Spring City has been thriving amongst all the cities in the Philippines, built where once a mountain stood high, a new sanctuary for Felicia after running away from a painful past.
On her first day, she meets an eccentric neighbor, Carlotta claiming...
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The walk took two hours up to the mountain in a cloudless sky. Felicia built a plan in her head, but it was pointless because Gordo could read her mind. She also realized that these creatures have powers, that any wrong move will cause her death. She hoped to see the Queen, and maybe she would be so kind to release her.
It was getting dark which made it more difficult for Felicia to see where they were going. Fortunately, Gordo walked beside her and they continued their unfinished conversation.
"How do you face death?" Felicia wondered. "I never thought I am going to die in a world not my own. I always thought I'm going to die in my deathbed when I'm old. I thought I'm going to be married, maybe have a kid of two, just like almost all the people in our town does." She was still in shock with what's happening but surprisingly to herself, she doesn't feel afraid, rather she felt more optimistic, that she can easily talk about her ideal death.
"It's good to die. You can rest from this world we're caught in. You may have peace and rest forever. We never die because of old age. We are immortals. Living for hundreds of years is no fun at all. Sometimes, I feel bored," Gordo said in an as-a-matter-of-fact manner.
"How will I ever know that I will have peace?" Felicia asked frustratingly.
"Don't you believe in the afterlife? I thought humans supposed to believe so."
"Sure, it is good to believe in life after death. Honestly, I never thought about it. I would only love to think of the present. My parents have taught me that. I miss them, maybe if I die, I will get to see them again if ever heaven does exist."
"You're an interesting human being, a reason why I wish you won't die, I want to spend more time with you."
They finally reached a garden full of flowers in various hues, its sweet scent enveloping Felicia's senses. She also saw magical fireflies flying around like Christmas lights. There were more engkantos just like Gordo in the area. They all looked surprised that they couldn't stop staring at Felicia. "Where is the Queen?" Crux asked the engkanto with bright pink hair.
"She's inside her tree, having a rest. What do you need from her?"
"We are soul hunters and this woman here was supposed to die. However, one of your kind intervened with our job. Now, I need to speak with the Queen. It's crucial, otherwise there will be no offer to the gods." The engkanto with the pink hair thought for a while before she turned her back. A few moments later, she came back with the Queen. The Queen was covered with a transparent silk beaming with light. She also appeared to be floating in the air, her feet not touching the ground as she moved. Felicia admired her enchanting beauty, totally ignoring the fact that this goddess here may soon bring her to death.
"You must have killed this human being by now," her spellbinding voice echoed at that part of the forest.
"Your majesty, Queen Zena, we have failed our job because an engkanto intervened. He snatched her away from us and brought her back to our world. Now the day is almost over, what should we do?"
