4 Chapter 4

Mergalio woke up with the sound of continuous cracking. With just a snap, he woke up from deep slumber and opened his eyes to what was waiting for him. There were no more eggs inside his bag. There are seven wonderful birds looking at him with cute reactions. These puffins completed the color of the rainbow and their eyes were as big as the sun shining brightly in the sky that moment.

Before Mergalio could even utter a word, the puffins opened their mesmerizing wings and surrounded him.

“Good morning, Mergalio. We are here to help you. We are your friends!”

“Y-you can talk?”, Mergalio asked.

“Yes, we can talk, walk, and swim. I’m Agapi. I will fill you with so much love for these people”, said the red puffin.

“In times of despair, I will give you hope. Elpida, at your service!”, chirped the orange one.

“Acceptance is always the key to go on with your mission. Hello, I’m Apodochi.”, greeted the yellow puffin.

The green puffin hugged Mergalio. “I’m Tharros, I’ll give you courage whenever you feel scared.”

“In every battle, we will think of ways to defeat our enemies. I’m Dianoia, your source of intellect.”, said the indigo puffin.

“We will empower you to fight the dark side.”, the two birds said in chorus.

“I’m Dynami, your source of strength”, blue puffin said.

“I go with her. I’m Epimoni, your perseverance to keep on fighting!”, shouted the violet puffin.

Mergalio beamed like a young boy with so much excitement and happiness.

“This is so cool! I’m like a master with so many special fighters!”, he shouted. The mighty warrior lost his stiffness and made childlike claps.

“Mergalio? Are you awake?”, asked Odigos as he opens the door.

The man was startled upon seeing the colorful puffins surrounding Mergalio. Yet, in just an instant, he also felt safe and happy. As all of them shared the little amount of food brought by Odigos, they also began to plan for their mission.

“Well, I suggest you take a walk around Sklavois first. You will have an overview of everything that it has happening in our city. My wife and son live at the extreme border of Sklavois. They are safer there from the evil force ruining this city,” Odigos explained.

“Aren’t you scared for them? You left them there. What if the evil people found them?”, Mergalio asked.

Odigos took a deep breath and his eyes started to show unshed tears.

“I have no choice. I need to be here to earn some money and store food. The place where they are now doesn’t have any resources. That is also the reason why I know they will be safer. The evil invaders only look at what they can get from a place. Every three days, I secretly go there to give them food and water. But I do it very carefully so that the evil people won’t discover that place.”, he continued.

Mergalio was motivated to start his mission because of Odigos’ family. He will make sure that he will succeed. The puffins decided to fly instead of walking in Sklavois to avoid the people. Nevertheless, they assured Mergalio that they can guard him with their sharp eyes. Whatever happens, they will easily help him.

With every step, the warrior angel started to understand the small and the bigger issues of Sklavois. Despite the urge to communicate with the people and process their behavior and thinking, Mergalio controlled himself. He is just a mere spectator today and not a mighty warrior. He tried his best to remain low key and blend with the people.

He saw poor children stealing valuable items like a pro. There was a young thief caught by a man and was beaten non-stop. Mergalio closed his eyes and looked the other way. There were also women dressed in skimpy dress, waiting for a miracle to come into their lives.

“Hi, Mister. Would you like to see Paradiso?”, asked one woman.

Mergalio remained mum and continued to walk. Yet the woman ran after him and persuaded him to give her a try.

“I’m Virra. I’ll take you to Paradiso.”, she insisted sweetly.

Mergalio brushed her off and walked away quickly. He was beyond frustrated to know that Paradiso for these people mean differently. If they only knew what the real Paradiso looks like.

As he walks along the narrow street, Mergalio saw a lot of men drowning themselves in alcohol and damaging their bodies with narcotics.

Yet, there were some who just works quietly to earn a living. But that simple routine didn’t save them from wickedness. Because of too much fear from the evil invaders, they give bribe to an old, selfish, and arrogant man who wears a lot of gold adornments in his coat.

Mergalio got curious so he moved closer and simply pretended to be doing something important for him to hear the man’s message without being caught.

“Judge Draggen, have mercy on me. I swear I didn’t violate the King and Queen’s rule of tax. I pay all the time.”, pleaded the old woman.

“That is a lie! I know the records. You did not pay your taxes for almost a year now. If you will not settle all your debts, you will be hanged tomorrow evening.”, warned the insensitive judge.

“But where will I get such huge amount of money, Judge?”, the woman cried.

“I don’t care! That is not my problem.” Judge Draggen ignored the desperate lady and continued to demand taxes and bribe from the helpless people.

“I know. I will also sell these goods five times its usual price so that I can get more money. I will just sell my baby to someone so I can make money out of my child. I won’t die. I’ll do everything I can to live.”

The woman seemed to have lost her sanity as she talks to herself and laughed crazily.

Mergalio was surprised when he felt his tears falling on his cheeks. He never expected that evil can trigger a person’s demonic side. Could there be more than the worst faces of Sklavois?

“Warrior, strengthen your heart.”, the Divine Power whispered.

From afar, Agapi, Elpida and Apodochi chirped melodiously to fill Mergalio’s heart with pure love again. In no time, the warrior stood up and wiped his tears away.

“Dianoia, take over the intellect of that woman and let her find righteous ways of raising money.”, Mergalio ordered.

With that, Dianoia flew away and followed the path of the woman.

Mergalio has seen everything that he needs to observe that time so he decided to go back to Odigos.

Suddenly, he heard faint muffles and struggle on the dark dead-end of a narrow path. Mergalio’s vision made him see a woman about to be raped by five evil men. His instinct was to fight them but Dynami and Epimoni already caused massive distraction by creating strong winds and showering those men with feathers. Mergalio used his power to make them fall in deep slumber. The woman quickly covered her body and ran away. Mergalio turned his back to avoid the woman’s eyes for she must not recognize him.

“You did great, puffins. Thank you for helping me.”, Mergalio said as he continued his way back to Odigos.

Upon opening the door, Mergalio was surprised to see the five other puffins already inside the house. But what surprised him the most was a woman and a child laughing and playing with his friends.

“Mergalio, I’m glad you are already home. By the way, this is my wife, Sofia. Here is my son, Tenshi. I already brought them home. I told them that we will be safe because you are already here. We have someone to protect us from all the evil force surrounding us.”, Odigos said as he embraces his family.

The warrior angel smiled with joy and bowed down.

“Thank you for trusting me. I also need your help in doing my mission. I am glad that we are a team now.”, Mergalio happily said. They shared a simple dinner that night. Despite the tasteless wheat and raw vegetables, it was fulfilling to be eat food flavored with love.

“Let’s sleep now. Soon, the evil invaders will be roaming around again. They do it every night. They ruin houses and kill people especially if they notice that there are lights noise from the inside. Sometimes, they burn abandoned houses too. Let us hope that we will be safe tonight. I always hope and pray to the Divine Master and He has not failed me.”, Odigos explained.