Memoirs of A Second Life

Cave of Spirits

Beatrix was not too happy when Babaylan Dalisay told us that she couldn't accompany us to the cave that they mentioned. However, she deemed that it was also a good way for Marius and I to gain more experience in fending for ourselves, and to bond as mentor and student.

It was a fair assessment of the situation, and Marius couldn't stifle his excitement anymore. He couldn't wait to prove just how strong he was. However, Lapu-lapu told us something that immediately sent shivers down our spines. Even Beatrix was visibly shaken by the revelation.

The name of the cave was "Kweba ng mga Ispiritu", which Dalisay told us was roughly translated as "Cave of the Spirits". It was a cave inhabited by restless spirits, among other things. Not only was it filled with malicious apparitions, they said that it was also home to many beasts that lurk in the dark.

The cave was located south of the city, near the summit of Mount Daraitan. It would take at least two hours to reach the summit, without being delayed by pesky goblins, bandits, and whatnot. Given the fact that Mactan was a lush greenland filled with all sorts of rich vegetation and healthy critters, many beasts, and all manners of monsters dwell within its area. For that same reason, Lapu-lapu and his kin had to become warriors to protect themselves from anything that could harm them.

Marius and I had to travel to Mount Daraitan by ourselves, without our horses. Lapu-lapu said that horses would only slow us down in the mountains. Instead, they gave us goat-like creatures the size of a buffalo. The Filipinos called them "Gabay". Gabays had large horns, similar to that of a ram's, and their bodies were covered in thick, white or grey fur.

These creatures could traverse grasslands, rocky pathways, and riverbeds without slowing down. Moreover, they were capable of climbing the steepest parts of the mountain. The only downside was that they were quite difficult to ride.

I could tell that Marius was barely holding onto his gabay, and mine was just as hard to control. We were lucky that they didn't seem like aggressive creatures, and they carried us to the summit of the mountain within a quarter of the time it normally would take to climb.

It only took us less than an hour to reach Mount Daraitan's summit from Mactan.

I must say, gabays are quite amazing creatures.

Not long after, we finally found the Cave of the Spirits. From afar, it looked like any normal cave. But when we got up close, I sensed that the air from inside was much different than the one outside. Frankly, it was already weird that there was air blowing in from the cave. And to top it off, I could hear a distant howling coming from inside.

"So... what did Lapu-lapu want us to retrieve again?" Marius asked in a trembling voice.

"He said it's a sword just like Basilio's. A kampilan. He didn't mention anything else aside from that," I replied.

"Are we really doing this?" Marius asked, seemingly wanting to hear a negative answer from me.

I chuckled at the fact that he was obviously afraid, but I hid my amusement from him. I was certain that it would only make him want to enter the cave less. "Your highness, we won't be able to stay in Mactan if we don't retrieve the sword."

Marius let out a sigh. "Alright. I guess we're doing this, then."

Inside the cave, for some reason, I could sense that we weren't alone in there. The minute we stepped inside, I already felt a hand over my shoulder. It was as if someone was holding my shoulder while we were walking. Marius didn't seem to feel anything, but he was warily walking forward and holding his sword close.

I tried to ignore the fact that my shoulders were growing heavier as we went deeper into the cave, but it came to a point that I could no longer move.

I wanted to call out to Marius, but I found that my voice was gone. I could not utter a word at all, and the only sound that came out of my mouth were muffled screams. It was as if someone was preventing me from speaking.

Marius didn't seem to sense that I had been left behind. He just kept on walking ahead, and when he turned into a corner, I saw someone appear beside him, and the figure looked exactly like me. My doppelganger glanced at me and smirked before following Marius again.

"Let's go, Al. Stay close. I'll protect you," Marius said in a trembling voice.

"You're as reliable as ever, your highness," the doppelganger responded.

As their footsteps faded, my vision began to blur. At this point, I could barely breathe. But then, something dawned on me. Whatever these things were that were attacking me, they had some sort of form. And according the laws of nature written in the Book of Four Elements, all beings must abide by the laws of the shape they inhabit.

If these truly were ghosts, then they certainly bore a spiritual form that could be purged by magic.

Master Teo had once told me that those of us who possess the element of light were capable of exorcising malicious spirits, but it wouldn't be as potent as the exorcism of the disciples of Artemis. Thus, before I could lose my breathing, I imagined myself being coated by a warm, gentle light.

It was similar to mage's barrier, escudo, but not quite. I perceived the magic to protect me specifically from spiritual attacks, not corporeal. When the barrier activated, I heard harrowing screams, fading into the distance. There must've been dozens of them pulling me down and binding me to my place.

Some of them even whispered horrifying things to my ears in a language that I couldn't understand. But even so, it was still terrifying to hear them.

However, I couldn't afford to be frozen in fear. I had to catch up to Marius. Otherwise, something bad might happen to him; or worse, he could get possessed by these spirits. I had heard of people being possessed back in my old world, and it wouldn't be surprising that a similar phenomenon could happen in this world.

I summoned all my courage, casting a bodily enhancement magic to boost my speed and protect me from harm. "Houra Dourada!" I cited. When I shouted the name of the spell, I instantly managed to activate it. I was amazed at how easily I was able to use the spell this time.

This must be what Master Teo meant by muscle memory. I had no idea that magic could be instilled with muscle memory as well.

It took me a while before I finally caught up with Marius. He was standing in the middle of an area inside cave, fighting against goblins. I was surprised that the doppelganger wasn't there with him, but I didn't have time to worry about it. I needed to help him fight against the goblins first.

Once we were able to defeat all of the goblins, I finally had time to talk to him. I was a bit out of breath from using magic and fighting at the same time, so I had to catch my breath while talking.

"What happened to the doppelganger?" I asked him.

"Doppelganger?" asked Marius. "What in Artemis' name is that?"

"It's someone who looks like a person, but isn't really that person," I explained.  "There was one following you around that looked like me."

Weirdly enough, Marius didn't seem fazed by my explanation. I had expected him to freak out even a little, but he just calmly looked at me, and said, "Oh, that? I took care of it already. Let's go, Master."

When Marius saw that I wasn't following him, he looked back, tilted his head to the side, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"You're not Marius." Without hesitation, I dove forward and lunged a dagger right into the fake Marius' heart. He didn't have the time to react. Moreover, I had infused the dagger with light magic, causing him to disintegrate into nothingness upon contact.

Had I been wrong, and it wasn't Marius, I figured I could heal him right away without causing any serious injuries. I was thankful that I trusted my instincts this time.

But before I could celebrate my win, I heard Marius' voice from a distance. This time, I was sure it really was him.

"Al, what are you doing? Have you gone mad?" he shouted.

"Marius, that's not me!" I screamed. "Kill him now!"