Being on the brink of death is the best way to feel alive.
Well, that's Xavier's belief.
It's ironic, and he knows that. But he never felt this alive since ages; he can assure that what he's doing is right. His right hand gripped tightly on the talisman hanging on his neck. It's a bronze locket with three golden hairs from a tikbalang he tamed before, granting him its loyalty until the day he dies.
Which might not be too far.
He's currently sneaking into a witch's hut, specifically the witch who killed his father, Mang Cardo. His father was a mananambal when he was still alive; the greatest one in Talalora. Skilled in treating both natural and supernatural maladies using traditional medicine and sorcery, he was a force to be reckoned with. All mangkukulams in Talalora and even the skilled witches in Siquijor feared Mang Cardo because of his skill in counteracting their dark magic.
This is the reason why Xavier is trying to investigate in the house of his father's killer. It baffled him how an inexperienced witch managed to kill a powerful mananambal. One day, the town just found out Cardo's body rotting on the sidewalk, his eyes plucked out and his intestines ripped open. Crickets and maggots infested the insides of his corpse; a sign of involvement with dark magic. Using the divination ritual called tawas taught to him by his father, he managed to track down his killer, Alicia.
Xavier never really saw the witch personally, but he knows where she lives. She was a new witch in Talalora who moved there after a witch-hunt in her last home. According to some townsfolk, she was a nice neighbor and she never inflicted any harm to anyone, except Mang Cardo. Alicia is a witch with a good reputation and a weak affinity with dark magic, and in fact actually helped some people in warding off evil spirits. However, the people overlooked that Alicia is still a witch, capable of doing horrible things.
Alicia still silently slept on her bed; a perfect opportunity for Xavier to search. He made himself invisible to anyone's sight using the illusion magic of his tikbalang which it commonly uses to trick travelers into getting lost. It was another trick he learned from his father who once owned a tamed tikbalang as well. He actually learned a lot from his father, like association of colors and emotions to magic. However, the moment Alicia wakes up, she will notice his presence and she can do something to lift the illusion.
He moved quickly but in a silent manner; cautious with every movement his body makes. Finally, he reached the shelves of the witch and immediately spotted a jar full of eyeballs. With Cardo's corpse in his mind, an idea popped in his head. Xavier popped open the jar full of eyeballs swimming in a strange, clear liquid. The jar was surprisingly odorless; probably magic-involved.
Something strange can be noticed with the eyeballs: the irises apparently retained their normal color but the whites all turned into different strange colors-from green to pink to yellow and many others. Without hesitation, he dipped his fingers into the jar and picked up a blue eyeball with his fingers.
When his fingers made contact with one of the eyeballs, an electric pulse went from his hand to his arm up to his head, flashing visions into his mind.
The entire world appeared as if his eyes were covered with thin, blue cellophane. He suddenly found himself in the perspective of a young girl talking with a slightly older blonde girl.
A memory.
*************
"J-jessica, w-why is this ha-happening to me?" I sobbed, burying my head on her shoulders. Although we were practically slumped across the ground at the back of the school grounds, I don't care.
