Ah! Birds are chirping, the weather is nice, the sun shines brightly, happy fairies spread sparkles and laughter as always, and beautiful elves smile not only at the angels but at people like me. The smell of the air from the sea a few miles from here, in the west part of the Silver City, puts everyone in the mood to wear smiles on their faces. The new Basilica will be built here, on this very soil where I am standing. It will be bigger than the current Basilica, with a pool inside the building. Actually, the Basilica doesn't resemble those in Roman Catholic or Greek Orthodox churches, which hold a canonical title of honor given to church buildings that are distinguished either by their antiquity or by their role as international center of worship due to their association with a major saint or an important historical event. But not in this case, at least not to the people around me. They even say, "Sounds more basilica to me," because unlike in my world, where saints leave historical events, here they walk in the establishment every day.
I tried to delve into Dr. Dhan's book, but I only managed three pages. I'm a slow reader, and books have never been my strong suit—unless they're comics or manga. The book is a curious blend of journal entries and a botanical encyclopedia. According to the journal, the facility I emerged from is maintained by dwarves, but their lack of familiarity with modern technology led to some mishaps during the excavation and installation of the elevator. Vital electronic parts were destroyed, including the Date-Time System, making it nearly impossible to determine how long we've been in hibernation.
I'm no scientist, but perhaps carbon dating could solve this issue. From what I've seen on Mybox.com, plastic takes about 500 to 1000 years to decompose. The very facility itself might offer the means for such dating techniques. Even rocks can reveal their age, so maybe there's hope yet.
*Sigh!*
"What's your problem?" asked by Persis as he ravage the enormous food in our table, and Pen-pen do the same in his bowl.
"I am just frustrated to what I've read from Dr.Dhan's book, do you have any Idea what date today?"
"Yes! It's 851 in 12th day of Ruben"
"What?" I am totally don't get what he said.
Persis stop eating and look at me straight in the eyes "Look kid! It's pointless you to know, you are from ancient time, give it up and focus what's in present"
"It's easy for you to say, I have obligations for my race, and I need to know how long we are in the freezer, I don't know the limitation of the cryogenic sleeping" I frustrated said.
he sighed "Damn, you are right." The dwarf is a bit worried but shake it off and proceed to eating.
With that said, I suddenly loose my appetite, who knows, I might be the last human that will woke up and the rest will be rotten in their pod.
"No matter your feelings are you need to fill yourself kid, empty stomach will only decrease your productivity not your worries" Persis said.
With rationalizing everything I bite the nearest food that I grab.
"Ouch!"
I look to my food and I saw meat skewed in thick wood.
"What kind of food that has recipe of wood?" I exclaimed.
"Delicious one" he laughed, grabbing a similar piece of food to mine. With a playful glint in his eye, he demonstrated the proper way to eat it.
"Just break the wood, and as you savor the meat, you can suck on the wood—it's truly appetizing." He added.
I saw the wood glistening with something oily as I followed his example. Breaking the wood required more effort than a normal person might exert just to extract its juicy secret. As I sucked the delicious juice, I marveled at the spiral pattern revealed within the broken wood.
"Eureka!" I shouted!
Persis was startled by my sudden outburst of screaming and laughter, her eyes widening in surprise.
"What's gotten to you boy?" he asked.
"The tree is the answer! The tree is the answer" I yelled.
Persis throw the dried wood on me to make me calm.
"Calm down boy, one at time" Persis yelling back at me.
"Look, Persis!" I exclaimed, showing her the broken part of the wood with its intricate spiral pattern.
"What am supposed to look at?" Persis asked, puzzled.
"The tree grows with these wood patterns in its trunk," I explained, excitement in my voice. "Each year, it forms one spiral pattern!"
"Ok?"
"It's so happen that during my previous life, I participated in this tree planting activities in the donated land for environmental purposes, I know the address, that's where the Sto. Domingo church was before, we planted trees and there is one Tree from America that been genetically altered to adopt on the Environment of the Philippines, that tree can live thousand of years, if we can found this tree and cut it down, I can painfully count the spiral to determine his age." My smiles are from ear to ear.
"All I understand is the word tree" the nonchalant dwarf is eating his food slowly while looking at me.
"How can we find this tree then?" Persis Added.
"With a gold detector" I proudly answered.
"so that tree is made of gold then? I doubt that tree is still alive, knowing us dwarves love golds, I myself can sniff gold a mile a way!"
"No! There is a golden crucifix embedded within the tree, its ancient roots having grown around it, embracing it in a timeless grasp! But our dilemma lies with the gold detector—it remains where I journeyed from! Dr. Dhan's book speaks of such wondrous metal detectors. Maybe we should go ba..."
"No need!" the dwarf interrupted, he finished his meal and go to his drawers and take some mechanical looking cube device with dwarven inspired design.
"Blurrrrrppphhhhhhh!!!" he raised the cube with one hand, "Behold, dwarven technology" then he swipe the table making a mess at the same time, my dog switch from the food bowl to the leftovers fallen on the floor, he place the box and open it, the inside is has a compass with two hands one is red and the other is gold plated.
"We dwarves loves gold, we dwarves already can navigate inside mining caves and some of us has inborn ability to sense gold to any deepest earth, so we developed this." He proudly presented to me.
"Very well then let's go!!!!!....." I excitedly said.
"Hep!... Hep...." He interrupted me again.
"Clean that first!" he point the mess that he did.
"You are really a peace of work, Persis!" I exclaimed.
"We will form a party, this will take more than two of us to go there and cut down the tree!" the dwarf said.
Right after I clean the mess that he makes, I immediately goes to the table and admire the peace of technology.
"I should tear this detector afterwards, maybe I can learn a thing or two about dwarven tech." I muttered to myself.
"What are you still doing here? I already fetch the party let's go!" Persis shout from the door.
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I immediately grab the detector and runs towards Persis, I saw two more people that will assist us.
"Guys! This is new musang! And don't worry about the wolf because that's friendly" Persis introduced me lazily.
Pen-pen sniffed them intently, as if he were checking and memorizing each unique scent.
"This is Gorg he is Orc, this is Tah'Oow he is Dark elf you will meet them in my site" he spread his hand to introduce them and I goes to them to offer a handshakes which they did accept, it's good that simple gesture still recognize in this new reality.
With all the quick preparation we immediately venture out to the wilderness, thanks to the proximity to our target, Persis assure that Hell pig won't bother us, he already sent a letter through pigeon to the witch of the mountain, to keep the hell pig occupied, she can't directly help us because she is wanted person in the Silver City, and we can't afford to let others know about our connection to her.
The path leading away from the Silver City quickly transformed from well-trodden roads to narrow, winding trails. Our formation is in this sequence, the Dark elf and Pen-pen leads the party for they have sensory specialization and next is Grog as vanguard and behind me is Persis to watch over me, whenever we face danger like a giant Grizzly bear witch we successfully repelled, Grog and Persis step forward with their axes shielding us and the Dark elf drawing his bow besides me, my wolf is the fastest among us, so he deals with flanking and damaging from the back, it only takes an hour until we reach the target part of the forests, immediately I use the detector, I am not good with trees.
We roam the forest which it becomes denser as we walk further from the city.
I holds a dwarven compass, its needle unwaveringly pointing towards the nearest source of gold. This ancient and enchanted artifact is their key to finding the specific tree that holds the golden crucifix buried in its trunk. Peek at the dwarven compass and his eyes narrow as he scrutinizes the compass, its needle leading them further into the heart of the forest.
"Stay close, stay alert," Persis murmurs, his voice gruff but reassuring.
As they move deeper, the forest seems to come alive with activity. Birds flutter overhead, unseen creatures scurry through the underbrush, and the occasional growl or snap of a twig keeps everyone on edge. The party members exchange glances, their senses heightened, each step taken with cautious precision.
The air around them appears to shift, and the forest's sounds go quiet for a brief while, as if understanding the seriousness of their mission.
The group advances with coordinated and purposeful steps. They eventually reach a clearing illuminated by gently filtered sunlight. In the middle of the clearing is a majestic tree, its bark old and rough, emitting a faint golden glow.
I steps forward, eyes gleaming with determination. "This is it,"
The tree's trunk, which was once small enough to hold with one hand, has grown so large that I can't encircle it with both arms. It is among the biggest trees in the forest. Its branches, with only a few leaves, provide minimal shade to the ground below. Interestingly, no tall grasses grow under it, indicating that someone regularly tends the soil, focusing on the tree's roots. The tree appears dry, its bark turning gray and brittle, suggesting it is nearing the end of its life. This makes the timing of its cutting vital—delaying by just two or three years could affect my age estimation. When I placed the compass near the tree, the largest pointer wiggled more vigorously, while the shorter one remained pointed north.
"Let's put it to peace!" I said.
Persis and Grog, with their axes in hand, started chopping at the tree. Abruptly, the tree emitted an eerie wail, as air whooshed out from every crevice in its trunk.
"Booooooommmmm!"
We were thrown several feet away from the tree. I slammed into the opposite tree, and Grog, with his large frame, crashed into me.
"What the heimr!!!" Grog shouted in disbelief.
To make matters worse, Persis slammed into Grog, flattening me further.
Meanwhile, the dark Elf landed gracefully on her feet while the rest of us were still recovering from the shock.
"RRRrrrrrrrrrr!!!!"
The ground from the roots of the tree arose too.
"RRRrrrrrrrrrr!!!!"
"RRRROOOOOAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!"
"GOOOOLLLLLEEEEEEMMMMMM!" Grog shouted to warn us.
"We are not equip to defeat that!" The mysterious dark elf exclaim.
"Damn! Should brought hammer" Persis added.
The creature is formed from the earth, a mix of soil and rock with occasional boulders. Its head resembles a stone skull. It stands like a powerful and primal gorilla.
The target large tree is sitting on top.
It slams both of its huge fists in the ground.
"RRRROOOOOAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!"
We immediately goes to our formation.
"RRRROOOOOAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!"
The golem hurls a boulder toward us, indifferent to its weight, as if gravity itself were a mere afterthought.
We immediately disperse our formation scattering us in every direction as we avoid the flying debris.
The arrows of the dark elf don't have any effect against the harden body of the golem.
The Golem charges at us, wreaking havoc upon its surroundings, rendering the efforts of our vanguard's axes futile.
"HOW CAN WE DEFEAT THIS?" the dark elf shouts.
"WE DON'T" Persis shouted back.
Pen-pen yells, his wild symphony ringing across the turmoil as he lunges at the Golem.
Grog is struck by the Golem's massive arms, sending his axe flying towards me. I catch the heavy weapon, but its weight pins me to the ground, making it impossible to wield.
I watch my comrades bravely fighting the Golem, a wave of guilt washing over me as I feel the sting of my own perceived uselessness. I wonder how my predecessors managed to overcome such formidable threats, born from the boundless imagination of those who created myths and folktales.
An idea strikes me, but it's risky for a mere human to attempt. However, the situation calls for desperate measures.
I asked Persis to lend me again the rope that he always bring whenever he venture outside the city, Persis trusting that I have an idea he handed me his rope immediately, I anchored the rope in nearby tree and boulder then run towards the golem.
"GODD!!....HEEEEYYYYY!!!" Persis exclaimed, shock flooding his features as he nearly let my name slip in the heat of the moment.
Just as I always do when Pen-pen and I race through the enchanting streets of Silver City, I leap and perform every acrobatic maneuver necessary to scale the Golem, all while it struggles to dislodge the persistent wolf from its back.
I manage to grab onto the Golem's back. With every bit of energy in my legs, I leap with a height and strength that surpasses what someone of my size could typically achieve. Pen-pen bites through the rope that was holding me, and as I swing through the air, I skillfully use my weight to wrap the rope around the tree embedded in the Golem's back.
Persis with his jaw dropping seeing me doing those stunts "lu....lu....lure!! the golem! "
He dashes to the opposite side of the anchor, desperately attempting to draw the Golem's focus. Swiftly, he arms himself with a compact crossbow and shoots bolts of fire into the sky, illuminating the sky with their brilliance. Despite their efforts, the Golem cunningly concentrates on destroying the anchored rope.
Suddenly,
"ARRRRRHHHHHH!!!!!!" a booming voice crackled behind Persis, the Golem look over to his shoulder.
Grog shouting on top of his lungs with the dark elf on his side casting some sort of a spell to Grog.
The Golem changes its strategy and charges at Grog, its eyes wild with frenzy. The tree emits another howl, harmonizing with the Golem's relentless and primal roar as it rushes towards the shouting Grog. Together, their voices form a haunting symphony of battle.
The ancient tree is uprooted from its back, causing Grog and the dark elf to halt their actions and flee to avoid the rampaging Golem.
"VOOOSSSHHHHH!!!"
The Golem suddenly collapses, shattered by the intense brilliance of the solidified light that pierced its formidable body from above.
"WOOOSSSHHH!!!" An Angel dove down to the remaining uncrumbled part of the Golem, shattering it further, smoke billowing into the air.
Everyone is on the ground shielding and covering itself from the flying debris.
"Fear thee not anymore, for I am hither, and I shall never suffer the citizen of the silver City to be harmed by any malignant creature."
His voice crackles faintly, and a familiar sensation tells me exactly who it belongs to.
We immediately fall to our knees as St.Naphael emerged.
"Your Majesty, I come not to disturb you, but to seek the rescue of the patrolling angel," Persis said with a voice filled with humility.
The prince glances over his shoulder, his eyes locking onto mine for a moment before a smile graces his lips. He then turns his attention back to Persis.
"'Tis well, my loyal dwarf, for my mercy stays my hand from sending another angel for thy rescue. I shall be the one who must heed thy call." The angel boasting.
Then he flew away.
"Climb to trees and watch over city" Persis give instruction to the dark elf which she immediately followed.
Persis and Grog immediately pick their axe and goes to the uprooted tree, the party is already been instructed that we need the cross section of the trunk, not really the tree itself.
The orc and the dwarf take turns striking the trunk of the tree. Gorg's blows are powerful but erratic, while Persis's strikes lack Gorg's strength but are unwaveringly consistent. Gorg pauses to catch his breath before resuming, and together they chip away at the trunk. When their axes finally penetrate the hollow part of the tree, it splits into two pieces, revealing the cross-section of the trunk with a golden crucifix. However, the relentless chopping and the tree's collapse have damaged it, breaking the left hand and cross of the crucifix.
For some reason the crucifix didn't really embedded to the trunk, I tried to pull the crucifix, as I lean my left hand on the tree and my right hand touch the crucifix to pull.
"Godwin!........"
"Godwin!........"
"Godwin!........"
"Godwin!........"
Voices echoing to the void.
Suddenly, I found myself enveloped in darkness, with only the solitary moon casting its pale light. The sky stretched empty, devoid of stars—a vast void above. My feet sank into water, and as I looked down, my reflection shimmered on the surface. To my astonishment, I wasn't clad in my musang costume but in my plain jail uniform, stark and unadorned. Even more bewildering, my body had regressed to that of a 10-year-old.
"Godwin!........"
"Godwin!........"
"Godwin!........"
"Godwin!........"
Again multiple voices echoed then.
"Godwin!........"
A very familiar voice echoing from my back.
Tears runs down from my face as I turn around.
"Godwin!........"
The soft and caring voice only belongs to no one.
"Ma." I softly muttered, it seems even my voice regressed to my child voice.
"I am sorry." My poor mother response.
"No! I am sorry! I am sorry for being stubborn son, I am sorry for bringing you heartache! I am sorry for being worthless, I am sorry for not fulfilling my promise to you, to take care of you forever." At this point I cannot hold back my tears.
"We are sorry." My mother said.
"We are not your mother"
"We are not your mother"
"We are not your mother"
"We are not your mother"
Her voice multiply to different voices.
"We assume the appearance of your mother for convenience."
My tone suddenly shifts.
"Who are you?" I asked with seriousness in my voice.
"We are anito resides to the ancient tree, we know you Godwin"
They are speaking through the appearance of my mother.
"What do you want?" I shouted with frustration.
"We want to inform you and help you, the way your mother help us."
"What do you mean?" I responses.
"This tree cannot survive without proper care. After you planted it, our consciousness was born from the souls who perished with the Church. The victims of terrorism have consolidated the spiritual essence of this place, and the tree, brought from afar, has become the catalyst of our collective consciousness."
"After you been put to cryogenic sleep, your mother does not fail to visit us, and pray to the golden crucifix, she is taking of us, until the day that she died" they continue.
"We felt her love to you, and we learned that the family of Nisha use their connections to prevent your mother to and attend to your execution of cryogenic jail"
My heart was broken further to what I heard from them.
"Can you tell me how my mother spent her last moments of her life?"
"I am saddened to tell you that since you've been jailed, no one has cared for your elderly mother. She ended up as a beggar, but we did our best to repay her love and care for us. We visited people in their dreams, urging them to give alms to your mother. It's hard to believe, but perhaps because of your God, this tree produced water from its trunk. However, it was very difficult to shelter your mother from the elements. She succumbed to a severe fever, but we ensured she did not feel alone. We managed to manifest an illusion of you holding her hand in the final moments of her life."
At this point, I fail to hold back my tears and am crying In front of the image of my mother.
They held me, or rather, the image of my mother knelt down to embrace and hug me, trying to offer comfort. Her hands around my little shoulders made me feel as though I had finally found my real mother.
"We pray that this small action can give you peace of mind"
"Thank you! Thank you, Anito! Please, stay with us! We've found good people in the city who will care for you. I promise you'll be taken care of," I cried out, tears streaming down my face. Desperately, I tried to hold onto these spirits, knowing their memories were the last memento of my mother to me.
"We can't" they answered.
"Why? Is it because of the tree? Can't you migrate to other trees? I will revive the tree, all I had is to plant it again." At this point I am begging them to stay.
"We cannot migrate, and even this tree has remained untouched. The Methuselah tree, nearing its twilight, will be our end. We thank the Bathala that he allowed us to meet and repay the kindness of your mother."
The image of my mother starts fading.
"No!!!! please stay longer, hold me longer! Pleaseeeee!!!"
"Take the crucifix, it has the page from the prophet of death, the name of your father was been erased" They said.
She hold my face to make me look at her eyes.
"You may have many regrets regarding your mother, but do not let those regrets extend to your father. There is a strong possibility that he has been resurrected and is still alive today."
My old mother smiled at me "Oh! stand strong, my son"
They finally faded away.
My poor mother finally faded away.
Then I found myself back on the ground, clutching the crucifix in my breast, my face wet with tears.
"Thank you, Tree, I am honored to be the one who planted the Philippine Methuselah tree"