Amara did not waste any time as she abruptly closed the door in front of Manong Luban's face. She then figured that closing the door wouldn't help her that much, so she ran towards the massive windows of her room and jumped from there, stumbling as soon as her feet hit the ground.
She groaned when she accidentally slammed her palms on the cemented floor. She then cursed loudly when she looked up and saw Manong Luban peering down at her and preparing to also jump.
Without further ado, Amara made a run for it and started screaming as she heard the sound of running from behind her.
"Help! Somebody! "
And of course, how could she forget about Manong Luban?
He is a Mumbaki whose expertise is shapeshifting magic and is very adept at using a long sword called Kampilan. He is older than he looks because he always had the appearance of a child aged seven. That is his trademark, and he has been using it since he joined forces with Raha Sitan.
He made a great contribution to the War of Light and Darkness. He was the only Mumbaki who was able to infiltrate the territories of the tribes and kill the Katalonans there. Although he is not immortal, he has found a way to prolong his life, and it is believed that this is due to the mahika of Kadiliman.
In the novel, they do not know that Manonh Luban has been hiding in the territory of Hiraya for the past three hundred years by disguising himself as one of the elders who teach mahika. During the times when Lakam was losing hope of fighting, it was only then that he found out that Manong was a traitor, and that all this time he was the aide of the villain. In the end, Manong died by sacrificing himself to protect the villain.
Amara was pulled out of her reverie when she suddenly felt something wrapping around her ankle. Before she could even react, she tripped and fell face-first to the ground. Even though her body ached a little, she tried to stand up but instead failed.
She tried to look around, but unfortunately, there was not one soul to help her. Without much choice, she turned her head to Manong Luban, who was now walking slowly toward her. "D-Do not come near me or I'll scream loud!"
Manong Luban only raised an eyebrow. "Relax, princess. All you need to do is to fulfill your duty as the wife of Apo Raha Sitan."
Amara couldn't help but scoff at what she was hearing right now. "Me? The wife of that despicable old man? Over my dead body!"
She attempted to stand again, but this time she succeeded. Amara began her sprint once again. However, she bumped into a barrier. She then saw green, massive magic circles in every direction, imprisoning her inside with Manong Luban.
Fear consumed Amara as she discovered that there was nowhere here to run anymore. "W-What is this?"
"I have a few minutes to explain to you your situation right now, Princess Amara."
She turned to Manong Luban. "I kind of know the gist of it. Apo Mumbaki cursed my grandfather, and he wanted me to be his wife. Am I right?"
"And as his wife, you must free your husband," he said, with a sense of unknown declaration.
"And why would I free the enemy of my family?" Amara pressed her back against the barrier and breathed out a mocking laugh. "And who even told you that he was my husband? We're not even married!"
"It is the will of Apo Bathala to make you the Apo Mumbaki's wife." Manong suddenly brought out a black earthen jar. It was quite small and sealed shut by glowing golden strings.
As soon as Amara saw the jar, she felt a pang of pain in her chest. She felt like she had lost a massive amount of air from her body and gasped loudly. She felt her knees becoming weak, it made her kneel in front of Manong Luban.
She felt a strong chill in her nape, and the more she stared at the jar, the more the pain became too hard to handle. "H-How did you get that jar? Do not get it near me!"
"Oh, it was too easy to infiltrate the Hall of Treasures, princess," Manong said fondly. "Honestly, it was a piece of cake dealing with the Katalonans who were guarding that place. And they say the Hiraya territory is the most secure place in the Ligaya Continent. What a joke!"
"M-Manong, what are you doing right now?" Amara nervously asked when she suddenly saw Manong pull out a dagger from his pocket.
"All I need is just a few drops of your blood to free Apo Raha Sitan."
This is getting ridiculous. In the novel, no one knows how Raha Sitan got out of prison because everything was from Lakam's point of view.
With this scene happening right now, she can't help but think that her character must have something to do with Raha Sitan's escape from the earthen jar.
The pain she'd been feeling in her chest intensified. She felt a shiver down her spine. She knew what was about to happen, but she had the face to ask. "Why my blood?"
When Manong was already near her, he leaned towards Amara and said, "It's because your destiny is to become his dear wife."
Manong had put down the earthen jar in front of her, and then he suddenly grabbed Amara's wrist and held it above the jar.
Amara wanted to pull her hand away, but she could not move anymore. It's as though someone is trying to manipulate her body and forbid her to move. "M-Manong, stop what you're doing right now!"
But Manong ignored her. He placed the blade of the dagger on her palm while reciting what seemed like an incantation. "With her sanguine fluid, the direct Hiraya woman shall wake the Apo Mumbaki from his deep slumber. In this with the prophecy that they shall be one forever."
As soon as he said those words, he slashed the dagger into Amara's palm. Using his fingers, he tried to widen the cut as if he were tearing a piece of paper.
Amara felt like her hand was cut in half. She screamed in so much pain that she almost felt like she was going to faint. Tears fell from her eyes as she watched Manong position her bloodied hand on the earthen jar.
Manong then noticed that Amara's blood was not dropping from her hand. He took the dagger and slashed her palm once more to widen the wound.
Amara was not prepared, and she howled in distress as she saw her blood enshrouding the golden strings that sealed the jar.
"Amara! What is happening?"
Amara heard Lakam's voice and a few more footsteps behind her, but she didn't have the strength to speak anymore. She watched the golden strings snap one by one until the last one broke and the cover of the jar flew open.
Lakam and the others are already late.
Lakandula, who was present, was terror-stricken while excessively shaking his head. "No, no, no, no. This can not be! "
"Brace yourselves. Whatever comes out of that jar, attack it at once. Attack it as if your life depended on it. " Even though Bagani's voice sounded bothered, he still composed himself.
Amara's brothers stood on their guard, their bolo aimed at where Amara was.
Hari then asked, "What is happening right now?"
The twins, Datu and Damian, observed the jar as it rang a bell for them. They then looked at each other in horror. Datu said, "Are you thinking what I am thinking, my twin?"
"Yes, it's in one of the elders' stories, the evil of all evil."
Hari also understood them, and his eyes also widened in horror. This can't be happening right now. With uncertainty in his voice, he asked, "The harbinger of bad luck?"
The other Katalonans at the back shivered as goosebumps crawled on their skin. One of them even exclaimed. "The Patriarch of the Sitan Tribe?"
"B-But isn't he imprisoned on Mt. Madugo?"
Lakam shouted at them. "Focus and don't let the fear eat you! We need to keep the Hiraya Tribe safe." He turned to one of the sorcerers, and he commanded, "Gani, notify the elders, prepare for battle at once. The Apo Mumbaki has escaped!"
The sorcerer immediately nodded. As soon as Gani left, a powerful gust of wind surrounded the area. It was so strong that it almost knocked the Katalonans off their feet.
Lakandula suddenly shouted at them, "Focus in the front, the earthen jar has opened!"
They all stared at where Amara was. They weren't able to see anything because Amara and Manong were covered in a heavy rotating black mist that closely resembled a tornado. But on a closer look, the black mist was a kaleidoscope of black butterflies flying about in the air, surrounding something ominous yet extremely formidable. The butterflies dispersed and flew away, revealing a person dressed in all black.
Lakam stood on his guard, his hand holding his bolo started to shake uncontrollably. He can't perceive the strength of the newcomer, but he knows that he, and even his father, Lakandula, were no match for this black-clothed person.
When the butterflies completely disappeared, no one moved. They just watched the person in front of them.
The person in question was a tall, young man. His body was not too muscular, unlike most men from the Hiraya Tribe. The young man was wearing a black robe that looked similar to the robes used by a Babaylan. The only difference was that this young man's robe color was the very symbol of bad luck, black, with designs of glowing red strings that crisscrossed the robe's edges. The robe was closed by a red sash, covering his entire body.
The young man's hair is extravagantly long, its length oddly longer than that of a typical woman's hair length. A few strands lazily flowed down to his hips, but a few also fluttered, giving the young man an air of majesty and beauty.
This young man's face was even more questionable! His skin was pale white as a clean sheet of paper, with lips as red as a rose, a fine straight nose, and jaws that looked like they were finely sculpted.
From afar, everyone would assume that the young man standing before them was a woman. But the Katalonans knew better. He did look like a woman, but he stood imposingly like a prince. He has the appearance of a young man of noble descent. It is odd for a person of this beauty to be sealed inside an earthen jar.
Apo Bagani was quiet as he glared begrudgingly at the young man.
Lakandula stepped backwards, while Lakam and the others also followed.
For a few moments, the surroundings were quiet; even Amara's little whimpers were not heard.
Suddenly, the young man's face raised to look at them.
Lakam Hiraya dropped his weapon, making a clanging sound. It was obvious that Lakam was horrified at the eyes that stared curiously at them.
Who wouldn't be scared? The young man's irises closely resembled the color of blood, like a pair of rubies that glowed under the moonlight. There was no mistaking it, from the young man's robe, body build, hair length, the way he stood, and his facial features that almost looked like a woman's.
This young man is none other than Apo Mumbaki himself, Raha Sitan!