“KRAAAAA~”
“Isha…”
“Hey, are you fine, Kiddo?”
“Ye - Yes… Sorry, I snoozed off again.”
“Mmm… You should pray harder, child.”
“I - I’m sorry, Lola Bonging!”
“My, my… She’s just a kid, just let her be.”
“Mama Hamis! Huhu…”
“My, my… Just take your time to rest, baby girl. You’ve already done enough for us.”
“It’s okay, Mama… *sniff* … I made a promise to the Sirenas. I’ll make this place beautiful again.”
“Yes, we know, baby girl. That’s why we’re very thankful to you. But you should also take care of your little body.”
“It’s okay, Mama! I can handle it! I’m a strong girl now!”
“My, my… My baby is a big girl now. Hehe.”
“Mmm-hmm! I’ll continue helping the Sirenas and Shokoys!”
“That’s my baby girl!”
“But……”
“Hmm?”
“I can’t seem to do it right. I’m praying so hard - I’m even shouting the words so Panee can hear me clearly, but nothing’s happening. I just want to do it!...... Also, Lola Bonging is always watching me, she scares me sometimes.”
“Oh, sweetheart… Prayers are not about how loud you speak them. Panee is not deaf like Lola Bonging. *giggle*...
When communicating, it’s not the words that connect us. It is the intention that makes us understand one another. Like water that unites all life like a communal thread, intention connects beings deeper than spoken words can.”
“Uhh… You’re confusing me again, Mama Hamis…”
“Oh! Did I make your head hurt again? Sorry... *giggle* …But don’t worry, I know you’ll get it someday.”
“Really? Do you believe I can do it?”
“Of course! You’re a very good child, Paglaom; your heart is pure and you have a beautiful soul. That’s why you can understand us Sirenas. Just be clear with your intentions, and I’m sure everything will work in your favor.”
“O-okay! Thank you so much, Mama Hamis! I swear! I’ll make that Water Sphere so this place won’t be flooded again!”
“Well… May Panee hear your prayers, baby girl.”
“Mmm-hmm!”
…
…
…
“Divine Goddess, please hear my prayers… Uhm…… What’s the next word again?”
“Mmm… Again!”
“So - Sorry, Lola Bonging!”
…
“Oh… Di-Divine Goddess… www- with the strength that sprung ri-rivers and sank bo-boats…”
“Mmm… Again!”
…
“OH, POWERFUL GODDESS OF PRIMORDIAL WATER, WHO CREATED LAKES AND SUBMERGED MOUNTAINS. PLEASE GRANT ME THE POWER TO CREATE!”
“AGAIN!!!”
…
…
…
…
…
“Oh, Divine Goddess of Primordial Water, with the strength that birthed great lakes and sank mountains beneath. I humbly ask thee - grant the power of creation unto me:
DOMINIUM AQUA!”
The oceanic waves became more violent, rocking the fishing boat that cradled the team. With palms wide open, Calla stretched her hand sideways, and slowly, she waved them overhead.
In sync with the hand motions, pillars of torrential waters sprouted around the boat. Strong breeze blew as the waters extended high enough to tower the bird.
As the water pillars continued to grow, their peaks began to bend and adhere to one another, forming a huge bird cage-like structure.
Calla clenched her fist and in response, the pillars started to widen, combining one pillar to another and forming a giant dome.
“Woaaah! So this is how it feels like to be inside the Water Sphere,” Aki uttered in awe.
Calla slowly raised her hands higher as if she were lifting something in the air. Simultaneously, the Water Dome elevated from the ocean until it turned into a hollow floating sphere.
The Water Sphere was ginormous - almost twice the size of that in the Domain. The bird was trapped inside, helpless and unable to escape.
“Gamgam! Hop in there!” Triggs yelled.
Gamgam understood the command. Using the same method, he propelled himself into the floating Water Sphere. He began swimming around the circumference of the Sphere.
With intense speed, Gamgam lunged himself from one side of the Sphere, hitting the trapped bird with his trident.
SLASH!!
After splashing on the other side of the Sphere, Gamgam repeated the same process multiple times, bouncing back and forth inside the Sphere.
SLASH!! SLASH!! SLASH!! SLASH!! SLASH!!...
Viewing outside the Sphere, Gamgam appeared like a barrage of speeding arrows, devastating the bird with his flurry of midair attacks.
The team and the kids cheered on Gamgam.
“Wow! He’s really killing it,” Pilyo murmured.
“Go finish that bird off!!” Ugakon screamed.
However, on the boat, Calla was slowly losing her stamina. Her legs trembled and her hands twitched as she continued exerting her power to keep the Water Sphere afloat.
“I… I can’t hold it much longer…”
“Just a little more, Calla…” Triggs said. Then, he whispered, “Come on, Gamgam. You can do this…”
Wounds and injuries began to accumulate in the bird’s body. With Gamgam’s overwhelming speed, the creature couldn’t do anything but tank the attacks.
“KUWAAAAAAAA!!!!!”
TZZ! TZZZ! TZZZZZZ!!!
In its final desperate move, the bird cultivated its remaining magical energy to perform one thunderous explosion.
ZABOOOOOM!!!
The explosion was so strong that it completely destroyed the Water Sphere. The area rained with droplets coming from the vaporized Sphere. Turbulent waves were produced by the violent explosion.
The boat received damages from the explosion, and some of the team’s equipment was also destroyed.
“Shit……” Triggs mumbled while rubbing his forehead. Coming back to his senses, he immediately checked on his allies. “Guys, are you alright?”
“I’m good…” Lae answered while healing a small wound in her arm.
“Wait…Gamgam!...” Calla worriedly uttered as she sprung up to search for the Shokoy. “GAMGAAAM!!!
“Ate Paglaom, I’m here!” Gamgam yelled back. He was found just nearby. By the looks of it, he seemed unhurt.
Luckily, no one from the team and the kids were seriously harmed.
“Did Gamgam finish it off?” Urig wondered.
“No. Not yet,” Aki answered.
They saw the bird flying towards a nearby island. But because of its injuries, the creature was flying slower than before, limping up and down in the air.
Immediately, the team followed the escaping bird.
Reaching the beach of the island, the bird didn’t have enough strength to even land properly; it just threw its body and crashed on the sands.
The team docked their boat on the shorelines.
“Just stay here, please,” Calla ordered the kids.
The team walked closer to the bird.
“Damn, Gamgam really destroyed that bird’s soul,” Triggs uttered as they observed the creature.
TZZZ-ZAP! TZZZ-ZAP! TZZZ-ZAP!
The bird was running wild; electrical currents leaked from its body like it was short-circuiting. Half-blind, the creature sprung here and there, randomly zapping everything nearby.
“We need to end its misery,” Triggs stated.
Lae nodded her head. “ACCELERATIO VITAE!”
Using her new whip, she tried to land a deadly strike.
FFFWHOOP!!
TZZZ-ZAP!!!
However, the attack was deflected by the bird’s electrical force. It even burned the tip of the whip.
“The electric current is protecting the bird,” Lae pointed out.
Triggs turned his gaze to Zaine. “Zaine can you…”
Just before Triggs could finish his sentence, Zaine drew his karambit and threw it at the bird.
CHROOK!!!
The karambit landed on the bird’s huge wing. However, it didn’t seem to cause any major harm to the creature. The weapon just lodged in its body while it continued its rampage.
Zaine looked at Triggs with a face that said, “Now, what?”
“Tch! Damn it. If only my crossbow wasn’t destroyed,” Triggs muttered.
His last option was Calla. But observing the lady’s body, it was obvious that Calla was drained by the Words she used previously.
“What should we do now?... We need to defeat it once and for all,” Calla said with a weak voice.
“I wanted to try something,” Triggs replied. “But can you still use your Words?”
“Uhm… I think I still have some energy left…”
“Great!” Triggs uttered. Then, he started murmuring, “Using normal water wouldn’t do anything against the electricity. Heck, it may even make the situation worse…”
He looked at Calla and asked, “Calla, can you please explain Primordial Water to me again? I need to confirm something.”
“Uhm… Okay!” Calla started explaining, “According to Ate Panee, Herself, Primordial Water is the most refined form of water. It’s super clean and it’s free of any impurities.”
“Nice! We need it to defeat the bird!”
“But, Triggs, I can only CREATE it. I can’t move it or use it for attacks.”
“But you can suspend it in the air, right?”
“Uhm, yes? I always do that when watering the Hanziel Tree. I usually condense a big ball in the air before letting it shower down to the ground.”
“How much can you make?”
“As much as I want. As long as I’m not distracted and as long I still have energy.”
“That’s all I needed to hear.”
Curious, Lae asked. “What are you planning, Triggs?”
“Water in its purest form is a very weak conductor. So if it is true, we can use the Primordial Water to nullify the bird’s electricity for a while. Then we can use that time to strike.”
Lae was impressed. “Wow, Triggs. I know you’re clever, but to come up with something like this, you’re really impressive.”
“But still, I don’t know if it will really work. That’s why I volunteer to do the killing blow,” Triggs stated.
The others didn’t object.
After that, they huddled together to discuss the details of the plan. Shortly after, they made their move.
Calla started conjuring the Primordial Water.
“AQUA PURIFICA!”
Little by little, droplets coagulated in the air not far from them.
After giving his remaining karambit to Triggs, Zaine immediately ran in the bird’s direction.
“ACCELERATIO VITAE!”
By interweaving her vines, Lae made a protective dome around Triggs and Calla. It was meant to protect them from electricity once the bird came near them.
Immediately, Lae followed Zaine to the bird.
“Now, we’ll just wait for them to lure the bird under the Primordial Water,” Triggs mumbled.
The sphere of Water continued growing. Meanwhile, Lae and Zaine did their best to lure the bird.
Lae used her vine to make the bird evade and move. On the other hand, Zaine was throwing sand at the creature.
Seeing the bird getting nearer, Triggs suddenly felt immense pressure. His heart began to race.
He understood that he should time his attack perfectly; he should strike exactly as the bird became completely soaked in Water. Hitting too early or too late could not only ruin their plan but also potentially kill him.
“Triggs… I think this is the biggest I could make it…”
“It’ll be enough. Just please hold on, Calla…”
Slowly and slowly, the bird was approaching them.
…
…
…
“NOW!!”
Calla unclasped her palms. Her fatigued body dropped to the ground as the sphere of Primordial Water burst like a giant water balloon.
Quickly, Triggs stepped out, drew the karambit, and…
TZZ -
SPLAAASH!!!
…
…
…
“KUWAAA… aaaa… aa…….”
The pristine beach was tainted with crimson-red hue as blood oozed out from the bird’s stab wound.
BLAM!!!
The bird’s body dropped to the sand like a withered vegetable.
The thumping in Triggs’ chest began to subside. “We… We did it…” he mumbled.
“YEAAAAHHHH!!!!!” the Shokoy kids cheered from a distance.
“It’s finally over…” Lae sighed.
Triggs smiled, and with a breathy chuckle, he uttered, “Once again, science beat the supernatural…”
