Chapter II

Warning to Esper

There is obscurity in sensation and pleasure that Esper gives to Salamar. It appears to be captivating and bewitching, that every muscle and flesh on his body quiver. The ecstatic taste of her lips and the euphoric smell of the lavender in her jet black hair push him to tighten his groin more. He's almost there, choking Esper as this is part of the play. Salamar stare as he's witnessing the submission of her dark eyes to pleasure. Reaching the peak of their bond, the king spills his seed inside, letting it slip over her leg.

They were able to sleep after the sensual act. But voices are whispering, piercing through her mind. She couldn't open her eyes. 

Esper...Esper...Esper    

She's frowning in pain as if her skull gets crushed. Throwing her head back and forth. 

Esper, wake up. A deep voice muttered.

It seems she has already forgotten us. A pungent voice added.

My love is already resting. Let's not disturb her, Yleva. The gentle voice pleaded.

And why not, Seros? She owes us big. Don't let your affection for this minion of ours fool you and make you a complete craven.

My love, Esper, is not our minion. She's the most powerful sorcerer of her time.

Not her fool. It's Galindra. Yleva snapped.

The voices were growing louder and painful, squabbling and baffling.

Silence both of you! The deep voice boomed like a clap of thunder. And of a sudden, there come flashes of moments inside Esper's mind: There's fire, seas of fire, rains of fire. Tower crumbling to the ground. She's at the wood. A mysterious being stands from a distance, clothed in all black. Who are you? She asked and got no answer. Instead, the mysterious being drew its sword. Its design is exquisite; the engraved runes on its metal are exotic. Esper stepped back, clasping the fur blanket. She can't move. It seems a bulk of stones piled up on her body. Esper is struggling to recognize the mysterious being who is now approaching her, so quick as the beating of her heart. There's a sudden wailing sound that echoes all over the woods. It distracts her for a while. 'Where is that coming from?' And then with a blink of an eye, the mysterious being is now choking her; gasping for air, Esper pleads, 'Mer..cy.'

The mysterious being plunged the sword into her belly; to pull it up is to pull her up from a bad dream. It wasn't a dream, but a warning from the umalagad.

Umalagad are the ancestors of the natives or the 'katutubo' in the local tongue. Some of them were once legendary warriors or rulers of their time. They can also be ordinary beings who marked and had heavy contributions in their town or 'balangay' or even did extraordinary and uncanny things like the 'babaylans' or the 'bunggaitan.'

There's nothing but silence now, in her mind, and inside the king's chamber. And dim darkness, with the moonlight as the sole source of light, passing through the windswept balcony. Salamar prefers it to be open all the time. He loves the fresh wind and everything that comforts him. There's nothing more dangerous than a king getting unsettled. Esper rose from the bed in a wary manner. She took her night robe hanging on a chair; wore and tied its rope in a bow. Where is it? Esper squats beside the bed, groping for something under it. She has dragged the wooden box and took a small pouch inside; then pushed it back to its prior spot.

Esper kissed Salamar on the cheek, still asleep. She glanced at him once again, smirking, and then left the king's chamber. It was an endless walk on long hallways and crisscrossing stairs before she had reached the rearmost part of the palace, where a small garden looms. There are so many gardens in the palace but this one is so special to her. It'd been dead before, but Salamar has hired gardeners with the greenest thumb in the whole Esperia and has made it alive and enchanting. He had it planted with bushy trees and some of her favorite flowers, such as orchids, gumamela, and plumeria. He also had it enclosed with high-curtain walls that protect her from getting seen when doing rituals and offerings.

Esper glimpsed at the moon—full and cloudless. Good, the force of darkness is stronger tonight. In the middle of the garden, there’s an ancient stone caldron. She took a big handful of powder inside the small pouch and sprinkled it on. A mushroom of fire blasted, blazing enormously. She could feel the heat caressing her unblemished cheeks. This can’t flinch her, instead, she looks closer to the fire. There are three wandering shadows.

'My love is here,' Seros announced.

'Ohh, the wicked witch,' Yleva taunted. After they noticed her, the umalagad formed themselves into shadows of faces.

'What do you need from me?' Esper crossed her arms, and raised her eyebrow.

'Insolent! You need us, more than we need you.'

'Stop taunting her, Yleva!'

'Just let her, Seros.' Esper said.

The most silent among the umalagad has finally spoken, and everyone heeds. 'You blocked us. We couldn't enter your mind. 

Lucky for us, the barriers you created had weakened. Your submission to pleasure did it. You have to be careful next time. Having a strong will is one of your greatest defenses against psychic powers.'

'Forgive me, Sidayo. I just wanted to have peace, even for a while.' Esper sighed, 'Anyway, what's with this disturbance?'

Yleva cut her off. 'Galindra, the sorcerer who has a dark spirit. A beloved friend of yours...'

'Correction, a former friend. And what could that traitor possibly do to make you all feel threatened?'

'That importunate witch. I will crush her bone and I will eat her flesh, then drink her blood...' Yleva just laughed hysterically and didn't continue what she has to continue.

'You are just wasting my time!' 

Sidayo interrupts, 'A newborn child that came from two sacred clans is now under the tutelage of Galindra. Soon, she will use that child against you; to stop us from carrying out all our plans here in Yrthos; to burn the empire you're establishing to the ground. He could unite all the kingdoms and realms, and bring false peace to this wicked world by killing...you.'

'That can't happen!' Esper screamed as the fire blazed larger. She grasped the lip of the cauldron while her mouth is trembling and her eyes were glaring. 'Galindra! I will destroy you. I will not allow you to win. Not this time!'

'I can't see clearly how the prophecy would eventuate. If there's any truth to that, then the child would be our biggest obstacle,' Sidayo added.

'Kill that child now while he's still frail and suckling. You are the only one who can do that. The other anitos and umalagad must not know our connection to someone whose magic is very...foreign. They would all act together against us once they know we are helping you,' Yleva said.

Esper gritted her teeth. 'Galindra, this is her plan all along. The Order of Sorcerers cannot interfere with the lives of mortals. We've sworn an oath. That's why no one knows I can conjure magic.'

'Whether it is planned or not. You have to be careful, my love. Galindra is no ordinary sorcerer. She has a dark spirit that guides and protects her,' Seros said.

Sidayo reminds Esper,' We've given you a very long time already. And that's enough. Don't forget our agreement, that you, yourself, define, the moment you broke the crystal balls to set us free. There are only a few people now believing in the anitos and umalagad. Since the time the conquerors set their foot on the west. A new age has come to bring back the domination of old faith to the western realms and to expand it further to the east, and the whole Yrthos. It is impossible to achieve without bloodshed.'

Yleva continues, 'You'll do everything we say or I will throw you back to the filthy mud where you came!'

The crispness of Yleva's laugh echoes the roll of thunder, and the fire got quenched, leaving Esper in darkness. She closed her eyes. Galindra, if you think you can stop me with just a made-up prophecy, you're wrong. No one can stop me. You've just deepened my desire to conquer the three kingdoms, and now I won't stop until I conquered the whole Yrthos. I will kill every newborn child if I have to. The dark sorcerer simpered with teary eyes.

Gaston, Rako, and Luna. I know you can hear me. Do not waste any moment. Find and kill Galindra and the child she has with her. I will give you until morning. Let's see each other in the tower where I often meet you.