Chapter 1The Debris of Empire
Anilao surveyed the wreckage with a practiced eye. The splintered hull of the galleon, once a proud symbol of the Spanish Empire, lay half-buried in the white sand of the cove. The storm, a sudden fury that had ripped through the Visayan Sea a day ago, had claimed its prize. Anilao, a young man with skin the color of sun-baked earth and eyes like polished obsidian, saw not just destruction, but opportunity.Iloilo, his home city, nestled on the forgotten coast of the Philippines, had long been on the fringes of the Spanish colonial domain. Manila, the grand capital to the north, received all the riches and glory, leaving Iloilo to languish in its shadow. But Anilao, raised by the sea and mentored by weathered fishermen, knew the true wealth that lay hidden in these forgotten shores.He wasn't interested in gold or jewels, though those might be found amongst the wreckage. No, Anilao craved something far more valuable - knowledge. The Spanish galleons, though harbingers of foreign rule, also carried whispers of the wider world. Books, maps, tools - these were the treasures Anilao sought.With a practiced ease, he navigated the treacherous rocks guarding the cove, the receding tide revealing more of the broken ship. He wasn't alone. Vultures circled overhead, their harsh cries a counterpoint to the rhythmic crash of the waves. But Anilao wasn' t afraid. The sea was his domain, and these scavengers of the sky posed no threat.Reaching the exposed hull, Anilao spotted a glint of metal amidst the splintered wood. It was a chest, battered but seemingly intact, wedged beneath a fallen mast. With a surge of adrenaline, he clambered onto the wreck and wrestled the chest free. The lock had been wrenched from its moorings by the storm, and with a satisfying click, it yielded to his touch.Inside, nestled amongst damp clothing and broken trinkets, lay a collection of leather-bound books. Their pages were yellowed and some were water-damaged, but the faded script was still discernible. Anilao's heart pounded. Spanish, of course, but there were also symbols and diagrams he didn't recognize. These were not just the journals of a common sailor, but the work of a scholar, perhaps even a cartographer.He tucked the books securely beneath his worn shirt and made his way back to the shore. The storm had passed, leaving behind a sky ablaze with stars. Anilao looked up, a new ambition igniting within him. These books, these scraps of knowledge, were the seeds of something grander. He wouldn't just salvage from the wreckage; he would build something new on these forgotten shores. A kingdom, perhaps, a beacon of knowledge and prosperity - Anilao, King of the Forgotten Coast.
