The strong winds almost bent the branches of the forest trees. The sun was just setting, but the breeze created the feeling that it was nighttime. It felt nice but too cold for comfort.
The annoying cawing of birds woke Ulrica up. It echoed loudly in her ears as if they were screaming. She wanted to swat them away, but her eyelids felt heavy for some reason.
She figured she was lying face down on the dirt, as if dead. Her senses gradually returned, and she coughed as she tasted soil in her mouth. She sat with her eyes closed, attempting to wipe down the dirt from her face. Ulrica started to realize how long she had been in that position. She felt a slight stiffness in her neck and numbness in some areas of her body. It took her a while to realize she could clean up the dirt with her shirt.
"Took you long enough," a familiar voice said.
"I know, right?" Ulrica replied, her eyes still closed while spitting the remaining dirt in her mouth. When she realized whose voice it was, she rubbed her eyes to see if it was Madar.
"Wait! Not yet!" exclaimed a familiar voice.
"What? Why? Who are you? Is that you, Madar?" Ulrica asked.
"Yes, it's me. Stop being stubborn! Open your eyes only when I ask you to open them." Madar ordered. Ulrica heard someone running, fluttering wings, and rustling leaves a few seconds later. As she grew impatient, her brows began to curl. Fear started to creep in because she had no idea what was happening around her.
"What's taking you so long, Madar?! I think there was a vulture nearby!"
Nobody responded. Ulrica forced her eyes open because she couldn't stand the situation any longer. Her eyes were in a lot of pain, and she couldn't see very well. It was all a blur. It took a full three minutes for her vision to adjust. And it was there that she confirmed she was no longer in their garden.
She remembered what had happened before she passed out when she saw the trees surrounding her and the darkness within the forest. She remembered Anya entering a dark and thunderous portal and her following. Ulrica slowly recalled her last memories before passing out when she heard Madar yell from afar.
"You can open your eyes now!" cried Madar. He was obviously hiding somewhere in the forest.
"Where are you?!?" exclaimed Ulrica.
"Let's talk this way! I can hear you fine; look at the path behind you! Walk straight, and I'll follow!" said a distant voice. It took some time for Ulrica to understand, but she could rely on the echoes.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Come out!" Ulrica exclaimed as she approached Madar's voice. On her first step, she felt different. It was not discomfort but the sensation that new shoes and clothes give off the first time you put them on. Ulrica checked her feet before taking another step. She wore her comfy house slippers when they were sucked by the portal. Her eyes widened when she noticed her feet were dressed in golden gladiator sandals. The laces were tied beautifully around her legs, just below her knees.
She was too stunned to speak. "That's why I felt different," Ulrica thought. A clear puddle of water was conveniently placed just a few steps ahead of her. She dashed off to see what else had changed.
Ulrica caught sight of herself in the puddle. She recognized herself, but she couldn't tell what was different. She stared a bit longer, but her face was still the same. When she looked down at her clothes, her gaze was drawn to the fine leather wrapped around her wrists. Her waist was tightly bound by a brown leather corset. A golden arm cuff adorned her right arm. She stood in front of the puddle to take in her entire appearance and noticed that she was dressed in a one-shoulder flowy white dress. It was just above her knee, so it was long enough for her to move around.
It would have been perfect if she hadn't soiled her white dress by wiping the dirt off her face with it.
Ulrica looked back to where she had been hearing Madar. She was going to ask what was going on. But when she turned, she saw a shadow behind a tree, and it was looking at her. The shadow went into hiding when it saw Ulrica looking. She could have stopped there, but the fact that Madar is in the same spot worries her.
"Is that you, Madar? Where are the others?" she asked, moving slowly toward the shadow's direction. Ulrica became increasingly concerned when Madar did not respond to her calls. She did not like him at all. He was grumpy and cold. But he was her mother's friend, after all. Ulrica made the decision to run toward the shadow in order to surprise whatever was inside. "What happens next will determine my next step," she told herself.
Ulrica dashed toward the tree, where she noticed the shadow. She hopped on a small bush that was blocking her path. She nearly tripped on something but quickly regained her balance and slowed down as she approached the tree. Ulrica discovered only massive trees. She looked around for Madar or the shadow but couldn't find either. "Probably my imagination," she thought to herself.
She returned to where she had come from. However, as she was leaving the forest, she noticed some legs lying on the ground. It was beneath the bush where she hopped off when she entered the forest. The legs were still a few steps away, but Ulrica could tell it was bloodied and dressed in rags. "Please don't be Madar," she said quietly.
Ulrica realized it could be the reason she almost tripped. She was even convinced when she noticed blood on her heel.
Ulrica lost her strength and fell when she realized what was on the ground. She threw up at the sight of what she mistook for a dead body—because there wasn't one. She found lower limbs alone, with their intestines scattered on the forest floor.
Ulrica was about to scream when Madar spoke up behind her.
"Have you no respect for elders?" he angrily stated.
Ulrica realized tears welling up in her eyes. Her hands were cold, and her muscles were tense. Madar's rage was somehow comforting to her. As soon as she felt Madar's body, she turned and hugged him.
"There was a killer here! I thought those were your limbs!" Ulrica sobbed. Madar's chest buried her face.
Madar closed his eyes to calm himself down. The forest was filled with Ulrica's sobbing, which irritated him greatly. "Those were my legs!!!" he exclaimed, sighing deeply.
Ulrica's sobbing was quickly silenced by what he said. "What?" she wondered, puzzled by what Madar had just said.
"Is that difficult to understand? Those were my legs, you kicked them, and my intestines are scattered on the ground; it's literally that!"
"Huh?" Ulrica asked, perplexed.
Madar struck his forehead with his palm and held Ulrica's shoulder. He pushed her from a distance, enough for her to see him. "Have you lost your brain somewhere in the portal? Must I explain everything to you?"
Ulrica was dumbfounded. She was at a loss for words. Madar stood in front of her, dressed in rags, with his upper limbs only. She noticed his enormous bat-like wings after realizing he was floating. One was fully stretched, while the other fluttered with difficulty as if it were broken.
"Ma-Madar... what are you?" Ulrica questioned, taking a step back while still facing Madar.
Madar rolled his eyes and put his hands on his waist, "Manananggal. I hope you know that much," he said, clearly annoyed by Ulrica's questions. "Stop walking backward! You're going to step on my legs!" he exclaimed.
Ulrica came to a halt. She wanted to look at the limbs on the ground, but she certainly lacked the strength to do so.
"Oi, have you had enough fun yet?" Madar asked of someone behind Ulrica. He flew right by her.
Ulrica turned around and noticed the legs standing on their own. Madar was assisting it with the dispersed intestines. She had a good view of Madar from behind. He was boney and thin. His skin resembled that of a bat. Aside from that, he looks like the normal Madar.
"I call him Lab. He has free will, but he can't stay away from me, or he will stop functioning," Madar explained. "In case you're wondering how we communicate, he uses his intestines to sign."
"He uses... what?" Ulrica was gobsmacked. One of the intestines slapped Madar on the cheek as if it had its own life.
"Ouch! Okay, I kid," Madar added. "After the blood pact, you can connect with him telepathically." He explained everything as if it were normal.
"Questions? You can ask anything aside from my broken wing."