5 Chapter 5

Mergalio and his friends were holding their breaths. The puffins were hanging on the wood of the ceiling, trying to close their eyes so the invaders won’t notice their big bright bulbs from outside.

Loud screaming and scary banging were soon heard all over Sklavois. Danger is here. Mergalio found it hard to ignore the cries of help outside. He quickly stood up and was about to open the door when Odigos stopped him.

“I beg you. Please don’t. Not tonight. My family just came back. Give us more time to be together.”, Odigos pleaded.

“Mergalio, you must think. We still don’t know our enemies. We need to prepare for battle. If you fight now, we will not fulfill your mission successfully.”, Dianoia said.

Mergalio listened to his friends but it seems that they caught the attention of the invaders. Though still far from the house, he knew that they are the next target of the enemy since they sensed their presence already. Mergalio lifted his hands and created a shield for the entire house. He used his power to hide the house from the eyes of the invaders and keep them away from harm. He did and they were safe that night.

As soon as dawn broke, Mergalio and his friends started to plan their mission.

“Odigos, Sofia, and Tenshi. I will be needing your help to reach out to the SklavoiS. You know them better than me. You can start talking to them about redemption by the Divine Power. Bring them here tonight in your house. I will talk to hem and create a shield for all of us as the evil invaders attack once again. In this way, we will be able make them believe in redemption again.”, Mergalio instructed.

“That is a great idea. We can do that. We will do it carefully but we cannot bring a lot of people tonight. We will start with two people until they multiply.”, Odigos answered. His wife and son also nodded their heads.

“I will ask my playmates to stay here tonight and play with me.”, Tenshi gleefully answered.

“Mergalio, it is important that you observe Judge Draggen and the evil invaders who make SklavoiS’ lives difficult through their wickedness. Aside from that, you can also check the hidden parts of the city where people greatly ruin our environment. They cut trees and throw harmful chemicals in the river. This is one of the big problems of our city.”, Odigos said.

“I will, my friend. This is going to be a long day. Our friends, the puffins, will be guiding us up above. They will be with you if ever you need some help.”, Mergalio said.

The family of Odigos did their usual routine and gave inspiration about redemption to their friends in a subtle way to avoid the attention of the invaders.

Mergalio witnessed the wickedness of the evil invaders as they accuse the people of crimes they never did. Some of these are stealing from the King and Queen, starting rebellion against the invaders, and even killing. Everyone in the city knows that it is not true yet in the eyes of the corrupt lawmakers and Judge Draggen, these people are guilty of their crimes and they are meant to suffer and die.

“Here’s your tip for today, Judge. That’s bigger than yesterday. You did great!”, exclaimed the leader of the invader.

“Lower your voice. The people might hear you.”, Judge Draggen whispered as he greedily took all of the money offered by the invader.

So that is the reason why SklavoiS are suffering in this place. The evil invaders of the Giant King and Queen can do anything they want since Judge Draggen, who is supposed to be the defender of these people, is already blinded by money.

“Mergalio, take the left path. At the end of the road you will see SklavoiS abusing the environment.”, the Divine Power said.

Mergalio quickly look for a place for him to reveal his wings.

“Tharros, is it safe to fly? Will the people see me?”, Mergalio called to the puffin who is flying above him.

“Yes. They are far from this place. They are preoccupied with a lot of things and the tattered rooftops will cover you.”, Tharros answered.

Mergalio wasted no time. He spread his arms and his huge, strong, and powerful wings appeared once again. The mighty warrior flew quickly to where the Divine Power ordered him to go. In a span of a minute, Mergalio already saw what was happening. Trees were being cut tremendously. Chemical wastes were being disposed in the bodies of water without any remorse on the faces of these people.

The angel moved closer for him to see what they were doing. The once lush garden is now an exaggerated dump site that covered the entire space of the once blossoming flowers of the city. Mergalio hid behind the trees to cover his wings and became an ordinary person again. He approached the group of men and confronted them about their wrong doings.

“Stop that! Why do you have to cut all these trees? Aren’t those enough? You need to preserve some of them or else we will suffer.”

The SklavoiS men started laughing and taunting Mergalio.

“What do you care? Who are you to tell us what to do?”, asked the unrighteous man.

“I care because nature is really important for us. You don’t need to overuse it. You even destroyed the river and the lakes by spilling chemical wastes on it. Why do you have to do this?”, Mergalio asked with extreme frustration.

“Money! Can you give us huge amount of money? If you can, we will stop this.”, answered the leader of the group.

Mergalio didn’t know what to say. These people have been blinded by money.

“I don’t have money to offer you but I care for you. I pray to the Divine Power that all these things will not backfire against you.”, Mergalio said as he turned his back away from the laughing men.

“Forgive them, Master for they are blinded by greed.”

The mighty warrior returned to Odigos’ shelter as soon as darkness crept in Sklavois. In his amazement, were people looking at him with hope and courage.

“Friends, this is Mergalio. He will help us break free from this hell that we are living in.”, Odigos introduced him to four women and two men. There were also two young girls and one boy playing with Tenshi.

“Is it true? You will keep us safe tonight?”, asked the woman who is holding a baby in her arms.

“Yes, I will. It is my honor to give you peace and safety tonight.”, Mergalio answered as he bowed down and express his respect to the people.

“Our Divine Power sent him here. He hears us. Let us keep our faith.”, Odigos said.

Mergalio’s heart swelled with love as the people smiled and cried tears of hope. As they share the simple food prepared by Odigos and his family, Mergalio simply talked about redemption to the people. He gave them courage and strengthened their faith.

“The evil invaders are here!”, shouted the young girl.

“Keep quiet. Don’t be scared.”, Mergalio said as he raised his hands and created a shield to cover the entire house.

But before he completely formed the shield, an evil invader already barged in the house. Mergalio quickly pushed the enemy out of the house and summon his sword to attack the enemy as his left hand continues to provide a shield for Odigos and the people.

Like a flash of lightning, Mergalio easily turned the invader into ashes. The moment he secured the shield, more invaders attacked him. He easily whipped all of them with his sword and faith. When there were no more enemies near him, he quickly entered the shield and hid from them.

“Sorry for that, I cannot fight all of them tonight. It will cause great chaos to our enemies and for sure they will make the people suffer. I need to wait for that time when we have more people on our side.”, Mergalio explained to his friends.

“Thank you for saving us!”, the people answered in chorus.

“We are just starting. Whatever you witnessed tonight, spread the good news to your loved ones. But do it silently so our enemies will not know about this.”, Mergalio instructed the people.

That night, redemption has started.