Mergalio woke up with the sound of continuous cracking. With just a snap, he woke up from deep slumber and opened his eyes to what was waiting for him. There were no more eggs inside his bag. There were seven wonderful birds looking cutely at him. These puffins completed the color of the rainbow and their eyes were as big as the sun shining brightly in the sky that moment.
Before Mergalio could even utter a word, the puffins opened their mesmerizing wings and surrounded him.
"Good morning, Mergalio. We are here to help you. We are your friends!"
"Y-you can talk?" Mergalio asked.
"Yes, we can talk, walk, and swim. I'm Agapi. I will fill you with so much love for these people," said the red puffin.
"In times of despair, I will give you hope. Elpida, at your service!" chirped the orange one.
"Acceptance is always the key to go on with your mission. Hello, I'm Apodochi," greeted the yellow puffin.
The green puffin hugged Mergalio. "I'm Tharros. I'll give you courage whenever you feel scared."
"In every battle, we will think of ways to defeat our enemies. I'm Dianoia, your source of intellect," said the indigo puffin.
"We will empower you to fight the dark side," the two birds said in chorus.
"I'm Dynami, your source of strength," blue puffin said.
"I go with her. I'm Epimoni, your perseverance to keep on fighting!" shouted the violet puffin.
Mergalio beamed like a young boy with so much excitement and happiness.
"This is so cool! I'm like a master with so many special fighters!" he shouted. The mighty warrior lost his stiffness and made childlike claps.
"Mergalio? Are you awake?" asked Odigos as he opens the door.
The man was startled upon seeing the colorful puffins surrounding Mergalio. Yet, in just an instant, he also felt safe and happy.
As all of them shared the little amount of food that Odigos brought, they also began to plan for their mission.
"Well, I suggest you take a walk around Sklavois first. You will have an overview of everything happening in our city," Odigos explained. "My wife and son live at the extreme border of Sklavois. They are safer there from the evil force ruining this city."
"Aren't you scared for them?" Mergalio asked. "You left them there. What if the evil people found them?"
Odigos took a deep breath and his eyes started to show unshed tears.
"I have no choice." he answered. "I need to be here to earn some money and store food. The place where they are now doesn't have any resources. That is also the reason why I know they will be safer there. The evil invaders only look at what they can get from a place. Every three days, I secretly go there to give them food and water. But I do it very carefully so that the invaders won't discover that place."
Mergalio was motivated to start his mission because of Odigos' family. He made sure that he would succeed.
The puffins decided to fly instead of walking in Sklavois to avoid the people. Nevertheless, they assured Mergalio that they could guard him with their sharp eyes. Whatever happens, they would immediately help him.
With every step, the warrior angel started to understand the small and the big issues of Sklavois.
Despite the urge to communicate with the people and process their behavior and thinking, Mergalio controlled himself. He was just a mere spectator that day and not a mighty warrior. He tried his best to remain low key and blend with the people.
He saw poor children stealing valuable items like a pro. There was a young thief caught by a man and was beaten nonstop. Mergalio closed his eyes and looked the other way.
There were also women dressed in skimpy clothes, waiting for a miracle to come into their lives.
"Hi, Mister. Would you like to see Paradiso?" asked one woman.
Mergalio remained mum and continued to walk. Yet the woman ran after him and persuaded him to give her a try.
"I'm Virra. I'll take you to Paradiso," she insisted sweetly.
Mergalio brushed her off and walked away quickly. He was beyond frustrated to know that Paradiso for these people meant differently. If they only knew what the real Paradiso looked like.
As he walked along the narrow street, Mergalio saw a lot of men drowning themselves in alcohol and damaging their bodies with narcotics.
Yet, there were some who just worked quietly to earn a living. But that simple routine didn't save them from wickedness. Because of too much fear from the evil invaders, they gave bribes to an old, selfish, and arrogant man wearing a coat adorn with many pieces of gold.
Mergalio got curious so he moved closer and simply pretended to do something important for him to hear the man's message without being caught.
"Judge Draggen, have mercy on me," pleaded the old woman. "I swear I didn't violate the King and Queen's rule of tax. I pay all the time."
"That is a lie!" shouted the insensitive judge. "I know the records. You did not pay your taxes for almost a year now. If you will not settle all your debts, you will be hanged tomorrow evening."
"But where will I get such huge amount of money, Judge?" the woman cried.
"I don't care! That is not my problem." Judge Draggen ignored the desperate lady and continued to demand taxes and bribes from the helpless people.
"I know. I will also sell these goods five times its usual price so that I can get more money. I will just sell my baby to someone so I can make money out of my child. I won't die. I'll do everything I can to live."
The woman seemed to have lost her sanity as she talked to herself and laughed crazily.
Mergalio was surprised when he felt his tears falling on his cheeks. He never expected that evil could trigger a person's demonic side. Could there be more than the worst faces of SklavoiS?
"Warrior, strengthen your heart," the Divine Power whispered.
From afar, Agapi, Elpida, and Apodochi chirped melodiously to fill Mergalio's heart with pure love again. In no time, the warrior stood up and wiped his tears away.
"Dianoia, take over the intellect of that woman and let her find righteous ways of raising money," Mergalio ordered.
With that, Dianoia flew away and followed the path of the woman.
Mergalio had seen everything that he needed to observe that time so he decided to go back to Odigos.
Suddenly, he heard faint muffles and struggles in the dark dead end of a narrow path. Mergalio's vision made him see a woman about to be raped by five evil men. His instinct was to fight them but Dynami and Epimoni already caused massive distraction by creating strong winds and showering those men with feathers. Mergalio used his power to make them fall in deep slumber. The woman quickly covered her body and ran away. Mergalio turned his back to avoid the woman's eyes. She must not recognize him.
"You did great, puffins. Thank you for helping me," Mergalio said as he continued his way back to Odigos.
Upon opening the door, Mergalio was surprised to see the five other puffins already inside the house. But what surprised him the most was a woman and a child laughing and playing with his friends.
"Mergalio, I'm glad you are already home. By the way, this is my wife, Sofia, and here is my son, Tenshi," Odigos said as he embraced his family. "I already brought them home. I told them that we will be safe because you are already here. We have someone to protect us from all the evil force surrounding us."
The warrior angel smiled with joy and bowed down.
"Thank you for trusting me." Mergalio happily said. "I also need your help in doing my mission. I am glad that we are a team now."
They shared a simple dinner that night. Despite the tasteless wheat and raw vegetables, it was fulfilling to eat food flavored with love.
"Let's sleep now. Soon, the evil invaders will be roaming again. They do it every night. They ruin houses and kill people especially if they notice that there are still lights and noise from the inside. Sometimes, they burn abandoned houses too." Odigos explained. "Let us hope that we will be safe tonight. I always hope and pray to the Divine Master and He has not failed me."
Mergalio and his friends were holding their breaths. The puffins were hanging on the wood of the ceiling, trying to close their eyes so the invaders won't notice their big bright bulbs from outside.
Loud screaming and scary banging were soon heard all over Sklavois. Danger had arrived.
Mergalio found it hard to ignore the cries of help outside. He quickly stood up and was about to open the door when Odigos stopped him.
"I beg you. Please don't," Odigos pleaded. "Not tonight. My family just came back. Give us more time to be together."
"Mergalio, you must think." Dianoia said. "We still don't know our enemies. We need to prepare for battle. If you fight now, we will not fulfill your mission successfully."
Mergalio listened to his friends but it seemed that they caught the attention of the invaders. Though still far from the house, he knew that they were the next target of the enemy since they already sensed their presence. Mergalio lifted his hands and created a shield for the entire house. He used his power to hide the house from the eyes of the invaders and keep them away from harm. He did and they were safe that night.
As soon as dawn broke, Mergalio and his friends started to plan their mission.
"Odigos, Sofia, and Tenshi, I will be needing your help to reach out to the SklavoiS," Mergalio instructed. "You know them better than me. You can start talking to them about the redemption by the Divine Power. Bring them here tonight in your house. I will talk to them and create a shield for all of us when the evil invaders attack once again. In this way, we will be able make them believe in redemption again."
"That is a great idea. We can do that," Odigos answered. "We will do it carefully but we cannot bring a lot of people tonight. We will start with two people until they multiply."
Odigos' wife and son also nodded their heads.
"I will ask my playmates to stay here tonight and play with me," Tenshi gleefully answered.
"Mergalio, it is important that you observe Judge Draggen and the evil invaders who make SklavoiS' lives difficult through their wickedness," Odigos said. Aside from that, you can also check the hidden parts of the city where people greatly ruin our environment. They cut trees and throw harmful chemicals in the river. This is one of the big problems of our city."
"I will, my friend." Mergalio said. "This is going to be a long day. Our friends, the puffins, will be guiding us up above. They will be with you if ever you need some help."
Odigos' family did their usual routine and gave inspiration about redemption to their friends in a subtle way to avoid the attention of the invaders.
Mergalio witnessed the wickedness of the evil invaders as they accused the people of crimes they never did. Some of them were stealing from the King and Queen, starting rebellion against the invaders, and even killing. Everyone in the city knew that these reports were not true yet in the eyes of the corrupt lawmakers and Judge Draggen, these people were guilty of their crimes and they were meant to suffer and die.
"Here's your tip for today, Judge. That's bigger than yesterday. You did great!" exclaimed the leader of the invaders.
"Lower your voice," Judge Draggen whispered as he greedily took all of the money. "The people might hear you."
That was the reason why SklavoiS are suffering in this place. The evil invaders of the Giant King and Queen could do anything they wanted since Judge Draggen, who was supposed to defend these people, was already blinded by money.
"Mergalio, take the left path." the Divine Power said. "At the end of the road, you will see SklavoiS abusing the environment."
Mergalio quickly looked for a place for him to reveal his wings.
"Tharros, is it safe to fly?" Mergalio called to the puffin who was flying above him. "Will the people see me?"
"Yes," Tharros answered. "They are far from this place. They are preoccupied with a lot of things. The tattered rooftops will cover you."
Mergalio wasted no time. He spread his arms and his huge, strong, and powerful wings appeared once again. The mighty warrior flew quickly to where the Divine Power ordered him to go.
In a span of a minute, Mergalio already saw what was happening. Trees were being cut tremendously. Chemical wastes were being disposed in the bodies of water and he couldn't see any remorse on the faces of these people.
The angel moved closer to see what they were doing. The once lush garden covered with blossoming flowers was now an exaggerated dump site.
Mergalio hid behind the trees to cover his wings and became an ordinary person again. He approached the group of men and confronted them about their wrongdoings.
"Stop that! Why do you have to cut all these trees? Aren't those enough? You need to preserve some of them or else we will suffer."
The SklavoiS men started laughing and taunting Mergalio.
"Why do you care?" one of them asked. "Who are you to tell us what to do?"
"I care because nature is really important for us. You don't need to overuse it. You even destroyed the river and the lakes by spilling chemical wastes on them. Why do you have to do this?" Mergalio asked with extreme frustration.
"Money!" answered the leader of the group. "Can you give us huge amount of money? If you can, we will stop this."
Mergalio didn't know what to say. These people have been blinded by money.
"I don't have money to offer you but I care for you. I pray to the Divine Power that all these things will not backfire against you," Mergalio said as he turned his back away from the laughing men.
"Forgive them, Master, for they are blinded by greed."
The mighty warrior returned to Odigos' shelter as soon as darkness crept in Sklavois. In his amazement, people were looking at him with hope and courage.
"Friends, this is Mergalio. He will help us break free from this hell that we are living in," Odigos introduced him to four women and two men. There were also two young girls and one boy playing with Tenshi.
"Is it true?" asked the woman who is holding a baby in her arms. "Will you keep us safe tonight?"
"Yes, I will." Mergalio answered as he bowed down and express his respect to the people. "It is my honor to give you peace and safety tonight."
"Our Divine Power sent him here. He hears us. Let us keep our faith," Odigos said.
Mergalio's heart swelled with love as the people smiled and cried tears of hope.
As they share the simple food prepared by Odigos and his family, Mergalio simply talked about redemption to the people. He gave them courage and strengthened their faith.
"The evil invaders are here!" shouted the young girl.
"Keep quiet," Mergalio said as he raised his hands and created a shield to cover the entire house. "Don't be scared."
But before he completely formed the shield, an evil invader already barged in the house. Mergalio quickly pushed the enemy out of the house and summoned his sword to attack the enemy as his left hand continues to provide a shield for Odigos and the people.
Like a flash of lightning, Mergalio easily turned the invader into ashes. The moment he secured the shield, more invaders attacked him. He easily whipped all of them with his sword and faith. When there were no more enemies near him, he quickly entered the shielded area and hid from them.
"Sorry about that, I cannot fight all of them tonight. It will cause great chaos to our enemies and for sure they will make the people suffer," Mergalio explained to his friends. "I need to wait for that time when we have more people on our side."
"Thank you for saving us!" the people answered in chorus.
"We are just starting. Whatever you witnessed tonight, spread the good news to your loved ones." Mergalio instructed the people. "But do it silently so our enemies will not know about this."
That night, redemption had started.