The Immortal Flame

Prologue

Eight thousand islands with a hundred dissimilar cultures harbouring several kingdoms, clans, and tribes; that is the archipelago of Pilicas. Mountains, hills, and rivers festooned its broad landscape. Peaceful sounds of nature emanate from the forests and the seas. Vibrant birds and the sweet breeze sung in harmony. The land appears tranquil and impeccable as it is a paradise to the eyes of some. Its inhabitants, the Pilios, were stewards of the land for they protect and preserve their home.

The Pilios, before, were pure and innocent men and women wearing waistcloths and vests. Their tan skin had always matched the fertile and loamy dirt. They had lived a life of good intent as they had souls as white as the clouds. Happy were they with a simple life of farming, hunting, and festivities. They had differences still. An ambition they all had, however, was to guard the islands for it was their only known domicile.

One day, Bathala and his pantheon thought to bless the residents of the archipelago numerous abilities to aid them in their aspiration to guard the mystic land, and with much discussion, the gods decided to give them the divine art of 'Mahika' alongside other talents.

"I, the maker, will give thy power to my people!" shouted Bathala from the clouds and as he did, the thunders rolled across the skies. Bright beautiful sapphire liquid called 'mana' poured down from the infinite heavens.

"Hallowed are you for I give you strength, dexterity, and endurance," he said to the mighty warriors of the land. The great men and women who brawled mighty beasts and dreadful foreign folks to safeguard the islands changed form. They morphed into taller, brawnier, and more agile versions of themselves with their eyes turning red whenever they go into fierce battles. The people now call them the 'dirigmas'.

"Hallowed are you for I give you the power to command and converse with the green leaves and vines and the beasts of the earth," he said to the menfolk and maidens that embraced the land. All of their bland ears became pointed. The tree huggers grew antlers from their heads and their lower limbs turned into those akin to a goat's. From that day forward, they were called the 'luluwas'.

Lastly, Bathala bestowed their final blessing. "Hallowed are you for I give you the power of Mahika," he said to the scholarly, the philosophers, and the wide-minded. Nothing changed from the wise save for their eyes which now had the same hue as the mana that was bucketing down upon them. Their irises now burned with azure kindles whenever they summoned their power. Anyone who had the ability to wield the potent energies were called the 'anitos'.

Mahika was considered as the best gift to be had. All the people of the land who had thirst for knowledge strived to learn the supernatural skill to manipulate, create, and destroy. They created cities under a day, forests to act as walls and a habitat for the beasts, rivers and farms to replenish themselves, and mining operations to access unknown riches. It was the golden age of Pilicas.

However, slowly did their purity diminish and men and women gave in to the potent corruption of the power of Mahika. It was the social elites of the Kingdom of Aripen who first employed their best wielders of the hollowed art to conquer and unify the archipelago under one banner. Woman or child, no one was spared from the violent horrors. Many cities were mercilessly razed to the ground. The screams of the innocent fill the once peaceful air.

The gods were displeased. They withdrew their gift from the men and women of Aripen, those who abused the power of Mahika. The sky tore and meteors fell from the sky and with unison did the gods say; "Those with hearts impure and with taint, the realm of Aripen, shall turn to dust and be swallowed by the bowels of the earth!"

They shouted for forgiveness, they shouted for mercy but the Kingdom of Aripen, along with all that lived there, turned to ash and dust and sunk to the earth. Bathala still believed in the Pilios however, but he was now wary of his people's capacity for greed and corruption thus he sent down his sons and daughters of great beauty, the diwatas, to watch over those who abused mana.

The diwatas are masters of the art of Mahika as well as having the innate ability to communicate with all forms of life, they are considered as minor gods by the Pilios. They acted as the stewards of the stewards. The diwatas trick and punish those who stray from the light of the gods. The land was peaceful again for the folk knew they were being watched. The people were afraid of the diwatas though, and furthermore were they intimated by their skill with the sword and the mind.

Years have passed and the number of people who had tapped into the art of Mahika waned. The strength of the dirigmas and the power of the luluwas also diminished in usage. The Pilios have discovered something else nevertheless; innovation, and instead of wooden javelins and slingshots loaded with stones, it was now shiny metal swords and arrows and bows. Gone were the days that day use clubs and sticks to battle.

Boats, carriages, and horse-riding were now common sights to be seen. Trade and commerce developed as a result of their voracity. They've now met the ever so frugal yellow-skinned Xiaolu of the north and the spiritual Rahaji of the west and they were all good partners in terms of barter. The Inidayan people were too. The same also goes for smaller clusters like the Nawaiians and the Camauiis. The world that they thought was diminutive in size grew larger and ever so gargantuan with each day they meet other foreign ethnicities.

They flourished the more the old scholars denied their aptitude for Mahika. They've rejected on exploring themselves and instead they've approved of improving their people as a whole. It was a significant leap from their former way of living. The diwatas became lazy and most of them returned to Bathala.

The Pilicas Kingdoms became filled with greed as time went by. They envied each other's riches and lands. Some waged small battles against each other but those trivial disputes later developed into large scale wars. Bathala realized he couldn't stop humanity from doing as such and thus he left them be. He was utterly disappointed. Rain poured heavily as he cried seeing siblings fight against sibling. Blood spilled on the earth instead of milk and honey.

It was an end of a golden era and with that did Bathala uttered his final words to his once favored people; "Brother against sister, husband against wife. Behold something sinister, behold the age of strife."

The mountains rumbled and the ground shook. The northern regions grew colder than ever. The displeased god continued, "Man is blessed, but curse thy selves; favoring the vile stead of purity. Man is free but cage thy selves; oh humanity such a peculiarity."

Now, a storm intruded the peace of the forest. All sorts of creatures, wicked and fine, ran in fright. The dark hairy kapres made the air thick with fog. Thunder struck and an immortal fire now burns on top of a hill in the midst of heavy rain.

Bathala wanted to give them a chance however. He still had faith though the Pilios may have none. The mighty god resumed; "The day man can once again learn, is the day they shall know what was said. We'll depart though we'll return, the time when the sun and moons wed."

The great Bathala and his pantheon appeared in front of the Pilios one last time and after a moment, they disappeared along with all their anger. Days past and the gods also vanished from the hearts of men and, instantly, what was inside of their heart was themselves. The day birthed arrogance and ego, pride and vanity. The eternally devout and erudite scholars were aware of this and this they called it the 'Abondoning'.

A thousand years have passed and all those wretched devils perpetuated inside each of the once pure people. Towns, cities, castles, and strongholds now dot the landscape of Pilicas. They belonged to different belligerent factions that continue to dispute for their territories. Though it wasn't the mighty kings and vain queens and corrupt emperors that governed the land, it was cruelty, greed, and conceit that reigned supreme for it was a horrid, ghastly epoch. The Pilios of old have turned their backs on their gods and now gradually do they turn their backs amongst themselves.