The Spirit Martial

Spirit 14

I can't believe we have no map now. Hindi namin alam kung saan papunta ang dragon's lair and kung makita man namin, hindi rin namin alam kung nasaan ang daan palabas. Isanag napakalaking kaputang inahan talaga ito.

"Bakit naman kasi ganon ka umiwas?!!" reklamo ko habang nakalipad pa rin kami.

"What do you want me to do then?! Hinayaan na mabutas ang ulo ko?!" reklamo rin niya.

"Aba malay ko!!" sigaw ko and once again, the snake's tongue extended at sabay talaga kaming sumigaw buti nalang nailagan niya ito muli.

"This is is Kali's mission! Where the hell is he?!" reklamo niya.

"Aba malay ko talaga! Maybe he's just below the surface, nakahiga lang," sagot ko.

"At bakit naman siya nakahiga sa ibaba?!" he asked.

"I don't know?!! Maybe because he's dead?" I answered and he rolled his eyes at binilisan pa ang lipad niya. The speed is making me feel sick. Any moment from now, I think masusuka na talaga ako. I can't tell him to slow down either because if he will, we'll really gonna die. I mean I know we're dying here but not this soon. I hope the Deities gives us miracles. I don't believe in them but I need them right now.

"Grabe ang tino mo kausap, naiiyak ako," he said sarcastically. I peeked at his back and the snake was not showing any kind of distress from following us. Instead, it was looking livelier compared before. Why though? Is this thing hungry?

From a distance, I sensed a small amount of magic running towards us. From it's quality, I'm guessing its Kali.

"Kailani," I called.

"Ano? Ano na naman ang gagawin mo?" he asked.

"When I say let me go, just let me go," I said and his eyes widened.

"Baliw ka ba?" he asked and I looked at him seriously.

"Kailani, trust me on this," I said at ramdam ko ang paghigpit ng hawak niya sa akin.

"Trust me on this also," bigla niyang sabi and he began to held me tightly at tinapon ako sa gilid.

The moment I was already at the side, holding on a tree branch, saktong-sakto na nakita ko ang pagbukas ng bibig nang ahas habang si Kailani ay nandoon mismo sa harapan niya. I was about to shout his name while I took 1 flare form my pocket but I stopped. It was just a one second glimpse but I know what I saw. Kailani smiled and his eyes sparked gold but it turned into black right after. I'm not sure was that all about I know he got something on his sleeves. There is no way he'll smile like that because he wanted to- there must be a reason behind it.

The snake's mouth was about to close but Kailani's posture changed. His hand movements was too fast and I did not caught up. All I saw was the last stance- a prayer stance.

"Sun Dragon's Roar," he said and his hair turned gold. Sun Dragon? Does Sun Dragon exist? "Golden Flames," he added. He opened his mouth an a loud roar was heard all over the forest at may lumabas na golden flames sa bibig niya. It was like I was really watching an actual dragon. The flames ate the snake and it began to cry out loud allowing the other trees to c***k. The snake's cry and Kailani's roar was ringin in my ears and it was painful kaya napatakip ako sa aking tenga. I know Kailani is afradi but this monsters are weaker than the demon he faced in our island so I know he can defeat this thing, he jsut needs courage and I guess he has it now.

Kailani closed his mouth and the flames vanished. He landed on the tree branch just beside me, We both glanced at the snake until the flames went out. The snake was still alive but it's dying.

"I knew you could do it," I said and pushed myself upward para makatayo sa tree branch na katabi niya. He's really awesome. I wonder if that Sun Dragon he mentioned is his spirit. I ever that kind of dragon existed all along.

Nagtinginan kami sa isa't isa when we saw Kali and his partner who looked surprise when he saw us.

"Why are you in the anaconda's nest? You're supposed to be in the north?!" he exclaimed at napatingin siya sa ahas na nakahiga na lang sa lupa. He glanced back at us when such furious eyes. Galit ba siya? Kasi natalo namin ang mission na dapat sa kanila? Nainsulto ba sila?

"We just finished your mission," I said with a smirk.

"Finish?!!" he exclaimed. "You just made our mission worst!" reklamo niya at napatingin ako sa partner niya na parang nakatitig sa likoran namin.

"You just killed a newly hatched anaconda," Kali's partner said with a soft voice. A newly hatched? A NEWLY HATCHED? Agad akong napatingin sa likoran namin and there I saw a giant anaconda- three times bigger than the anaconda we just killed.

Anong klase ba namang buhay ito?

“Grabe naman ang kamalasan natin, hindi ko kaya!” I shouted habang tumatalon sa mga malalaking tree branches para lumayo sa humahabol na malaking ahas sa amin. Kali and his partner was fighting it at syempre umalis na kami. It’s their mission. I did not let Kailani carry me now kasi mas natatakot yata ako kapag buhat-buhat niya ako. I just sealed an invisible bin on our hands para hindi talga kami magkakahiwalay. Ang malas pa naman namin kaya ang laking percent talaga magkakahiwalay talaga kami.

“Where should we go?!” he asked with a loud voice.

“I don’t know! You destroyed the map!” reklamo ko.

“It’s that stupid snake who destroyed it!” reklamo niya naman pabalik.

“Whatever!! Just go wherever you want and I’ll follow you!” I shouted.

“Even in the depths of hell?” he asked with a sarcastic smile.

“Even in the depths of hell!!” I replied at tumawa siya.

“Well then, follow me,” he said and he flew to the left side.

I have no choice but to follow him. It’s better to suffer together than to be in this exotic place alone. We heard explosions behind us but I didn’t look back. Ayaw kong may makikita pa akong hindi maganda. They will probably defeat it so we’ll finish our mission on our own and after I’ll jsut fire some flare-- flares? Where are my flares??

Agad akong napatingin sa ibaba kung saan nakasabit yung flares and my eyes widened when I realized that the flares were gone already. Where did I drop it? I glanced at Kailani and noticed that out of three, he only had one flare anymore.

“Kailani!! You better protect that last flare of yours! That’s our only chance to escape!!” I shouted and he glanced down. Nagulat ako nang biglang humagip sa aking paningin ang dila ng ahas at agad siyang umilag kaso nga …

“HAAA!!? ANG FLARE!!” I shouted but it was too late. The flare literally went inside the snake’s mouth.

“STUPID!!” I shouted at tumalon siya papunta sa akin.

“I think it’s better pag sinabihan mo akong masaya ka na ligtas ako,” he said with a frown.

“THE FLARE! THE MAP! KAILANI WE ARE GONNA DIE!” I panicked.

“Who says we are?” he asked and he grabbed me palayo and I looked back. Kali’s partner kicked the snake’s head at tumilapon ito palayo sa amin. He glanced at me and signalled me to go.

I hurriedly jumped away with Kailani and we stopped when we noticed that the explosions were far away. Napaupo ako sa isang malaking branch at napahawak sa dibdib ko habang nakatingin sa itaas. I need air.

Sabay kaming humihinga ng malalim habang nakatingin sa itaas upang makalanghap ng maraming hangin.

“This isn’t training,” sabi ko at napatingin ako sa kanya. “This is f*****g suicide!!” I shouted

“I will not come back here tomorrow,no, We are not coming back Cygnus,” he said.

“Come back? I hate to tell you this but I can’t accept that statement. Eh hindi nga tayo sigurado na makakaalis tayo dito,” reklamo ko and he sighed.

“This is stupid,” he replied at napahawak sa ulo niya.

We rested for a couple of minutes and we decided to walk papunta sa kung saan kami dadalhin ng mga paa namin. We did encounter monsters but they were weaker. We encountered goblins, bears, wolves and even a crocodile who chased us for straight 10 minutes. Hindi ko na alam kung kamalasan lang ba talaga ito or papatayin ba talaga kaming dalawa.

We are running out of time and we didn’t see any dragon at all. I’m sure we’ll fail this mission and we’ll fail on going back. We’re really in the deep part of the forest I think, sunrays are rare too see already which means the tree’s are higher here or the sun is already down. Whatever it is, I’m sure hindi nila kami hahanapin. We’re outcasts afterall. Kailani being a disowned prince and me being the son of the most hated Spirit Martial.

“Kailani, I think we are really gonna die here,” I said at napatigil kaming dalawa sa paglakad. I glanced at him and he looked gloomy already. Not just that, he looked pale.

“I’m hungry,” bigla niyang sabi at napaupo siya at napasandal sa malaking puno. Agad ko siyang pinuntahan and I bent down.

“I’m afraid we have no foods to consume. I never expected this to happen,” I answered and we both sighed.

“No food. No map. No dragon. No flare.” he replied and he stared straight to my eyes.

"No escape," singit ko at napalunok ako.

Tatayo na sana kaming dalawa kaso napatigil kami when we heard a dragon's roar near us. I'm a bit confused if I should be happy or not kasi una sa lahat, oo may dragon at pwede naming makompleto yung mission namin pero pangalawa, wala kaming mana. Ubos lahat sa pakikipaglaban sa mga monsters at pag takbo para hindi kami mamatay. If we'll approach that thing, with the mana we have here, we'll surely die. 100%.

"Kailani, I think-" putol kong tawag when he suddenly grabbed my collar and pinned me down into the ground. His eyes were gold and his skin was filled with golden scales. His hair was glowing and he opened his mouth showing me his fangs.

"Ngayon ko lang to gagawin Cygnus," he said. Ang alin?

"Anong ibig mong sabihin?" I asked.

"I need strength right now and I need that from you," he answered.

"I don't have much mana left in me but I'll try my best to be useful," I said and he tilted his head and he stared at my neck.

"Stay still and you'll be useful," he answered.

He suddenly tighten his grip in my collar and leaned down. I felt his breath in my neck and the following happenings left me stunned. His fangs pierced into my neck and I can feel my blood going into his mouth along with my mana. I clenched my hand and I was able to grip into the grass as I'm laying in the ground right now. As mush as I tried to stop him, my body didn't move as if it was following Kailani's order on it's own.

"A-Ah, K-K-Kailani, i-i-t's p-painful," reklamo ko but he did not stop but instead he bit deeper and my chest is starting to feel the heat. My heartbeat started beating so fast and my vision turned blurry.

I'm losing my consciousness.