Ch.2: The Maharlika Awakens

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—Ron's POV—

So this is Oblivion, as expected, dark, empty, and void of all things but nothingness.

Interesting...

What can you do when the Gate to Heaven is closed and Hell itself is destroyed; the soul would have nowhere to go and forever wander aimlessly without end. Any entity would go crazy and delusional after being trapped here for too long. except for me, of course. I wonder how long until my mind breaks through. Millions? Billions? Trillions of years? Maybe much longer. My brain is different compared to normal humans or any mortal creatures.

Hmm...

Well, This is kinda boring. But what's done is done. No point in regretting it now. I'll just have to wait until madness takes me. Yes, wait here on this soft ground and enjoy the calm breeze of the wind.

Tweet, tweet~!

Huh, that was kinda quick. My sanity has already left me. I'm starting to hear birds and smell nature. My mind must have been broken before I got here. Is that considered fortunate or unfortunate?

sigh~

I thought my mind was tougher and would last longer. After experiencing so much conflict and trauma, my mental defenses should've gotten stronger. What can you expect after nonstop fighting, always in battle without rest. Okay, maybe not always. I do get a one year vacation once every century.

I sigh again. The smell of trees and grass, the sound trees creaking and branches swaying, and the wind blowing gently makes me a bit homesick now. Then I felt something landing on my forehead and couldn't help but flick it away.

Wait just a minute...

I instantly opened my eyes and was greeted with a bright light that caused me to close my eyes again. I blinked a few times, adjusting my eyesight, and when I finally recovered I was shocked to find myself under a beautiful blue sky and surrounded by green healthy nature. I couldn't help but gape a little, not expecting such a sight.

I've definitely gotten crazy. I'm hallucinating right now.

I stood up and walked towards the nearest tree, the leaves crunching under my feet each step I took. When I reached the tree, I placed a hand on its trunk, feeling the roughness of its bark.

It feels so real.

Then I noticed that I was wearing different clothing. On me were a comfortable white long sleeve formal undershirt, a beautiful gold silk Barong Tagalog, a gray barong formal pants, and shiny black formal shoes.

Weird.

I then heard the rustling sound of a bush and quickly turned around to see what it was. What came out of the bush surprised me again. It was a rabbit. But not an ordinary rabbit. It was larger, about five times larger than normal, and had a single long horn on its head.

An Al-Mi'raj?

The one horned rabbit hopped away from the bush and sniffed around, not noticing me looking at it. When it did, I stopped and stared at me for a few moments of fear before hopping away. I stood there dumbfounded, not knowing how to react and just watched the one horned rabbit disappear into the woods.

Huh.

I then heard a heavy thump behind me so I turned around, expecting another horned rabbit to appear but instead of it, I saw a large wooden chest.

Okay. Whoever pirate left this is an absolute idiot.

I went over to the chest and inspected it. It was large with gold trimmings and intricate floral pattern designs. On the top of the chest was an emblem of a golden sun with eight pillars of light inside a dark square with four gold stars on each of its four corners.

Mnm. Very similar to my own emblem; a golden sun within a golden laurel wreath, surrounded by two-hundred golden stars. Each star represents a Praetor.

I knelt down in front of the large chest and when I touched it, the emblem glowed for an Instant before dying. Then I heard a lock unlocking and the chest flung open, revealing its contents. What was inside shocked me. In it were my sword, Bow, Shield, and a large filled sack.

I questioned myself how my three weapons got here as I remembered to have hidden them away behind my secret vault that only Alex and Morgana knows. But then I got curious what was inside the sack and opened it. in it were a few dozen books, a couple of thousand different seeds, four picture frames with photos, and a single letter.

Interesting.

I grabbed the letter first and began to read it, "Have fun and good luck. This is real, you're not delusional. - Anonymous" it said. I stared at it for a moment before shrugging and placing it back in the sack. I then grabbed the four photos and smiled. The first photo was just me standing tall and still, wearing my imperial military officer formal wear with a stoic look. The second photo was me smiling with Alex and Morgana, my two adopted daughters. The third photo was me with the other Praetors standing in rows on a flight of stairs and facing the camera with serious looks on our faces. The last photo was of me as a young child standing beside my father, and we were behind my mother sitting on a chair with my toddler brother on her lap.

I couldn't help but smile warmly at the photos. I gently placed them back in the sack and ignored the books and seeds. I will examine them later. For now I should inspect my weapons on the chest.

I inspected the sword first, a traditional filipino weapon known as a 'Kampilan'. A sword with a thick intricately carved wooden handle that has a very detailed head of an eagle as a pummel. Attached to the head of the eagle like a pony tail are three red strings braided into one thread with black polished round beads and a single large golden feather at the end. What makes the Kampilan special is that the blade is forged from Seraphim Steel, a divine metal that came from Heaven, and the handle is carved from the wood of the Tree of knowledge. The thread of three braided red strings and black polished onyx beads are both magical in nature and offer a multitude of protection. And the large golden feather is from an archangel that greatly increases the divine and magical properties of the sword.

I chuckled, remembering how I "accidentally" plucked the feather from Me'Kael's wings while he wasn't looking.

Next, I inspected the Cherub Bow, a long ranged weapon crafted from wood of the Tree of Knowledge with a golden bowstring made from the hair of a Cherubim. A divine magical bow that creates unlimited arrows made of Aether that can instantly kill anything other than Primevals and Ethereals.

And finally, I inspected the shield, a traditional filipino 'Kalasag' or Bontoc Shield. A shield crafted from the wood of the Tree of Life with intricate and detailed floral design and on the very center of it is my emblem. A shield that increases the wielder's vitality and becomes invulnerable to physical and magical damage.

Heh. Good thing I enchanted these weapons to respond only to me and those who I permitted to wield it. Don't want a psychopath running around with these things. That would be disastrous. But why are they here?

I just shook my head and placed the weapons back in the chest before closing it. I then lifted the chest and carried it in the arms.

Where should I build my new residence?

I closed my eyes and listened carefully to my surroundings. From a far distance, I hear a stream of a river flowing rapidly. A water source.

There. I'll build my home near the river.

I turned east, to the direction of the river, and marched. A couple of hours later, I reached an open field of grass and small hills with a wide river at the center, and surrounding them all were large mountains and snow. Snowy Mountains.

Beautiful.

I muttered, mesmerized by the scenery before me. It was a place worthy to be called a paradise and my new home.

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50 years later, I let out a long sigh of relief as I relaxed on the front porch of my house that I built close to a large grove that was near the wide river. My house is a very large two story luxurious cabin made of wood and stone with glass windows. Beside my house is a large barn and a beautiful garden.

Kali: Woof!

I chuckled as I patted the head of my canine companion. A large female black wolf with blue eyes. I found her twelve years ago as a small pup in a cave alone and no other wolves around. So I took her in and raised her.

Ron: [smiles] want to eat adobo tonight?

I asked Kali and she let out a small excited howl of approval. So adorable.

Ron: I hope this peace will never end... Did I just jinx myself?

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—3rd POV—

At the snowy mountains, a large female figure ran through the heavy snow, trying to escape whatever was chasing her.

???: [exhausted] persistent bastard!

The female figure grunted between her heavy panting, exhausted from running for so long and so far from home.

"RRROOOAAARRR!!"

The beast roared loudly as it continued chasing after the female figure through the heavy snow. Its roar echoed through the mountains and towards the home of Ron.

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Ron looked outside through his window and stared at the snowy mountains at the far distance after hearing a loud roar. He looked down at his empty plate and shook his head.

Ron: [sighs] definitely jinxed myself.

*Flap! Flap! Flap!*

He looked through the window again and saw a large bird, specifically a Philippine Eagle, flying towards the mountains.

Ron: mnm. Looks like we're heading to the mountains tomorrow.

Ron said, and Kali simply tilted her head before barking in agreement. The two of them will leave for the mountains to investigate the roar.

End of Chapter.

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•Character Info

Name: [REDACTED], Ron

Height: 8'2"

Weight: 675+ lbs

Age: [REDACTED]

Skin Color: Light brown

Hair Color: Black with White highlights

Eye Color: Purple

Bio: Terran Born. E-9 Specialist Praetor-005, third generation super soldier of the Terran Imperium. Commonly referred to as either "Five", or simply "Ron". Specialize in Heavy Assault and Support. Member of Delta Team.

Name: Kali Ulfhild En'Carnacion

Height: 3'5"

Length: 10'

Weight: 375+ lbs

Age: 12

Fur Color: Black

Eye Color: Blue

Bio: Adopted by Ron after finding her alone and abandoned in a cave. Intelligent and protective.