Intermission

Tala was bored. For a while now, the book she was holding was not getting her attention. She hasn't even gotten past the first page.

It has already been two months since Mayari's collecting team left, but Kisig and his friends had already returned more than a month ago, while the Mayari and the two children with him were still on their travels.

Of course it wasn't Mayari she missed but Ling and Maga. Being with those two children for days previously made her remember how tedious it was when she was just interacting with the troupe members.

Just last night, she had advised Inggi that her actions onstage was being affected by the 'mist' around them, then she immediately cried and rushed out. That was during practice, which meant they had to stop their practice until the others pacified the child.

When the others left, Tala didn't bother with them and just signaled the stage hands to start again so she could practice her solo. Having the others forgo practice didn't mean she had to too. That was what made her better than the rest.

The other members returned eventually, but the acting was still subpar, hence, it was Tala herself who asked them to take a rest and have their dinner. She knew thar letting them work right then would not amount to anything.

At least when Ling and Maga were there, she could practice with a better partner in Ling. After she had observed the child for days, she realized that he was probably even better than hers in sustaining his own emotions while inside an intense 'haze'. Maybe she should talk to Mayari about letting the two join the performance.

Sitting in her bed, Tala was suddenly distracted from her thoughts by the noises outside. She frowned as she put down the script she was holding. It hadn't manage to catch her attention anyway so she'd tell Mayari that it was boring.

It was still afternoon. The crew just had their lunch and practice would resume later, therefore, there shouldn't be any issues at this time to cause too much noise. Were the children fighting again?

Tying her still wet hair in a bun, Tala got off her bed and walked to open her door. There might be people she could ask to tell those causing trouble to shut up since she's busy reading a script.

When she opened the door, a figure suddenly rushed past. Despite her slight surprise, Tala managed to reach out a hand and catch a hold of his arm before the teenager could run way.

The young man inhaled a sharp breath from being pulled so suddenly, but he became compliant when he saw it was Tala. Blushing slightly after his arm was set free, he apologized first. "Sorry, Tala. I didn't know you were in and we were being noisy. I'll just walk now."

"Never mind that." Tala shook her head as she noticed that the teenager was skipping in place, obviously still wanting to rush past. "I want to know what's causing the commotion."

"Oh!" A briliant light came over the young man's face. "They already returned! I hears that Mayari was already reaching our camp!"

Tala didn't know why, but children had always felt comfortable around Mayari. This reaction was never a surprise to her, so she just sighed and asked the young man to lead the way.

Outside, children were jumping around Mayari, clamoring for presents and stories, while the adults were joining in their voices, complaining about the problems in the troupe for the past month the owner had been away.

"Uncle Mayari, where did you go this time?"

"Where are our presents? You've been gone so long!"

"You have another gash on your arm! Was that from another crazy beast?!"

"Mayari, we had a problem with the stage but we managed to fix it in the mean time."

"Good that you're here with more stones. The ones the kids brought back were almost gone."

Among the crowd, there were two figures left out at the back, and Tala was surprised to see that the dragon's head could be seen above even the adults. This child had grown so much!

Ignoring the others, Tala stepped forward and walked past the crowd until she reached those two. However, before she could speak, she felt that there was something different with these two.

It was not just that the dragon was taller or that the boy had darker complexion and longer hair. The atmosphere around them was more strained until a smile finally showed on their faces when they finally notice Tala.

"Sister Tala!"

The smiles Tala received was as bright as ever. Looking closely, she realized that the boy also looked taller. Or maybe it was only his posture that got firmer.

Tala smiled. "Let's take walk away from this noisy crowd and tell me what you've been doing." Then, she led them to a bench under a tree, near the barn where the animals were kept.

Having the dragon with them, they wouldn't be able to talk in the privacy of her room. Besides, most hands had already joined the commotion around Mayari, hence, they could talk freely here with only the animals hearing.

"So, where did you go?" Tala started and Ling proceeded to boast about their adventures with Maga adding its snorts and growls.

Their attitude was not much different from before, lively and childlike. However, Tala was slightly horrified by their stories. During her childhood, she had also experience staying at a 'haze' infested environment and these children went willingly to not just one.

Trying to hide her frown, Tala wanted to go to Mayari and wipe that big smile off his face. What was he doing with these children?!

Soon after that thought came, it disappeared quickly when she heard the child exclaim, "Uncle Mayari said we should be ready to sail through the Limaw sea now." The boy turned his bright eyes to the dragon beside him. "We could finally meet Maga's family!"

From this reaction, Tala was sure she wouldn't be able to stop them. That made her think of a good idea. With a laugh, she managed to stop Ling from continuing his story. "Okay. Since you will be leaving again, why don't we do something fun?"

In the face of the children's confusion, Tala just continued grinning. She didn't tell them her plan despited their repeated questioning.

Meanwhile, amidst the crowd, Mayari felt an eye on him. When his gaze wandered to the separated group, he saw a familiar gleam on Tala's face.

___

Three days later, there were many people crowded inside the Sikat troupe's tent after noon. Even the stands surrounding the stage was full, since all the seats were already occupied.

Behind the curtains, Ling and Maga took a peak at the audience. Few people were still whispering before the start of the performances. The first one was an intermission and not many gave their full attention to it.

When Ling finally let the cloth fall, he turned his stare to Maga. The dragon's eyes were mirrorring his, seeking for courage though both didn't know how to comfort the other.

This was a new challenge to them which might be more difficult than the past ones.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the whispers ceased. Then, the narrator's booming voice resounded, greeting the guests and introducing the troupe, before it became quiet again.

Amidst the serene stage, a single spotlight shone on a lone boy. He was sitting on a bed while a soft piano note accompanied his yawn, as he stretched out his arms, like he had just woken up.

Before he had even finished his morning rituals, the music changed to fast drumbeats and the lights became red. The bright crimson light spread outwards, encompassing the view of men and women running and tripping while men brandishing swords and spears were chasing after them. The boy was stuck in the middle, frozen.

Then, the sound of screams started. The shrieking of the violin soon joined the drum beats, adding to the intense atmosphere. That was when the boy also started to move. He was turning his head left and right as if he was looking for someone. However, he hadn't stepped far from his bed since he never knew where to go.

Several bandits had already slashed some of the running people. Their laughters also joined the chaotic sounds. Soon, a body fell. The ground was littered by unmoving corpses. Then, suddenly, a shout came out from the middle of the chaos.

"Son!"

A woman crawled out of the piled up bodies. However, before she could reach the boy, she was pulled back by a bandit. Her arm was wrenched back that she fell on the ground again.

Seeing this, the boy moved forward, faster than his earlier frantic actions. That was when another bandit stood in front of him. The bandit laughed amidst the crying of the woman. Even without language, the boy understood the threat, his expression becoming more scared.

The beats of the drums and shrieks of the violins rose until it was the only sound heard in the stadium. It was deafening. But the sudden boom from above was still heard.

There was a column of fire that brightened up the area. Contrary to the audience's expectations, the fire was real. They felt the heat and were suddenly afraid of it singeing their hairs.

The column of fire circled the edge of the stage. It was obviously coming from above, at the middle of the stage. However, it was only when the fire made a full circle that the source revealed itself.

Gasps resounded around the stage. It was a dragon. A real dragon, as big as a grown man, but its wingspan far surpassed a single man's volume.

The dragon roared which garnered another gasp from its audience. Some people were about to stand up, thinking of escaping their seats and the Sikat troupe's tent.

That was when the dragon dived down, down to where the bandits, the woman and the boy were shocked still. The bandits, to avoid getting burned or crushed by the incoming dragon, spread out, one of them still pulling the woman by her arm.

Meanwhile, the boy had his arms up. As the dragon dove near, he grabbed onto the dragon's claws, then both of them rose up high, followed by the loud scream of a mother.

"No! My son!"

The bandit holding onto the woman did not lose his hold on her though. However, before these bandits could smile in relief, a column of fire burst out again with a booming sound.

When the dragon appeared this time, the boy was riding on its back, hurtling a 'mist' ball towards the man who had captured his mother. Surprised, the man let go but he never stepped too far out. The dragon and the boy were in the air while the woman was still near them. That meant they still have this hostage.

On the stage below, the bandits raised their spears while some took out their arrows, ready to attack when the dragon dived again. Another column of fire was let out, the roar adding to the ongoing fast drum beats, before the dragon swept down again.

Spears and arrows flew towards the flying creature. The audience were almost out of their seats, this time to try to get closer to the action on stage. When the weapons were only a meter away from the dragon, it flappes its wings and the wind it produced threw off these attacks.

The bandits then gathered their 'mists' and used these to attack. However, the boy on the dragon's back was standing, spreading out his hands to control a 'mist' barrier, making the 'mists' attacks from the bandits ineffective.

This time, when the dragon got near, it blew a column of fire below, circling it around the woman and only missing the men since they managed to get away. However, a hoarse scream was heard from the rising fire. The bandit near the woman moved to catch her again, but the fire caught him.

Ignoring the agonized screams of the man, the woman raised up her arms while crying, calling to her son. When the diving dragon was about to hit face first against the woman, it rose up again, missing the hit by a few inches. On its tail, the boy was holding on with one hand and he used his other hand to grab his mother at her waist.

Finally, the mother and son were riding the dragon. It flew up higher again, releasing another column of fire before disappearing with the light.

The drum beats stopped with that last roar. The violins gradually faded. Then, a piano note resounded again before the lights dimmed.

There was a second pause before the audience burst into applause. The performance was only the usual five-minute intermission but it was as amazing as the main performance. Previously, the intermissions were a solo singer or a group of dancers, however, this one was a great surprise.

Afterwards, the talk around the stage was not in whispers anymore. They had a lot to tell even when they finally exit the Sikat troupe's tent later.