As Mayari and her group continued their journey, they finally reached the building she and Kario had agreed upon as their rendezvous point, a theater standing at the heart of Itakam. The structure rose three stories high, nearly rivaling some of the tallest buildings in the city. Unlike the town of Kubao, Itakam was not swallowed by darkness when night fell. Streetlamps glowed to life, powered by light bulbs, and even most residential houses enjoyed access to electricity.
Wan tilted his head upward, reading the massive sign hanging above the grand entrance.
"Theater of Tomorrow..." He hushed.
Tonight, Mayari was set to meet more members of Penumbra. The young maginoo was painfully aware of the resentment many of them carried toward people like her, toward nobles. Bay-an himself was living proof of that bitterness. And so—
Two days after the assault on Kubiz
Bay-an still lay weak and unmoving. Nearly his entire body had darkened into shades of eggplant from the beating he had endured from Masala. His breathing deep and labored, as though every rise of his chest demanded tremendous effort from his battered body.
Mayari quietly sat beside him, carefully checking if he was awake. When she was certain that he was, she finally began to speak. Her voice was gentle, like a farmer planting seeds into fertile soil.
"I'm sorry..." Mayari whispered, but making sure Bay-an could still hear her.
"Because of my mistake... some of our comrades lost their lives, your friends."
She drew in a deep breath, letting the cool air of the cave fill the spaces between her words. "And because of me... you're lying here now, wounded and unconscious..."
She allowed the tears in her eyes to fall freely, making sure those tears landed on the hand of Bay-an that she was holding. "I promise I won't let their sacrifices be wasted." Her voice trembled. "A few days from now, we'll go to Itakam to meet the other members of Penumbra." She wiped the tears from her cheeks, making sure Bay-an would notice.
She continued, "I wanted you to see how our brothers and sisters will come together. I don't know if you can hear me, but... maybe I'm asking too much, considering the injuries you're carrying right now..." Mayari fell silent.
Just long enough for her words to seep into Bay-an's mind—like seeds sinking into soil, slowly taking root. Bay-an remained still. He said nothing. He forced back the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
What Bay-an doesn't know was the princess knew that he was fully conscious. Each word she spoke settled inside his mind like carefully placed pieces of a puzzle, quietly aligning into something. She never directly said that she needed him there. Because she didn't have to. After this moment, Bay-an himself would insist on going.
Back in the present
Bay-an now sat among the audience, facing the pedestal. His body was wrapped in bandages; his arms were secured with white cloth reinforced by wooden splints. Every movement sent pain coursing through him. Kario and the others had asked him to just rest, yet he had forced himself to attend the gathering inside the hall.
Moments later, Mayari emerged from the shadows beside the pedestal. Kario stepped toward her and whispered, "Dayang... they're ready to listen."
Mayari nodded and offered the Supremo a faint smile before stepping forward in front of more than one-hundred people. The scent of rattan wood, used for the chairs, mixed with the sharp smell of freshly varnished floors, filled the hall. The murmurs of the crowd slowly faded into silence as the lights shifted, focusing entirely on Mayari as she stepped into their glow. The moment hung heavy in the air, quiet, expectant. All eyes were now on her.
"Good evening, my brothers and sisters..." Mayari began, her chin held high, yet she made sure there was a hint of humility woven into her voice. "As the Supremo has said, I am Mayari, daughter of the late Datu Rakta."
She paused, then took another step forward. "I know that all of you are aware of what happened in Kubiz. And I also know..." she slowly swept her gaze across the crowd, "...that some of you harbor anger toward maginoos like me, others might doubt my capability because of my age."
Whispers rippled through the entire hall, accompanied by the shaking of heads from several members of Penumbra. Many wore deeply furrowed brows as they stared at Mayari. Even so, she had already expected this reaction.
"I cannot blame you," the princess continued. "My father had to die before my eyes were finally opened to your suffering." Her next words sharpened, as though they were blades cutting through the murmurs of the crowd. "But your doubts? Your fears? They are not my enemies. I know that each of them has its reason."
Mayari lowered her head. "I know that many of you have tasted defeat at the hands of Iberia time and time again. I know that many of you are afraid. And like you... I am afraid as well." The hall fell into a tense silence, as everyone waited for the words that would follow.
"My fellow Tunduvans," she said at last, "at this very moment, there are one million Iberian soldiers stationed across Ma-i, and four hundred of them are here in Tundun." Given felt the weight of her words crash into the room, judging by the shocked reactions that spread among the rebels.
"And do you know why they are here?" Mayari asked, her tone like that of a teacher waiting for an answer. "They are here to overthrow the maginoo."
"THEN GOOD!" one of the rebels shouted—a young ikugan with wild hair, roughly the same age as Wan, Mayari, and Given. "YOU NOBLES ARE USELESS TO US ANYWAY!"
What had been a single voice quickly swelled like an infected wound. More shouts rose in agreement, more murmurs turning into loud expressions of support for the removal of the nobles. The ikugan once again shouted, "YOU LET US SUFFER WHILE YOU FUCKERS SIT IN YOUR GOLDEN THRONES!"
Suddenly, more rebels joined his voice, "Yes! TO HELL WITH THE MAGINOOS!"
"TO HELL WITH YOU!" someone else shouted, flinging a tomato that hit Mayari head-on, exploding against her clothes in a slick, red smear.
At the foot of the stage, Agni's teeth ground together as his grip tightened around his kampilan. But Mayari did not look away in panic. Instead, subtly, she shifted her gaze toward Bay-an. She struggled to suppress her smile as she saw him slowly, painfully, stand.
"SILENCE!" Bay-an roared, his voice crashing through the hall like thunder. "I WILL NOT LET YOU INSULT LADY MAYARI!"
Kuroy rushed to support him as Bay-an fought to catch his breath. Pain twisted across his face as he clutched his side, his body protesting every movement. Still, he forced himself to stand straighter.
"You were not in Kubiz," he continued, his voice rough but unwavering, "when she herself led the assault against those damned Iberian beasts! You were not there when she offered herself as bait... so that we would have a chance to defeat the Iberians!"
His chest heaved as he spoke, but his words did not falter. "I saw her knees shaking. I saw her fear. And despite that... she carried on with the plan, so our brothers and sisters could be freed!"
Below the stage, Wan leaned against the wall, a faint smile forming on his lips. Everything was clear to him now. Why Mayari chose to become the bait. Why she spoke to Bay-an while he lay broken and bedridden.
All of it had been for this moment.
Mayari knew that no speech, no matter how eloquent, could erase the sins of the nobility, nor could it easily earn the sympathy of so many rebels. But with someone like Bay-an, an emotional man, a man who fought beside her, a man who personally witnessed her resolve to free the slaves, she knew he would defend her against every bitter word thrown her way.
"Damn..." Wan muttered under his breath. "This woman is on a whole different level..."
From the stage, Mayari caught Wan's smile. Subtly, she returned it. Moments later, Bay-an settled back into his seat, and another voice rang out across the hall.
"He's right! I saw it with my own eyes, Lady Mayari charged in herself, together with that silver-haired kid!" Another voice followed. "Yes! She's nothing like the other nobles!"
Then, from among the freed slaves, another spoke. "Unlike them, she acted. She moved to free us!"
Like a sudden downpour, emotions and tears flooded the stage, drowning out the earlier accusations and hostility of the rebels. The bitterness that once filled the hall was slowly submerged beneath their testimonies.
Mayari allowed the moment to linger. She let it breathe. Only after several heartbeats did she speak again. "My brothers and sisters," she said, her voice steady, "I did not come here as a maginoo. I came here as a daughter of Tundun." Determination burned clearly in her eyes.
"Let us fight together! But not for revenge against the Iberians! This struggle is greater than the cruelty we have suffered at their hands. This fight is for the future, not only ours, but the future of your children as well!"
She placed a hand over her chest. "I need your help to free Tundun! Help me build a Tundun where we plant not for those wretched Iberians, but for ourselves! A future where the songs we sing are no longer of grief, but of victory and love for Tundun!"
From below and from the back of the hall, tears slowly fell from the eyes of Islaw and Kario. In the rows of seats, the rebels sat in stunned silence, mouths slightly opened. Kuroy tried his best to hide the tears welling in his eyes. Bay-an however did not bother to hide his. His eyes overflowed. At a distance stood Given. She did not know whether everything Mayari said was true, or whether all of it was simply part of a larger plan to obtain what she wanted.
Mayari's sharp eyes gleamed as a restrained smile curved her lips. In her thoughts, she said to herself: "Bay-an did his job well... it won't be long now... every last one of you will fall under me."
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Two days after the battle at Kubiz, we finally set foot on Isla Puting Bato. The moment we disembarked, I immediately felt the weight of the air... thick, heavy, carrying the sharp sting of salt from the sea. The shoreline sat low, forcing us to climb upward as we moved inland.
"Sir, the unit is ready," Tonyo said.
I nodded at him, but after only a few steps, a foul, suffocating stench slammed into us.
"Fuck, what is that? That smell—" one of the men muttered.
"Hhhhaaahhhhh..." Nemo inhaled deeply. Far too deeply. I swear something's really wrong with this asshole. "Enticing, isn't it? The smell of rotting flesh," he laughed.
To be honest, I never trusted this man. Not even before Kubiz. And especially not after what he did there.
"Lieutenant—up there," Tonyo whispered. I raised my gaze and immediately noticed two figures standing atop the ridge.
"Down!" I ordered. Everyone ducked, everyone except Nemo, son of a...
"Damn it—!" I grabbed him and forced him down. His brows furrowed in irritation, but he stayed crouched.
We advanced slowly toward the figures above us. Every step carried anticipation on the things that might happen. The crashing waves below drowned out the pounding of our hearts. After a few moments, I raised my hand, signaling them to stop.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to make out the silhouettes against the sun. The glare made it difficult. But the longer I stared, the more something felt wrong. Two figures. One looked like a Kalanget, but then... why was it nearly the same height as the other-
"Fuck." I stood up and rushed forward. Behind me, I heard my men scramble to follow. I stopped dead the moment I reached them.
"WHAT THE FUCK!?" one of the men muttered before vomiting.
They were impaled at the top of the ridge. A human and a Kalanget. Wooden stakes had been driven straight through their bodies, piercing upward until they burst out of their mouths. Their naked bodies were drenched in blood. Their hands were shackled with Bakal na Pira.
Where their eyes should have been were empty holes. Their mouths were frozen open—and their tongues had been cut out.
"Heh. Looks like these two have been dead for days," Nemo observed casually, poking at the Kalanget's maggot-infested abdominal wound.
"Stop that!" I snapped, swatting his hand away.
I turned to the unit and ordered them to lower the bodies. I couldn't stop my fists from clenching as I watched them carefully remove the corpses from their grotesque display. While this was happening, I heard footsteps.
"Weapons ready," I ordered immediately. A moment later, an elderly Ikugan and an Agta emerged.
"A-are you the Arbikizers from the capital?" the old Agta asked. His voice trembled with fear and desperation.
Nemo only grinned. Suddenly, the Kalanget collapsed to his knees before me, clutching my trousers. Tears streamed down his face.
"P-please... help us," he wailed. "The rebels—"
"Do not worry," I said. "We were sent here by the Governor-General and the Datu to help you." The Agta bowed deeply, thanking us over and over.
According to their reports, a small group of rebels was hiding somewhere on this island. "Who did this to them?" Tonyo asked.
"T-the rebels..." the Kalanget rasped. "They call themselves the Children of the Lam-ang."
"That Kalanget is Hermano Saldua," the Agta added. "He sent the letter to the capital. When the Children of the Lam-ang found out, they captured him and his friend. The next morning..." He trailed off. "...this is what we found."
"They – they did this!?" I couldn't hide the weight in my voice. Why? Why did it have to come to this? We were all Tunduvans. So why were we killing each other?
My vision darkened at the edges. "Lower them," I ordered.
We had come here to verify the letter sent from this island. And based on what we were seeing, these terorrists were the worst I had ever encountered. After lowering the bodies, we headed toward the island's small settlement to bury them. The townsfolk greeted us with fear etched into their faces. Children clung to their mothers' skirts.
"Everyone, this is Lieutenant Masala of Nilad," the Agta announced. "They are here to help us."
They let us rest inside a wooden house. I instructed Tonyo to keep the unit alert in case the rebels descended on the town. From the villagers, we learned that the rebels were hiding in the forest. According to Tonyo, the island had between one hundred and two hundred residents, few compared to the cities of Tundun.
"Sir, the Cabeza is ready," one of the islanders said.
I stood, along with Tonyo and Nemo. A young Agta guided us to a small stone-and-wood dwelling. Inside, an elderly Agta bowed deeply before me. Beside him, a human and an Ikugan did the same.
"Good afternoon, Lieutenant Masala," the Agta greeted.
"Good afternoon," I replied.
He gestured for us to sit as they served us tea. After a moment, the Cabeza began to speak. His voice carried the weight of age, and desperation. He said over a hundred rebels were hiding in the forest.
Tonyo reacted immediately. "Lieutenant, if there are that many, we need to return to the capital and request reinforcements—"
"L-Lieutenant..." the Cabeza interrupted softly. "You know what happened to Saldua."
He lowered his head, seems like he's hiding tears. "If those rebe – no, terrorists learn that you came here, and that we accepted you as guests, they will wipe us out."
My vision dimmed again. "Lieutenant, twenty Arbikizers won't stand a chance against that many rebels. We need to—" Tonyo stopped mid-sentence.
"We're scared, Lieutenant," the Ikugan said. "We have children."
I dragged my hand through my hair. Why? These weren't rebels. The Cabeza was right, these animals were not rebels, they're terrorists. What was I supposed to do? Tonyo's Kasugpong creature couldn't fly that far. But if we leave, these monsters in the forest would come back, I need to stop those ASSHOLES I NEED TO PROTECT THESE PEOPLE -
"L-Lieutenant..." Tonyo whispered.
"Huh?" I looked up.
All three of them were standing at the far end of the room. Nemo stood in front of them, smiling broadly. I glanced down at my tea. It was gone. Only steam remained.
"Are you alright, Lieutenant?" Tonyo asked.
I nodded slowly. Only then did I realize that, lost in thought, I had unconsciously released my Nu.
"S-sorry," I muttered.
An hour later, the three of us stepped outside. I still had no decision. As the leader of this unit, I was bound to protocol. I had to send someone back to the capital to report what was happening. But what if the terrorist attacked? Could we hold them? I didn't know their full strength.
"You look deep in thought," Tonyo said quietly.
"You're right," I sighed. "We can't abandon these people."
When I looked at Nemo, I felt heat rise to my ears. "Anything funny?" I asked, noticing his grin.
"You," he replied.
"Me?"
"Yes." His voice dripped with mockery. "The correct decision is obvious. You leave and report this to the capital. In the end, even if you're a soldier of Tundun, you still serve Iberia."
We stopped walking. I turned to face him.
"What did you say!?"
"You heard me. You're here to observe and report, not to protect this island. You're trying to carry two burdens at once: loyalty to Iberia, and your desire to save these people."
I didn't know what hurt more, his words, or the truth beneath them. But what would a mercenary like him know anyway?
"In the short time we've traveled together," I said, "I've seen that you've never valued anyone."
He straightened his back and walked away, saying:
"And yet, here I am. Free."
That final line cut into me like a blade. I looked back at the houses behind us. And I asked myself... Should I leave or protect them?