CHAPTER FOUR: THE FOOLISH WIZARD

CHAPTER FOUR

THE FOOLISH WIZARD

“I have nowhere to go.”

And I was right. Even if I was holding a piece of parchment containing the map of Eafros, I still have nowhere to go.

“I need some leads.”

The creatures were still far from the East and they seemed to be trailing into the southwestern part of the land.

“Off the sea? I thought these creatures abhor water.”

From the stories I heard from my great grandmother, they are the filthiest of all entities created in the unrecognizable world.

“But wherever they go, I need to follow their trail. I won’t be caught with a safe distance.”

And that was precisely what I learned in venturing to photography and fashions. But in my entire life, that was my first time trailing hideous creatures rather than wild rare animals.

“And this is the proof you are no longer on Earth, Eina.”

I went down the castle holding the Sword of Oli Klimpin and the map. And because the sun had already enlightened the whole place, I clearly saw the damage brought about by the attack. All the houses were roofless and you could only see broken stones. I saw the footprints of the creatures that attacked the land in a brighter field and I had only seen those footprints in children’s books, Trolls.

I searched every single house for food to satisfy my grumbling stomach or even just a single bottle of water to maintain my hydration and fluid, but there was none. I went to the last house before entering the old fortress and was lucky enough to find a bottle of water. I did not think twice already. I didn’t care if the water was already contaminated because it had been there maybe for thousands of years or maybe just that the Lord was still with me, all I cared about was to hydrate my cells and systems to let them function well and have some energy to find food. There were no clothes either. I already smelled my foul odor of not being able to change for 2 days. Then a grayish-colored cloak caught my eyes, or I did not know if it was its real color until I shook it unveiling its real tint. It was a brown-colored cloak with the same symbol shaped on the key amulet I had found in the castle imprinted on the back of the cloak. However, the sign was fading and for a matter of seconds, the sign totally disappeared. I didn’t know what happened but I just stole it, I meant, borrowed it for extra clothing to fight against the coldness of the wind.

“This must have belonged to the mighty soldiers of this land,” I thought as I wore it and much to my delight, it was light to carry unlike the necklace I was wearing at that precise moment.

As time went by, the amulet became heavier as if it was carrying a heavy burden which I thought was a burden to me and not that I was a burden to the amulet.

“If only I could throw it away…. But it may help me go back to Earth.”

In which I held to that faith up to the end the amulet would help me go back to my world.

I heard the noisy and heavy footsteps of the creatures from the forest. I ran into one of the trees as an entrance to the fortress as lightly as possible to avoid being noticed. They were still far and out of sight but I could already hear them and based on it, I only guessed dozens of Orcs. I moved into the forest while looking around for two purposes: to know if the creatures were already in sight and to search for some foods to eat.

After a few more minutes, I hid myself in one of the big trees enough to cover my body from being seen. Then there were the creatures I have never imagined to ever see in my entire life that only exist in children’s books. A non-stop line of Orcs walking in the heart of the old forest going south of Beokin and there were dozens of them. I needed to wait for at least 5 minutes to pass by the last Orc.

They were filthy and foul creatures with the most unusual, or should I say, the ugliest face I have ever seen in my entire life. Some of those I saw had their faces unshaped; the others have pure white eyes while some of them have yellowish scleras and the others have eyes filled with the color of the human blood. Their bodies were nasty like that of fats or intestines of humans and all of them were unpleasant to the eyes. Not to bash or discriminate against them because they were still creatures of that world, but whenever you see them on the street lingering around, you will have the same description and reaction as me. They were carrying swords and other weapons. I glimpsed where the last Orc was and once I was assured I had a safe distance, I moved and followed them. They were not actually rushing but they walked as if they wanted to get away from the fortress immediately.

“Faster you fools!” exclaimed by one of them and I could clearly hear their voices at my 50 feet distance from the last Orc in the line because they were not actually talking but shouting to each other.

“We don’t have any rest yet! We will be out of breath before we can go any further!” shouted by another one.

“We can rest at the edge of the fortress near the sea border but not in its very heart!” answered by the first one who shouted.

“Why?! This is just a forest!” another one shouted. “There’s no one here except trees and fresh meat!”

“Fresh meat?”

I got excited by what I heard. Alas I could already eat something but…

“The animals here are poisonous. This has been an old fortress, fools and no other creature dares to come here!” yelled by the other Orc.

“And the White Wizard is here. If you do not want your soul to be tortured and burned and your body be chopped into pieces, we must hurry!” shouted by the first as if he was the king of Orcs.

“Wizard?!”

I nearly screamed and with that gesture of mine, I noticed one of them looked back directly into my direction. I didn’t know if he saw me but I heard him shout, “STOP!”

“Oh f***! What will I do?”

I panicked as they all stopped for a second then began moving again, but to my direction. I heard their steps getting closer and drawing nearer to me. I saw another tree I could transfer to not being seen, so I ran off immediately. A branch of the tree tugged my neck and pulled something but I was too preoccupied to not be seen and be their dinner. I was lucky enough once again to be unseen when I glanced back and the biggest mistake of my life happened in that very precise moment.

“Who is it?” asked by the a.k.a. King of Orcs.

“No one, but it is something,” the other Orc answered as he grasped the necklace I had once worn and observed it.

“What is that?” the A.K.A. asked. “Let me look at it!”

“Here, boss.”

At least I wasn’t wrong, he was the boss but by the way the boss stared at it; he was in a state of very shocked yet joyful face.

“We must go. We need to take this to the Master. The prophecy is alive and is coming forth!” the boss exclaimed.

“What prophecy?” I asked myself.

Before the Orcs could even ask their boss the same question I posted to myself and before they could even move another inch, there was a splattering of very bright light that illuminated the whole fortress. Some of the Orcs resisted the light and ran off the other direction while the others were blinded by the light then they were sliced by the sword of a man riding a unicorn. I was also blinded by the light so I hid myself until I heard no more sound of fighting.

“Filthy Orcs!” I heard the man cry when I caught a glimpse of the man who just defeated half of dozens of Orcs.

“He is no Man!” I exclaimed.

He was old looking but he still has an enormous power and strength to trounce the Orcs. He was not pale but he was wearing a clear white robe in the finest silk cloth I had ever seen, white long beard reaching to his chest, white long straight hair, and riding a horse.

“Wait, he was just riding a unicorn a while ago!” I whispered.

He was as young as 30 based on the strength he possessed but he looked like a thousand years old with all the whites. He was holding a white cane protected by a spiral lace with an unusual shape of a crystal on top enveloped in an eagle’s wings and head. He must have noticed someone was staring at him as he ogled in my direction. I immediately hid to remain unseen. I was in a state of panic, scared to be found. I carefully listened to the footstep of the horse but after several moments, I heard the horse’s strides moving away from where I was.

I glanced at them and I was right, they were heading to the direction the rest of the Orcs have taken. After a few seconds, they were out of sight. I took a deep breath and walked towards the dead bodies of the Orcs killed by the man, or rather, maybe a wizard, hoping to find the amulet I dropped. I searched every Orcs’ body but I remembered the boss gripped the amulet and said, ‘We need to take this to the Master.’

“Who is your Master, you filthy Orcs?!” I asked irritatingly and scanned the face of one of them and as I stared at every face of the dead Orcs, only some of them had the features of humans’ fats.

Most of them have the shape of humans’ face and skull except the deadly blood-filled eyes and pierced nose and tongues plus the unlikely teeth of demons. I panicked when I felt someone grab my right foot.

“What creature are you?” the Orc who noticed me hiding back in the trees questioned me.

I do not have any idea what to do when he grabbed the sword of his kinsman and aimed it directly at me. I, myself was out of control and unconsciously dragged the sword of Oli Klimpin buckling quietly in my waist, I swung it in the air and aimed to slash the Orc’s chest before he could even swing his sword to my precious face. And guess what, I have just committed a sin for the first time, I mean I just killed an Orc I didn’t believe to exist in a world I do not recognize to be real to save my life from being eaten as a fresh meat before I could even go back home.

The flesh of the Orc splashed on the sword. Their blood was not red like the humans but rather, it was black.

“So I guess, my great grandma wasn’t wrong at all, Orcs lived and there is another world,” I muttered in the wilderness as I remembered what my great grandmother used to tell me when I was 5.

“Eina, always remember my dear,” she said to me when I curdled in her room to sleep because my nightmares were haunting me again. “There’s always an amusing life and world behind these walls.”

“Of course, Mom and Dad are down at the sala and watching TV,” I said jokingly to her riddle. “And there are people outside our house roaming around the city lights.”

She laughed at my response which I haven’t heard for a long time after she went to the Philippines.

She said, “You are such a cute baby, my dear Altheina. But as a young person, you may say that these are all fantasies of the world we lived but when you grow up, you will come to understand, one day, you will understand that humans, we, humans are never alone in this ludicrous world. They built their own homes my little Eina and they are waiting to be recognized and notice by the heartless humans.”

“Recognize and notice for what Mamami?” I asked, and regarding the name, I used to call her that way.

“Recognize that they are a part of this lifeless world and be aware that they exist in which ordinary humans cannot accept, that they are beside us guiding and helping us to overcome the shadow of darkness. And yet, we still ignore them,” she answered while looking deeply in my eyes as if saying I just need to hold onto that belief and they will find me.

And they did find me.

**********

“GREAT!” I told myself after recalling that conversation with my great grandmother. “It really found me.”

But I doubted it. Why? Because I knew to myself I have never believed in any of those silly stories and fantasies. Maybe when I was young, I listened to it but not when I grew up and not until I myself would experience the extraordinary world.

“Maybe at least, I can half-believe it now.”

And I was right to believe it.

But my main problem during that moment was not the memory and riddles of my great grandmother but my growling stomach and drying mouth and throat.

“I need to find some water.”

I searched for the Orcs’ things.

“If you can only be eaten as fresh meats, you filth!”

I found one bag and I just could not explain why I have unending luck.

“Or was it just luck?” I thought.

Anyway, I thanked the Lord for not leaving me alone in the heart of the fortress.

I found a bag of water inside their bag. I doubted drinking it but I don’t have any choice, do I? So I drank and saved a bit. I searched the bag and I was like, ‘Oh thank you, my Lord.’ I found fruits in their bag.

“Orcs eat fruits?!” I wandered.

In the story of Mamami, Orcs only eat fresh meats of humans, other creatures or their own kin when they get mad, but fruits?

“They must have stolen this from where they went,” I presumed.

But I did not care anymore, their business was their business, my business was to eat something. I almost bit the apple a bit bigger when I thought, “What if this is poisonous?”

But I was really starving to death. My death would be faster because of starvation than being poisoned. I did not care anymore if my priorities were a mess and not sorted out correctly, all I cared about was to eat. I bit a small portion of the apple and because I know the taste of a poisonous food, I ate it all. I took a look inside the bag and there was one, only one apple remained and a last bag of water. I was still lucky there was still one.

“This will be enough for me for a day.”

At least for one day I could still survive, but I knew there was a long journey waiting ahead of me.

“I will worry about my starving stomach on the road, but now where to go?” I asked myself as I looked at the map.

“The town of Tenethra is south of this fortress, so I just need to continue walking this…” I turned my body into the southern portion of the forest pointing it out. “Direction?”

“But what to do with these creatures?”

I looked around and half of the dozens of Orcs were dead lying on the ground. I just decided to leave them.

“This fortress has long been abandoned as per observation and as what their boss said, no other creature dares to come here, no one but their own kinsman. And with that Man or Wizard, I don’t care whatever he is, I cannot stay here.”

**********

I walked ahead of south without any assurance how many days the journey to Tenethra takes. I walked and walked until sunset came, an icy breeze of coldness touched my bare face and legs and darkness and silence filled the fortress. It was scary but I had no other choice.

I was afraid of what I would see in the fortress at night, so I located a nice and safe place to hide. I settled down in a tree big and wide enough to cover me when I became one with nature feeling any strange sounds or movements. I easily went to a deep sleep because of my weakened body and only darkness crept into my mind and vision.

“Eina….”

A sweet, soft, gentle voice began to call me.

“Follow my calling, search for me.”

It was a woman’s voice. It was the same sweet, enchanting woman’s voice I heard when I dreamed about the butterfly and the amulet. The voice went deeper and deeper.

“Do not let him hold me with his bare hands.”

“Who’s him?” I asked the voice inside my head.

I was not expecting any response from the voice but she had responded to my question. “He, who forged the power of darkness. He, who took vengeance to all Ea. He, who had lived in lies and hatred.”

I did not know what the voice was talking about.

“Ea? What are they? Who are they?” I asked the voice hoping she would answer my question again but she did not, instead she muttered.

“Save him from darkness, release him from betrayals, unleash the truth in his heart and engrave forgiveness into his soul.”

I wanted to ask for more and truly understand what the voice was talking about but I was awoken by the cold breeze of wind that touched my bare cheek.

I gradually opened my eyes and sunlight blinded my visions.

“It is morning.”

One day was over and I needed to travel more to reach the river crossing over to Tenethra. I was thirsty and hungry and I thought I could not last for more than a day. I was about to faint but I needed to fight. I needed to find that amulet and ask questions to any living creature of Eafros except the Orcs and Goblins of course, they were not to make good friends, understand the whole situation and know the truth.

“A lot of questions needed to be answered.”

I ate the one and only fruit I have and drank the one and only bag of water I have saved and stolen from the Orcs.

“I hope this will help me last a day.”

After eating and resting for a couple of minutes, I readied myself to be on the road again.

“I must hurry.”

I have walked half a day under the sun without resting and my throat ached because of drying yet I could not foresee any river or green fields and I was still in the woods. I drank the last drops of water before I continued. I diverted my attention from my growling stomach and sang a song I learned from the Philippines.

Pinid ang pintuan mistulang dingding,

The closed door, like a wall

Walang sinuman ang maaaring tanggapin.

No one is allowed to enter.

Anong pumipigil, anong nagbabawal?

What stops you, what forbids you?

Sa sariling mundo, ba’t ‘di ka lumaya.

From your own world, why not be free?

I heard the tweeting sounds of the birds following the melody of the song, so I sang a little bit louder.

Buksan ang ‘yong mga mata, kahit may luha

Open your eyes, even if had tears,

Mamahalin pa rin kita, at tutulungang

I will always love you, and I will help you

Lumaya…

To be free…

The song was actually a worship song dedicated to Christ and the Christians. They often sang it inside His Holy Home and it engraves the meaning of brotherhood and unselfishness. Whatever problems, troubles or accidents we may face, there will always be someone to stay by our side who will support us and love us, and that God and His Holy Son will always be there to guide us and direct us to our right paths.

The tweeting of the birds became louder as well, and almost filled the silence of the fortress and let all the trees be alive again and swayed their lovely colorful leaves from green to yellow with the melody and danced with the tune. I continued the song with the hymn of the birds.

Basong may tubig lagyan mong muli,

Fill more a glass full of water

Aapaw dahil walang silid.

It’ll overflow because it has no room for more

Pusong may galit ‘di maaaring umibig,

Heart filled with hatred can never love

Bulag sa wasto, alipin ng isip.

Blinded of the truth, a prisoner of the mind

I ended the song with its chorus where the sound of the tweeting bird grew louder.

Buksan ang ‘yong mata, kahit may luha

Open your eyes, even if had tears,

Mamahalin pa rin kita, at tutulungang

I will always love you, and I’ll help you

Lumaya…

To be free…

Before I could even finish my song, a very sharp thing was stabbed at the left lower part of my abdomen. That gave me a sneering pain but I could not shout for any help. Then someone pulled it from my back, and if I was not fast enough to dodge, he could have slashed me into two. I immediately took out my sword and stabbed him in the heart before he could attack me again. It was an Orc.

“Maybe it is an Orc who survived the blade of the wizard.”

The pain became intense and I just watched my blood gushing down from my abdomen. I temporarily stopped the bleeding with my cardigan, I wrapped it around my waist but the pain grew sharply.

“I need to get out here.”

I managed to stand but the sharp pain increased by minute. I felt my body weakened by each step I took but I didn’t have any choice but to just walk and walk. Night fell and because of pain, I decided to settle down in a big tree. Even if the color of my cardigan was black, I knew it was already soaked with blood. The next thing I knew, I was crying. I was crying not because of the pain but because of the fact I was going to die at an early age and worst, die in a world I did not even believe to exist.

My eyes closed and I just prayed. The wound hurts a lot but I could not do anything to amend it. I may be in a magical world but I was no human of that world. The night deepened and no visible stars in heaven, only the circled moon lighted the whole forest. My mind was dragging me into deep sleep but before I even closed my eyes again, I saw rounded eyes around me. I began to panic but with my condition during those times, I knew I did not have any strength to fight them. And even if I did have strength, I was nothing compared to wolves who have lived in the forest for a very long time.

I began to lose hope because I expected it would be my last breath. I closed my eyes once again and waited for their sharp teeth to tear my precious body into pieces as their dinner when I heard a loud shout. I opened my eyes and I was blinded by the illumination. Then a man stood in front of me and killed every single wolf that attacked him. It was about 20 slashes before he downed his sword and faced me.

“Are you alright, Young Lady?” the man asked.

My wound pained again and I could only give him a grin before I spoke.

“I’m fine. Thanks for the help, Young Man.”

Actually, he was not a young man when I concentrated my gaze on his face. He was actually in his early 40’s or 50’s but his strength was in 20’s. I could not describe clearly what he was wearing because my wound kept on aching and the pain grew intensively.

“Who are you?” I managed to ask.

He lowered and inspected my wound. His reaction was mad and frightened and gave me a worried stare as he met my eyes.

“We need to hurry. You must be healed,” he said instead of answering my question.

He whistled then a few seconds later, a horse came out.

“Who are you?” I asked again.

“I am Aresdor. And I am here to take you to a safer place,” he answered.

He carried and rode me onto his horse then he rode.

“And one more thing my Lady, I am no Man.”

I was confused and wanted to ask more but my vision became blurry until the whole world became pitched black.