You know what is the best thing you can ever see every time you wake up in the morning? Probably, you will say the very warm sunshine hitting your skin, the birds chirping along the meadows, the cool wind, and a very nice view of a place like a lake with a volcano in the middle (Nah, I'm just describing the view I had from my Hut Jr. back in the city.). But sadly, this time, it is not that. The scariest thing that can possibly happen to you when you wake up is seeing a kid with a buzzcut glaring above you like he is going to eat you for dinner, and also two of his friends whom I saw are pretty bruised and jacked up from our duel back in the woods.
I am in an interrogation room, I mused, of course, the surroundings are dark, ultra dark like I was back into my dream which gave me chills. The only thing that can be seen is the stereotypical hanging interrogation room light above me and the three goons who messed my way.
I tried remembering, what the heck happened? How did I get here? Then I suddenly realized the faint feeling of dullness on the back of my neck where I was blow gunned by a tranquilizer dart, I was going to facepalm myself (sadly I was tied into a chair.) for being so stupid and not thinking about hidden gunners in the trees. I was engaged by emotions that time so I acted recklessly, well, I always act recklessly.
How many hours was I out? I need to find Elise now, as in now because the more I let the time pass, the more she goes into danger. But first, I need to assess my situation.
My hands were tied into my back as I was sitting on a metal chair and my legs too are tied upon the legs of the chair itself, a stereotypical hostage situation that I faced back in the simulation room and also, I am not wearing Eve.
But what creeped me out the most is buzzcut telling me what my mom used to tell me every morning when I was a kid everytime I wake up.
I remembered my mother's face telling me "Good morning sunshine, how was your sleep last night?". The sweetness and softness of my mother's voice gave me warmth and life, but buzzcut, oh hell, it felt like ten times worse, only my mom can tell that to me. I wonder how my parents are now at The Hut. I hope they are okay.
I tried devising a plan within milliseconds while buzzcut and his friends stare at me with murderous intent. I tried grasping for my things but they aren't on my back or anywhere near me, well then, I think this is the end of my ballad. I am stuck here in a chair, my hands are tied, a stereotypical interrogation lamp sways above me and 3 guy who looks like who took steroids for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is glaring at me.
He punched me in the gut so fast I didn't see it coming, oh God, this hurts, I was never punched this strong before, even those Splinter Cell guys never hurt me in this level, this is a guy of a different caliber, maybe he was trained by his other jock friends.
I groaned but I still maintained my bearings, I need to think of a way out here fast.
Buzzcut and his two other friends started laughing gruesomely "Who's down now, punk. You may have defeated all of us but that's just luck, I will show you some real beating."
I tried mustering my courage, after all, at these moments, the only weapon that I have which is available, is my mouth, so now, we'll fight by talking. "That's a punch? That's like a pat on the back, you moron, my mother can punch even better than you. (True fact, my mother was trained by the Anakdatu too.)"
I was high kicked with a blinding speed by buzzcut's other friend into my face with a force that cracked my jaw. God, that hurt, good thing I was trained too for high pain tolerance. I realigned my jaw as these guys are starting to annoy me. I started loosening the ropes which bind my arms behind the chair because if I didn't do anything, I won't live anymore to see another daylight, or even clarify my parentage, or even save Elise so I must act.
The guy who kicked me snorted and Buzzcut patted him in the shoulder. "Nice kick, Gringo," (what the hell, who names people like that, I was really in the midst of laughing my guts out for that name was like used a hundred years ago, like when my favorite band, The Beatles, are still running, but I tried to suppress it, I don't want to be high kicked again into the face, nuh uh.) "but now, no more, it's time for the main event." Buzzcut now turned serious and looked at me "We are going to interrogate you about stuff so I insist that you answer the questions honestly and truthfully."
As much as I want to comment once again on my friend, Gringo's kick, I just did my best poker face and stared at them "Okay."
Buzzcut took something in his pocket and he showed me a weird looking charm, it's like an eye on a tree with lots of branches and roots in a circular shape which hung on a golden chain, "This is the Eye of Bathala or the All-Seeing Eye or whatever the other cultures called this thing, they are just copycats and started owning this symbol, but blah blah blah, irrelevant information, but this symbol was given by the capital-B Bathala itself that is known to see everything, know everything, hear everything and everything, especially the truth as he is the god of the whole universe," he looked up "oh my, do I need to go through this briefing every time? I can just say like 'You need to tell the truth or else, you'll get zapped by lightning if you did not' something like that right?" He sighed and stared at me "Well, that's mostly it, answer the questions truthfully or get a serious punishment, understood? Yeah, I'm sure you do."
He put back the Eye back into his pocket and he straightened his posture, "So much for the boring and very informative briefing, my name is Bagwis, my surname isn't important and I am a son of Amanikable," He showed a tattoo near his right bicep showing a body of water with lightning in the sky and the body of water with large waves "the Philippine god of sea disasters… well, that's stupid, I shouldn't be saying that to you, we don't know who you even are yet, but yeah, that's my dad, and we here are demigods, children of certain Philippine gods." He said like he had been into this situation a million times already. They are demigods, which meant I may be in the place that my mother had told me to go to. What's that again? Bring ham? Bright man? No, Biringan. And they thought that I trespassed their territory and they took me in as a prisoner.
He pointed to his right which is the guy named Gringo, he looks like a normal teenager, lithe but not that buff with a Paul McCartney hairdo. He is wearing the same thing Bagwis the buzzcut is wearing, armor over a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, his skin is tan, like he had been camping outdoors a lot. "This is Gringo, and this" he points to the other guy in is left which looked like Ryan Higa, yes, the YouTuber guy, spiky hair, Asian eyes and he kinda looks laid back amongst the other two, like he can take any bad guy with his smile, he is also wearing the same clothes as the two other guys "this is Benjamin, call him Ben." And he faced me again, "It's your turn to answer our questions, who are you?"
I sighed "Well, the playtime is over," I already got my hands loose so I raised my hands and then I rested it into my lap as a sign of diplomacy, they were startled though, "I am Ramil, Ramil Liwayway, son of Hernan and Valerie Liwayway, I lived in Makati, I mean I live there. I am uh, awesome, I guess?" I told them.
Bagwis looked down on his pocket, maybe checking his lie detector but he nodded. "Okay, then what are you doing here? I meant, what are you doing here in Batangas? And what are you doing in the woods after sunset?"
These guys bother me, like what's the big deal? Did I just disturb their sacred fraternity rituals or something? But I did the safer option, and that is the truth. "I am looking for my friend, her name is Elise Emanuelle Vertucio, she is in the news last three days, didn't you heard about that?" I asked them.
They shook their heads in unison.
I shrugged. "Oh well, she has been missing and I have been looking for her for almost three days and I met some guy in the woods," I remembered my encounter with the Nuno, that felt like a long time ago, and I realized that it was just yesterday or so, "and he said that my friend and his captor was heading westward so I walked westward and then I encountered you guys."
"Okay, it makes sense and also, you are telling the truth because the eye hasn't reacted to your words yet, but still, something bothered us, your skill that defeated us and even with that, we felt that you held back your strikes against us. Also another thing that bothers us is your sword, your Kampilan," He nodded at Gringo and Gringo went back to the dark and returned holding my Kampilan "it's a very sacred type of weapon that is used mostly by chieftains of the days of old, and also there is this prophecy about a guy who has a Kampilan will… let's not dwell on that problem for now, but it's a very important symbol, where did you get this sword?" Bagwis asked me pressingly.
Oh no, this is a hard question, I can't just say that I got this sword from the armory at The Hut, I will be in serious trouble. I need to change the course of the conversation, they are demigods and this may be the place that my mom was saying.
I took a deep breath. "My father is Apolaki," I told them which startled them and their faces turned chalky. Their reactions from the moment that I said those words is like I threw a grenade just in front of them.
Gringo faced Bagwis "Bagwis, c-can it be possible?" He stammered.
"Hush." Bagwis told Gringo and he faced me once again, "Tell me more, so-called son of Apolaki."
I told them what my mother's last orders and requests were before I left them and I still protected the confidentiality of the Anakdatu. I told them about how a friend of mine gave me the Kampilan and I was attacked by the Splinter Cell guys and told them that they are called the children of Hukluban. I told them about the red aura that surrounded me when I fought hundreds and destroyed them. I told them about my mother to look for the place called Biringan. I told them dreams about an army near in these woods containing lots of weird creatures and so on. As I told those things, I felt lighter, like I just released a very large amount of tension inside me.
Bagwis' face looked so worried that is eyebrows are already near each other from scrunching it up. "We need the advice of our camp leader, this is news, but you need to stay here, we need first a confirmation that you really are a claimed son of Apolaki. Apolaki is a very important god, that it's a surprise that he will sire children, you know."
"But, isn't your weird eye charm enough to tell that I am telling the truth?" I told him.
Bagwis crossed his arms. "No, it isn't."
"But I need to look for my friend, please." I begged Bagwis.
Bagwis put a hand on my shoulder. "Look, we understand, we're sorry too for acting rashly awhile ago. But you need to stay here for a while, okay? My orders."
After a while of Ben cutting the ropes that tied my legs into the chair's legs, they gave me my things and my sword too which I turned it back to its umbrella form.
Gringo approached me holding a pair of broken glasses, which I meant glasses is Eve. "We're sorry we broke your eyewear."
I felt crestfallen and I took Eve and put it inside my backpack. "It's okay."
And suddenly, there's this bright light that is coming from a rectangle in the darkness, no, it's a door. Bagwis opened the door of the dark room. "Come along." He said.
Ben and Gringo walked towards the light and I did too walk into the light.
When I got into the door, I was on a hallway, like the police stations in L.A. Noire, you know, the game, and on my left, there is the super mega bright light which gave me spots in my eyes but it subsided and I stared at what is outside that hallway and suddenly, after all that I have been through, I was in peace and awe.
"Welcome to Biringan City, Ramil Liwayway." Bagwis said.
And to all this majestic view that I am seeing, all that I can muster out is "Whoah."