Maharlika Mahika // undergoing editing

Act VII

Oikawa's POV

"What do you mean, they escaped?" I said in a menacing tone.

Kindaichi flinched at my sudden change of tone.

Currently, he was giving me a report on the recent invasion of Karasuno's Base-Militar 2. I was delighted when he started his report with the Base-Militar decreased to rubble, and some casualties on Karasuno's side occured.

Then, he mentioned the King.

He found the King, with a girl, at exactly 12:54 AM.

I thought he finished the King once and for all. I thought the next time I was going to see my dear cousin was in a coffin.

I was wrong.

"The moment I fired my rifle, they suddenly disappeared sir." he said.
"You didn't fire fast enough!" I yelled.

Kindaichi bowed as an apology. I could see the downfallen look on his face, a testimony to his failure.

"I'm sorry sir. I'll do my best." he said.
"You should." I said, and walked out.

If you want war, I'll give you war.
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Jiyuu's POV

"Feel at home, Jiyuu. There's a library upstairs and--" Mirai began.
"There's a library upstairs?!" I cut off her statement.

Mirai chuckled at my sudden outburst.

"Yes, there is. You seem to like books." she said.

"Like" books is an understatement. I love them.

Who would ever know that you can travel to different places, meet new people, know their stories, just by sitting in a comfortable couch and opening a book?

Pages could take you anywhere you fancy, ebony print can form a person, all in a perfect masterpiece of a book.

Fast as lightning, I dashed upstairs, and, true enough, two massive oak doors greeted me, a golden plaque announcing that the doors were the entrance to the library.

I pushed open the doors, and the first thing that my senses detected was the wonderful scent of books.

Rows of bookshelves, comfortable chairs... this was heaven enough for me.

I scanned the spines of the books, and sure enough, I found a fragment of heaven I was looking for.

"The first translated edition of Noli Me Tangere(1)!"

The moment I opened the book, I felt I was in the dinner of Kapitan Tiago, or watching Maria Clara and Crisostomo Ibarra expressing their love on the Azotea(2), or grieving with Sisa over the loss of her children, Basilio and Crispin.

Noli Me Tangere was a book that I first read when I was thirteen. My mother had the fourth translated edition, and she asked me to read it. It was the first novel I read, and the first book that made me wake up to the Maharlika's discrimination towards the Mahika, like the discrimination of the Spanish to the Filipinos a long time ago. Mother said, that the author was executed after the Spanish read Noli Me Tangere, and its sequel, El Filibusterismo(3).   

The author may have died, but he died for his people.

And that makes Noli Me Tangere one of the best books I have ever read.