The Grimoire

Chapter 1: Black Ship

Country of Liwet

"Anak, gising na," rinig ko mula sa labas ng pinto ko.

Dahan-dahan akong bumangon at binuksan ang bintana na nasa gilid ng higaan ko. Kitang-kita ko dito ang buong palayan namin. Narinig kong bumukas ang pinto at nakita ko si tatay na nakangiti sakin. A great smile to make my day great. 

"Baba ka na, handa na ang pagkain natin. Handa na ba lahat ng gamit mo?" he asked.

"Opo, 'tay," I replied as I smiled. "Baba na po ako pa pagkatapos kong maligo at magbihis," I added, and he gave me a kind smile before going down. This is my last day experiencing this- having a family to cook and call for me because for the next couple of hours from now, I'll be on my own and go with the flow to wherever my destiny will take me.

Kinuha ko ang tuwalya at pumasok sa CR. Habang naghihintay ako na mapuno yung lagayan ng tubig, tinitigan ko ang sarili ko sa maliit na salamin na nasa harapan ko lang. I frowned as soon as I saw myself because I hate seeing myself in the mirror. Why, you asked? Well, dahil sa mata ko. I have this rare disease called heterochromia. Each of my eyes have different colors so people do freak out when they see me. My right eye is having a blue color while my left eye has yellow. It may sound weird but yes, this exists. If you ask me about my vision? Well, 20/20 ito. Kulay lang ang problema nito, hindi paningin.

Nagulat ako nang biglang may tubig na tumulo sa paa ko. Puno na pala ang lagayan kaya nagsimula na akong maligo at magbihis. Naglagay ako ng eye patch at tinakpan ang kanang mata ko which has the blue iris. I don't usually cover this kapag dito lang ako sa Liwet but since I am going to Terrax kung saan ako mag-aaral, I have to cover this. People might freak out if they see my blue eye. Hindi dahil sa sakit ko kundi sa nag-iisang rason: there is only one race na mayroong bughaw na mata and they are Babylonians. They are extinct and I might be the last one.

Lumabas ako and I started combing my hair and tied them up. Babylonian's hair color is usually white but to keep my identity hidden, I changed my hair color to brown with a red tip. I am not hiding my identity because I might be the last one but because Babylonians are targeted. Aside from that, a god named Heka is rumored to be revived by using the remaining Babylonians like me. I know for sure that hindi lang ako ang nag-iisa na nagtatago. I might be guessing that I am the last one but I am not certain. I am hoping that there are people like me there somewhere, waiting for the right time to come out. As far as I can remember, sabi ni tatay nailigtas niya ko. Inabot lang ako ng isang lalaking Babylonian tulad ko which was his friend. He didn't mention if he survived that disaster where my parents died 20 years ago but I am very grateful that he saved me at ipinaubaya ako sa taong katulad ni tatay. That disaster almost killed the whole of humanity but the Royal members of Babylon sacrificed their lives to lock him up. Unfortunately, some people are trying to unleash the seal right now.

I took a deep breath and looked at myself in a body mirror.  Okay, I look normal - well, for now. Kinuha ko ang bag ko at bumaba. Umupo agad ako para kumain. I stared at my dad who looked bothered and sad at the same time maybe because I'll be going out of town for the first time. We've never been separated before, so this is new to both of us.

"Sigurado ka bang pupunta ka sa Terrax?" he asked. Napatigil ako sa pagkain at napatitig sa niluto niyang almusal. This is my last breakfast for now. I'll miss this place.

"Opo, pinalaki niyo po akong matatag, magiging okay lang po ako," I replied but the truth is, I wanted to say no, but I couldn't let this moment pass me by. This is for the good of my country. The enrichment of my identity. I need to figure out what happened, and I need to figure out who I am.