Mutagen

<strong>Day 207 - ▋▋:▋▋ ▋▋ - Old Village, Secret Realm, Mount Madia-as, Panay Mountain Range, Province of Aklan</strong>

The morning in the secret realm came. Mark's group was already wakened up the moment the sun of this small world peeked from its limited horizon.

Why say they were "wakened up"? Were they asleep?

It was not in the plan, but unfortunately, yes.

From the time that Mark's group arrived in this realm, it was around midnight. It would only take around several hours of waiting, and there would be no need to sleep.

However, after a few hours, Mark's group, even Mark, who did not sleep that much, already felt tired. There was nothing wrong with the surroundings, and there was definitely nothing that did this to them on purpose.

Instead, that few hours of nighttime felt longer to them. It was as if their bodies were not adjusting to the sudden slow of time in this secret realm. And instead, their bodies were still counting the time that passed outside.

It was rather odd.

Mark monitored the other group on the west side of the village, and they seemed to be following this realm's time speed. This meant that there was nothing wrong with the place itself.

Back in the [Spirit Dimension], Mark and the others did have the same state. However, not as much as this time, and they managed to adjust soon after.

Then what was wrong this time? What was different? Was it because this secret realm was different from the [Spirit Dimension]?

And, from what Mark realized...

There was one obvious thing that changed.

It was because they were stronger than before. Mark's group was far stronger than the time they went into the [Spirit Dimension]. They were strong enough to not be affected by the laws of this small world, and their bodies still followed the rules of Earth.

Thinking about it, Mark also did not feel anything strange when he entered the secret realm of the [Tamawos]. It might be because he did not spend that much time there. If he did, he might have noticed it.

In any case, due to their body clocks still following Earth's time, it became easier to guess what time it was outside, and they managed to wake up in time to prepare.

Well, there's not much to prepare anyway, considering they just spent half the night in this place.

As they finished their preparations, Mark felt the presence of people outside the village. It made him tilt his head in confusion.

Mark would not be able to detect Magwayen, considering that she was only here in the form of an avatar made of energy. Thus, it was only supposed to be the black-dressed [Diwata], Silim, that should fetch them from this place.

Yet...

Mark called everyone in his group, making their way to the entrance of the village.

And there, with Magwayen and Silim in the lead, an army composed of several magical races.

Surely, this scene surprised the rest of Mark's group.

Some members of the group of people at the west side of the village had seen the commotion. They had to wake up everyone and watch in worry. After all, none of them knew what was going on. What if they were chased away all of a sudden? And as such, they all witnessed the strangers that arrived last night face the monsters outside.

"What's the event?"

Mark nonchalantly asked, not minding the large number of creatures in front of them.

Anyone would definitely feel unnerved at this scene. However, not Mark. He knew that these creatures were not here to fight. However, some glared at Mark as they saw how he did not show any respect to either Magwayen or Silim. To them, someone like Mark had no right to speak to their Goddess and Deity, like an equal.

Silim noticed the reaction of her people and raised her hand. She did not want to get into conflict, especially now that she knew the circumstances of Mark's group.

And seeing Silim's command, the army stayed put, not moving an inch or voicing their thoughts.

To Mark's question, Magwayen answered.

"How long had it been since the [Eyes] chased away the gods from this world? Since then, the path to Kahilwayan had been sealed with no one to witness its glory. And now, after thousands of years, it will be opened once more. These young ones wanted to witness what their ancestors could not."

Mark nodded, understanding why he could feel that every single one of this magical army felt excited.

After thousands of years, their holy land would be opened once more. While the reason was not a thing that they could accept, seeing its path open was more than enough to offset their disappointment to some extent.

Furthermore, it was the Goddess of the Underworld who allowed it. There was no way for them to voice out their discontent.

"Then, are we going with everyone here?"

Mark asked.

"Yes," Silim replied. "There is no need to fret. They would not bother you or your group."

With those simple exchanges, it was decided that it was now time for everyone to leave.

"We still have some excess time, but we should make haste."

Magwayen said as she and Silim led everyone up the mountain.

The Goddess and the Diwata led the hike up the mountain with Mark's group immediately behind them. And at their tail, the army of magical races followed in excitement.

***

Back in the old village, everyone, with the exception of a single person, witnessed the entire event in front of the entrance.

And without a doubt, they were rather terrified.

Bella and Donna met the group that arrived a few hours ago. It was a short meeting, and they did not even manage to reach the point of being able to introduce themselves before trouble came. However, they did see them arrive while being led by the [Diwata]. That was one reason for them to be cautious since these people could stand side by side the [Diwata].

For them, they would subconsciously feel chilled and have goosebumps just with the [Diwata's] presence.

And now, they saw a woman beside the [Diwata], which made their knees tremble for no apparent reason.

Yet, that strange group last night did not seem to be affected by it. Furthermore, the leader of the group could talk to those beings using a language they had never heard before.

What was going on? They could not understand. And as such, they were horribly terrified.

At this point, Bella and Donna could only stare at the hut where they left the unconscious man. What could have happened if they did not stop him?

In the first place...

Were those people actually humans? What if they were not?

Those thoughts made the two sisters shiver.

***

Following Magwayen and Silim, Mark's group went up the mountain. The village was halfway the mountain, meaning they still had another half of it to climb.

With the height of Mount Madia-as, it would normally take two to three days hike. It was one of the most challenging mountains in the Visayas to climb. However, they were planning to climb half of it in just a few hours. If it was something mentioned to professional hikers, they would definitely say that it was impossible.

However, with Magwayen and Silim in the lead, everything went easier.

Silim, after all, was a [Diwata], despite being created using Magwayen's [Magical Energy]. She was someone adored by nature, as her race implied. As they climbed up the mountain, plants would make way. Vines would make stairs on steep ledges and lead everyone up without trouble. There was no need to mention that their pace was inhuman in the first place, considering none of them were simple humans.

After a while, Mark stared at Silim. Of course, the stare from behind got her attention.

"Is there something you need?"

Silim asked Mark.

"Nothing. You just look pale." Mark replied. "I guess recharging your mother's artifact is too much even for you. Don't tell me you did not leave each other all this while?"

At Mark's question, even Magwayen had a rather bitter expression.

"This child wanted to spend time with me, as you see," Magwayen explained. "I did tell her to rest and call me at the appointed time, but she insisted that I stay."

Mark looked at the two with a sigh.

"You two are overdoing it. We can't have our guides collapse midway."

It was true. Mark needed these two to guide their group. Yet, it seemed that their separation for a very long time made them take a few risks.

"I will not fall just from this," Silim said. "And after this, the artifact would be returned to you, and I might not see mother once again. I am just spending as much time with mother as possible."

"Well, if you say so."

Mark shrugged.

Continuing the hike, they unexpectedly passed by another village built on the face of the mountain. It was something one could describe what a village of forest elves would look like.

However...

There were actually humans living in that village.

As they passed by, some of the humans even went out of the balcony of their houses. They then bowed towards Silim in respect.

Surely, that scene surprised the rest of Mark's group. But Mark, Feng Zhiruo, Ilia, and Chimetrice noticed something more than the eyes could see.

"[Half-Races]."

Mark voiced out.

"That is a village where the lost ones stayed," Silim explained. "From time to time, humans would end up getting lost and entering this realm by mistake. Most of the time, we would help them return. However, there were those that ended up here after getting heavily injured. Some of them would stay until their recovery while there were those that decided to stay after a certain particular reason."

"Falling in love, is it?"

Mark asked, and Silim nodded.

"We do not condemn love between different races. And if it happened, we would allow them to stay within some rules."

Silim responded.

After passing by the [Village of the Lost Ones], the hike took several more hours.

With nature paving the way, it was a rather comfortable hike.

And soon, they reached the summit of Mount Madia-as.

Reaching this part, it became easier to determine how limited this realm was. Although there was a horizon, it seemed to be fogged and the whole place felt even more isolated.

It was a world the size of a mountain. This was the most accurate description of the surroundings they could see.

Reaching the summit, the army of magical races did not follow closely. Instead, they all stood at the distance, waiting for something.

"Silim."

Magwayen called.

"Yes, mother," Silim responded with a nod, stepped forward, and turned towards Mark and his group. "Do not come too close."

Mark and the others had no problem with that. They even took a step back to watch what would happen.

And there, Silim closed her eyes, uttering lines that even those that could speak [Spirit Language] would not understand.

It was a strange feeling hearing her voice. They could hear it but not at the same time.

"This is the language of our world."

Magwayen stood beside Mark and explained.

"So, this is how to open the passage?" Mark asked the Goddess of the Underworld. "I remember you did not expect to see her still alive. Then how would we open the passage if she was not here?"

That was right. Magwayen gave the clue without expecting that Silim was alive. So, how did Magwayen expect Mark and his group to open the passage to Kahilwayan?

And that question made Magwayen smile.

"Then there is me," Magwayen answered. "Although this is not my real body, I can still feel the surroundings around it. For you who had many kinds of energy in your body, I expected you to find a way to call me once more. And I am right. The timing was a little off, but you did manage to connect me to this world once more."

Mark stared at the Visayan Goddess of the Underworld, annoyed. It seemed that aside from Silim being alive, everything that happened so far was within her grasp.

Surely, one should not underestimate a God.

Silim continued her chant while the sun in the sky reached its position at noon.

And there, the surroundings were enveloped in blinding light.

The magical races kneeled down, eyes closed. Mark's group, however, could only cover their eyes in a hurry.

It did not take long, and the light vanished.

And at the moment Mark and the others opened their eyes, they were surprised.

The sky was not empty anymore. Above the thick clouds, floating land could be seen. Tall structures could be seen from afar. And in front of everything were the gates of Kahilwayan that were mentioned in the Visayan Myths.