Chapter 4

disturbance
​

“Gising!”
 
I felt a stinging pain on my right cheek and my eyes fluttered open. Mukha ni Lexi ang bumungad sa akin at saka ko lang na-realize na nandito nga pala kami sa lawa. My mind was already drifting and I was about to drown. Fortunately, Lexi saved me from the mischievous aquainas.
 
I managed to let Jerry stay in this dimension for two hours but I passed out after that. Mas matagal naman ang nakaya ni Lexi para kay Charlie. Both of them disappeared even without incantation because they couldn’t maintain their form without their Divians. Like what happened before, Lily dropped us in the lake to recover.
 
Great. Wala na akong ginawa kundi ang mag-collapse at mahulog.
 
“Girls,” called Master, who was standing on the edge of the lake. “After an hour, summon your second guardians. You need to balance the experiences of your guardians.”
 
Tumango naman kami. But something was strange. Master was just a few meters away from us but her voice felt so far away . . . as if we were . . .
 
Oh my god, stop!
 
I had to slap my face to keep my mind alive. Muntik na naman akong makatulog habang nasa lake at pakiramdaman ko ay pinagtatawanan na ako ng aquainas dahil ang dali kong maapektuhan ng sleeping magic nila.
 
Napatingin naman ako kay Tortos na nasa gitna ng lake dahil medyo gumalaw siya. According to Master, he was a tortoise, not a turtle, though I don’t really know their difference.
 
Suddenly, Tortos, who was relaxing in the middle of the lake, moved, causing huge waves in the water. The aquainas surrounding us swam away, as if sensing something ominous.
 
“He’s here,” Master muttered as her face became grim. “Lily! Get them!”
 
Lily snatched us from the lake and we landed beside Master. She was staring at the lake and Tortos looked unsettled. All of a sudden, a whale emerged from the water and attacked Tortos.
 
“What—!”

“Master—!”
 
“They are playmates, if that’s what you want to ask, girls.”
 
Pareho kaming napatigil ni Lexi nang may marinig kaming boses. I looked around, trying to find the source of that voice, and I saw a guy standing at the top of a tree. I stifled a scream when he suddenly jumped off it.
 
“What do you need?” iritadong tanong ni Master. “If you’re just going to talk about—”

“No,” the guy said, cutting her off. “Hindi iyon ang ipinunta ko.”
 
Master remained silent. Pilit kong inalala kung saan ko nakita ang lalaking iyon at doon ko na-realize na siya ang Divian na tumulong sa amin sa Capital noong nakaraan. What was his name again? Gaban? Gabon?
 
“Gavin,” Lexi mumbled. Oh. It was Gavin.

He looked at our direction and back to Master's. "I thought you don't want apprentices? Change of heart, perhaps?"

Master grunted in return. “Pinilit lang ako ni Leon.”

“Hmm. I see. Anyway, can we talk in private?" he asked.

“Fine.”
 
Nagsimula silang maglakad patungo sa loob ng bahay pero saglit na tumigil si Gavin at lumingon sa amin.
 
“My apprentices are also here," he said with a smile pasted on his face. "I hope you get along."  

Nang mawala na silang dalawa sa paningin namin ag doon lang kami nakahinga nang maluwag. Lexi turned around and stared at the two enormous guardians "playing" in the lake.  

“Sigurado ba siyang naglalaro lang sila?" tanong niya. "Well, unless they are playing death game."  
 
Maging ako ay napatitig na lang din sa kanila. I couldn't even believe that the two of them could fit in that lake. The tiniest of their movements created waves and currents, strong enough to disturb the ecosystem in it. For sure, the aquainas weren't liking what was happening, though I doubt they could use their magic with those two. 
 
“Ipagpatuloy na lang natin ang training, Rei," sabi ni Lexi. "Nakapagpahinga naman na tayo."
 
Tumango naman ako at sabay naming tinawag ang second guardians namin.
 
“Smith, sal-ve!”
“Carlos, sal-ve!”
 
Smith, the white stallion, and Carlos, the cheetah, materialized in front of us. I was a bit surprised that I didn't pass out after calling Carlos. Dati kasi, si Jerry lang ang kaya kong tawagin na hindi masyadong naaapektuhan ang stamina ko. I remembered calling Carlos before and just collapsed right after. But today was different. I could still move and think clearly. I guess we were really improving, even just for a bit. 
 
But the last one would surely deplete my strength.  
 
I had only summoned Phoebe once and that was during Marking. Siguradong hindi ko pa siya kayang i-kontrol at kung tatawagin ko man siya, kakailanganin ko ng tulong ni Master. 
 
“Bob, sal-ve.”

“Jack, sal-ve.”
 
Two unfamiliar voices filled the air. Lexi and I looked around, only to find a huge grizzly bear and a jaguar staring at us. 
 
“Smith, so-hai!”

​“Carlos, so-hai!”
 
Smith and Carlos dashed at us and we both hopped on their backs. Thank the Divans, I got Carlos under control. Boarding a cheetah, the fastest animal on land, would be a ticket to the afterlife if you couldn't hold sway over it.
 
Carlos growled at the sight of the jaguar. I remembered summoning him for the first time with the help of Tito Leon and I thought he was a leopard. Parang naintindihan niya 'yon at muntik na niya akong maging hapunan. Kaya simula noon, inaral ko talaga ang pagkakaiba ng cheetah, leopard at jaguar. That was why I was sure that the guardian in front of us was, indeed, a jaguar.
 
The bear, who was on our right, roared and Carlos hissed in return. 
 
“There!” sabay turo ni Lexi sa likod ng isang puno. 
 
Two guys came out and both of them had swords hanging on their hip bands. My heart raced. I was frightened. Lexi and I didn't have any background or experience in direct and frontal attacks. All we know was to run away and hide because that was how we survived Tito Leon's challenges. However, right now, we didn't have a choice.
 
“Lexi, the jaguar is yours,” I said in whispers and she nodded in return. 
 
The guy wearing sunglasses suddenly whistled and smiled at me. Weird. I thought he'd be the quiet and reserved type since he was wearing glasses. Goodness, I should really stop stereotyping. 
 
“Nice one, Miss," he cheered. "Jack is really sensitive when it comes to his species identity. You survived from being a meal."  
 
Yeah. I experienced that firsthand, I wanted to say but kept it in my head.  
 
“They all look the same to me," the other guy muttered.
 
He looked like the reserved one. His expression didn't change one bit and he just stared at us with a forbidding look. 
 
“That's what you get for not studying, Ryleigh,” the guy with glasses retorted but he just ignored him.
“Uhm, excuse me? Mawalang-galang na pero sino kayo?" tanong ni Lexi.
 
The adrenaline I felt a while ago subsided because the guardians didn't attack us. 
 
“Oh, sorry,” the guy said while adjusting his glasses. “We’re the apprentices of Sir Gavin.”
 
Ah. So they were the apprentices he was talking about earlier. But why did they have to summon their guardians? That scared the hell out of us.
 
“But why did you summon your guardians, as if you were ready to fight?" tanong ko.

“A way of greeting," the other guy said. "Why? Got scared?"
 
I scoffed at his taunting and was about to say something when the guy with glasses stepped in front of him.
 
“Sorry!" he said while patting the guy's shoulder. "He's always like this. Pagpasensyahan n'yo na."  
 
Their guardians returned to the spirit dimension while Lexi and I got off ours. Tumakbo sina Smith at Carlos palayo sa amin kaya naiwan kaming apat doon. 
 
“I’m Yano,” the guy with the glasses said.

“Ryleigh,” pakilala naman ng isa.

“Lexi.”

“Reika.”

“Sorry about earlier,” dagdag ni Yano.
 
There was an awkward silence after. It was too uncomfortable without any guardians around. 
 
"Are you two new here?" tanong ni Yano habang ina-adjust ulit ang salamin niya kaya napatingin ako kay Lexi.
 
And I was right. She was already trying hard to hold back her smile. Bakit ba siya ganito kapag nakasalamin ang isang tao?
 
“Yeah," she answered. "We're from the province of Avis." 
 
Lexi liked glasses since we were young. Mayroon siyang collection sa kwarto niya at minsan ay pinapasuot niya pa sa akin pero ayaw ko dahil nakakahilo. It seemed like her next target was his glasses. 
 
All of a sudden, I felt a chill running through my spine, as if something was watching us from behind. Even Lexi and Gavin's apprentices looked around, distraught. 
 
“Bob, sal-ve.”

“Jack, sal-ve.”
 
Yano and Ryleigh called their guardians back while Smith and Carlos ran to our direction. We were holding our breath, preparing for anything that could attack us, when suddenly, the sky turned dark.
 
No. Something huge was hovering above us.
 
I looked above and saw a giant vulture looming over our heads. It screeched so loud that we had to cover our ears and hurtled in our direction. 
 
“Scatter!” yelled Ryleigh.
 
Agad naman akong sumakay sa likod ni Carlos at ganoon din ang ginawa nilang tatlo sa kani-kanilang guardians. However, a huge gorilla suddenly appeared behind Ryleigh and his bear.
 
"Watch out!" sigaw ko.
 
The bear's instinct saved them from a sneak attack, and they went beside me and Carlos. The gorilla let out a strident roar, making my stomach churn in fear.
 
"Holy shit."
 
Narinig ko ang boses ni Master at pareho silang tumatakbo ni Gavin palabas ng bahay. 
 
“They are making their move,” Gavin said.

“I can see that!” Master exclaimed.

“The gorilla’s mine.”

“I’ll take the vulture then.”
 
Tortos and the whale simutaneously disintegrated and both their Divians chanted the summoning incantation.  
 
“Lily, sal-ve!”

“Rex, sal-ve.”
 
Spirit particles gathered around them and Lily materialized in the air. She grabbed Master as she ran and swiftly moved to her back. Nagulat naman ako nang biglang sumigaw si Lexi kaya napatingin ako sa direksyon nila. 
 
“Don’t worry, it’s under control,” Yano said, reassuring Lexi.
 
My mouth hung open as Gavin boarded his fearsome guardian—a tyrannosaurus rex.

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