Six

Kawlan was walking all around the lively town with Tuwaang trailing right behind him.

Some people were chatting in glee, some were intimately holding hands, some were determinedly bartering goods, all in all the town was filled with liveliness, such a sight made Kawlan feel warmth and comfort as he continued on browsing the town with light steps. They were walking towards a quiet alleyway when a sound of muffled grunts attracted Kawlan's attention.

"Urgh!..... Stop!....Please!....It hurts....." A small boy was being crowded by 3 teens. 2 were locking both his arms in place and one was punching his stomach like he was some punching bag.

"Shut up you freak!"

"Yeah shut up you freak!" the other teen echoed while they exchanged laughter.

"How do you like being my punching bag?! Aren't you honored to be my practice partner considering how you're such a freak!"

Kawlan stopped his tracks and continued to observe the scene.

"Young master, such matters does not need your attention." Tuwaang said behind him but he continued on looking.

"I know."

'I know.....'

[ Former Life ]

"Kuya Puhak...."

"What is it child?"

"Why did Tiyo Dandaguan leave me here?"

"It's for you to practice your ability."

"But I feel cold. It's too dark and I can't see anything. I feel cramped like someone is trying to suffocate me. I dont like it here."

"Just close your eyes, Child."

"How long must I stay here?"

"..... Till you become one with the darkness."

Kawlans eight year old body curled in fear as he looked all around only to see nothing. Whether he had his eyes closed or not made no difference...for all he saw was the nothingness of the dark. He could feel the heavy air and the smothering evil presences hovering all around him. However, no matter how much he beat the door and called for help no one would open it, nor would anyone bother to help him.

[ Years Ago ]

"Kawlan you can't just stay huddled up inside the dark library. You need to socialize with children you're age." Perlita, Kawlan's mother said as she lowered herself so that she and an eight-years-old Kawlan could see eye to eye. "Do you understand?"

Kawlan quietly stared at his mother who was asking him for a favor.

"Yes, mother."

The noble kids that were playing in the garden threw a disgusted glance at Kawlan and yelled in a very audible voice.

"Don't play with him he's a freak! He talks to his shadow!"

"Freak! Freak! Freak!"

The noble children circled around him and started making funny faces and threw mocking words but Kawlan really didn't care. He has already lived a lifetime so he was much more mature than an average child. He merely found the children's actions cute and immature. He who has lived two lifetimes but had no chance to experience childhood innocence on both just felt a tad bit envious.

In the first life he was an orphan who had no right to act childlike because he was the future head of the clan. And in this second life he was a child with a matured mindset that made him unable to act childlike.

"Freak! Freak! Freak!"

He really was a freak.

"Young master? Young Master!" Tuwaang yelled in worry as he shook the dazed Kawlan.

Kawlan seemed to have come back to earth as he glanced at Tuwaang. "Sorry about that. I was in a bit of a daze."

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm okay." Kawlan said with a dismissive hand as he turned his attention back at the beating scene.

"Do you wish to intrude and help the kid?" Tuwaang asked.

Kawlan fell silent before he gave a nod.

"Save him."

Tuwaang reached for his inner pocket and let out a pair of gloves before he wore them expertly like he had been doing so for a long time.

Tuwaang then politely bowed before he sprinted towards the scene and....

The Scene was too bloody that the author would rather omitt that part.

Tuwaang is busy torturing people at the moment so please wait on stand by. m(_ _)m

Kawlan felt baffled at Tuwaangs skilled way of handling the teens that they were all beaten in a matter of seconds. Tuwaang then dusted his suit before he took off his gloves and threw it to the ground in disgust. He then walked back towards Kawlan and bowed.

"I have saved him as you ordered."

Kawlan looked at the beaten to a pulp teens and looked back at his bowing servant.

"W-well done."

Kawlan never knew that his servant was also a skilled fighter and he's quite the nasty one at that. He decisively beated them without a sweat and what's the more baffling was that he did so bare handedly without using any mahika.

'I should never get on his nerves.' Kawlan kindly reminded himself.

Tuwaang stared at his watch and saw that it was nearing six. "It's almost time for our reservation we must go."

"Y-yeah."

"U-uhm sir please wait!" A childlike voice called from behind them. Kawlan turned and saw the boy who was saved by Tuwaang.

"T-thank you for saving me!" The young boy said before he gave Kawlan a deep bow.

'No. no. no. Boy you have the wrong person! I barely lifted a finger it was Tuwaang who did all the work in saving you so why are you showing gratitude towards me?' Kawlan gave a side glance towards the true savior but he only saw Tuwaang shot the boy a dissatisfied glance as if he hated the sight of him.

"Your welcome?" Kawlan said feeling unsure.

"Please take this as a sign of my gratitude!" The boy yelled as he presented a small knife with both hands.

"You filthy thing wish to gift our young master a rusted knife? Do you have any idea who he is?!"

'Tuwaang you're exaggerating.'

The boy was frightened by Tuwaang's yell that he jolted in surprise and his eyes widened in fear. "T-this is the only thing I own that has value. It was given to me by my father."

Kawlan really had no use for a rusted knife and so he was about to refuse when he suddenly felt that something was odd about the boys knife.

He flashed the boy a kind smile, "So it was given by your father. May I have a closer look?"

The young child was immediately scammed by Kawlans warm smile as he shot him an embarrassed smile "Yes, sir."

Kawlan was about to reach for the knife when he saw Tuwaangs arm prevent him from doing so.

"We don't know the child's origins so it's safer to just leave."

"He's just a child so I'll be okay."

Tuwaang was clearly against Kawlans decision but he had no right to stop the young master so he just stuck close to make sure that he's near to protect him when danger arises.

Kawlan grabbed the knife from the child's hands and scrutinized it.

'I feel a dark energy.'

Kawlan closed his eyes and activated his third eye to take a closer look at the knife.

His feeling was correct. The knife wrapped in a dark gloomy energy all around its blade that it felt cold against his hands. This was an artifact.

"Since when have you been carrying this knife?"

"Uhm I used to hide it inside a secret place but it was soon discovered and so I started carrying it around 3 days ago."

"I see. Did you have any weird feelings while you carried the knife around?"

"Weird.... feelings?"

"Like boiling anger, maddening envy of others, unfulfilled hunger, or any other heightened emotions?"

"Heightened emotions?" The young boy fell silent as he pondered over Kawlans questions.

Tuwaang was curious as to why the young master asked such questions but he knew better that a servant must never question his masters actions.

The boy thought hard before he seemed to have finally recalled, "Uhm.... I seem to have felt extreme greed. As a beggar I do feel greedy and wish for riches but these three days I started wanting them like crazy. I feel this extreme greed well up inside me that I even felt an odd impulse to kill people for a few coppers.... but I swear I never acted upon them!"

Kawlan stayed silent as he stared at the child.

'So it's a curse of greed. He could carry around a cursed item for three days that's already amazing by itself yet he could even control himself and remain sane even with its enticement. This boy has quite the potential.'

"I accept your token of gratitude." Kawlan said as he smiled at the child kindly.

'No I'm definitely not taking advantage of a young boy.'

'You are.' Kasuyath's voice seemed to echo inside his head.

"Boy what's your name?"

"They call me Linggisan."

"So Little Linggisan why were those people bullying you?"

"It's.... because I'm a freak." Kawlan stayed silent and awaited for him to continue. " My mahika is transformation however my transformation form is ...of a small heron."

"A Small Heron?"

"So you're Hiram mahika is Pisikal?" Tuwaang asked for confirmation.

"Yes, sir."

As if to prove himself the young boy leaped up. A bright light wrapped around the boy as he transformed. Tuwaang and Kawlan squinted their eyes at the sudden bright light. When the light lessened a small bird with blue feathers appeared on the place where the boy used to stand. The blue bird flapped its wings and flew towards Kawlan's head.

"This is my transformed form." The young boys familiar voice sounded from the small birds beak. "Herons are supposed to be 1.2 - 1.5 meters in height but I only measure up to a few centimeters."

"It's quite a cute form." Kawlan said as the small bird flew up and lightly landed on his palms.

'It's perfect for spying.' He silently added.

The young bird seemed to be shocked at Kawlans complimenting words as he hid himself in his left wing. Never in his life did Kawlan expect to ever see an embarrassed blushing bird.

"So Linggisan how would like to come and follow me?"

"Sir?"

"I'm saying that I'll take you in."

"But young master he's--" Tuwaang attempted to refute Kawlan's ideas thinking that he was too impulsive but Kawlan was firm in his decision.

"I don't care. I have saved him and so his life is already my responsibility." Kawlan merely said as he placed the small heron on his shoulder and walked away. He took a few steps forward but paused as if he remembered something. "You can go ahead and report this to father." He added before continuing to walk.

"....." Tuwaang was shocked that the young master knew that he was sending daily reports about his activities to the Baron. Seeing that the young master already walked a distance, he ran to chase after him.

Tuwaang opened the carriage door for Kawlan to enter.

"I suddenly don't feel like eating that steak. Let's do it some other time."

".... as you wish, Young master." Tuwaang said as he closed the door and proceeded to drive the carriage back to Bakunawa Academy.

"Uhm... sir .... is it really okay to take me back?"

".....yes...." probably.

To be completely honest Kawlan has no idea if bringing in a little boy is allowed within the school premises.

Kawlan looked down at the small blue Heron on his palms and petted it lightly, "Little boys aren't allowed on campus so I'll have you pretend to be my pet for awhile. I would have you be officially registered in our Barony when I get back there so don't worry."

"Yes sir! I promise to be your most behaved pet!"

'That sounded illegal once taken out of context.'

"Call me Kuya Kawlan."

"K-kuya?! B-but I'm just a lowly beggar!"

"Beggar or not we're all human so it doesn't really matter. If I tell you to call me Kuya Kalwan then just do so."

"We're all... human?" The blue herons eyes froze as if referring to himself as someone human never occured to him.

'All my life I was treated as someone lower than an animal..... I've lived my life abiding the rules of the jungle.... like an animal in the wild who's only goal was to survive... I've seem to forget that I was human.....no....I am human... I've always been human.' Tears started to brim beneath Linggisan's eyes.

Kalwan felt a sudden wetness on his palms and he glanced at the tiny blue heron on his palms.

'He's not pissing on my hand, is he?'

The Blue heron engraved his gratitude towards Kawlan deep inside his heart and swore to pay him back tenfold.

"Si-- Kuya Kawlan what are you going to do once you return?"

Kawlan smiled at Linggisan before answering, "I'm going to awaken an old friend."

"?"

Linggisan didn't really understand his Kuya's words but seeing that Kawlan looked happy he thought that it was about something nice.

"You and your friend must be very close."

"Indeed. He and I go way way back." Kawlan answered with a nostalgic smile as he rested his head on the palm of his hand and looked out the window as if to recall some of his good old memories.

After they arrived on campus he left Linggisan to Tuwaang's care. As a noble kid he has absolutely no clue as to how he should raise a pet more so of a child. And so Linggisan grievously parted with Kawlan whilst looking back at him like an abandoned cat.

A bird acting like a cat.... what even is logic?

Back at his dormitory, Kawlan awaited for the perfect time for him to awaken his friend. He grabbed the knife off the table and scrutinized it well.

The knife looked like it has been handled by a considerable amount of people. Kawlan wondered as to how many has fallen as its prey. If I hadn't taken this away from Linggisan then I'm sure that he'd end up dead by tomorrow. Kawlan felt the artifacts energy and visibly frowned.

'The Curse of Greed is strong in this one.'

Kawlan opened his window wide and let the moonlight through his room. He measured the size of the moonlight and drew a ritual pattern on its center at his dormitory floor using a chalk that he stole from his classroom.

Kawlan stared at the clock and saw that it's only a few seconds before midnight. He quickly positioned himself so that his shadow was at the perfect center of the ritual pattern.

'I need to perfectly time it or the veil won't open.'

15 seconds before midnight

10 seconds.

5 seconds.

3 seconds.

And now!

Kawlan took a deep breath before he started chanting.

[ Gates of the veil that Mortals shan't see.

Unlock for a moment and use my blood as key, ]

Kalwan grabbed the hilt of the knife and lightly pierced his pointer finger. He then let one drop of his blood drip onto his shadow that was eerily ebony black as it was shined upon by the moons light.

When the tiny drop of blood dripped down his shadow it seemed to vanish into darkness. Silence eroded the wholeb room as the bustling sound of the cold wind moved his window sill. The clicking of his clock echoed all around and Kawlan calmly glanced at his shadow. He awaited for a moment before seeing some results. A swiveling vortex formed inside his shadow. A small smile creeped upon Kawlan's face as he raised the cursed knife and continued his chant.

[ This I offer to awaken thou from slumber,

Feast upon its energy and satisfy your hunger,

Dweller within the veil I call upon thee!

DEMON OF GREED SAKIM! ]

And with that he dropped his blade into his dark shadow.

The knife fell on his shadow however it kept on falling deeper and deeper as if it was thrown into a deep well till it's shape is no longer seen.

'Eat it! Come on Kuya Sakim! Eat it!'

Kawlan urged as he focused on his shadow hoping that HE would answer his call.