it was unfair to him, he was still happy. He left his box of chocolate and went straight to his car. He booked his ticket to Iloilo without a second thought. 

Inside her office, Betty was also smiling and a trace of red blushes marked her face. Stephanie saw it from the next door. Then, knowing that there’s no longer any to peeve around, she went straight to the next room where an unconscious stranger was lying around. She got so many bone fractures after she was admitted earlier that morning. 

She looked for any identity on the woman but it seemed that they needed her to wake first and tell them who she was and who to call. Today, Betty would be performing surgery to correct the bones. Her life was more important than asking for permission. 

Several minutes later, Betty followed her to the viewing room. With Betty, Steph did not know, brought with her a young man who carried a small bag, dirty rags for clothes, and a stethoscope around his neck.