1 Prologue: Pelus' POV.

The pain cascading through my side awakened me. The agony was immense.

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the debris around me, followed by grey clouds subsiding, leaving nothing but clear skies.

Emptiness.

I was clueless about how long I had been lying on the ground. The torment of the excruciating pain of my injuries overwhelmed me, compelling me to finger my ribs. My robes were damp, and a red liquid with gold seeped through my fingers. At that juncture, I realized that the sharp edges of the stone around me had sliced into my lower ribs.

And then, everything came to me in a flash. I remembered the memory of every single word and gesture vividly from him.

His voice had boomed with rage. "You will stay in Ibuland until you realize your mistakes! From now on, you are not allowed in Kahilwayan."

With a swing of his arm, he caused lightning to come crashing down from above and shredded the mountain. Nothing remained in the skies above, except an endless patch of darkness.

I was falling, seemingly into an abyss of the void.

Anger consumed me, and the ire in my voice resounded in my ears like circling thunder.

"I will never forget that you have forsaken me! We have a long lifespan, and I will see to it that I will be the one who will be sitting in that jade seat!"

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Likha: I told him, "You are one of the strongest and more admirable if you will only learn to accept who you are. When you appreciate yourself first, all things will fall into their place, then all you will see is beauty even in the smallest thing."