"Class! Settle down!" instructed Professor Rita Hausen to her Realm History Class. Their gnome professor jumped on her table just to get everyone's attention again. The whole class knew what was coming, a field trip. Every year, she would have random getaways to a different Realm spot. This year, they seemed lucky because her table was lined with bags of Krys, the currency used by the Realm Communities.
"Now, you know the drill. We'll be going on a little field trip, to a famous Realm place. This time, you'll also be given time to shop!" Upon saying the word 'shop', the class roared and cheered. "I'll be giving you an hour to browse and mingle. Each will be given a bag worth 100 Krys."
"I can't wait!" whispered Neon, having a bright twinkle in her eyes.
Hal rolled her eyes as she got to be stuck with Neon ever since that conversation happened. Neon Requyem changed her schedule and classes to be aligned with hers, as if she needed babysitting. She was as stubborn as her and did whatever she wanted. Having her in one class was painful, but in every class was a painstaking ordeal. This class was the epitome of her hellish school days, because Mitsuki Miho was also in it. She shook her head as Mitsuki shrieked like a banshee.
"Ayii! I wonder where she would take us!" Mitsuki Miho said.
The professor commanded. "Now! Close your eyes and hold on! Diphe, jephe, aphe, yu!"
As the students opened their eyes, they were all standing in the middle of a plaza. In broad daylight, thousands of tents of various colors and themes lined the side streets that surrounded the church. Jeepney honks and loud sellers filled the bustling air. Hal blinked twice and recognized the language everyone spoke around her, it was her own native tongue.
Hal Cruz scratched her head, "But, this is Quiapo, Professor. I practically grew up here. Are you sure you got the right place?"
"In the midst of this place, there are thousands of Realm folks who would trade for those Krys. The challenge is finding them. Come on, follow me!"
The students moved and squeezed their way through the packed street as they followed their professor. While her classmates walked in clusters, Hal Cruz stayed a few meters behind them, closing her eyes for a while, savoring the haggling sounds in Filipino, and the high tunes of old women talking about the new faces they're seeing.
"You miss this place, don't you?" Zee Nakaji said.
"Yeah. It's been years since we've been at the marketplace. I've only been here to talk to Drake, or revisit my dad's footsteps, but never like before. We used to play at that corner there!"
Zee glanced to his left, seeing a green scaled man selling fish. He sliced the giant tuna with the fins on his arms, and handed it to a customer. "Looks like a Kataw owns that stall now."
"Remember Aling Patty? We used to be her errand kids for her herbs in that very stall. People wanted her concoctions for childbirth. It was the next best thing besides dancing at Ubando."
"Oh hell yeah! One of her customers drank too much and got quadruplets! And do you remember her husband, Manong Pulon? He was cranky but he could read the weather so well. I remember those days he taught me to wind walk."
"And in those days, you had to practice and train with him in the summer, while I played on the streets. I wonder how they're doing." Hal said.
The professor led them into a wooden coffee house, wherein the owner seemed to have a strange fascination on vintage lamps. The coffee house was lit with tons of antique oil lamps. When they were seated, the professor began her lecture.
"Hal got the place correct. Quiapo is a melange of different walks of life, faith, and people. You'd find the Masijb Al-Dahab in the Muslim Section and the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene on the opposite end. In the middle of it all is a marketplace that transcends all of us. If you paid attention to the path we took, you might have spotted a few Realm, a few psychics and soothsayers meshed with the sellers of common goods. Even before the War of 2100, Quiapo has been known as one of the earliest melting pots of Realm and Human. Maybe, back then, they didn't know they were living with the Realm folks, but the mystical arts existed. If prayers from their divinities didn't work, the people ran to the squares in search of alternatives: potions, herbs, candles. As of this very day, the trade goods have expanded from its normal day to day commodities to Realm antiquities. This place is living proof that the Realm and humans can coexist."
YOU ARE READING
Luines - Book 1
FantasyHal Cruz thought that the Luines were just folktales, as well as their neverending conflict with the moon hungry Bakunawa. Until one day, she saw that story meld into her reality, starting with a murder at a church and a wand. Now, it's up to her to...
