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Where Gold Drops Run Bitter
This story takes place in an alternate timeline of HISTORIA. Where instead of Martial, Hukbalahap, and Phil dying, it had been Del to be the first to die. Martial and Hukbalahap are forced to navigate the world on their own, without the help of the eldest son of the Ophirian-Maharlikan family as a mysterious figure obscured in black with unknown intentions haunt the children.
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Please note that: THE EVENTS IN THIS STORY ARE ABSOLUTELY UNRELATED TO HISTORIA. I don't want readers to be confused, so I'll make it clear before you read. The characters' actions here are not parallel to their actions in HISTORIA (especially Martial's). If you see a character do something in this story, it doesn't mean they will do the same in HISTORIA.
This is simply a "what-if" scenario. All of the characters' actions are hypothetical and do not necessarily mean they will commit the same actions in HISTORIA.
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⚠️ WARNINGS INCLUDE:
Death
Murder
Child abuse
Mental illness
General abuse
Extreme violence
Torture/mentioned torture
Hallucinations/derealization
Descriptions of blood and gore
If you are uncomfortable with these topics, please exit the story.
"Where Gold drops run bitter" is a fictional story featuring fictional personifications of countries/flags. The content is not meant to offend or harm anyone.
Also, this chapter has A LOT of words, so this will be a VERY long chapter. O_o so make sure to grab your drinks, snacks, and have some good music playing in the background! (｡•̀ᴗ-)✨
And for those who wish to proceed, please enjoy! (人*'∀｀)｡*ﾟ💛✨
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During the last few seconds before the flaming ball of fire propelled towards them, the world turned quiet- As if it had stopped spinning completely and time elongated somehow. Nothing other than the deafening silence could be heard from miles. Every single sound, replaced with only deafness- White static that could kill those who were human.
And nobody within the palace had time to react before such a force was unleashed on the building. The bare amount of time to come to one's senses wasn't enough until the burning realization arrived later, and at a time where immense pain and nothing else could be felt.
"Martial," Del tilted his head when his brother had suddenly become quiet, "What's the matter?"
Martial didn't turn around to look at Del and instead, kept staring out of the window. Del hummed in confusion as he and Hukbalahap glanced at one another with worried stares. Somehow, the fire below the palace started feeling hotter- More suffocating than it had to be.
Suddenly, Martial finally turned around to face Del and Hukbalahap. A solemn, expression, but eyes wide and piercing when Del stared a little too longer. However, the younger boy wasn't saying anything. What was Martial trying to say? Was he trying to tell Del something with just a stare alone?
What's the expression on his face supposed to mean?
Del cried out loud when a sudden heat shot through the room and seared his face and body, his chest burning as he felt his Sun Pendant shatter against his body, Hukbalahap's screams the only other voice he could hear as the floor below them began to burn and crumble down the cliff and into heaps of burnt wood and debris,
Is it anguish?
Only a second after Hukbalahap's screams went eerily quiet, Phil began crying as well. Del could feel his body be thrown back to the rocky sides of what remained of the palace wing as the explosion's flame and smoke rose over the entire area, rocks and sharp pieces of wood being shot through the air by the explosion,
Or was it perhaps,
He struggled to open his eye, or what was left of it, as smoke began to fill the place, fire surrounded him as he laid injured on the ground, a large portion of his face burnt off and his chest and torso completely seared into a dark and ugly burnt color. It was hard to keep his eye open. It was hard to keep consciousness. There was a loud ringing in his ears; The distant sound of his mother's desperate voice as she searched for him and his brothers; Hukbalahap crying as she dragged about a leg half torn off, battered and pierced with countless stones that had sharp edges,
Fear?
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Martial woke up with a gasp, cold swear running down his forehead as he was suddenly awoken by a small fist shaking him awake. He wiped off the sweat and grime from his forehead and looked over to his side to see an unharmed baby Phil.
"Ku... Ah..." Phil whines as he continues to shake his brother with his small hand. Martial furrowed his brows and looked around.
"Phil..." Martial groaned as he tried sitting up, feeling a searing pain in his back and arms, "Where- Where's kuya Del? Where's mama?"
Suddenly, Martial hears a familiar voice cry out his name. He turned towards the familiar voice warily, eyes wide with dread.
"Mashie! Mashie!" Hukbalahap cries as she struggles to walk towards him. Martial noticed that her left leg had been completely torn off, golden blood dripping from her amputated limb.
Shít.
Hukbalahap cries as she attempts to wipe away her tears with dirtied hands caked in blood and mud. The palace had been reduced to nothing but a wasteland of what was once a large palace that stood tall and grand. Now, it had become a plethora of wood and stone lit on fire as gassy puddles of oil and rain water moistened the already damp ground below.
Fire had surrounded them, but it wasn't as abundant as before due to the rain water on the palace's roofs. However, the horrible smell of miasma and smoke remained, and it made Martial want to vomit.
"Kuya Del..." Martial mumbled, loud enough for Hukbalahap to hear, "Where is he...?"
Hukbalahap let out a defeated sigh and shook her head, "I... I don't know-"
Suddenly, a loud cry ripped across the forest, shaking the trees and the ground itself as Hukbalahap fell to her knees and Martial covered his ears in a desperate to save his eardrums from bursting or himself going deaf. The cry was guttural and shrieking, as if a large bird had suddenly gotten injured and screamed its pain.
Phil cried at the ear-splitting sound, tugging on Martial's shirt as he felt his ears going numb with agonizing pain. He began to cry, as if to drown out the sound with his own. Hukbalahap writhed on the ground from the sound and the pain in her limbs, screaming and begging for the sound to stop, begging for whatever god out there that can hear them to save them from the pain left by the broken palace and the horrible noise.
And just like that, the noise stopped.
Martial panted heavily, hands still covered over his ears as he waited and waited... But the scream didn't continue. Hukbalahap shakily removed her hands from her ears, a new wave of fresh tears rolling down the sides of her face. Phil had stopped crying the moment the screaming stopped, but still looked disoriented by the sudden sound that pierced his ears.
"What... What was that?!" Hukbalahap exclaimed, trying to force out her voice from her throat.
Martial remained silent. He didn't know as well. That scream sounded human but... As it progressed, it began to mix with that of a wild animal's. The scream of a human being that slowly descended into an animalistic state.
"I don't know," Martial pushes himself up from the ground as he stood up, carrying Phil in his arms, "But we need to find kuya Del before it happens again. Where-"
Before Martial could continue, another scream resonated throughout the area, but it wasn't as ear-splitting as the scream earlier. It was a cry of agony. A cry for someone's name.
"DEL!" The familiar voice cried, and at that moment, Martial's face filled with pure dread.
He stood up abruptly and grabbed Hukbalahap by her arm before running to the source of the voice despite the other girl's protests. That voice sounded like his mother's voice. And Martial needed to make sure that his mother and older brother were okay.
Martial ran as fast as he could before finally reaching the farthest part of the back palace. He slowly let go of Hukbalahap's arm as he observed the scene Infront of him, trying his best not to lose his grip on Phil out of pure shock.
Infront of him was his mother, her back faced to them as she sat on the ground and wept, body shaking from the hic's and cried that left her throat as held... Someone in her arms.
Martial slowly walked over to his mother, with each step sending agony up his spine. He stared at his mother's back, afraid to say anything else before finally mustering up the courage to speak.
"Mama... What happened? Wh- Where's kuya Del...?"
Perla remained silent, refusing to look at her son as she tried her best not to break right there.
Slowly, she turned her head just enough so that Martial could see her mouth, her eyes hidden from Martial's view and by the opaque veil that obscured her face.
"I'm sorry." Was all that she said.
Hukbalahap ran beside Martial, suddenly stopped by Perla's posture on the ground as she stood close beside Martial.
"Auntie Perla," Hukbalahap whispered, "Is kuya Del..."
Martial didn't have time to wait for an answer. Without another word, he left Hukbalahap's side and walked around his mother, standing Infront of her to finally see what she wept about.
Only for himself to feel as if he were going to weep as well.
"Kuya..."
In Perla's arms laid Del, his body limp and unmoving as his eyes were closed. The left side of his face had been completely shattered and cut off, with his limbs broken all over. Yet no blood seeped out of the cracks. His eyes had lost their color and shine, giving the impression of merely two dull stones staring back at Martial.
A small part of Martial hoped for Del to simply sit up and smile at him, as if this were all some sick joke that was never real in the first place. Another part of him immediately tried to cope with it, saying that there's nothing he can do now that his brother's body looked so lifeless.
Phil's eyes went wide at his older brother's lifeless body. He cried out a pathetic wine and cooed, leaning in and trying to get closer to Del as he reached his hands out to him, as if asking Del to carry him in his arms one last time.
Martial's eyes went dark at the sight before his mother began to speak again.
"His body couldn't produce enough blood in time and-" Perla hic's, "The sky is covered in smoke and clouds... The sun couldn't heal him s-so-"
Martial dropped to his knees. His mind has suddenly gone hazy. Was this confusion? Guilt? Fear? Sorrow? What was this feeling that burned in his chest when he sees his brother's unmoving body?
Hukbalahap stood beside Perla, eyes widening at the sight of Del laying in his mother's arms, "Kuya Del... Is he-?!"
At that moment, she stopped herself as more tears forced themselves out of her eyes, unable to take in the sight of her older cousin gone as she looks away and sobs. She doesn't want to hear Perla say it, she doesn't want to-
"Dead." Perla finished in a monotone voice, "Del is gone."
And just like that, Martial's entire world had shattered before his very eyes.
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February 25, 1872.
Sir Matías's private villa.
4:30AM.
The following night, it still hadn't stopped raining. Despite that, the rain was calming as it was light and no signs of lighting were observed in the sky. It was perfect to walk through without a care in the world, even if you'd get sick at the end of the day.
The rain is a cathartic thing. It gives peace to those who walk through the watery curtains that its comprised of. But even if you don't walk through the rain, you still feel relief from the mere sight of it, the sound of rain as it falls against your bedroom window at night or the sounds of it trickling against your roof.
In a way, the rain was like his older brother, Del.
Blessed when you see it, even if it goes away too soon.
...
The boy sat on the porch of the villa as the rain continued to pour, his only light source of the early morning being the oil lamp sitting beside him as he continued to sketch in his notebook.
He enjoys the sound his pencil made everytime it was dragged against the surface of his paper. It loosely reminded him of watching his father, Katipunan, sharpen his blade. He enjoyed the sounds that were created everytime the special stone was dragged against the blade abruptly. It sounded relaxing. It was something that was cathartic to Martial.
Even as the rain continued to pour, and his light was growing dim, he continued to sketch in his notebook... Even when he heard a familiar set of footsteps stalking right behind him.
"You're awake early."
Martial ignores the person behind him, investing himself in the sketch in his notebook, trying to finish it before the light in his oil lamp goes out.
The person behind him continued, scoffing, "Sir Matías says that every hour you save by waking up early should be spent training... But you're barely even near the training fields."
"Does that matter?" Martial sneers, "Don't think I didn't notice the opened jar of biscuits in the kitchen. You were awake before me but you decided to simply eat to your heart's content anyway."
The person behind Martial chuckled, "You got me there."
Martial sighs, and without even looking at her-
"Huk."
Hukbalahap giggles as she goes over to sit beside Martial, the same annoying smirk plastered onto her face, "But you can't blame me. Sir Matías makes the best cookies!"
Martial rolls his eyes as he continues on his sketch, ignoring Hukbalahap's prying eyes as she leans over to his shoulder, trying to see what he's drawing.
"Ah... You're drawing him again."
Now Martial's vigorous drawing made sense. Martial had been doing nothing the entire hour but sketching quick portraits of his late brother, Del. Each sketch seemed messy and rigid, as if each sketch were done out of stress and force.
It didn't make sense until Hukbalahap took a closer look and noticed something about each sketch of Del: the faces were all obscured and shaded out with messy scribbles and pencil strokes.
"My older brother, whom I will love
Until time harbors no meaning;
Until the meaning of time itself is restored
Once I am finally safe in his arms once again.
Until the immortal nights are finished
And the stars are dimmed of luminescence-
Hell continues to roar in a bright fluttering light
With each day I wake up to your absence."
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Hukbalahap turned to slowly face Martial, who's face remained as dull as it was despite her concern over the sketches in his notebook.
"Is that supposed to be... Why would you-"
"I'm beginning to forget what he looks like."
Martial answered before Hukbalahap could finish. His answer took her aback and rendered her speechless.
The boy's eyes narrowed into small slits, "No matter how hard I try to remember his face, I just- can't."
They never admitted it out loud, but the day Del died was the day that struck them more than anything they've experienced since then. Hukbalahap would be lying if she said that Martial's look of loss and pain didn't hurt her as much as it should. It was so abrupt, and it all happened so quickly, and Del wasn't even able to bid them goodbye.
Watching Malaya bury Del was even harder. Accepting that Del, the one whom they looked up to for the longest time, was now gone forever, was something they just couldn't do. Legazpi never gave them the chance to visit his grave and bless it with flowers before he took them to Spain.
Everything that Del left behind was gone. And it hurts.
And now, the memory of him, the last thing they have of their dear eldest, was slowly fading away. Even Martial, who stayed up for hours in his room at night simply envisioning Del to be alive again, began to forget his brother's face.
"What color were his eyes? What type of food did he like the most? How old was he when he was lost to us forever? Such simple questions like these, and I can't even answer them with confidence anymore."
Hukbalahap stayed silent as Martial continued, the rain still pouring from above. For a while, she was denying it, but even she had to admit that she was slowly beginning to forget bits and pieces of information of Del. And even his face was slowly fading into the deepest pits of her mind.
She'd imagine another world, another timeline, where it had been them who died instead. And if she was being honest, she'd rather live in that world than in this.
She wanted to say something, to assure Martial that even if they forget Del's face, they can still continue his legacy and break free from the clutched of the Spaniards. But before she could say anything, the door behind them suddenly opened, causing the two to look behind them.
"Kuya...? Ate...? Why are you doing here..."
In the doorway stood a sleepy Phil, carrying the same plush lamb that Sir Matías gave him last Christmas. He was still in pajamas, and he seemed to have just woken up. Martial closed his notebook and stood up, walking over to Phil.
"It's nothing, Phil. We were just talking about something." Martial says as he walks over to Phil and picks the toddler up in his arms.
Hukbalahap grins at the little boy as she stands up and walks towards the two brothers, "Hey, Sunny! What's wrong? Why are you up so early?"
Phil yawns as he hugs his plush tighter, sleepily burying his head into Martial's shoulder, "Philip very lonely in his room... Kuya Masha not in his room... Philip crying..."
Hukbalahap grins at the new nickname "Masha" that Phil has given to Martial, which causes the latter to roll his eyes at her teasing stare. Martial readjusts his hold on Phil as the three Country Masters enter the villa.
"Let's go to sleep now, why don't we?" Martial suggests to Phil, "We'll sleep in our own room and we'll leave ate Huk to sleep by herself all alone."
Hukbalahap pouts at Martial, "Waaah! Sunny! Mashie is bullying me! Tell Mashie to stop bullying meeee.... :("
Phil then pouts at Martial as well, punching his small fist against Martial's shoulder, "Bad kuya Masha! Bad! Bad! No bully ate Huk!"
Martial groans and shoots a glare at Hukbalahap, who responds with a teasing grin as she sticks her tongue out at the other Country Master. Martial sighs and turns away from Hukbalahap.
"Don't listen to ate Huk. I'm better... And I know how to use fire magic."
"Hey! Mashiiieee!"
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February 25, 1872.
Sir Matías's private villa.
7:30AM.
Martial raises up a spoon of rice and soup to Phil's mouth, "Eat now, Phil. Me and ate Huk will go train later, so nobody's gonna feed you while we're gone."
Phil obediently swallows the porridge of rice and soup as coos in delight. Hukbalahap hums a song to herself as she munches on piece of cheesy pandesal.
"You know-" Hukbalahap says as she chews on her bread, "I've always wondered to myself... Why does Great Britain have to go after our capital too? I mean, from what I've heard, he's already colonized a crap ton of land! Why do we have to be dragged into it too?"
Martial shrugged as he ate his rice and egg, "Better routes to trading in Asia? I dunno. The Country Master Representatives can worry about that."
"Mashie... We're the future Country Master Representatives of our country..."
"Oops. Forgot."
Phil simply watched the two bicker back and forth while drinking a glass-full of his milk. He decides to go and feed himself, reaching over to get the spoon inside the bowl of porridge and scooping up a generous amount of the porridge before slowly placing it in his mouth.
But Martial and Hukbalahap remained unaware of this as Phil continues to feed himself. The two continue to bicker, not even noticing Sir Matías, who had suddenly walked into the room with a mug of coffee in his hand.
Sir Matías could already hear the two bickering from outside and sighed on his way in, unsurprised when the two didn't even stop to breath or look at him and continued to argue with one another for probably another petty reason.
With another sigh, Sir Matías cleared his throat, causing the two to suddenly look at him with wide eyes.
"I hope I wasn't disturbing anything," Sir Matías grunts, "However, it is of utmost importance that I tell you two that your magic training begins in about an hour. Please prepare until then."
The two silently nodded as Sir Matías walks out of the door, sipping on his mug. Martial and Hukbalahap look at each other, sighing.
Hukbalahap glances to Phil, who seemed to have already finished his bowl of porridge and looked proud about it, "Let's just bring Sunny with us to training. I mean, come on, Sunny is a smart baby!"
"He's a toddler, Huk."
"Even so! Look, he even finished his entire bowl of porridge by himself! Look at him, you're such a smart baby, right Sunny?"
Phil nodded eagerly, smiling at the two, "Philip smart! Philip want to go with ate Huk and kuya Masha!"
Hukbalahap nods as well, "See? Come on, Mashie... Stop being such a protective àsshole and let Phil go with us for once!"
Martial sighs and crosses his arms, "Alright... But if Phil gets hurt, I'm beating you up. With fire."
Phil giggles as Hukbalahap picks him up, rocking him back and forth in her arms, "Kuya Mashaaa!"
Martial sighs as he finishes up his breakfast, going along with Hukbalahap to their bedrooms and preparing all they need. Med kits Incase Hukbalahap pissed Martial off again and he "accidentally" burns off a quarter of her skin; notebooks, good for taking notes of your lessons and messily sketching your deceased older brother in; and of course, Phil, their one and only emotional support.
He puts all these in his leather backpack- except for Phil, of course. Phil simply watches his brother pack his things while he sits on the bed and made strange mumbling sounds as he repeatedly claps his hands, as if cheering Martial on.
"Kuya! Kuya!" Phil chants as the corner of Martial's lips slightly curved up into a small smile at his brother's chants.
"Thanks, Phil. I really-"
As Martial picks up his backpack, a small, light object falls from one of the backpack's open pockets. Martial inspects the fallen object curiously. He doesn't remember putting that there.
Upon getting a closer look, Martial realizes that it was... A Sun Pendant. Del's Sun Pendant, to be exact.
"Since when..." Martial mumbles to himself, "Since when did I have this...?"
They could've sworn that the Sun Pendant must've shattered when Del's body was crushed by the cannon ball. How is it that its still here? And in Martial's backpack of all places?
Suddenly, Hukbalahap slams open the door to Martial's room, her backpack already secure around her shoulders.
"Mashie! Hurry up, we're almost late- What the..."
Martial turns around to look at Hukbalahap, still holding the Sun Pendant in his palm. Hukbalahap stared at the object with wide eyes, disbelief washing over her face.
"That's...- That's kuya Del's-"
"I know." Martial places the Sun Pendant into the front pocket of his leather backpack, "We'll talk about it later. I don't think we should do it here."
Before Hukbalahap could protest, Martial picked Phil up and walked pass her without saying a word. Hukbalahap perked up and turned around to stare at Martial's back as he exited the main door to the field grounds. The boy didn't look back to see if Hukbalahap would follow. He simply went and left, avoiding the Sun Pendant.
She sighs and readjusts her grip on the straps of her own leather backpack. The both of them knew that one day, they'd get over it. They would get over binding themselves to someone who is already gone. It was nature, and Sir Matías taught them that time heals. Even if it's not evidentiary.
Hukbalahap sincerely hopes that it's true.
But for now, all she can do is hope that someday, somehow, the scars that Del's death left behind would eventually heal. The mere memory, though faded and obscured, is enough to provide comfort that will continue to exist until time ends, and they finally find peace in themselves.
And when Del comes back home, Hukbalahap will be more than happy to welcome him with open arms.
Much, much more than happy.
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February 25, 1872.
Sir Matías's private villa, the training field.
8:04AM.
Hukbalahap shrieked as a ball of fire came shooting towards her, narrowly dodging it with a jump as the ball of fire hit the area behind where she once stood and burst into a quick golden flame before disappearing in an instant.
She landed back down, catching herself on her toes as she pouted, glaring at Martial with clenched fists.
"Hey! What was that for?!"
Martial huffs as the flame from his palm disappears and he folds his arms whilst glaring at Hukbalahap, "That's for calling me a 'sweets-loving idiot' earlier at breakfast."
Hukbalahap pouts and stomps on the ground, returning the glare with tenfold the fury, "But it's true! Your diet consists of entirely nothing but sweets! I'm honestly surprised that you haven't died of heart attack yet!"
Once again, the two begin to bicker in the middle of the training fields as Phil sat on the porch, under the shade as he watched the two older Country Masters argue with one another. He stares at them with round, curious eyes as he tilts his head, noticing Sir Matías suddenly appearing in his field of vision from the left.
Phil looks at Sir Matías and smiles at him, giggling as his mouth stretches into a wide, bright smile, "Sir Matta! Sir Matta!"
Sir Matías glances at Phil and smiles, "Good morning, Phil. I see your kuya and ate decided to bring you to training this time?"
The toddler giggles as he nods eagerly, causing Sir Matías to chuckle rather nostalgically and lightly pinch Phil's puffy cheeks, "You're a very behaved child, a very cute and behaved Country Master. Unlike your kuya and ate..."
With a sigh, Sir Matías shifts his vision from Phil over to Martial and Hukbalahap, who were still busy fighting again. It seems like their fight at breakfast wasn't enough to satisfy their need to argue with one another. Sometimes, he wishes he had someone who was able to discipline them so he wouldn't be have to deal with their petty shenanigans himself.
Sir Matías smiles at Phil one last time before walking over to the two Country Masters who were still arguing in the middle of the field. Sir Matías clears his throat, and the two instantly turn around to look at him.
With a sigh, Sir Matías crossed his arms and glares at the Country Masters. He's getting way too old for this, "It's much too early for the two of you to be fighting in the middle of such hot weather. A Country Master Representative should not fight with their peers, nor with other Country Masters. How will the two of you lead this nation at this rate?"
Hukbalahap and Martial stood there, guilty as they averted their eyes away from their mentor. After a long minute of silence, Sir Matías sighs and opens the book he was holding under his arm.
"However, this does not mean you will not be able to learn how to properly lead a country. But before leading a country, you must learn how to lead your midst and abilities... If I catch the both of you arguing during this lesson, then don't be expecting snack biscuits later this afternoon..."
Hukbalahap gasps dramatically, "No! Not the snack biscuits!"
Martial merely sighed at his cousin, and Sir Matías shook his head.
"Now, let's get on to the lesson, why don't we? As you have learned before, midsts are the central power of a Country Master, and it is the branch with the most energy. And since midsts have the most energy, they also require a lot of effort and skill to focus using. Midsts drain a lot of energy, that's why we have branches."
Sir Matías flips through a few pages of his book, and stops on a certain page with a red bookmark. Upon landing on this certain page, a golden magical hologram suddenly forms out of the book, forming the shape of a small tree with hundreds of branches.
Martial and Hukbalahap stared at the magical hologram in awe and how easily the form shifts and changed with just a simple flick of Sir Matías's wrist. Sir Matías smiles slightly at their obvious amazement and continues to explain.
"Think of Midsts as a seed. This seed grows into a strong tree, and creates numerous branches. These branches are simply extensions of a midst that require simple effort and less energy. Branches are important as they help conserve more energy and prevent fatigue. Branches come in different forms though, as there are branches that are not formed directly from a midst. Outer branches."
Sir Matías gestures towards Martial, "What Country Master Martial did a while ago when he sent a fire ball hurling towards Country Master Hukbalahap is an example of an outer branch. Magic or power that can be done even if a Country Master has yet to unlock their Midst."
Hukbalahap tilts her head curiously, "But why do outer branches form, Sir Matías?"
"Because Country Masters, unlike humans, have the ability to create energy out of nothing. Midsts are simply when a Country Master experiences a sudden influx of energy that becomes permanent... It's similar to puberty or growth spurts in humans. But even with little energy, Country Masters can still use abilities depending on their skill level."
While Sir Matías explains the basics of the lesson, Phil is much too busy on the porch, playing with random sticks and leaves he found at the side of the potted plants beside him. Phil mumbles strangely to himself as he takes all the sticks from the pots and crawls back to the center of the porch, giggling to himself.
"Uuu..." Phil mumbles to himself as he uses the sticks to form something on the porch.
After a while of rearranging the sticks, Phil looks down at his work and smiles proudly at what he's made. With absolute precision unfit for a baby to have, Phil formed the small sticks into three letter K's beside each other.
"Paaaaa... Paaaa... "
Phil tries to grab the sticks again. But before he could, he saw something appear at the corner of his eye.
With a gasp, the small toddler looks up from the sticks and stares beyond the porch and sees what seems to be... A blackened figure... Staring directly at him.
Phil tilts his head curiously at the figure as it continues to stare at him, unmoving. Phil giggles as he stands up and begins to walk towards the figure, knocking the sticks from their place and disorganizing them once again as he tries to get a closer look at the figure.
"Basket! Basket!" Phil calls as he stalks closer to the figure, not realizing that he was about to near the edge of the porch.
The figure never moved. It continued to stare at Phil, who was getting dangerously closer to the end of the porch, where the child could fall and possibly suffer massive injuries.
However, Phil continues to walk towards the figure. But before he could get any closer, the figure disappears in thin air, and Phil felt his foot fall through the air, and his body leaning forward into a deep pit off the edge of the porch before-
"PHIL!"
Phil gasps as suddenly, two hands reach to grab him before he falls off of the porch. Martial pants, eyes wide in pure disbelief at the fact he was able to catch Phil just in time.
Martial holds Phil up to his face, with more concern on his face than Phil has ever seen before, "Phil, what the hell were you doing?!"
The baby looks up at his older brother with round, curious eyes, "Kuya Masha! Kuya Masha!"
Sir Matías and Hukbalahap stared at Martial in concern as the boy held Phil in his arms. During Sir Matías's explanation, Martial was fortunate enough to suddenly catch sight of Phil walking towards the edge of the porch. Martial caught enough speed to speed towards Phil and catch him before he went hurling off the porch.
Which leads us to now.
"That was dangerous, Phil! Don't do that again...!"
"Kuya Masha," Phil suddenly says as he rocks back and forth in Martial's arms, "Philip saw kuya Del! Philip saw kuya Del!"
Suddenly, Martial's eyes went soft and his grip loosened. He stared at Phil in pure disbelief at what he had just said.
"... What? What are you talking about?"
"Kuya Del was there! He wants Philip to go with him!"
Hukbalahap walked over to Martial out of curiosity after hearing a mention of Del's name, "H-Hey, Mashie? What's going on? Why are you talking about kuya Del...?"
Martial turns around to look at Hukbalahap, an expression she couldn't tell if it was dread or pure sorrow, "Phil... He says that he's seen kuya Del... That he was trying to walk towards him earlier..."
"Kuya Del?" Hukbalahap's eyes widened, "How... Why would he-"
"It's true!" Phil exclaims, "Kuya Del misses us! Kuya Del wants to go to us!"
Sir Matías suddenly barges in on the conversation, sweat running down his forehead as he stared at the three Country Masters in concern, "Er... I'm not sure who this 'Del' person is, but I can assure you, it's normal for young children to see things that aren't really there."
Martial furrowed his brows, still staring at Phil in concern, "Seriously, Phil... You're making me worried."
"But kuya Masha! Philip saw kuya Del-!"
"Phil, please." Martial sighs, "Please don't mention him."
Phil lowers his head in guilt and nods. Martial sighs and turns around to face Hukbalahap.
"I'll bring Phil back inside. I'll be back," Was all he said before opening the door to the villa and stepping inside.
Hukbalahap simply watches her cousin walk inside the house, concern washing over her face.
Sir Matías shook his head and sighs, "Don't mind him, Country Master Hukbalahap. Let's wait for him to come back before we can continue our lesson."
...
Meanwhile, Martial brings Phil to the bedroom, barely saying anything as they walked up the stairs. Phil whined sadly, still feeling guilty due to what had happened earlier.
The door to their room opened and Martial sat Phil down on the playpen beside his bed, "Stay here for a while, Phil. Me and ate Huk will be back soon."
But before Martial could stand back up and go out of the room, Phil reaches out and grabs his finger with a small hand. Martial suddenly stops and looks at Phil, who stared back up at him with round eyes full of guilt.
"Kuya... Philip is sorry for saying about Kuya Del..." Phil frowns, "Philip won't do it again..."
Martial sighs and kneels down to Phil's height, patting the toddler's head, "No, it's alright, Phil. I was just worried that you might've gotten hurt..."
Phil continues to frown as he reached both his hands up at Martial, asking the older boy to hug him. Martial sighs to himself and leans forward to give Phil the hug he wanted. Even someone as stern as Martial couldn't deny Phil if he wanted hugs.
"Waaaa... Kuya..." Phil cries, "When will kuya Del come back...?"
Martial furrows his brows and rubs circled of comfort on Phil's back, "He'll... I don't know. But maybe, it'll be soon. We can't keep missing kuya Del forever."
That's what he keeps telling himself.
And now he's telling it to Phil. How ironic is that? If Del was still here, he would probably scold him for lying to Phil. He would probably scold him and Hukbalahap for arguing all the time, and Sir Matías wouldn't have to endure the headache that is he and Hukbalahap whenever they argue.
But Del is not here, and Del is probably never coming back. Yet, even as stern and as strict as he is, Martial could never bring himself to tell Phil. He could lie to Hukbalahap and say that he's accepted the fact long ago without feeling even the slightest tinge of guilt in his heart. But Phil? Lying to Phil felt like lying to God. There was always that small feeling of guilt at the back of his mind, and at the bottom of his heart.
He would give his life if it meant to protect Phil. That's what Del would've wanted him to do.
If he were here.
If he were here.
"Kuya?" Phil questions as he tilts his head to face Martial, "Are you okay?"
Martial pursed his lips, "Of course, Phil," Another pang of guilt to his heart.
Phil smiles at Martial, satisfied with his brother's answer, "Yay! Philip happy if kuya Masha is okay."
The corners of Martial's mouth twitched upwards into a pseudo-smile. He patted Phil's head again and stood back up, "I'll be going back outside. You just stay here, okay?"
Phil nodded eagerly, smiling brightly at Martial as the latter left the room and closed the door behind him.
Martial sighs to himself. One day, he just might have to admit to Phil that Del isn't going to come back. Maybe it'll put an ease to Phil's heart, which was waiting so loyally for his oldest brother, or maybe it'll just break it.
But what mattered was that Martial wouldn't keep the same lie up for too long before Phil will soon realize for himself and end up despising Martial for lying to him, or despising Del because he believed that he would come back one day.
And Martial couldn't linger at the entrance of his own bedroom for too long. He still had magic training to do, and Sir Matías is waiting for him at the field. He sighs to himself and pushes himself off of the door of his bedroom and walks towards the stairs.
Bur before he could take the steps back down, something caught his sight and caused Martial's senses to suddenly spike up.
"What the fúck..."
There seemed to be somebody at the bottom of the stairs. But Martial is sure that Sir Matías and Hukbalahap were still outside of the house? Who was that person at the bottom of the stairs?
Martial tried to get a closer look, trying to discern the person's features to see if he had the chance to identify who the unknown person was before realizing...
The figure had no features whatsoever.
It was simply a blackened figure without a face, staring directly at him.
Martial stepped back and pulled out a dagger from the holsters of his belt on instinct, eyes wide and his stance ready to attack. But the figure didn't move. It simply stood there, staring at Martial, as if waiting for him to go down the stairs.
"Who... Who are you? What are you doing in here?!" Martial shouts at the figure, still holding the dagger whilst ready to attack.
The figure didn't move, no matter how much Martial threatened it. Suddenly, Martial remembered how Phil claimed to have seen... Del... Earlier. Is this what he was talking about?
Is this the figure that Phil claims is Del?
"You're... You're not-" Martial shook his head in disbelief. No, that thing can't be Del. Del is dead, and there's no way for him to return-
"Martial."
Martial flinches at the call fo his own name. That was Del's voice.
Only then, the figure begins to move. It takes slow, graceful steps up the stairs, and Martial is purely froze in place. His mind was telling him to either run or fight the figure, but it was no use as the figure had already made its way up the stairs, and stood Infront of Martial.
The figure stood still, and Martial could finally take a better look at it. It was a few inches taller than him, and had longer hair. However, it didn't look like the figure was a woman, judging by its body. And before Martial could make the decision to stab at the figure with his dagger-
"Martial," The same, ghost-like voice belonging to Del echoed throughout Martial's mind again, "What have you done? Why is everything so dark?"
Martial could only stare into the figures blackened face that packed any features. It was like staring into an endless void of black, jumping into a cold abyss that had no meaning nor end to it. It felt like looking at the night sky, but that night sky had no stars to brighten it.
It was simply an endless void of black.
"Kuya..." Martial whispers, his mind running with thoughts and decisions he couldn't dare himself to make, "What... Are you-?"
"This was all my fault," Del's voice cried, "This shouldn't have happened. It wasn't supposed to be this way."
Martial could only stare at the figure as if it were the one owning Del's voice. It felt like eternity, and it was as if he would be there for eternity before the figure spoke again.
He wasn't familiar with the concept of forever, but after losing someone he cared for the most, spending an eternity with his brother isn't an idea he is against.
To spend an eternity with you is an ideal life that even gods will crave the comfort of.
I will not give this feeling away to anyone else. Not to Hukbalahap, not even to Phil.
Not even Bathala will taste an eternity with you.
"But I don't want to stay here forever."
"Martial!"
Martial flinches, and suddenly, the cold aura of the villa disappeared and was left with a ghost of what had been earlier. Martial came to his senses, the dagger was still in his holster, and the figure was gone.
He looks at the bottom of the stairs once again, and sees Hukbalahap instead, looking up at him in concern.
"Hurry up! We still have training!" Hukbalahap shouts from the bottom of the stairs.
Martial didn't retort nor did he try to. He just... Stood there... In pure disbelief at what had just happened.
"Mash-Mash...?" Hukbalahap called again, "Are... Is everything alright?"
Martial stayed silent as he slowly turned his head towards Hukbalahap, some type of dread present in his eyes, "Y-Yes, I'm just thinking about something..."
Hukbalahap didn't seem convinced, but she let it go and left Martial to whatever problem he was having this time. Martial never admitted he was having problems, and he's sure to not admit it even now.
She sighs and walks away from the bottom of the stairs, "Alright. Just make sure you get back soon. Sir Matías says that the lesson will be short for now since he has somewhere to go in the evening and he needs to prepare his afternoon."
Martial merely nods as he watches Hukbalahap leave the house. He sighs to himself and massages his temples. Either he wasn't getting enough sleep, or whatever happened just now was something related to Phil's strange claim of seeing Del near the porch earlier.
All Martial knew is that he shouldn't take this lightly.
He has to tell Hukbalahap soon.
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- I decided to split Where Gold drops run bitter into more than one chapter since if I tried to complete the entire story in one chapter alone, I'd be publishing this next year... Huhu... (╥﹏╥)
- By the way, nothing in this story has actually foreshadowing to HISTORIA... I am using this as a way to explain other concepts in my Countryhuman universe. Specifically Midsts, Energy, and Magic since these are extremely important things to take note of in other upcoming stories that take place in this universe. ✨
- Apologies for not updating in the past few weeks... I truly do miss my usual one chapter every Saturday schedule... ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ However, I am finishing up drafts I have with every chance I get. G9 is a very challenging school year... (￣ヘ￣;)
- I can't guarantee if I will update on Saturday this week. I've made too many promises and broke them too many times. 🥲
- Also I have an announcement to make!
- I finally created an Instagram account for myself! 👀✨
- I've never had any social media account before other than Facebook and YouTube... This is a very new experience and to be honest, I feel quite scared. 😅 But I hope to meet many new people and be inspired by many great artists! 💛✨
- However, I'm not sure what to post first... Any ideas on what my first post should be? :')
- Though HISTORIA is on hold for this moment, I'm not abandoning it. I'll try my best to work in both Where Gold drops run bitter and on HISTORIA while taking care of myself! :D
- Thank you for reading! I hope to see all of you in the next chapter! 💛💛💛✨
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Number of words: 7,725
End of chapter. ^^