The Engkanto Quartet: Voyage to the East

A truth casually told

The overcast sky poured out its anxiety in the form of heavy rain that had the people scattered back to their homes. Rakly, Bubuy, and the dwarf and his companion climbed back to the ship. Most of the crew had already gone to their homes with their families, but there were still passengers on board. About fifty of them —  merchants, elder statesmen, and tribal leaders from the Mainland — sought refuge in Ragua at the invitation and protection of the chieftain. "They are our guests while the war isn't over, and they stay on the island," Bubuy said to Rakly. He introduced his guests to the young man who was shaking their hands one by one.

The passengers expressed their debt of gratitude to the host for the warm welcome they received. "If you have the chance to visit the Mainland, my tribe, the Southern Kusgans, will always welcome you. We owe our lives to your father, and we will repay," one of the passengers said. His name was Tomas of the Plains. He was a known trader of various types of iron and metal. But his business was seized by the forces of a dictator from the northern parts of the Mainland. He had to escape to the south with his wife, but his two sons were still in his home village.

"Don't mention it," Rakly replied, "feel at home in Ragua. One day, I may have the chance to visit your tribe."

"Of course, you will. I'll ensure that."

"Tomas is a good man and a good friend. We have been to many places together," joined Bubuy.

"Those were the best times," Tomas said.

Then Bubuy instructed his remaining crew to bring the guests to the town's inns.

"We might not have enough space for them in the town, but the villages are open," the young man said. "The inns are for traders, and the refugees will have their place. I have all the men in town to help build houses."

"I'm glad that you bring that out, son. You're the right man to be the chieftain and governor of Ragua. You can take my place for life. I'm ashamed I didn't have much time doing my job as Ragua's chieftain. I have been busy with a lot of things going on in the world."

"I don't want to be the chieftain for life. Besides, I won't be staying on the island all the time for the rest of my life. I want to see the world. Why can't we call all the village elders to a meeting and let them choose the island's next chieftain?"

"A great idea," Velmer joined. "Although it's not something new, you could try if it worked in Ragua. I trust the people here, and you're all capable of establishing institutions, just like the Engkanteans did in the Mainland."

The mention of Engkanteans had Rakly's ears ringing with curiosity about the legendary group of people in the Great Eastern Mountains. But he kept it to himself while they're in the ship with its passengers. He helped send all visitors and guests to their respective places where they would stay.

Then Rakly, with Bubuy and the dwarf, walked to the chieftain's home. The cloud slowly cleared, and the western sky brightened, but it was still drizzling, and the dirt pathway muddied.

"I want to know more about the people of Engkanto," Rakly said to Velmer, who spent much effort pulling his boot out of the sticky mud, "I wish to see an Engkantean visiting the island one day."

"There's no need for wishing," the dwarf said. "The Engkanteans are all over the world, whether known or unknown. In fact, they're with us. Only that you don't realize you have already met some of them, disguising themselves as travelers. Also, you don't have to go far. I mean, look around you — if you like, better yet, look within you."

"People are alike. That's all I see. They're similar to you and me, breathing the same air. Some are strangers from the plains and other parts of the Mainland, and others from the southern islands. But none introduced themselves as Engkanteans."

"Please, allow me to be blunt and direct to the point for this one time. You are not who you are, Rakly. I know you more than you know yourself. One of the reasons why I'm here is to tell you the truth. If you want to know more about yourself, you can talk to me anytime when you're ready," the dwarf said.

"What do you mean by that? How do you know me when we meet just today?" said Rakly, who was visibly annoyed by the dwarf's cockiness.

"It's the right time for you to know," Bubuy intervened. "You're my son. But I know that you know that you're different from others. Though you love this island — and Ragua loves you back — we couldn't deny that you also belonged somewhere else."

"I belong to the island and will always be a son of this island. My family is here." The young man said this out of sincerity. But also partly due to a desire to defend himself from questions about him being different.

There was a long silence, broken only by the click-clocking of their footsteps on wet ground.

Rakly was in deep thought while walking without saying a word. And no one said anything until Bubuy finally remarked with a smile on his face, "We're home."

The distance between the pier and the house was about half a mile. Along the way, there were inns and pubs. But most of them were fully occupied and crowded due to the influx of visitors.

There was a hospitality inn a few steps across the street called the Relic. Rakly would drag Isuk with him for its pub's best wine and beer. They headed to the inn to inquire about a vacant room for Velmer and his companion, whose name was Tikloi. "I'm sorry, we are full," the innkeeper called Adel, who was also the father of Porsia, one of Rakly's girlfriends, said. "You can stay in my house, instead," he offered.

"They're my special guests. I guess they're going to stay in my house," Bubuy replied to the innkeeper. And to Velmer, he said, "Please, suffer us as your host."

"We cannot thank you enough for everything," was the response of the dwarf.

If Velmer was the shortest person to come out of the ship, the tallest was Tikloi, a man shrouded with the air of mystery, at least, in the mind of Rakly. He thought that maybe, just like him, he's one of the Engkanteans the dwarf was talking about; because he was unlike the ordinary people visiting Ragua. He had a muscular build, and he was standing adamantly taller than everyone else. He had ancient scripts tattooed all over his dark-skinned body, arms, and legs. The three scars on his right face made him look scary to children. "Once done, we'll go back to where we came from," he said in a soft baritone voice.

Rakly ushered the visitors to their rooms at the backside of the house, facing the woods and the freshwater stream flowing to the sea. The chieftain's house was the biggest on the island. It had ten rooms, seven of them reserved for guests. There was a garden at the back of the house; it went naturally with the clear stream and the trees. Wildflowers grew, and it felt like a fairyland in the garden.

"Nice place you have here," Tikloi said. He was a little taller than Rakly and a bit bigger with more muscles. His appearance told of the countless battles he'd been into.

"It's the reason why I love this island. It's my home. I might travel to many places, but I will make sure to return."

"Surely, you will, but you might not. There's a majestic place that you may like to see, and when you see it, you may not want to leave it. You might not wish to return to this island."

"I haven't been out of this place, so I don't have a comparison. I would love to see the beauty of other places and compare their similarities and differences. But right now, Ragua is the most beautiful place on earth to be."

"Indeed, it's the most beautiful island I've been to," Tikloi said. "And I'd love to be coming here often."

"Enjoy your stay. Feel free and be at home. Food is in the kitchen, and if you want to hang out somewhere else, there are pubs along the street," Rakly said before leaving the stranger in the room.

Then he tiptoed outside to where Isuk was, drinking tuba at the beach where the freshwater and saltwater met. Bubuy and Velmer were on the balcony talking about business and everything that happened on the Mainland.

The earthy scent after the rain filled the air while the western sky started to paint a dissolved fiery color. Rakly and Isuk were wetting their whistles with a few jars of tuba.

The truth casually told by a stranger had made him uneasy.