Hymn of Ame (COMPLETED)

INTERLUDE

THIRD PERSON

IT WAS never beautiful in Kasamaan, the village of grief and affliction. All around it was fire, and if not rocks, were skulls. The air was heavy, and it badly mixed with the smell of burning metal, possibly from the blood that oozed from the souls that had been kept there to pay for their sins. They were tortured forever, limbs and necks bound with heavy shackles. They were whipped, and the sound of the brutal act bounced around the cave-like place, along with the cries of agony and of begging.

Sitan, the ruler of Kasamaan, sat lazily on his throne. Behind him was a wall of fire. Sitan was an old man with a shockingly lean body. He wore a very dirty-looking fabric across her chest down to his lower region. He had a necklace with a hand skeleton pendant, and another with spikes that were unmistakably animal fangs.

Manggagaway and Mansisilat stood at his right, while Mangkukulam and Hukluban occupied the space at his left. Manggagaway, the most wicked among them, possessed a girdle made up of several severed human hands and feet; she was the one responsible for the occurrence of disease. Mansisilat was tasked to ruin relationships; she often transformed herself into an old lady. Mangkukulam was red-eyed and he set houses on fire. Lastly, Hukluban had long oily hair, and could shape-shift.

Mayari, who came down there in her human form, shivered as she stared at Sitan's eyes. The black of his eyes gleamed menacingly. It felt as though they were sucking the life out of her. But she came for another reason, not to be afraid. She was able to still herself under his intense gaze, thanks to hatred and desire to take revenge.

"What could be the reason for your visit, daughter of Bathala?" said Sitan, and there was a note of disgust in his voice.

"I need your help," Mayari said. "And don't call me his daughter."

"Oh, I could hear contempt. I love that." He grinned. Beside him, his minions were smiling at her menacingly, as though they were ready to kill her on the spot. "And how can I help you?"

"I want the power to mess up with time,” said Mayari, and it was an effort to stay still. She clenched her fists to keep it from shaking. “Like bringing someone to the past."

Sitan leaned in, and though they they were still too far from each other, Mayari’s breath hitched. The smile that never left Sitan’s face grew wider, showing the back row of his teeth, and it told her he could smell her fear. "That is not easy."

"I didn't ask," she managed.

"Well, you could only use it once. But, of course, it comes with a price."

"I will give you my right eye."

"Not enough, I'm afraid." He leaned back to his throne.

"My loyalty."

"We're in agreement then,” Sitan said.

THE RAIN continued lashing on the window.

“Were you the one behind Dian Masalanta’s death?” Ame asked, who just crossed the threshold to the girl’s bathroom.

“What do you think?” Mayari said, her eyebrow raised so high it almost reached her hairline.

Ame swallowed thickly. “Were you the one behind my mother’s death?”

Mayari didn’t reply. Instead she smiled, and there was a glint of evilness in her eyes. Ame lost his balance upon the sight, propping his arm against the nearby cubicle to keep himself up. She hadn’t confirmed anything, yet at the same time, it felt like everything was confirmed. Regardless, Ame still chose to shake his head. He should be shouting now, going rabid at the girl who killed his mother, but he couldn’t. He had known Mayari since childhood, having played with each other almost every day, and she wouldn’t do something so sinister such as taking other’s life. That was too far from the soft and lovely image of Mayari he still had in his memory. No.

Mayari laughed maniacally at that. “It would be in your best interest to stay beside Penelope all the time.” She opened the window, and walked across it to the roof. She gave Ame a sideward glance, then jumped off onto the ground like nothing had happened.