31 Chapter 27: Layers

"Hoy!" He whispers in her ear, " Say hello to the kids."

Sidapa is now annoyed by Calista's passiveness. He tried flicking on Calista's ear for her to snap out from her stupor. It worked in a way! His katabang was now alert again and so he commanded her.

" Lady Hiraya, kindly welcome our guests to our humble abode."

Although still dumbfounded by the discovery she had, Calista tried her best to look calm and collected in the eyes of the children. She put her right hand on her chest and bowed her head just like what Tagahatid and her practiced.

" Welcome guests, to Sulad, I hope you enjoy your stay."

" Perfect!" Sidapa exclaims as he claps his hands and even encourages the children to clap along with him.

The children clapped and cheered, partly because they were afraid of him. They knew full well not to mess with a god. He saw it from their reactions, but they seemed to be different. He saw a genuine emotion of joy coming from the three of them.

" What sort of hell did these children have to go through to see them happy going to Sulad?" the death god asked himself.

He turned his attention back to the children and asked them to follow his katabang into Sulad. Sidapa instructed Calista to guide the children in entering Sulad and to wait for him at the throne room for instructions. His katabang bowed and called the children to her.

Sidapa observes Calista as she guides the kids. She was gentle with them. Her sweet smile made the children open up to her. She took the young boy's hand and carried the young girl in her arms, while the teenage girl tailed along silently.

While Calista walks in the distance, flashes of memories begin to emerge from Sidapa's mind. It was something about her smile and how she carried the children that triggered some repressed memories in him.

The experience was nauseating for him, but he kept his composure. He repressed the memories back to his subconscious while shaking off the emotions he felt at that moment. After that, he started to close the portal from Dacungcahoy.

The portal slowly closes like a curtain descending to end the scene of a play. Sidapa did not wait for the portal to close completely. He doesn't have the patience to confirm the portal's closure and he wants to catch up with Calista. He found her actions unacceptable and he wants to give her an earful of it.

He took a single step when suddenly a voice coming from the portal called him out.

" Lord Sidapa! Lord Sidapa!" the voice trembled.

Sidapa turned around and saw the kalag of the old babaylan squeezing herself into the portal.

"Lord Sidapa! Don't leave me! Take me with you as promised!" the old woman begged.

She stretches up her hand begging for Sidapa, her god to show her mercy and let her through the gate. The death god walked to where she was. He was close for the old woman's fingertips to almost touching his garment but far enough to tease her.

" You have indeed served me well, but I will ask of you to stay," he stated.

" But my Lord Sidapa, I have served you for almost 180 years now," she struggled as the portal slowly shrinks and crushes her slowly as it fades.

" Now is not your time, go back," he told her again.

"B-but you…" she coughs as the portal tightens even further, "...promise me! Please, Lord Sidapa, let me die." she pleaded.

"No. I won't allow you to rest," he glared at her with his red ethereal eyes. " Go back." he flicks the old woman's head with his finger, and she got blasted away from the portal.

He looks at her miserable face one last time before the portal closes finally. Sidapa proceeds to his throne room where Calista and the children waited. He sits on his throne and looks at them from above.

" Welcome, children to my abode!" He exclaims, " I hope you enjoy your temporary stay here before heading over to Skyworld," he cracks a smile.

" I don't want to go to Skyworld!" the teenage girl protests.

" W-what are you saying?" Calista grabs the girl by the arm and tries to reason with her, " Master, please forgive her she--"

" I don't want to go there!" she yanked her arm out from the katabang's grip and kneel to him, " I will sell my soul if I have to. I want to take my revenge on that wretched place! I want them all killed!" she wept.

The other children started to cry and their sobs and wails echoed through the halls. Sidapa pitied them for the fates they have. He wanted to comfort them but restrained himself from doing so.

He knows it was tough for the kids living in Dacungcahoy. They have to be sacrificed every 5 years so that the elders of that twisted community may live long. He cannot stop that practice, he was asked not to. It was under his covenant. But that didn't mean he did nothing to stop this. He made some additions to it and a few changes to it.

Regardless of these changes, it didn't make the ritual palatable but he must make do. He raised his arms asking the children to hush. His katabang made sure to comfort the children asking them to hush down. She huddled them together and tried to calm them down. It worked!

Once the children calmed down, Sidapa went his way down to the throne and went to the children. He kneeled with one knee, messed their hair, and smiled.

" Children should not think about vengeance," he said, " Let the gods do that for you! As for you three, live your life in happiness and be reborn in a happier life. You have my blessing."

After giving his blessing to the children he then summoned Tagahatid and instructed his katabang and alagad to bring the kids to Kumbirahan so the kids could eat. They bowed to him in response before leaving with the children.

Satisfied with what he did, Sidapa went to his room where piles of offerings were meticulously stacked by Tagahatid. He fumbled his way into the pile where he found what he was looking for the covered basket and some premium grade coconut wine.

He checked the basket contents and nodded in approval. He also whiffed the wine and took a little swig of it to make sure it is up to his standards. The offering never failed.

He went again to the secret hallway where all the strange doors are located and went into one of those doors, a black, jewel-encrusted door frame. Inside was a dark room with only a pale white light illuminating a table in the center of the room.

He placed the things he carried in the middle of the table and opened the basket again. He counted them and ended up with 7. He then took out the heads one by one to the table.

Contrary to what Calista believed they were, the things she saw weren't coconuts. Sidapa put glamor on the decapitated heads to avoid Calista from suspecting what they truly were. She had already been stressed out not to mess up the ceremony. He doesn't what her to be terrified about it if she knows this little truth. It was this part where he added to the sacred ritual.

He knocked on the heads one by one to awaken them.

" My Lord Sidapa," exclaimed one of the heads, " Thank you for inviting us to your council. We are truly honored!"

" Quite indeed, My Lord!" The other agreed while the rest mumbled their approval.

" Where are the other elders My Lord?", another head asked, " Where are we? Is this the Hall of Councils you said you have?" it added.

" Where are the souls we need to judge?" another head asks in confusion, " I thought they shall line up to us and we will judge them on where to go," it said.

" Why is it dark in here?"

" What's going on?"

" What is this place?"

The heads became agitated after waking up in the dark room. Sidapa remained silent throughout their questions leaving them confused as ever. He observed them in their despair. In truth, there was no council or Hall of Councils he just made it all up.

He wanted to punish the villagers so badly that he created a fake designation to those elders willing to end their lives around 180 years ago. His hatred towards this village stemmed centuries ago for wronging him. Not only that, he never liked the idea of sacrificing their children to gain their pseudo-immortality.

They feared death so much that once they knew about their demise by the ceremony of Pinagsukdan, they then bribed Sidapa with gifts and sacrifices to expand their life. The more they did this, the more inhuman they have become. Giving up their offsprings for a taste of immortality.

And now that he can't die, Sidapa devised this entire Council for him to lure them to be punished here in Sulad. It's a way for Sidapa to take vengeance of those innocent children they offered him. It's also one way for the village to dwindle their numbers and hopefully end their practice or themselves in the process.

" Lord Sidapa!" exclaimed another head, " What is the meaning of this?"

" Oh, this one?" He finally answered them, " This is your punishment!"

" For what?" the head inquired.

" For defiling the cycle of life," he answered.

" But you agreed to our deal!" another head rebutted, " The deal is an absolute law!"

" I am the only absolute here!" Sidapa declared. His eyes glowed red with anger, " I am a god! I make the laws!"

There was silence in the room as Sidapa's voice boomed. Their faces were painted with terror. Sidapa approached them and took the bottle of coconut wine from the table.

" We are your faithful followers!" shouted one of the heads, " If you do this to us, will tell them to stop worshipping such a cruel god!"

Sidapa burst into laughter, " How would you do that? You can't communicate with them when you're here. Plus, you can't be reincarnated without a complete body! So reincarnation is out of the question!" he laughed some more.

He walked towards the door as the decapitated heads wailed and shouted for his name.

" Lord Sidapa! Forgive us!" one of the heads begged, " Don't leave us here alone!" it added.

" Alone? But you are never alone." Sidapa snapped his fingers and illuminated the place. There, the heads found all the other heads surrounding them with the same horror and despair on their faces.

He left the room closing the door to the sound of a thousand horrified screams.

" Enjoy your hell, yo Mierdas!"

He smirked and whistled while he walked towards the last door at the end of the hallway.