A House is Not a Home

The shield around the hut is being disturbed. It was not exactly unyielding, but it reacted to the visitor a bit stiffly.

It knows it should let the shimmering form standing outside the hut in, but for some reason, the way the visitor plays with the edges of the shield is irritating, to say the least.

"Let Him in, Salaknib," said Apo and the shield grudgingly parted to allow passage.

"Well met, Apo," said the newcomer.

Apo bowed his head in response and gestured to a chair that suddenly appeared from thin air.

The visitor sat down and looked at Apo directly. There was neither rebuke nor animosity in that gaze but Apo felt its weight, nonetheless.

"Call the Guide and the Cat, please."

Without any delay, Apo called Rai and Xien back.

The cat found herself licking one of her paws when she suddenly became aware that she was being watched. She jumped high in the air in surprise when she saw that she was back in the hut and that 3 pairs of eyes were looking at her.

"Why, old man?" Rai looked irritated at being unceremoniously called back.

"Perhaps our visitor can explain more clearly than I can," Apo gestured at the figure sitting before them.

Their eyes bulged in surprise upon recognition.

The visitor put up his hand to calm them.

"You have made a grave error," he said.

"I don't understand…" Rai looked at the floor.

"You gave them the legendary weapons without taking the usual precautions."

"...but the incident with the Igaaws prompted our action. It was not out of frivolity or irresponsibility."

"I do not question your intent. I look at results and I would have overlooked it had it not started a chain of events that could quite possibly alter the world as we know it."

Rai was near tears.

"We only did it because I knew they were no match for the Igaaws. They have not met the requirements for the weapons yet, but they will eventually wield them. I just made it happen sooner."

The visitor looked at Rai with sad but compassionate eyes.

"It was your family, I know. But you should have found other ways. You should have prevented that event, no matter what. Let the Igaaws roam free. Our questers would have avoided the meeting if the weapons did not embolden them."

"You do not know them, your Honor. They would have plunged into hell even without the weapons if they knew they were going to prevent a tragedy."

"Now, they are going to cause a tragedy."

"You don't know that yet," Apo interrupted.

"Like we do not know if the sun will rise tomorrow. I did not come here to argue. I came here to warn you. The Igaaws' actions were indeed the catalyst here, but Juan Bernardo and the rest are now set in a path we have not foreseen. All because they got the wrong key."

"They did not! The Kampilan was a perfect copy of the old key."

Rai's eyes were full of misplaced hope but her instincts are telling her that the visitor was right.

"You and I know it is not perfect. Not anymore. The old Kampilan did not have the Bakunawa inside it."

"What happens now?"

Rai was secretly dreading the answer.

"I will give you a new set of instructions. Let us make haste. The world could change any minute."

And with that, the mysterious beings inside the mystical hut talked about what to be done.

Meanwhile, John was conferring with the group. They barely had time to rest and most of them looked surly. Only Vince had that smug, satisfied look on his face as he sported his new weapon on his side.

He touched the pommel from time to time as if to ascertain that it's there.

"Stop admiring your weapon, you moron," Ash glared at him.

"I noticed something weird," began John.

"Mirror?"

Ash looked innocently up at the ceiling when John glared at her.

"Anyway, if you look at your game menus, you might notice the mission list."

All of them brought out their menus.

"There is only one," Ora noticed.

"Yes, and there is nothing after that."

John waited if any of them reacted.

Silence.

"Not even mini-quests? I don't like the feeling I get. Like it's the end of the world or something…"

John did not take his eyes away from his game screen.

The others sensed his dread.

"Let's go back to the real world, John," Ora muttered.

"Alright, let's find us a savepoint. I think the exit game option can only work from there."

Tarayon met them near an old barn.

"We would like you to save our progress," John requested.

The small man nodded wordlessly.

After the save dialog box closed, John looked sharply at Tarayon.

"The 'exit game option' is greyed out! Why?"

"This world changed a while ago. It is no longer the same one you entered."

"What does that even mean?"

"I only speak the words. The meaning is entirely up to you. If you must ask me what I make of it, it means you can no longer go back in the same manner that you expected."

"Will you please explain to us what is going on?"

"That, I cannot do."

John clenched his jaw but said nothing.

"Rai…"

Nothing happened.

"Rai. RAI!"

Still nothing.

"Mr. Tarayon, we would like to go back to our world, please," Ice begged the small man.

"I know. So your leader informed me. Still, there is nothing I can do. We are just chroniclers of events. I will answer any question that I could but I will not put words in your mouth."

"This is awfully similar to Rai's attitude," Ora observed.

John sighed and faced the Aeta Walker.

"I understand. It has to be us discovering and not you informing. Can we still go back to our world?"

"No, you don't understand. Partly, yes… but you are asking me the wrong question."

"Why is that the wrong question?"

"Because you are IN your world."

That staggered them all.

"Isn't this the game? We ARE playing a game, aren't we?"

It was Vince this time.

"We never called this a game but if that's what it is to you, then suit yourself"

"Tarayon, we are confused. I distinctly remember playing a game. That is why we are here. Our body is attached to a virtual console. Only our mind is here," Grace patiently explained.

"Am I part of a game? I don't know. I know I am real." Tarayon answered.

"We are wasting time here," Vince said in disgust.

"Tarayon, if this is not the game and we are, as you said in our world, are these our real bodies then?" John touched Tarayon's shoulders.

"No, your bodies are in the protected pocket near the Gate of the Universe."

"Was there a game called 'Cradle of the Valiant?"

"There is."

"Are we not playing it?"

"You are not playing it."

"Then where are we?!"

"You are in your world."

"John, let me…" Ora tapped John's arm lightly. He nodded and stepped back to give Ora some space.

"Tarayon, what are you?" Ora said, looking at Tarayon's eyes intently.

"I am a High Guardian of the Walkers."

"What are the Walkers?"

"They, We, chronicle history. True history."

"Can you help us?"

"Only to answer your questions, if I know the answer."

"This, right here, is OUR world?"

"Yes."

"What do you call the one we came from, then?"

"The Broken World."

"It's different from this one?"

"Yes."

"Can we still go to it?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I don't know."

"Is there anyone who knows?"

"Yes."

"Who is he or she?"

"He is called the Coder."

"Can you take us to him?"

"I can show you the way."

The High Guardian of the Walkers extended his arm in a direction towards the distant mountains.