VANGUARDIA

Chapter 4

Regina's POV

2 weeks before the accident

"I'm going home, Regina." I heard Ali sighed beside me.

I know that it will come to this as he is already giving me hints for the past months.

I breathed heavily and leaned on his shoulder.

The sky is clear today and by feeling the heat damping on my skin, I know where exactly the sun is. I bet there's a dark orange hue around and I closed my eyes trying to remember what sunset looks like before I went blind. Yep, soulmate is still out there. Somewhere.

"Dalawang taon na nakalipas. Gusto ko lang ng sagot." He said. Pain still evident in his voice.

"I know." I said sadly.

Ali is my bestfriend ever since I can remember. He's been my companion for the eight years that I've been here.

"How about you? Gusto mo sumama?" He asked.

Bumangon ako sa pagkakasandal. "Ugh, I don't wanna hear the clamors why I haven't seen that soulmate as if it's my fault." I said frustrated. "unless you want me there??"

"Nah. It's just temporary. I'll be back here, andito ka e, you human!" He said and I chuckled. He always mocks me because I have this fascination with the human's mindset and so many times, I had told him that I wish I'm like them.

"What? We're also humans, just coming from a different dimension. We're not aliens, are we?" I said.

"Hmm, nobody knows." He said.

"And don't talk like you don't speak like human. We are just the same."

He quietly laughed.

Well, Vanguardias speak like human but using the deeper version of the language. Malalim na tagalog ika nga. And it's evident in the passages inked in our arms. Ali and I and all the Vanguardias who tried to explore in the world of humans, talk like modern human now. It's because we need to blend, as in study, get a job, live like humans.

"Don't die on me there." I said.

"If I did, know that that's what I want." He said seriously.

Tumango ako.

"I get you. I really don't understand why we have to live this way." I said.

"You will probably roll your eyes on me pero sasabihin ko pa rin. Maiintindihan mo kapag nakita mo na ang sayo."

And I did roll my eyes. "Just, call on me, okay?"

"You'll feel it." Ali said at inakbayan nya ako and we watch the sunset together. Or he did.

...

We are Vanguardias.

Humans believe in science and Higher being.

We, Vanguardias, believe in magic and destiny and to the first Vanguardia who started it all. But he's not our version of Higher being. He is just a Vanguardia who is stupid enough to write our destinies.

Folklores said that the first Vanguardia who is an explorer and bearer of a moonstone that holds the magic of our early world found this world of humans. He fell crazily in love with one and lucky for him, feelings were mutual.

That human is powerful and by power, I mean, in politics. She's the one who influenced the human leaders at that time to give us the island to co-exist. Thus, the hundreds of thousand-year-old agreement was made regarding the ownership of that island which is banned to all humans except if with invitation from Vanguardias and the use of "Vanguardia" as our official surname everytime we are setting foot on human's soil.