Chereads / The Blood of the Aswangs / Chapter 3 - The Law of Usog

Chapter 3 - The Law of Usog

Miguel is sleeping silently in his room next to Jedan and Lord in a big bed.Anna sleeps in the next room across the hall. Athena sleeps in the drawer-sized mansion in Anna's room.Prometheus sleeps in the master bedroom at the end of the hall.The Reaper sleeps in a very small room downstairs which is practically the closet.The room at the side of his is Gerard and Fred's.Happy is deactivated in the Fireplace in an Elvis pose.Prometheus slowly wakes up. "Ah..." He smacks his lips. "Good morning, Jesus." He looks at the cross. "Good morning, birdies!" A dead bird is seen on the window being eaten by a giant rat. "Good morning, screaming Tom." Tom, a former serial killer and rapist, is shrunken and being tortured in an hourglass by tiny needles stabbing him over and over."Ah... Friday has come! Because of the new curriculum I gave to this world, no one goes to school on a Friday! Ain't I an absolute genius?"The bird's corpse speaks to him. "Cacaw! You're a disappointment to your family and a sociopath!"Prometheus yells. "SHUT UP!!!" He then covers his face and begins to cry.Meanwhile... The Reaper silently meditates in his room.*knock, knock, knock...*"Good morning... Uh... Mr. Reaper?" asked Miguel. "Am I going to start training yet?""Get the Hell out..." said the Reaper."I suggest you be nicer to him..." said Haruno, in his head."YARGH!!! Ye have Daddy issues as well! Perhaps the young boy deserves a mentor of his own!" said Captain Book, in his head.The Reaper sighs and facepalms.The door opens, revealing the Reaper's terrifying skull mask. "Speak, child," the Reaper squints his eyes."Can you help me train? Like... anything...?" asked Miguel."'Training?' What for?""Well, I was told that Diwatas get stronger over time, especially when training. And I've been told that you're one of the most powerful beings in the Superhero World.""Yeah? So...?""So... Could you train me?"The Reaper squints his eyes. "No."He slams the door shut."Oh..." Miguel bows his head."FINE!!!" The Reaper opens the door. "Fine."The Reaper activates some flames from his body."Whoa..." said Miguel. "How'd you do that...?"The Reaper opens a portal using his watch. "I'll show you, kid. C'mon..."Later...The Reaper and Miguel end up in a desolate desert planet."This is Usog..." said the Reaper, activating flames. "It allows you to control the elements of the world using glances.""So, if you're blind, you can't use Usog?""Yep..." said the Reaper. "Usog is an energy that is made up of the energies of the universe itself. It is a force made by God himself in order for Him to wield the world in his own vision. Basically, it's using your vision to change your vision... Using sight to bend reality...""How?""Faith..." said the Reaper. He looks at the desolate moon above them. "Let me show you somethin', kid." The Reaper crosses his arms with closed fists. He opens his thumb, then his index finger, then his middle finger. The tips of these three fingers create suns. He curves his fingers and he spins his two hands together as the suns orbit the inside of his hands. "If you believe that something's there... If you believe hard enough, it could happen... All you have to do is to do something about it..." He puts the orbiting suns between his palms aside. "HELL...!!!" He does a back stance then a forward stance as he shoots a massive blast of fire at the moon above them. "FAAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"*BOOM!!!*In an instant, the moon explodes."And thus... Something that's already existing will be destroyed by something that didn't exist before... Something that was a mere word in one's mind... an echo in non-existence will exist and will become true. And that can cause massive changes in the world... Don't listen to Prometheus. You can control fate. Because there is no such thing as fate, Even only you: A nobody and someone as pathetic and as weak as you are..." he said, staring at the explosion. "Kinda self-defeating...""-...can create something that can change the world. Anyone can change the world. That's what makes humanity... dangerous.""So, how do I start?" Miguel asked with awe in his eyes."Step one..." said the Reaper. "Visualize yourself defeating me... Glare at me with such determination... Try to hurt me..."Miguel smiles and transforms into an Aswang. He stares at him for a moment... then CHARGES... But! He feels a crushing weight in his chest... And-...*BLEEEEAUGH!!!*Miguel vomited."This is gonna take a lot of work..." said the Reaper.Miguel stops vomiting. "WHAT WAS THAT!?!?""I visualized your pain and defeat. I focused on it. Your mind couldn't handle my resolve, so it responded with puking..."Miguel gives out a wet fart and shits himself in his pants."And that..." said the Reaper.The Reaper opens a portal. "Change. We'll have servants clean your clothes.""But Chris and Jedan are there...""Kid... One day, you'll laugh at them as well. Now, move if you want to be ready against the enemy.""Who is the enemy, anyway?" asked Miguel."You don't wanna know yet. Now... Do it again..." The Reaper crosses his arms."Visualizations... Huh...? Unique power system... Sounds like you based it on a Philippine superstition..." coughed Miguel.Miguel walks back in his room.Chris and Jedan snicker at himLater..."C'mon, kid..." said the Reaper. "Defeat me..."Miguel looks away and tries to punch the Reaper.The Reaper immediately punches Miguel to the ground."OW!!! WHAT GIVES!?!?" asked Miguel.The Reaper crosses his arms and squints his eyes. "You can't really visualize if you can't see, now, can you? Again."Miguel stares at the Reaper."Strengthen your heart, Miguel..." said the Reaper.Miguel stares. His eyes quiver. His sweat profusely drips every second. He grits his teeth AND-!!!"BLEAUGH!!!" He puked again.The Reaper sighs. "Change clothes. Brush your teeth.""Dude!"Chris and Jedan snicker at him while he changes underwear."IT ISN'T FUNNY!!!" yelled Miguel. "IT AIN'T SHORT!!! IT'S BURLY!!!"The portal opens and Miguel walks back.Miguel bows his head in annoyance and anger. The Reaper smirks under his mask. "You wanna go again, kid?"Miguel growls in his transformed state. He ticks his wings and purrs. "Kid... I suggest you-..."Miguel grows four claws from each hand above the knuckles and out from his wrists.The Reaper squints his eyes. "(Aswang scum...)" he whispered.Suddenly, Miguel moves very quickly. He moved so quick that the Reaper only managed to barely dodge Miguel's claws who nearly stabbed him in the chest.The Reaper grabs Miguel's arm and spins him away.Miguel spins and tries to slash his neck with his claws and bladed wings.The Reaper dodges again and blasts flames at the boy.The boy screams in pain as he burns, but he regenerates completely. The boy begins detaching his upped body from his legs, growing tentacles from the bottom of his upped body and flying around in the air in every direction like a bat.He screeches and swoops down toward the Reaper who blasts him with flames again."Are you shitting me!? An Aswang! Sure! Great! Thank you, God! Thank you for making me hate you and myself even more! Making me train this God-Forsaken blasted heathen!" The Reaper blasts at Miguel with flames. "Or what? Did you forget what happened to my family!? DID YOU!?!? YOUR KIND KILLED EVERYONE I EVER LOVED!!! I SPENT A LIFETIME SLAUGHTERING YOUR KIND FOR YEARS!!!" he roared, blasting at the boy again. "AND NOW, I'M TASKED WITH THIS!!! REAL FUNNY, MAN UPSTAIRS!!! REAL... FUCKIN'... FUNNY!!! HEEEELL!!!" he prepares another Hell Fire attack. "FAAAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"Miguel dodges, wraps his body around with his batwings, and drills his body toward the Reaper only for the Reaper to backhand slap him away.Miguel crashes several kilometers away as the Reaper flies toward him.The Reaper clenches his fists and stares at the boy."I'm... sorry..." said Miguel.The Reaper's eyes widen. "What...?""I'm sorry... my people... hurt the people you care about... I'm sorry... Everything I do..." He grabs his face. "I just... ruin things for everyone else...""Back then..."Miguel accidentally elbows some water and wets the project of his groupmates. Everyone yells at him and calls him an idiot."I would always just ruin the things people cared about... I wasn't like a bunch in group works..."Miguel accidentally bumps into a kid due to his tall size.The kid falls over and cries.Miguel, for some reason, was unresponsive and just stares at the kid."I would always accidentally hurt people and I wouldn't care..."Miguel tries helping the kid up but the kid stands up and punches him in the leg."I was always an outsider..."Miguel would line up a bunch of his toys and a kid grabs one of the toys. Miguel screams and slaps his own face, crying and not understanding why he's crying. He just doesn't want his arrangement to be ruined."I was weird. I didn't understand why when things change I get aggressive... People didn't like me because of that..."Miguel smiles and speaks to the crowd. "Hello, everyone!" smiled Miguel, flapping his arms a bit. "When I grow up, I want to be a scientist!"The kids all laugh at him."How!? You're the last place in our class!" laughed one kid, pointing to the class list and revealing that Miguel has the least amount of stars."I always had trouble studying."Miguel gets frustrated and slams his face on the table, unable to solve the problem.Annoyed, his stepfather grabs his belt..."I feel like... I'm just..." Miguel bowed his head. "I always wanted to be seen as someone who's the greatest, y'know... I'm tired of people smarter than me making fun of me... I'm tired of bullies using me as a stepping stone for their own success. I want to be the best..." He sobs. "I WILL BE THE BEST!!! I WILL STOP RUINING THINGS FOR PEOPLE!!! I WILL BE A GOOD PERSON!!! I WILL BE THE GREATEST SOMETHING NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN!!!" he sobbed.The Reaper's eyes quiver."I'll-! I'll-! I know you hate me... I deserve it. Everyone hates me... I'm surprised I even have friends. I will be the best person to ever exist so that the world won't hate me anymore..."The Reaper grabs his head.Miguel prepares for a punch.But...The Reaper pats it instead. "Kid... The world doesn't hate you...""Yes it does! I'm half freak! I AM!!!" he sobbed. "I may be royalty but me? THE REAL ME!?!? I'm-!""Kid... I don't hate you. High school kids are just... shallow...""How do you explain what's wrong with me!?" asked Miguel. "HOW!?!?"The Reaper sighs and sits next to him. "I grew up exactly like you.""I don't believe you.""Yeah...""How are you so... cool...?""I'm not cool. I'm silent. I'm brooding. I usually am blunt and I often don't care about the people around me.""So... we're the same.""But I'm a hero.""How...?""Because I'm not doing it for myself. I'm doing it for other people... You want to be a hero because you want to be normal.""What's wrong with that?""Kid... There is no such thing as 'normal...' People are just... weird in their own ways. Jedan? My Jedan has a weird blood kink. Chris? My Chris sexualizes Gilfs. My Anna..." The Reaper quivers his eyes. He sighs. "She was a fuckin' idiot... Anna..." he bowed his head, feeling so much pain.\"What happened to them...?""I lost... all of them... But... In your world... You still have your friends... If you won't do it for anyone else other than yourself, please add your friends to that little list of 'who am I going to do this for...'""But, Prometheus says-...""Prometheus has no friends, kid. That's why he's Prometheus. I don't have either... But the difference is that I actually learned something from that.""Thank you, Mr. Reaper," smiled Miguel, hugging him."Yeah..." said the Reaper, patting his back. "Let's go have breakfast.""Yeah... I'm starving..." said Miguel, bowing his head.