Eternal Promise: Fragments Of Us

SIDAPA

I WAITED for two days, but still there was no sign of Libulan ever coming back.

I ought to trust him and his words. And I will still do until he comes back, I thought to myself while I sent a group of souls that went to Magwayen’s realm. All of them committed mass suicide this morning. Apparently, they were a little group of individuals that wanted to receive divine powers from the Gods and they thought that sacrificing their own lives would grant their wish.

After I was done, I decided to go to the Balete tree. I touched some of its overgrown hanging branches as I recalled that night. This tree was where Libulan and I made love. Until now, I could still vividly remember his sweet moans and loving voice each time he yearned for my name.

Then I saw that piece of cloth from his robe that got torn apart when I undressed him. It got tangled on a twig with a sharp edge. We both laughed when that happened and after that he told me that he would leave that torn piece to me. I forgot that I left it hanging on the branch where I first tasted Libulan’s lips.

I picked up the white cloth and brought it near my nose and smelled it. “My Libulan, why are you not coming back?” I asked myself then my grip on the cloth tightened when I realized something.

[Wasn’t it me who told Libulan not to get attached to anything so that his resolve won’t weaken? What if he actually took that advice to heart?] I thought and when I discerned the possibility, I went numb.

No. I must be overthinking. Libulan wasn’t such a coward. He wouldn’t tell me all those endearing words if he were just to dump me this way. He wouldn’t cry beneath me that night as he willingly accepted all of me despite the pain he went through. He wouldn’t be disheveled like that if he didn’t have an ounce of feelings towards me.

Then, I heard a whooshing sound just behind me and Agui appeared. Thinking back, I didn’t see him during the festival.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him with a disinterested tone.

“Sidapa, have you heard?!” he began, purposely making it unclear to get my attention.

“Go away, Agui. I’m not in the mood to talk,” I said to him, and didn’t bother facing him. I heard him click his tongue.

“What a letdown!” Agui exclaimed. “Why did that pale looking Moon God fall for someone like you who’s heartless?!” he said and I lost my temper.

I grabbed Agui by the collar and mercilessly pinned him against the Balete tree with my brute force. The man groaned in pain, but tried to act cool despite being hurt from the back of his head down to his waist.

“Why do you know about Libulan?!” I growled at Agui and gave him a deadly glare. I pushed him further into the tree and the pain he felt increased.

“Libulan? That was his name?” he uttered then coughed a little. “For heaven’s sake, you’re going to break my neck,” he said in horror.

“Why do you know him?!” I shouted and Agui flinched. “Were you the one from that night?!

“I didn’t know his name, alright?! I just saw him the other day!” he defended. He groaned again when I banged his head on the trunk. “And I don’t know what you’re talking about, you oaf!” He defended himself.

“You-What did you do to him?! I’m going to kill you if you try to hurt my Libulan!” I warned him, the look of death was painted on my brooding face.

Agui shivered in fear but he didn’t try to escape from my grip. Instead, he riled me up even more. “Sidapa, don’t tell me that you and that guy are actually…” he assumed. When I didn’t respond, he grinned in disbelief. “No way. Did you two really have that kind of relationship? Have you gone mad?” he retorted.

“What did you do to Libulan?” I asked again with a very angered voice. I gritted my teeth when Agui scoffed as if he was mocking me for having such an intense reaction.

“Calm down, Sidapa,” he said, but it was futile to try and make my head cool. “I didn’t do anything to him,” he defended before letting out a deep breath. I was pushing my knuckles on his neck so it became hard for Agui to breathe. “Instead of wasting your time trying to accuse me of something I didn’t do, get your butt out of this place and rescue your precious lover or whatever,” he said and my eyes widened.

“What are you talking about?” I asked in confusion.

“What the heck?” Agui raised an eyebrow at me. “You didn’t hear at all? All Gods are talking about it now,” he uttered in a puzzling manner. I banged his head again and Agui was forced to spill the details. “Alright! Alright! I get it so stop doing that or my head will crack open!” he surrendered before grumbling in frustration because he couldn’t fight back. He even clicked his tongue before he said it. “Libulan is going to be executed tonight by Kaptan.”

My senses went numb when I heard what Agui said. Executed? Tonight? But who could have told the higher ups about our relationship?

“Was it you, Agui?!” I accused the man I was half strangling.

“How the hell would I know anything, Sidapa?! I only knew about it last night! I overheard the other Gods talking about it, goddamnit!” Agui freaked out and I released him from my brutal grip. He was brought to his knees and coughed so hard. “You dumb, oaf! You’re attacking the wrong person here! Damn! I’m going to make you pay for this someday!” he threatened and sounded like he was about to cry, but it had zero effect on me.

“Where did they put him?” I asked in a very deep and low voice. I clenched my hands and gritted my teeth in anger for not noticing anything.

“Huh?” Agui responded in a daze. He was still in pain and I had left a nasty mark on his neck. That would take time to heal.

I grabbed Agui’s neck with one hand and raised him up until his feet no longer touched the ground. The guy gagged and squirmed in pain, scratching my arm in hope of losing my grip on his poor neck but I didn’t feel anything.

Everything looked blank to me. Deep inside me, I suddenly had the urge to kill someone. One wrong move and I might actually snap Agui’s neck.

“Tell me where they put Libulan or I’ll rampage the Heavens,” I demanded to Agui. All he did was tap my arm because he couldn’t speak due to suffocation. I loosened my grip a bit to give him enough strength to answer. “Where is Libulan?” I asked in a stern voice.

“Right now… they might h-have… locked him up,” Agui stuttered and coughed in between. After that, I casually tossed him somewhere. He groaned and coiled in agony. He even drooled in his own saliva. “Curse you, Sidapa! You monster!” he shrieked.

I ignored him and walked away. Agui almost bit his tongue when he saw my black smoke oozing everywhere.

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“INTRUDER! We have an intruder!” One man shouted when he heard the commotion going on.

I left Mount Madja-as and raided Kaptan’s castle. He had this place built beyond the clouds. The castle rested on top of a floating rock island that was about half a mile in diameter. Along with this huge structure that was made out of white marble and gold, other Gods also built their homes nearby.

Kaptan always had his minions that served as his servants or knights. They were gods that also had divine powers but not as powerful as ours. Unlike us, they only had a hundred years to live and would reincarnate as ordinary humans in their next lives if they didn’t commit any crime during their godhood.

Given the place’s peaceful and almost all white hues, my dark demeanor contrasted its elegant presence. Everyone panicked when they saw me. The weaker gods backed off the moment they sensed me coming. All I felt was rage that I barely saw them. My mind was filled with nothing but to retrieve Libulan from all of them. He didn’t deserve to live in this oppressive madness surrounded by foolish creatures.

Then one runt bravely blocked my way. His knees were shaking and he wasn’t even pointing his spear at me. I loomed on him and gave him the death glares. That was enough to shock the life out of him. The man fainted and I went on my way inside.

The knights closed the gigantic doors in order to slow me down, but it was useless. I punched the door with one hand. It cracked and broke into pieces. The men surrounding that area all ran for their lives.

“It is Sidapa! The God of Death is destroying Kaptan’s castle!” One of them blurted to the others. “Go get some help!” he demanded, but everyone was preoccupied by my rampage.

“Die!” A random knight attacked me from behind with his spear. The look of despair slowly devoured his face when he realized that his weapon didn’t even penetrate my skin.

I glouted at him and snapped his spear into two. Then I grabbed his neck and squeezed it until the bones around it cracked. The other men were horrified when their fellow knight went limp.

“Sidapa killed another god! He’s a murderer!” Another declared.

All of their blabbering made me more annoyed than I already was. I took out my machete and transformed into a dark weapon. If it consumed too much bloodshed, it might become a threat to other Gods and they would be forced to take me down.

And I intended to do just that.

“Give back Libulan to me!” I rumbled and lashed out a massive blow. I swung my machete across and everyone nearby was cut into pieces.

The white marble floor was painted red. Some of the castle’s foundations were already in rubles. Survivors evacuated the place, but others didn’t even make it to the exit. They were either smashed by falling debris or got caught in my destructive ambush.

I, myself, began to lose my sanity. I was aware of my actions, but I couldn’t stop. Someone must stop me!

[Someone stop me!] I screamed inside my head. My body was doing the opposite. It kept taking innocent lives.

“Enough!”

I halted when I heard the voice of another man. When I lifted to see who it was, I gritted my teeth when I saw Kaptan hovering above me, looking at me with such disappointment.

“Kaptan!” I snarled at him. “Where is Libulan?!”

Kaptan stared at me with insults. “What are you doing, Sidapa?” he asked in an authoritative voice. “You are hurting my people,” he added, and acted like all of this was some petty fight.

“Release Libulan!” I demanded, but the prideful God ignored my words.

“And what do you intend to do with him if I release him? Are you planning to continue your horrendous acts?” he asked. I could see nothing but judgement in his eyes. “I cannot allow that, Sidapa. You two are setting a bad example to other Gods,” he added, and I caught him grin in secret. “What needs to be done should be done.”

After that, a golden jail popped out of nowhere and inside it was Libulan!

[to be continued]