Angevil's Portrait of Portals

Chapter 4. Chambers and Ashes

As soon as the church's mass started, we already positioned ourselves in the hallway near the door which lead to the chambers. I saw at least 2 guards from outside that door. I had to think fast on how I can get passed them and where I can find the keys to the chamber door. Bisig gently hit me with his elbow and pointed at one of the nuns passing by. The sound of keys clicking altogether were tied up on the nun's belt. Bisig and I looked at each other then he whispered in my ear, "I will distract the nun and you untie the keys from her belt." I nodded. He followed the nun first as she went to a storage room. Bisig started faking his emotions and pretended that he was depressed and he was in need of help. The nun actually got worried and gave him a teary-eyed response while listening to his suicidal story. I then went behind the nun and carefully untied the keys. I was lucky enough to get it unnoticed so I placed it in a small towel making sure that it won't create any distracting noise. The next question would be, Is it really the keys to the chamber door? We will soon find out. The nun escorted Bisig to the prayer room and asked him to confess all of his sins there but instead, he ran away and went to one of the guards from outside the chamber room and made fun of him. I didn't know what was going on with him until I figured he wanted to get the guards' attention for them to follow him. The nun and the guard chased after him but there is still one more person guarding the chamber door. Later on, I heard a bunch of people yelling aloud saying, "What on earth are you doing, young lad? Get down from there!" Then I noticed the other guard leaving his post to see what the commotion was all about. Bisig on the other hand was on the altar near the priest as he ran there in circles which gave the guards a hard time catching him. I hurriedly tried on the keys to open the chamber door, dropped it twice before having to open it. I entered a dim-lighted narrow hallway made of stone, walked through it until I reached another door. Once I got the door unlocked, I slowly went downstairs leading to a basement and saw two huge metal doors inside this wide empty area wherein I spoke, "Hello?" Three times but to my surprise, my echoes were in vain. With the keys in my hand, I slowly walked towards the first metal door and after numerous attempts, I was able to unlock it. I pushed it wide open and as I walked along the corridor, I saw that in every metal cage was a young female in probably their late twenties, also enslaved by the priest just like what they did to my mom. Sadly, my father was nowhere to be found. They all got up from their beds and asked me to unlock their cages. They gathered altogether after I unlocked their cages one by one but when they heard a screeching sound, which I quickly recognized as a mouse however they mistook for a guard, they all ran straight towards the open door. I almost hit my head on the wall due to them pushing each other's way out of the room. I then grabbed the keys which I accidentally dropped on the floor and immediately headed to the 2nd chamber room and on my first try I was able to unlock the door. I felt my heart throbbing fast as I opened the door. It was pitch dark. I searched for the light switch and when I was able to turn it on, there was no one there.
"You!" A guard shouted. I turned around and quickly ran outside the room as a guard chased after me. I never felt this scared my entire life so it was though I was flying as I exited the church. I knew a good hiding spot in the tall bushes so I wouldn't get spotted by the guards. I was more worried about Bisig. I cannot leave him behind.
"Psst. How are you? Did you.." Bisig asked as he breathed heavily next to me. "How did you know where to hide?" I asked. "I just knew. Just like you do." He answered. I gave him a curious look then he asked me, "Did you find your father?" I sulked. "At least you tried." He added.
As soon as we got out of town and into the woods to get my horse, I remembered something very important. "Let's go somewhere else before heading back home." I said. "Where is it then?" Bisig asked as we rode the horse. I pointed out to the hill in my hometown. He smiled and said, "I bet that hill is more than special to you." I smiled back and drove the horse even faster. The moment we arrived in my hometown,  Bisig cannot help but roam around and appreciate the simplicity of nature. When we finally reached the hilltop, I felt a sense of tranquility. The wind blew harder as I closed my eyes and spread my arms sidewards in the air while praying for my fears to fade away. Once I opened my eyes, I looked at Bisig who was staring back at me this whole time and I said to him, "Thank you so much for everything." He gave out a faint smirk and replied, "You are welcome. Anytime." We both directed our eyes to the calming blue sky and soon a ray of sunlight reminded me of someone. "Sinag." I told myself. The term Sinag in English translates to Ray of light from the sun.
In a tiny hole on the left part of the tree, was a long piece of paper which was intently stuck in there. Bisig saw it first and handed it over to me. When I opened it, I immediately recognized my father's handwriting. The letter wrote, "Dear Diwa, I miss you and your mom so much. Please take care of each other and your grandma as well. Maybe while you are reading this I might be on my way to the village. Or if not, please do not go near the town again. I hope to reunite with you soon. Always stay strong whatever happens. I love you." I had mixed emotions upon reading this note from him that I suddenly rejoiced and grabbed both Bisig's hands making him circle around with me. He was also very happy for me that he jumped along while circling around. In that note was a picture of me and my parents from 3 years ago. I had a big smile on my face while gazing at it. A little while later, we decided to go back home. We were getting near the village gates after a long journey in the forest. I was really hoping to see both of my parents together happily. I then realized I was wrong. The moment I saw the village's current situation upon our arrival, my dreams were suddenly shattered into a million pieces. Bisig jumped out of the horse and ran towards the gates as soon as he saw a huge smoke coming out of the village. I ran after him and we both stopped as we reached the openings and together we pushed the gates open. The whole village was on fire. The flames were so massive that it was impossible for us to get through it. We will most likely die if we even try. I shouted, "Inay! Itay! Lola!" Which translates to Mom, Dad and Grandma. Bisig ran to the other side of the village in hope of a possible entry. He was willing to sacrifice his own life in exchange of his family's or the other villagers' well being. I found myself crying desperately on the ground outside of the village gates screaming my family's names but sadly nothing can be done. We were too late.
"Diwa, Where is Bisig? Is he with you?" Bisig's mother helped me get up from the ground while she asked about Bisig in a panicked state. I could only nod in reply as tears blocked my vision. I heard Bisig's voice from afar as he called out to his mom and soon they got reunited. "Diwa, let's go to the others. There are survivors. Come with me." Bisig's mom said. We then headed to a barn next to the rice fields. To my surprise, grandma was there. I ran up straight to her, hugged her and wept. She was crying as she spoke the words, "I am very sorry, Diwa. Your mom and dad didn't make it." I cried even harder the moment I heard those painful words. There were several survivors left from the village and I was still thankful that all of the children were brought here alive and well. In a blink of an eye, my only dream of a complete happy family was taken away and was forcibly eaten by the flames. 'Liyab', I thought. In Tagalog term, the word 'Liyab' refers to Flames. I hate that word from now on.