7. Hope

"Maria..." said Simoun.

"I'll pay for everything these two worked for," said Maria, smiling.

"Maria..." said Simoun.

"I'll pay for everything these two worked for," said Maria, smiling.

Later...

"So... you know this woman, Simoun?" asked Elias.

The three sat by the table of Maria's home.

"This woman is Maria Clara," said Simoun. "She is my ex-fiancee."

"Ex-fiancee," said Maria. 

"I wrote letters to her for us to begin the revolution," said Simoun. "Everyone is outside this town right now, and our attack against the government and the Church shall commence."

"Great," said Elias. "What's the plan?"

"The plan is to have our cedulas ripped into pieces at dawn and we will charge at the city of San Diego and ransack the whites and the Priests," said Simoun.

"And you think that this will free our people?" asked Elias.

"It will," said Maria, crossing her legs and coldly staring at Elias. "They will all hopefully die in our revolution. May the Spanish Empire fall and our people rise to freedom."

That night, the two secretly slept at the barn of Maria's home along with the pigs who feed on the resident's feces. There, Elias spoke.

"What do you think is going to happen when we win in this rebellion?" asked Elias.

"We will then wait for the books to be published," said Simoun.

"Then, we may rest with a free nation?" asked Elias.

"Yes," said Simoun.

Elias sighed.

"I was a Father of three children," said Elias.

"Hm?" asked Simoun.

"There was Rosalita, Jose and Pepita. And there was my wife, Arcelli," his eyes went teary. "Did you know that Aswangs was not a popular belief until the Spaniards came? It's as if Aswang sightings have gone up ever since the Spaniards came. They took advantage by using that knowledge to make the Indios fear them. I was a Father of three, and we were farmers. One night, a Priest began to enter my house at night, claiming that there was an Aswang nearby. So, I paid him every day for an exorcism each day. However, I, later on, noticed that my wife began to act erratic, and so did my children. I learned that the Priest had been sexually harassing my wife and children."

"Jesus Christ," said Simoun, in utter disgust.

"He had been touching them where he shouldn't. He even made them please him by making them dance for him," said Elias, crying. "I didn't know I was a Grimm at the time, but that night, I saw him transform, Simoun. I saw his true form. An Aswang. But when I saw his true form, it was already that night when he slaughtered my family. I grabbed a blade and decapitated him. He ate my family, Simoun. I checked their pulses, and gladly, Pepita was still alive. I had Pepita hidden in the countryside and made sure she would stay away from this battle. I later learned that these Aswangs have been controlling Europe for years, especially the Spanish Empire. Now, I've been hunting them. I've read books, met with those others of our kind, and fought and slaughtered their kind."

"So you're also doing this for vengeance?" asked Elias.

"No," said Elias. "Later, I tried killing an Aswang, Simoun. It was a child... He didn't look dangerous... I killed his family in front of him."

"He was a creature of the dark," said Simoun.

"He is, but he was also a child, Simoun," said Elias. "You know what I saw?"

"Fear?" asked Simoun.

"Yes. Do you know why?" asked Elias.

"Why?"

"I saw myself, Simoun. I saw myself reflecting on that child. That's exactly what I felt when my family died, so I spared him," said Elias.

"And if he comes back to kill you?" asked Simoun.

"My ally, killed him in front of me," said Elias.

"Good," said Simoun. "He would have sword vengeance, Elias."

"He was just a child!" shouted Elias, sitting up. "I thought you would understand what I've been through!"

"He was a creature of the dark," said Simoun. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"They are more than just Aswangs, Simoun!" shouted Elias.

"I don't want to hear any of this anymore," said Simoun, standing up. "I'll go sleep with Maria."

"Tch-..." said Elias, as Simoun walked away and up to Maria's bedroom. "You're a murderer, Simoun."

"I am," said Simoun.

"You're not a hero," said Elias. "You never will be."

Simoun closed his eyes and walked back upstairs.

Simoun walked into the hallway of Maria and reached the door leading to her room. He slowly opens the door. To his horror, he sees Maria, looking rather differently.

"No..." he said to himself.

She is an Aswang.

"No... No!" shouted Simoun, backing away in horror. "Please! This just can't be!"

"I can explain!" she shouted.

Simoun closes his eyes and grabbed her hand. "We'll figure something out, Maria Clara. We'll find a way to change what you are-..."

"I'm an Aswang... Crisostomo," said Maria, with teary eyes.

Simoun lets go of her hand.

"It's Simoun," said Simoun, walking away.

"Crisostomo!" shouted Maria.

Simoun, angered with God and himself, walked away.

Meanwhile...

Elias drank in the bar nearby, as the bartender asked to offer him whiskey. He nodded softly. He looked around and saw sleazy Priests and some Illustrados around them.

"Drinking your sorrows away, I believe?" asked a Priest beside him.

"Yes," said Elias. "Alas, I have learned that I have no friends."

"Such depressing news, Senior," said the Priest. "Rum, please,"

"Oh, you're white... and you're a Priest," said Elias.

"And you're an Indio, yet I approached you," said the Priest.

"Hm... Would you like to be my friend?" smiled Elias, excitedly.

"I could, but only if you weren't... Matanglawin," he said.

Elias's eyes widened.

Elias stood up and brought out Ice Breaker.

"Who the hell are you?!" asked Elias.

"Call me, Salvi," said Bernardo Salvi, the Priest. Behind him, appeared what looks like a golden deep-sea diver with a helmet that looks like a shovel. Its eyes looked terrifying and it has a large muscular body.

"Damaso sends a message, Elias," said Salvi. "This message is for Simoun."

Terror entered Elias' heart, feeling Salvi's presence.

"Huh?" asked Elias, as Salvi's Stand, THE WORLD, appeared.

Suddenly, Salvi is behind Elias. Elias immediately leaped forward and spun away.

Elias began to pant heavily.

Elias shot ice at Salvi, but Salvi immediately regenerated.

"Wrry..." he whispered.

"You're the one who raped Maria Clara!" shouted Elias. "YOU FRAMED SIMOUN OUT OF ENVY!!!"

"Ha?!" asked Salvi. "Simoun is-!!!"

"ICE BREAKER!!!" shouted Elias, as he shot several ice shots towards Salvi.

Salvi is immediately a few meters away from him, dodging the ice.

"Wh-What?! SHOW ME YOUR ABILITY, SALVI!!!" shouted Elias, as he froze Salvi's lower half.

"You don't understand, Elias..." Salvi said, as the ice around him melted. Elias backed away out of fear.

Meanwhile, Simoun walked downstairs and sighed out of anger.

"I truly am, alone, aren't I?" asked Simoun, looking down. "I truly am destined to be alone, right? I murder Aswangs for pleasure and vengeance... I do things out of pure malice...Who... am I... a hero... or a villain?Wait... There's heat coming from the town...ELIAS!!!"

"THE WORLD!!!" shouted Salvi.

Elias gasped for a split second.

*POW*

*CRACK*

Elias is thrown out of the bar.

"I-I didn't... even... see him... move..." said Elias, thrown like a ragdoll in the streets.

Elias, with tears in his eyes, trembled in pain.

"N-No..." said Elias, trembling in pain. "No... No...-!"

"He'll tell me where that books are," said Salvi. "Once he finds your dead body, he'd have to attack me."

Elias laughed and trembled in pain. "Y-You fool..." he whispered. "We already had it published... Copies of it have already been delivered all over the country!"

"H-Huh?!" asked Salvi. "But you just had it pub-!!!"

"The publisher is a Stand-User..." said Elias, laughing as Salvi gave a disgusted frown. "...he can just so easily teleport copies of it. Why do you think we spent so long going to this particular town?"

Salvi gritted his teeth.

"YOU AND YOUR RACE HAD LOST, PADRE BERNARDO SALVI!!!" shouted Elias.

"MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!!!" shouted THE WORLD, punching Elias over and over again, until-...

*POW*

*SPLAT*

A hole is punched into Elias's chest. Bones popped out and blood splattered around the pavement.

"Goodbye, Elias," said Salvi, as he pulled his fist out of his chest. Elias falls to the ground, dying.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you Indios," said Salvi. "That none of you deserve to have freedom,"

Salvi then disappears.

"Elias!!!" shouted Simoun, as he grabbed Elias's head.

"Elias!!!" he shouted, tearing up.

"No, no, no, no, no! ELIAS!!!" shouted Simoun, grabbing Elias's cheek.

Elias gargled blood as he trembled in pain.

"H-h-h-h-hope-puh..." he said, as he pointed up with a trembling finger. "Hope..."

Elias's eyes closed, slowly and trembly. He gasped his final breath and died in Simoun's arms.