“People with Jaded Masks? Hmm...” Vega murmured after hearing the report.
They were now sitting under the Hanziel Tree, discussing the events that happened in the mission.
“Yes, Lola. And they could also use Words,” Triggs said. Then he realized something, “Wait… if they could use Words… it means they are also Favored by Giyas.”
“Apparently,” Vega answered. She asked the team, “Their Words, how do they work? Most of the time, you can tell who the Giya is based on the effects of the Words.”
“I believe their Words can alter our minds. It’s like Mind Manipulation Magic,” Triggs answered.
“It seemed like they could also control the Sigbins,” Lae added. “This might also explain why the Sigbins now hunt in groups.” She praised Triggs. “Your speculation was right, Triggs. Something really is behind the Sigbin attacks.”
“Interesting…” Vega responded. “Words that can manipulate the mind, huh? Hmm… To be honest, it’s the first time I heard about this,” she admitted. “I’m afraid I can’t provide any useful assessments.”
“How about the Giyas, Lola Vega? Maybe we could ask them,” Lae suggested.
Triggs nodded his head and agreed. “Yes. They might know something about it.” He glanced at Monty, “Monty, can you ask Kuya Naash?”
“Too late. He already left,” Monty replied. “Turned out Their meeting went as planned.”
“I see…”
“You heard it,” Vega stated. “The Giyas are currently conducting Their meeting. I doubt they will entertain our questions now.”
Triggs was too persistent. “When will Their meeting be over?” he asked.
Vega answered, “We don’t know. Time works differently in Their realm.” She stood up and stated, “Be patient, Young Lad. For now, just keep doing what you are doing.”
“I understand, Lola Vega. Sorry.”
“It’s alright, Young Lad. I get it, you're naturally curious and want answers right away,” Vega replied. “However, you should understand that most things take time to unfold. If we force things to happen, we……”
“YADA-YADA!! Can we skip the lecturing part? It’s too repetitive and boring!” Monty blabbered. “Alright now, Vega. We’ll just return to Mt. Iriga tomorrow to continue our investigation.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear,” Vega said. “As for the paranormal investigators, just keep an eye on them.”
“Sure-sure…”
“Well then, if you’ll excuse me, got to change my clothes. These latex jeans are killing me!”
“Okay, Lola Vega,” Lae replied.
Vega left, heading to the other side of the Base.
Triggs noticed Claire hiding behind Zaine, shaken like a child.
“Are you okay, Claire?”
“Y… Yes… Sorry, your mission just sounds too scary.”
“There’s no reason for you to be scared, Claire, ” Lae said. “Your Kuya and the rest of us can handle it. Even though this one seems complicated, it’s nothing compared to how terrifying our past missions were.”
Lae’s statements didn’t help Claire at all. “Re - really?” she uttered with a shaky voice. “I wish Lola Vega wouldn’t assign me to scary missions.”
Curious, Triggs asked. “Have you gone on any missions yet, Claire?”
“No, not yet,” Claire answered. “I wanted to. But Kuya Zaine won’t let me join any. But I understand him, he's... um, really protective of me.”
“I see…” Triggs glanced at Zaine with a smug face. “Guess you've got a secret sweet side tucked away somewhere in there, huh?” he teased.
“I told you, he’s just a try-hard edgy boy,” Monty added.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Tch!”
“By the way, how’s Calla, Claire?” Lae asked.
“Ate Calla is doing better now. She’s already regained her energy.”
“That’s good to hear,” Lae replied.
“But……” Claire’s expression suddenly changed. Her eyes turned watery and her nose began to run, snuffling repeatedly.
Monty knew what was coming. “Oh, here we go…” He stood and walked away. “Alright, I’m outta here.”
Worried, Triggs asked, “What’s wrong, Claire?”
“*sniff*... It’s just… *sniff* I’m just worried about Ate Calla. She said she’s been having nightmares since you returned from Matukad Island. *sniff* She always dreams about her bad childhood memories… *sniff* It’s just sad to see her like that. Ate Calla is the jolliest person I know… Huhu…”
Claire began sobbing nonstop, covering her face with her hands.
Zaine stood up and accompanied Claire, “Let’s go back to your room.”
Still crying, Claire walked out with her brother, going straight to her room.
“Uhm… What just happened?” Triggs uttered in confusion.
Lae sighed. “It’s just Claire, being Claire,” she said. “Apart from having an extraordinary hearing, I believe she could also feel what others feel. She’s a very sensitive person - she's an empath.”
“I see…” Triggs murmured.
A breeze whistled as the conversation was halted by a short silence.
After a while, Triggs noticed Lae’s blank expression. “How about you, Lae? Are you okay? That flower will punch you if you keep staring at it,” he joked.
“I’m okay. I’m just thinking of something,” she replied with a flat voice. She was acting unbothered, but deep inside, something was bothering her.
“Is it about what happened earlier?” Triggs asked.
Lae was surprised that Triggs read her mind. She panicked, “Uh… Yes? Wa - Wait! How much did you hear a while ago!?”
“What do you mean?”
“The time that was hallucinating, did you hear what I said?” she uttered anxiously.
With a puzzled expression, Triggs answered, “Uhm… No? I was busy fighting the masked man. I just saw you hitting yourself and realized you’ve been under their magic. So, I came in to help.”
Lae was deeply relieved. She let out a big sigh.
“Why did you ask? Was there something I should’ve heard?”
Lae panicked again. “N - No!... Nothing!... Forget about it!” she uttered with a blush.
Triggs found Lae's sudden peculiar behavior too complicated to understand. “Uhm… Okay?”
Lae bowed her head in embarrassment.
After a minute of awkward silence, “Uhm… Whatever it may be… I want to tell you that it will be alright. Everything will be alright,” Triggs said.
Slowly, Lae lifted her head. A smirk formed on her face. “Are you just saying that out of nowhere?”
“Hey! I’m just trying to help.”
Lae giggled. “Nah, it’s okay. I appreciate it.” She then stood up with a now-brightened demeanor. “Alright! Let’s set our minds on our mission tomorrow. I just hope none of you will do anything troublesome again.”
“Yes, teacher!” Triggs joked.
Lae just chuckled it off.
…
…
…
A day had passed, and the team was back in the forest of Mt. Iriga.
They were wearing their robes, except Monty who insisted on wearing his hoodie.
“Hey, Monty. Just curious, why do you always wear a hoodie?” Triggs asked.
“I have one for you. Why do you care?” Monty replied. “Come on! Why do you always ask questions? It’s getting irritating, boi.”
“Well… As Lola Vega said, I’m a naturally curious person,” Triggs answered. “Why do you have to be so rude about it?”
“Well, I’m a naturally rude person. What are you going to do about it?”
Triggs didn’t engage further, he just sighed it off.
“Come on, guys. Time to get serious,” Lae uttered while distributing something to her friends. “Here’s for you, Triggs…”
Triggs grabbed rectangular silk paper from Lae. The paper had incomprehensible symbols inscribed on it, written with blue ink.
“That’s a Talisman,” Lae said. “It will protect you from the masked people’s magic. Just stick it on your robe.”
As instructed, Triggs put the Talisman on his robe, in front of his left chest.
Without further ado, the team went further into the forest, heading in the direction where they last battled the masked people.
After minutes of traveling, they arrived at their destination. To their surprise, the bodies of the Sigbins were already gone, but the blood trails were still there.
“Strange…” Triggs murmured.
SWEESH - SISH….
They suddenly heard rustling leaves. Quickly, they hid themselves in the shadowy part of the area, where the bushes were thick.
“Hindi ako nagpunta rito para makipag-away!” some familiar voice shouted.
Eddy appeared. Behind him were his 2 apprentices and the Barangay Officials, Chris and Randy.
“Uulitin ko! [I repeat!] Hindi ako nagpunta rito para makipag-away! [We didn't come here to make any trouble!]” Eddy shouted again.
He lectured his apprentices, “Always remember this: every time you go somewhere you’re not familiar with. You should always respect everything that’s living there. Remember that we’re just visitors, so it’s better to say your intentions first.”
Once again, Jess and Cassie were amused by their maestro. They scribbled everything Eddy said in their notebooks.
Frightened, Chris suggested with a shaky voice, “M… Mang Eddy… don’t you think it’s better if we just stay in the barangay? Is it really necessary to go here in the forest?”
“C - Come on, Chris! M - Man up!” Randy responded. It was obvious that he was scared too.
“Of course,” Eddy answered Chris. “We’re here because I need to confirm something.”
“W - Well… You could just do that in…”
“SHHH!!”
Chris was silenced as Eddy suddenly raised his palm.
“I hear something,” Eddy whispered
Cassie and Jess glanced at each other, trying to hear what their master heard.
Meanwhile, Randy and Chris were shaking more than ever.
“I hear it too,” Jess affirmed.
“That way,” Eddy stated as he pointed his finger in a direction. Immediately, they headed in the said direction.
“Uhm… Should we follow them?” Triggs murmured.
“Well, Lola Vega said it; we should keep an eye on them,” Lae replied.
Triggs’ team decided to follow the paranormal investigators.
Minutes into the trail, Eddy’s team halted and suddenly hid in a nearby shrub.
Trigg’s team was surprised by the sudden maneuver, so they also stopped in their tracks.
It seemed like Eddy finally saw what he was after. “I guess I was right,” he stated while witnessing a scene from his location.
Also witnessing the same scene, Randy murmured, “Wh… Why is he here? Who is that person he is talking with?”
Intrigued, Triggs' team moved to a better spot to see what Eddy’s team was looking at.
They were shocked to see a robed person - based on her facial features, they were sure that it was the masked lady they had encountered the previous day, unmasked.
What surprised them more was the person the lady was conversing with.
“Is that Michael?”