Mermaid Blues: Beasts, Giants and Spirits

Mark of A God

Hi. This is Seline. Seline Agyaman. I was fifteen when I discovered I had an uncertain gift. A gift so unbelievable I was even scared of myself. Thanks to my big brother who supported me and made me realize that there is more that I can do. I drowned in an unknown lake. I couldn't even determine where I could. It was like I was rebaptized into a new creature.

In that place, a lake surrounded by rag leaves with its seeds flying around. I felt good. I have only been there at least three times. Fourth, if I'll count my most recent visit. Every time I get there, I am always not alone.

Grace and Ana are the friends I met there. They are as gifted as I am. Grace is the person who can turn water into any state she wants - solid, liquid, gas, and the 'fourth state. Ana is a psychic who is able to manipulate everything she sees.

Right now, I have applied as a maid at the household of the Acosta. Ian Acosta - my aunt has known him ever since before I was born. I am twenty years old now. Ian is a very famous architect, maybe because of his charm despite being an old man. His company is also partnered with Geo-Atlas.

My aunt Nime raised me when I moved out of my father's house. I was in tenth grade then. My big brother, Ceres, stayed for the sake of my safety. Auntie Nime has been a maid at the Acosta Household for thirty long years. She was the longest to serve there and witnessed how Seyhan Acosta grew.

I am Seline Agyaman. I am a mermaid. The girl drowned in space-time. I have a deep secret. Can the two of my comrades hide there too...?

***Blue Water***

Arthur is standing outside the Baguio Cathedral. He is quietly staring at the building as he ignores the people passing by. The day is fine, so the number of people attending the mass is increasing. He was standing there for five minutes. He is wearing an old denim jacket and a pair of skinny jeans. He is wearing black rubber shoes as his footwear. With a cap on top of his head. Meanwhile, he decided to pull out his phone from his pocket. Then, he dialed the number the witch gave him. He put the phone in his ear.

"Hello."

"Hi, sweetie," the lady responded.

"I am ready. Take me with you instead. Leave my son and Edina alone," he said.

"Good. Make sure you are not bluffing. You know what will happen to your family if you lie."

"How should I know if they are still alive?"

Then, the lady took the phone to Edina's ear. "Hello. Arthur? Help us."

"Edina? I'll come and get you, okay? I promise. I swear I'll come and get you two..."

Then, Agatha took the phone away from Edina and put it near her ear. "They are alive. Satisfied? So, don't try to mess this up. Let us have your head and your family will be fine."

"You b***h!"

"I'll text you about the place where we're going to meet. Bye-bye!" she informed him before hanging up.

Arthur hung up. He looked at his phone for a second and he sighed in frustration. Then, he took his eyes on the building again. For one last time, at least, he looked at his favorite place before he dies.

::::::::::

In the conference room of the Association of the Cordilleran Marksmen Headquarters, Cielo and Gaston were inside. Cielo was sitting at the left side of the table while Gaston was sitting on the other side. They focused their eyes on the huge screen in the front. The screen revealed to them the map around Mount Banahaw. They are in deep stress as they try to puzzle out which possible tracks the said witch and Arthur's family took to get away from civilization.

Gaston rests his elbows on the table while he massages his temples. His head is aching due to stress. Cielo was still facing the screen. He is poking his chin with the bottom of his pen.

"So, she left her phone in the house. We have no other way to trace them. This is so frustrating," Cielo said. He looks at Gaston with wonder. "Can't you really track their scent?"

"We tried, alright," Gaston replied. Their scents were stuck in that house alone. There is no sign that they went out within twenty meters outside that house."

"Mr. Ed might be telling the truth then. We are looking for a witch."

Gaston sighed. "What are we going to do now?" he asked Cielo. The tone in his voice says that he was losing hope. "We tried everything we could in this case. However, every time we are getting closer and closer to solving it, there are these new cases suddenly popping up."

"I know," Cielo sighed in frustration. "However, we promised those guys that we could solve this case like how we solve every case we've tackled. I don't know if I can show my face to Arthur right now."

"Damn hunters," Gaston exclaimed. "I just hope Gordon figured out what those tea bags are."

"What teabags?" Cielo squinted with wonder.

"Yeah. We found them scattered around the house. I hope that is evidence so that can lead us to where they are."

"Are there any markings on them?" Cielo asked.

"Yeah. Signatures I think. I asked Arthur if he was familiar with the writings but he was not aware. Why?"

"I think that those are not ordinary teabags," Cielo immediately concluded. "Have you ever heard of witchcraft?"

"Okay," Gaston replied in surprise. "I have never dealt with witchcraft before, so I am quite ignorant in that field."

"Anyway, we must have to consult Gordon," Cielo said before he sighed with frustration.

"How's Seth, anyway? Can he handle interrogating those hunters alone?"

"Let's have faith in the old guy. After all, he's been doing this for like forty years," Cielo replied.

"Speaking of his life, I wonder if that guy has a wife or a girlfriend," Gaston wondered. "I have been working with him for three years now but he doesn't seem to mention any woman in his life."

"Besides his mother?" Cielo raised his eyebrows.

Gaston chuckled. "Not even his mother," he replied.

"Well, let me inform you that he has a woman in his life and that is his mother. Other than that, he keeps his relationships secret," Cielo told.

"Aren't you interested in knowing?"

"Don't tell me you are going to meddle with his life," Cielo smirked with disagreement.

"It will be fun. You know, that guy is a complete mystery," he asked.

"Little bro, it is not my duty to know anything about anyone's lives except if it is for work purposes. I don't care whether he has a wife or not."

"What a killjoy," Gaston told him. "You see, he is like a closed chest. A closed chest full of secrets waiting to be opened. As in begging to be opened," he explained further.

Cielo shook his head gently as he smirked. "I hope you are joking."

"No! No, I'm not."

"Come on. Leave the uncle alone. He's been through difficult times. Especially the case involving Benjamin Rosales's mother."

Gaston gasped. His eyes sparkled with excitement while he pointed at the foreigner. " Those words...those words make me want to know him more."

"Oh, God. Help me with this guy," Cielo muttered. "Really, really like a child." Then, he resumed talking to Gaston. "Just don't do whatever your mind was saying. It's stupid."

"I'll do whatever I want. I am a detective after all."

Cielo facepalmed. He stood up. "I am going out of this room. I am going out to eat balut and shawarma. You are stressing me out."

"Oh... I'll go with you," Gaston stood up.

"No! No!" Cielo refused. "Don't you dare follow me," he warned. Then, he immediately approached the door. He exited. Gaston was now the only one in the room.

:::::::::::

Inside a room where everything is white. The walls are white. The lights are white. The furniture is decorated with shades of white - the table, the couch, and the drawer. The decors are all made of white porcelain. However, the green color of the plants contradicts the background. It is the only color to be seen drowned in the background.

The man from Abra was transfered there. He was sitting on a white couch. He was in the middle of the room. Gordon was standing next to him. He was examining his eyes as he shined them with a flashlight.

"How's your memory? Is it still jogging you up?" he asked while he was checking the pulse on his wrist.

"It hurts sometimes. Every time I try to force myself to remember something, my headaches. It's like it's going to explode," he replied. Thankfully, these last two days, his ability to speak has improved.

"Don't try to rush it. It takes time to recover every single memory. It will be back," he advised.

"I hope so...I hope soon. I hope sooner," he replied.

Then, Gordon pressed the tattooed wrist to see his reaction. "Does it hurt?" he asked.

"No," he answered.

"Okay," Gordon nodded. Then, he moved away from the man. He went to the monoblock chair standing two meters away from him. He sat down. He sighed, thinking on words to say to avoid triggering him.

"I do know my name," the man informed. He seemed ready and calm while saying that. He looked at Gordon with certainty. "My name is Kianu."

"Nice to meet you, Kianu," Gordon gladly responded right after he finally knew the man's name. Then, he threw him a question."So, how does that lizard mark work? Tell me."

"I don't know," Kianu replied with a shrug. "All I know is that I can hear voices in my head, you know? Like I am somehow connected to the people who own those voices. I can feel their pain. I can feel their intense emotions...fear, desperation, anger, and all. It stings me when one of us dies."

"These voices...were you able to count them?"

"I don't remember..." Kianu replied. But then he took it back. "Seven? I think."

"Seven?" Gordon brought his eyebrows together.

"I remember now..." he voice shook. "Then, one by one, they diminish. Now, I can only hear three voices," he said. Then, he curled up like a ball. He pressed his temples against his palms as he panicked.

Gordon got up from his chair and went over to Kianu to try to calm him down with words like:"It's okay", "No one's going to hurt you", "You're safe" and others. He whispered those words near his ears as he rubs Kianu's back.

Then, the door behind Gordon was pushed open. An agent came in and walked over to Gordon. The agent then whispered into Gordon's ear.

"She's here," he informed.

Gordon widened his eyes. "The f**k! Don't tell me her her?"

"Yes, sir. Her," he replied.

"Who the heck called her?" he asked while he paced. He stood up and his palms pressed to his face.

Kianu was just watching him freaking out. He doesn't know what's going on. Meanwhile, an old woman came in. She is seventy-five years old. She can still walk with her two feet with no problem.

"What's taking me so long to come in?" she complained. "My God! When will you treat me right in this place?"

"Tita Silvia!" Gordon immediately yelled. He painted a fake warm excited smile on his face. He opened his arms wide willing to hug her.

The old lady slowly walked toward him. But she refused the hug. She just stood face to face with Gordon.

"How have you been, young man?" she greeted.

"I'm fine. I'm fine," he replied. "Wow. What brought you here?" he asked.

The old lady brought her eyebrows close together as she wondered. "Your agency called me here. They say you need my expertise, so I came here."

"Thanks but no thanks, Tita Silvia," he said.

The old lady chuckled. "There you go again. You always think that you can do it all alone despite obviously needing help."

"No, ma'am. I am telling you, we can handle this case without you," Gordon refused.

"Really?" the old woman replied with uncertainty. "Because this Seth person called me and he said that he has been waiting for me for three months to come back here in the Philippines from Australia. He sounds so desperate on the phone."

"Sorry, but I don't need your superstition in this case. This case is very important. One mistake. If we commit one mistake, then this world will come to an end. This is not some little ghost hunting or something like that."

"You really don't know me, don't you, Mr. Scientist?" the lady said. She was a little offended by what he said. "You need my help and you know it. So, without further ado, let's proceed to whatever case you are working on." Then, she looked around. When her eyes stumbled upon Kianu who was curiously looking at her, she widened her eyes with intrigue. She is sensing something he emits.

"Who is she?" Kianu asked Gordon.

"This is Madam Silvia. Madam Silvia, Kianu. Kianu, Madam Silvia," he introduced.

Then, the agent asked permission to leave. Gordon granted the permission, and so, he went out. Only Gordon, the old lady, and Kianu are left in the white-themed room.

Old Silvia went over to Kianu. "This guy. His body is flowing with great forces," she said. "What cursed you, son?" she asked.

::::::::::

In an area about one kilometer away from Asin Road. There is a place on top of a hill where stood an abandoned warehouse. The building is only two stories tall and is designed like a house. It is a building surrounded by trees. No building is near it. There are men holding guns scattered around the yard. They are dressed as civilians. They are neither terrorists nor any known type of criminal, they are hunters who are willing to shed their blood.

Inside the warehouse were Gaddo, Gabriel, and the witch, Agatha. They were having a conversation. There seemed to have tension going on in the room.

"All I am asking is the next time you are going to kidnap someone, just tell me your plan!" Gaddo complained to Gabriel.

"Oh, come on. Move on already. Shouldn't you be happy that we took Edina and the boy as hostages? Besides, I am doing this for you," Gabriel defended himself.

"You are doing this without me knowing! How can I trust you if you are doing this behind my back? This is not the definition of helping me! This is not what we agreed upon."

"Okay, boys. Enough of this childishness right now! Or else I'll let those guys in the cage let loose," the witch warned.

"And you, Agatha!" Gaddo angrily pointed at her. Then, he walked toward her. "I thought you are on my side? Why did you agree to keep this a secret, huh?"

"I am on your side, okay? We just saw the situation as an opportunity, so we took the chance without you knowing it. Stop being a child!"

While they are arguing, Edina and Enzo are sealed in a glass cage. Edina was leaning her back on the glass wall while she sat down on the cold hard floor. Enzo is laying his head on his mother's lap while his body is lying on the floor. He is quietly crying. He is scared and confused. His mother was caressing his head to calm him down. They are watching the three people yelling at each other outside the cage.

::::::::::

Old Silvia is examining Kianu's tattooed wrist. She is very intrigued by the lizard figure. Her eyes were full of interest and amazement. She is enjoying the pressure of magic tension from Kianu.

"This mark...this mark is really from an ancient Igorot script," she concluded. "It is so unusual that someone is brave enough to cast a spell like this."

"Seriously. Who are you, ma'am?" he asked. He was getting intrigued. How come she is knowledgeable about magic? He looked at Gordon with wonder. "What is she?"

Silvia chuckled. "Have you ever heard about the babaylan?" she asked.

Kianu shook his head slowly. "That word is very familiar. I don't know how I knew that" he replied.

"Well, son. I am one of those few left," she told him.

Gordon sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Hah! Like everyone believes that nonsense."

"What do you do? What do you mean?" Kianu asked the old lady.

"I am a descendant of those ancient female priestesses. I can talk to spirits hailing from the other side. We call them anito. I am

trained to negotiate with them. Also, I am knowledgeable when it comes to magic and curses. My parents trained me for years," she explained. Then, she took a glance at Gordon who was standing behind. She scowled at him. "Therefore, I am legit."

"Priestesses...babaylan," Kianu is trying to remember where he got that word before. It is so familiar to him.

"Indeed. My expertise exceeds their knowledge combined," she added. "I can help you solve this problem."

"Then, can you help me?" he asked.

"Yeah. Of course," she gladly answered.

Gordon crossed his arms and sighed in frustration. He was getting worried that from that day on, she's going to annoy him. Her

profession is so the opposite of what he believes.

"First, tell me...who did this to you?" she asked. "Tell me the root of all this evil. From the beginning."

"I can't remember," he answered.

The old lady widened her eyes with surprise. "So, I see..." she responded with a frail voice. She was disappointed to hear that but she was optimistic.

"See? Not even you can solve it," Gordon lowkey mocked with that comment.

The lady sat down on the couch next to Kianu. "I would like to further study him," she said. "Seth said there are four of them, call the rest," she instructed.

"No. No," Gordon declined. "I will be the one to call the shots here. You don't have the right to tell me what to do."

"Well. I might have a theory. However, if you keep on insisting that I am not of use here then fine", she tood up. "Let us leave you to it without any clue on what you are dealing with. Then, before you knew it, this world is dead," she mocked. "Only because one man named Gordon was unable to work with an old woman."

"What is it to you that you are needing the others?" Gordon retaliated.

"Just to prove what I have been thinking, all right?" she answered. "Would you please just lay off your pride for a second? God! I swear, you are making this work so annoying."

"Okay, then," Gordon replied. Even if it is against his will, he still took his phone out of his pocket and put it to his ear. He is dialing Benjie's number. "I am giving you a chance to prove me and the pack your theory. Or else, I am capable of kicking you out of my lab and out of this mansion."

"Sounds rude. However, okay with me," she agreed, accepting the challenge.

:::::::::

Arthur was in the rose garden. He was sitting on a ledge surrounding a line of rose bushes. He was silently watching three kids happily playing "catcher". Looking at them, he can see his son in them. He was there for ten minutes. He was waiting for a call for any further instructions.

Finally, his phone rang. He immediately took it out from the pocket of his blue denim jacket. He immediately put it to his ear.

"Hello. I am already here at the agreed place," he informed.

"Good," the caller responded. This time, it is not a woman he is talking with. It was a deep voice from a man. "I can see you from here," he said. "Now, look to your left."

And so, Arthur immediately looked to his left - to the biking area outside the rose garden. "I am looking," he said.

"Can you see a guy looking at you with his binoculars?" the caller asked.

And so, Arthur concentrated. His eyes suddenly turned to wolf eyes. Thanks to his cap, he is able to hide them from the people around him. He searched from left to right. His enhanced vision found the man with binoculars at the distance. The man is a hunter and a servant to Gaddo.

"Yeah, I can see you too," he replied.

"Good. Now come to me," he instructed.

And so, Arthur immediately starts walking toward him. While he was walking in the hunter's direction, he didn't know that someone was observing him in the distance.

There is a guy sitting on the stairs next to the huge gate. He is twenty-one. He is wearing a denim jacket like Arthur's but it's black, and a white t-shirt underneath. He wears gray tactical shorts. He pretends to stare at his phone like he is texting someone. When he saw that Arthur was already far enough and already outside of the rose garden, he stood up and went to the spot where Arthur sat down to view him clearly. He got further intrigued when Arthur went over to a stranger who was holding a pair of binoculars in his left hand and a phone in his ear. The stranger was wearing sunglasses and a scarf covering his skull. He is wearing a black leather jacket and denim pants.

"Where are they?" Arthur asked the hunter.

"You'll know as soon as we get there," he answered. "Come with me." He wrapped his hand around Arthur's shoulders and they began to walk. He was leading him towards Lake Dr. Road, towards Ganza's restaurant.

::::::

Old Silvia's grandson put down a huge heavy book he had just got from his grandmother's archive at their home. As he placed it on the table, the book caused a loud banging sound due to its weight.

Gordon and Kianu were startled. Silvia and her grandson saw what was coming, so they were not bothered.

"What is that, a nuclear bomb?" Gordon complained. "It smells like a fossilized dinosaur."

Kianu looked at him as he squinted. Silvia put on her eyeglasses. She opened the old book and scanned the pages.

"This was a gift from my father when I was fifteen," she explained.

"Wow, Lola. Really? I thought you made that yourself," her grandson said. His eyes are sparkling with intrigue.

Gordon looked at him with wonder as he brought his eyebrows close together. "Seriously? You have been staying in her house for how many years? Don't tell me, you just learned that by now?"

"What? I am serious. I never even saw that book in my whole life until she ordered me to get it," he defended. "But to be honest with you, that book smelled like rotten poop when I found it so I gave its cover a quick alcohol rub before coming in here."

"Here. I found it!" Old Silvia yelled after she finally found the page she was looking for.

And so, Kianu and Gordon walked closer so that they could also see the page she was looking at. They suddenly got intrigued when they saw an image of a figure resembling a lizard similar to the tattoo Kianu has on the page. Then, Silvia began to read the words written on it. The image was drawn by hand, like all the images on every page. The writings were also handwritten.

"The 'mark of Lumawig'," she said, pertaining to the name of the mark. "It is also known as the blessing of Lumawig, the sky god. It is said that he loved lizards so much that he declared them a symbol of power and wealth."

"Great. Now you are saying a god created the curse because he is obsessed with lizards," Gordon said with dismay.

"I don't think so. I am not yet done," she answered. "In a lost folktale from Mountain Province, Lumawig has three daughters. They are so pretty that they are compared to the stars. These daughters fell in love with the three demi-god brothers. However, Lumawig refused to give them his blessing. He had something on his mind. One day, while his daughters were playing in his meadows, three hunters suddenly came from nowhere. Eventually, the girls fell in love with them. The firstborn fell in love with the eldest hunter. The second fell in love with the second brother. And the last daughter fell in love with the youngest. Lumawig was very delighted by the outcome of his plan, so he asked them to get married days after his daughters introduced them. The demi-gods were unhappy when they found out about the marriage. They were angry that they wanted to kill the suitors. Lumawig feared that would happen, so he gave them identical tattoos in the shape of a lizard. The tattoos are meant to give them protection against the demi-gods."

Kianu looked at his tattoo. After hearing the story, he reflected on it. Now, he is wondering if the tattoo is not a curse after all.

"Is that story legit though?" Gordon asked. "I mean, it's just a legend. It does not contain any scientific proof to support its existence."

"Every myth, every legend has a connection to every event in our world," Silvia said. "In my years of experience, not everything is proven by science. Science did not create the world. We just understand phenomenon using the method of it. Both our knowledge barely scratched the surface."

"Does this mean that we are those hunters?" Kianu chimed in.

"You are like those hunters," she corrected his term. "That curse is not a curse. Whoever gave you those, they chose you for some reason."

Gordon sighed in frustration. Kianu is looking at the old lady with fright in his eyes and nervousness. He took a gulp.

::::::::

Cielo had just got out of the mansion. He was walking on the balcony and he was now about to take a step up the stairs. He stopped for a second when he heard his phone ringing in his pocket. He took it out and put it to his ears.

"Hello. Mr. Guerrero?" he responded.

The agent who was following Arthur then replied. He is standing by the sidewalk along Lake Drive Road, in front of Ganza's Restaurant. "Sir. They fled. Arthur and some guy went inside a white van parked in front of Ganza's restaurant. Am I going to follow him?"

"No, that's not necessary," Cielo replied. He was walking down the stairs. "Have you successfully installed the tracker?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. Putting down the tracker is enough for now. We can't let them know that we are after them as much as possible. We can't let them get alarmed. Who knows what will happen if you and they clash in the middle of the road, especially since this is Baguio."

"I understand, Sir."

"Come here quickly. We shouldn't keep the helicopter waiting," he instructed.

"Right away, Sir."

Cielo hung up. He put his phone inside his pocket. After that, he resumes walking away from the building.