Chapter 33 Chapter 33
"THEY'RE about to get away, so I need to do something before they leave this mountain..." said the creature that had been following them.
He used his power to transform into a colorful bird and let himself fall from a branch exactly where the two were passing. He fluttered his wings to catch their attention.
"Oh my!" she heard one of them shout. The two approached him; he could hear their footsteps. "What a beautiful bird, Aurora!"
When he looked at the one called Aurora, her brow was deeply furrowed.
"What bird?"
"Are you blind? Naturally, this one in my palm."
I'm in trouble, he said to himself.
To the woman holding him, he looked like a bird resting in her palm, but in reality, she was only supporting his head while his entire body was sprawled on the grass.
"Whatever, sunshine. So, what are you going to do with that 'bird'?" Aurora emphasized the word while looking directly into his eyes.
I’m really dead! How did he not know she could see through his true form?
"Should I bring it?"
"Can you even carry it?"
"Of course. Don't be so dramatic. I could carry our whole mountain and move it to Manila if I wanted to."
"I know you're strong, Leora—strong enough to carry your own ego, right?"
"You're crazy."
The woman holding him gestured with her hand, and in less than two seconds, she had created a birdcage.
"You know magic?" asked the woman who could see his true form.
"Hello, Aurora? Earth demon here... magic is child's play for us." Leora placed the "bird" inside the cage she made and carried it.
The girl named Aurora just stared at him but said nothing to her friend.
Did she recognize me? he whispered to himself.
Both women were beautiful in different ways. Aurora was as fair as a radish, while Leora had a complexion like coconut jam. In all his life, this was his first time seeing other beings, so he didn't know how to deal with them. He chose to take the form of a bird, and it worked because one of them took the bait.
"There’s a truck coming, Aurora. Maybe we should hitch a ride, what do you think?"
Aurora didn't answer immediately; she sensed the surroundings. He did the same. Using his ability, he sensed a strange animal with four circular feet approaching.
"I'll do a half-teleport first to make sure there are no people at the edge of this forest."
He was amazed to see Aurora's body become blurred. He didn't know how she did that, and he was impressed. If he stayed with them longer, he would discover many more of their abilities. Perhaps he could easily earn their trust eventually.
A few seconds later, the girl's image became solid again.
"It's safe, so let's go. I'm tired of walking."
When they reached the cleared path, the sound from the animal with circular feet grew louder. When he saw it, he was terrified.
What kind of animal is this? what magic was used to create such a strange beast?
The two waved, and unexpectedly, the animal stopped moving. There were two people sitting at the very head of the beast.
"Sir, can we hitch a ride?" Aurora asked the driver of the pickup truck.
"Where are you girls headed?"
"Just to the town terminal, please. We’ll wait for a bus to Manila there."
"Oh, that’s perfect, because my daughter and I are headed to Manila. Come join us."
The two climbed into the back. "Thank you, sir."
"What were you doing in the forest? Are you vacationers?"
"Ah, yes, something like that. Our companions left us behind. It’s a good thing you passed by." Leora answered the old man while she looked at his daughter. The old man noticed her staring and smiled.
"Her name is Levy, dear. She’s twenty-two."
"Is your daughter sick?" Leora asked, though it was obvious. The young woman was pale and practically skin and bones. With her sharp eyes, Aurora didn't miss the bluish tint of the girl's fingernails. Her lips were also violet.
Must be heart disease, she thought.
"Yes, dear. It’s her heart. We actually came from Sagkahan, where the water is rumored to heal any kind of illness. I'm grateful my boss lent me this vehicle."
As Aurora glanced at her friend rummaging through her bag, her eyes caught the boy pretending to be a bird. She estimated he was around fifteen. she wanted to tell Leora the truth, but something stopped her. Somehow, she felt this boy was worthy of her trust. What puzzled her was why he had to pretend when he could have just approached them—and how he managed to fit his body into that cage.
He's a bird, Aurora, that’s why...
Her attention shifted back to Leora, who was handing a small jar to the old man. "Here, sir, let your daughter drink this."
"What is this, dear?"
"It’s from the source of the water you were talking about. To be honest, we went to get water because my companion here is sick, too. She has leprosy, but after she drank from the spring—look at her, sir, not a trace of leprosy, right? The water is very effective, so your daughter is guaranteed to get well."
Do I look like a leper, Leora?!
Aurora wanted to smack her friend for making up such nonsense and dragging her into it.
The daughter took the jar and smiled at them. "I know you..." She was looking at Aurora. "But I’ll still drink this because it came from you. Thank you." She opened the jar and began to drink the contents.
"What was that?" Aurora whispered to her friend.
"Healing water, I told you."
"Are you sure?"
"Trust me. It's 10% water and 90% magic. Remind me to give them gold and diamonds when we get off." Aurora hugged her friend tightly.
"You're the only kind-hearted demon, Leora. Thank you."