Chapter 23: Battle in the Shadows
A chill breeze in Plaridel greeted Erik as he arrived in the town, known as Ifugao, with the help of Hiyas, the mystical nature diwata (goddess/fairy).
This was no ordinary journey—in a flash, Hiyas had dragged him from the skies of Ifugao, his body propelled like a thrown stone, tugged through the air until they reached their destination.
After only a few hours of flight, they landed in an open area. The moment he touched the ground, his knees buckled, his vision spun, and he felt an intense wave of dizziness.
"Hiyas, what in the world are you doing to me?!" Erik shouted, clutching a tree to keep from falling. "I feel like throwing up—my vision is still reeling from what you did!"
Hiyas smiled, her white garment flowing like a steady cloud in the breeze. "You are so weak, Erik; you are much too delicate," she teased.
"Delicate? You threw me into the sky and dragged me through the air like a toy!" he retorted angrily.
"This method is much faster than walking on the ground, isn't it? It's not even an hour, and we are already here," she said, her voice full of jest as she spun her staff.
"Faster? I'd be faster dead if you keep doing this to me, Hiyas!" Erik complained, his face pale with fright.
"My stomach is turning inside out! I feel like my soul was left behind in Ifugao! Why didn't you let me prepare before you tossed me like a ball?"
Hiyas laughed, her melody-like sound laced with mockery. "Erik, son of Ifugao, you should be getting used to little things like this."
"I will never get used to this!" he snapped back.
"What are you worrying about? The power of your diwata can protect you from any harm. As long as the people believe in you as their hero, we could say that you are immortal!" Hiyas boasted.
Erik was not reassured. "Immortal? Then why do I feel like my bones are breaking apart? Because of that belief, you are testing me with all sorts of madness—like dropping me from the sky…"
"This is not about death, Hiyas—it's about the trauma you are inflicting on me! I feel like I'm just a puppet in your hands!"
"Trauma? You might be too dramatic to be a hero," Hiyas scoffed, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Honestly, you should be grateful—I am giving you unforgettable experiences. ..... But fine.. to get you to stop, I will try."
"Try? Hiyas, I want you to do it," Erik said, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
"Please, stop being cruel to me. I cannot handle this kind of travel anymore."
Hiyas nodded, but her smile suggested a lack of seriousness.
"Yes, Erik, I will see what I can do."
Hours passed, and Erik slowly recovered from his dizziness. He and Hiyas walked through Plaridel, and for the first time, Erik marveled at the city's beauty—large Spanish-style houses with intricate window designs, towering churches, and vibrant streets teeming with life.
"It's beautiful here; the house designs are so elegant," he whispered, his eyes filled with wonder as they walked.
But the peace did not last long. As they neared a bank, they heard screams and gunshots.
"Run! Get the money now!" shouted one of the three masked criminals, fleeing the bank with sacks of stolen cash. The guardia civil struggled to chase them, quickly defeated in the exchange of bullets.
Suddenly, Hustisya emerged from the middle of the street, her pink hair shimmering, her red cape billowing in the wind, and wearing her white mask with the 'H' emblem.
"How dare you rob in the middle of the day—I will give you the bodily pain you are looking for!" she declared, her voice echoing with power.
In a flash, the sacks of money floated away from the criminals' grasp, much to their surprise, as she returned them inside the bank.
"What is happening?" one shouted.
The first criminal ran, but before he could escape, a seemingly alive rope wrapped around his legs, pulling him down to his knees.
"This is not possible—please, let me go!" he pleaded, but Hustisya delivered a forceful kick that sent him crashing to the ground.
The second criminal drew a gun, but before he could fire, the weapon floated up and flew away. The third man tried to climb the roof to escape.
Hustisya floated up and manipulated another rope with her power, tying the man to a post.
"You have no shame for yourselves," she muttered.
The fight was over in just a few minutes, leaving the criminals tied up without any physical harm.
"As long as I am here, no one will commit a crime in my town!" she proclaimed.
The Filipinos around them applauded; to them, the young woman shone with hope.
"Hustisya! Thank you!" yelled an elderly man, as children ran up close, amazed by her skill.
"Wow, you're amazing, Older Sister Hustisya!" one shouted.
"Is that Hustisya? Is she the hero of Bulacan?" asked another.
Erik wanted to approach, but before he could, Hustisya vanished into the air like smoke carried by the wind.
"Hiyas, where did she go?" he asked, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"She is the hero we are looking for, but I sense her anxiety in this place," Hiyas replied, her tone now serious.
"You will have a hard time speaking to her, Erik. She is elusive and avoids conversations—especially with men."
"What? She doesn't want to talk to men? Why?" he questioned.
"She experienced a terrible tragedy involving men; she has no trust in people. If you want to talk to her, you will have to pretend to be a woman," Hiyas explained.
"Pretend?" Erik exclaimed, shocked.
Hiyas assured him it would not be difficult, as Erik could change his appearance due to his power as Ifugao, but Erik was still worried about the plan.
"What if she gets angry if she finds out I am lying!" he said, his face etched with concern.
"She will only be angry if she discovers your deception," Hiyas responded with a cunning smile.
"So be smart and do not reveal your true identity. It's not difficult to do, is it?"
That evening, as Erik and Hiyas walked through Plaridel, they noticed a large mansion owned by a wealthy Spaniard—its lights were bright, but a strange noise emanated from inside.
Minutes before, Hustisya had quietly entered. Inside, she discovered a horrifying truth. Upon entering, she saw tied-up Filipino children and women, crying and scarred, being used as slaves by the Spaniards.
Her eyes widened with rage, although she knew she could not cause a commotion because armed guards were nearby, putting the safety of the Filipinos at risk.
"Monsters," she whispered, as she saw boxes of drugs and guns being smuggled into a hidden room.
She continued her investigation, entering a room where the wealthy Spaniard who owned the house, an old man with a wicked smile, was seated with other rich Spaniards.
They were laughing and indulging as naked, crying women were forced to dance in front of them. Intense anger erupted within Hustisya; memories of the Spaniards raping her mother flashed back.
"Demons! You have no right to defile these women!" she screamed, grabbing a man and slamming him against the wall.
Her rage consumed her, regardless of the consequences for those she attacked.
"What is happening? Who is that?" a Spaniard stammered.
"Is that the one they call the Hustisya of Bulacan? What does this mean?"
"The ghost of Bulacan—why are you here?"
Hustisya glared furiously at the Spaniards. "Demons! I will kill you for exploiting these women!" she vowed.
"Do not interfere, indio! They are my slaves—they belong to me, so I will do what I want with them!" the Spaniard replied, but a strong kick from Hustisya knocked him to the floor.
"Possessions? No one owns Filipinos! We are not toys for you to play with!" she answered.
"You filthy sugo indio—you will pay for this!" the Spaniard yelled angrily.
Guards rushed into the room, over ten of them, armed with guns and swords.
"Kill her!" the Spaniard ordered, and they fired relentlessly.
"Get down!" Hustisya commanded the captives. She vanished into the air so the bullets only hit the walls.
In her fury, she fearlessly fought the overwhelming number of guards. She possessed the first guard, whose eyes turned white as she used his gun to shoot his comrade.
"Stop her!" another shouted, but Hustisya moved to the next body, controlling it to fight every guard.
The battle in the room became chaotic, and bullets hit explosives on a table, causing a fire that quickly spread through the mansion.
While this happened, the captives were escaping as Hustisya ensured no one was left inside.
She floated, her hands waving in the air, as the guards fell one by one from the third-floor window.
Noticing the growing fire, she descended to help the slaves, cutting the captives' chains and freeing them, their tears of gratitude echoing as they fled.
"Get out of here—I have a battle I need to finish," she urged.
Hustisya knew her mission was not over. She returned to the room, where the Spaniard was trying to escape through a secret passage. Seeing the hidden door, she chased him out into the woods behind the estate.
"Did you think you could escape hustisya (justice)?" she taunted. The Spaniard turned and drew a gun, but Hustisya's punch immediately met him, sending him flying.
"You are one of the demons causing tragedy in my town. Tonight, your victims will get justice," she declared.
The gun floated into Hustisya's hand as she approached, her sharp eyes burning with rage.
"You indio animal! You cannot do this to me!" the Spaniard yelled, but Hustisya immediately shot his arm, eliciting a scream.
"Ahh! You trash human—I will make you pay for what you did, you and your whole race!" he screamed angrily, crawling to escape.
Hustisya fired again, hitting both of the man's thighs to stop him.
"You will not escape your end," Hustisya said in a cold tone of voice.
The Spaniard was terrified and crying as he pleaded, "Please, I will give you money—houses and anything just don't kill me!"
"Money cannot bring back the dreams and honor you destroyed because of your wickedness. No one can save you here now," Hustisya replied, aiming the gun at the Spaniard's head.
"You will die here."
But before she could fire, a wooden arnis stick struck her hand, causing the gun to drop. When she turned, a powerful kick from Ifugao met her.
She blocked it but was still knocked down, trembling with anger at what happened. "Mind your own business, meddler!"
In the darkness, she thought he was a Spanish guard, and she attacked him. Her punches were swift, but Ifugao easily dodged them, his red sword flashing as he parried every blow.
Hustisya vanished to avoid the sword's blade, but Ifugao moved quickly. His feet danced in the air, and whatever Hustisya attacked, he managed to deflect.
Their fight became a battle of speed and strategy, like a dance in the dark. Hustisya retreated to gain momentum, using telekinesis to throw stones at Ifugao, but his sword merely split them, and sparks of impact scattered around.
"He is no ordinary enemy; could he also be a sugo of a diwata?" Hustisya whispered.
Hustisya continued to distance herself, but Ifugao leaped toward her, reaching out. She knew no one could touch her, so she quickly vanished like a ghost, reappearing behind Ifugao.
"What?" Ifugao exclaimed as Hustisya's arm choked him, desperately trying to make him gasp for air.
"You are mine now!" she added, but the young woman was shocked by Ifugao's next move.
Ifugao jumped incredibly high into the air, his body seemingly flying, Hustisya couldn't believe the height of his leap.
"He can jump that high?" she thought. She was forced to let go of Ifugao and vanished mid-air, reappearing on the ground.
When Ifugao landed on the ground, Hustisya stopped her attack, her eyes narrowing with curiosity, waiting for her opponent's next move.
"Who are you? You are no ordinary person—tell me who you are," she demanded. The moonlight illuminated Ifugao's face—his white hair and fierce eyes revealed his identity.
"Wait, I know you—you are Ifugao, the hero of Ifugao, aren't you?!" she blurted out, her voice full of surprise.
"But why? Why are you fighting me? What are you doing here?" she asked, her hands ready to charge again. "Why are you protecting that man?"
"I should be asking you that," Ifugao calmly replied, although bewildered. He looked at the burning mansion, the scattered bodies, and the ground covered in blood.
"Did you do this?"
Hustisya did not deny it. "Yes, I did."
"You killed them? Why did you do that?" Ifugao asked, shocked.
"Why? Because they deserve to die. These criminals are inflicting suffering on Filipinos—they spare no victims; even children and women are abused by them," she explained.
"But even so! You have no right to take someone else's life," Ifugao answered, his eyes full of confusion.
"I am delivering the punishment they deserve for their victims," she insisted.
"This is wrong. Seeking justice does not mean you can kill and simply judge them," Ifugao replied.
"You worry about their lives, but you don't see the pain they inflicted on us!" Hustisya cried out, her voice trembling with anger.
"This is not a righteous way. Please, stop this," Ifugao pleaded.
"They raped women like us!" Her shout made Ifugao pause, his face showing sorrow and pity, sensing her intense grief, leaving him speechless.
Hustisya continued venting her bitterness, her rage against the Spaniards unconcealed. "The Spaniards are monsters tormenting us—they must pay for their sins!"
"Hustisya…" Ifugao whispered, unable to respond as he understood Hustisya's profound anger.
He knew what Hustisya was doing was wrong, but he felt he couldn't admonish her for seeking justice, knowing the deep sorrow of victims enduring such tragedies.
Though uncertain, Ifugao searched for words to quell Hustisya's anger, his mind consumed with worry.
He saw in Hustisya the traces of Alfredo, who was once also consumed by anger and hatred. He knew that, like his friend, Hustisya was ready to take the path of evil just to achieve justice.
Before their argument deepened, a police siren echoed in the distance.
"Flee now—if they find out you did this, you will be in danger!" Ifugao urged, immediately leaping high to escape while Hustisya vanished like a ghost.
Their fight ended, and Ifugao was not given another chance to speak to Hustisya. Ifugao's heart was filled with questions and disappointment.
He had not explained his mission to Hustisya to save her from the tragedy her anger might lead her to, but his determination remained—he wanted to discover the root of Hustisya's intense hatred for the Spaniards and find a way to save her from the dark path she was treading.
End of Chapter