[ Prologue ]

Full of lust and envy, brims with wrath and greed.Devour thy pride as it clashes with sloth.This is a realm where all of existence's misdeeds circulate and drift endlessly.Where the flow of time differs and is detached from reality."Because of YOU!!!! It's ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! [EsRrpEcTrrrORRR]!!!" a dark existence roared.As this dark existence drowns in a void-like hole below the ground in red, a silhouette of another existence in gray can be seen looking down from above, full of malice and regret.The figure of this gray existence then turned its back when tears flowed down its ghastly cheeks."If only..." it muttered briefly before vanishing into thin air.The voice then creaks out from the void-like hole, "I'LL RETURN ONE DAY AND YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PROTECT EVERYONE!!!" before slowly closing as to seal this dark existence.• • •In the vast expanse of space where millions of stars are scattered, there is a unique world to behold found in the Milky Way Galaxy.This world is known as Earth.Despite the fact that this planet has gone through countless conflicts driven by a certain race, humans, technological development continues to prosper as peace has finally been achieved.In this world, there is a country called the nation of the Philippines, which is made up of a total of 7,641 islands.These seemingly endless beaches, majestic volcanic landscapes, and magnificent underwater places are just waiting to be discovered by humans."Isn't it interesting?" White brought this up to his fellow students, who were just minding their own business on the sidelines "The history of our country, I mean." he added while staring at Blaster, who was hogging the electric fan in front of him.The Philippines is also rich in terms of history, folk tales, urban legends, and mythology that are passed down to each generation from their ancestors in different parts of the country.This is exactly the sort of book that White Alyan is now reading while on their lunch break, labeled [ History of the Philippines, I guess? ] that was written by an anonymous writer."What's interesting about it?" said his classmate, who was behind him and had just finished reading manga. "Is not all of it a thing of the past? It's practically unnecessary to read and study those topics nowadays." then closed and tucked the manga beneath the table.White's eyes drifted to his right, where he noticed his classmate nodding all while continuing to munch his meal.Realizing that no one agreed with his views on this topic, White sighs in defeat.Noticing this, Blaster abruptly asked "By the way White," clearly trying to change the topic so that White won't go full silent mode "What rank are you at right now?""Probably within the diamond tier. " White reluctantly answered. Clearly not in the mood "Why suddenly ask?"Blaster just shook his head and sighed "Nothing, just curious."Glancing at the window where some women from the other class peeked in, Blaster murmured, "If I had an ability like yours, especially in gaming, perhaps those people would idolize me as well." He spoke bluntly, making sure that the shut-down White couldn't ignore his words.White's gaze drifted to the windows on the corridor, accidentally meeting the eyes of one of the female students who was staring at him like a delicious ice cream of some sort."He looked at me~ UYY! Our eyes locked with each other! Kyaa~~~" simultaneously squealed like a cat that has been fed its favorite meal."Sana all," Blaster said sarcastically."What happened to the team that scouted you?" one of his classmates inquired. Another classmate of his responded in place of White, saying, "If my guess is correct, you turned them down yet again, didn't you?" as if it were just a normal thing for a pro-team to scout him."Y'all know that I don't have time for that." White replied, flipping the book page as he continued his sentence "I still have grades to maintain.""Yeah, yeah, as well as the responsibility you have as captain of our basketball team, yes, yes." the classmate added as if he were reading White's standard reply script towards their questions.White's wispy, beaming blue-colored wolf-cut hair swayed softly with the wind, waving the highlighted silver-colored tip of his hair as he hung his head behind his chair.His enchanting but mysteriously sharp deep-blue eyes captured the nonchalant expression of his classmate, blabbering about him being Captain and whatnot.Sensing his scary-like expression, White's classmate immediately retreated and said, "On the flip side, I still have stuff from the cafeteria that I forgot to buy," and blitzed out of the classroom.White grumbled, massaging his throbbing head due to a sudden headache, and just a few seconds later, a loud crash was heard coming from a door."Could you kindly quit pestering my brother about such things?" The girl stated as she walks imposingly towards their direction "You've always pestered and bothered him about these sorts of things!"After the commotion that the girl created, White's male classmates hastily stood up."Oh sh*t." They immediately recognized the voice and immediately looked for an emergency exit."The villainous woman has arrived! We need to get away from here before she beats us up!"After seeing a path towards the door of salvation, they waste no time glancing at the said girl and just sprint toward that heavenly path as they laugh like an evicted prisoner.The said girl is Zia Alyan, White Alyan's younger sister."Villainous, you say? Come here, and you will see the villainous woman you claim me to be!" Zia threatened.She was about to pick up a broom when she noticed that Blaster and his gang had already reached the other door. "Hey, don't run away from me!" she angrily shouted, clearly irritated by the fact that she wasn't able to at least bonk their heads.She sighed as her glossy, alluring hair swayed with her purple ribbon at the back of her head while walking towards the location of her brother's seat.With the sunlight that beamed from the window, her silky silver-hued top hair shone as the blue hue sparkled alongside it.White adjusted his seat as he bookmarked the page of the book where he stopped reading."What are you doing here?" He asked.White already knew her objective for coming inside their classroom but it was standard for him to ask first just to make sure "Isn't your classroom located on the opposite side of the building?""I'm just checking on you; is that forbidden?" she said while frowning, clearly still irritated from an earlier failed attempt towards Blaster and the gang.Zia opened her mini bag and took out a book "Have you forgotten that you had me deliver this one as well?"[ Ancient Myths, Legends, and Folklores of the Philippines I guess? ]This is the title of the book that Zia handed to him."Ah, yeah.. I almost forgot about that one. My bad.""Why am I the one you always ask to bring these books anyways? You have your own bag!"Zia then glanced at the corridor and gave those "students" a glare."You already know that my bag is regularly packed right?"White gently grabbed his waving hair, sweat dripping on his neck as he slowly tied it up.Zia would like to say, 'Full my ass. We both know that your bag only contains your damn PSP and MP3 player!' but she stopped herself from doing so.She sighed heavily in defeat.After raising her left arm and checking the time, Zia then turned her back against White and said, "Anyways, fetch me the ice cream when you come home, alright? I am heading back to my classroom now.""The usual?""The usual.""Alright, take care."Before Zia reaches the classroom door, White adds this."And please, don't chase them anymore; you scared them enough already."Zia clicked her tongue in response.• • •'Wha-...What's this?'He asked himself while gazing upon this strange and bizarre sight in front of him.A kind of place and landscape that seems to be all made of ice.With just a glance at the scene itself, it indicates that anyone would certainly be able to feel the chilly temperatures of the region, which is accentuated by the fact that you can plainly see the gusts of the cold air.It displays hopelessness for any living being to tolerate or inhabit this environment.Like a place that has been cursed by God so that no creature could live and survive here.White was unaware of the sudden grasping of an incomprehensible 'force' into him, and he is now 'assimilated' to the body of the man sitting on the top of the iceberg.As a result, the man's point of view and emotions can be clearly observed and felt by him.[Inside the mysterious man's perspective]'Why did this all start...'The cold breeze whistled lightly against him while he perched atop the iceberg, and distant memories of a seemingly inaccessible past overflowed his mind.Painful and difficult-to-forget recollections are quickly flooding his head.The man holds his head, seemingly hurt."Kgghk..."He then swore from the bottom of his heart, "Just wait for me there, and also you damn bastard gods above!" about his creed that would one day shake up the foundation of "hierarchy.".Suddenly, a 'Translucent Panel' emerged on the man's view that says•[Attention! [EwrHRiToER],Get ready to leave this floor.]•Many questions plagued his mind that, until now, have had no answers.'Until I grab and raze those Deities' necks to the ground, I'll play along nicely in this game they laid upon in front of me.'White was struck with unexplained emotion as he witnessed a scene playing directly in front of him.It was something and a feeling that he would not even imagine he would feel and experience in his entire life.While White was still attempting to make sense of what had happened, a pitch-black smoke in the shape of a finger suddenly grabbed him and pulled him down into the darkness where that smoke came from.• • •The magnificent daylight came tenderly to its wake.The sound of roosters crowing and the sweet chirping of birds can be heard by people, even if they come from far away.The uplifting rhymes and hymns of these animals greet these waking humans.In a home, you will observe a young man who suddenly jumps out of bed.He hit the corner of the bunker bed where he was lying and rubbed his forehead like he was worried or wanted to worry about something."What was that dream?" White profusely wondered."I feel like that's important, but I can't remember a single part of the dream. Ouch." He tried to recollect the dream, even just fragments of it, but it only resulted in him getting headaches.The young man rubbed his forehead because of the pain from the bump.Due to the noise and movement of the bed being knocked over, his sister, who was lying on top of the bunker bed, roused.Zia got cranky at the abrupt awakening and yelled, "Uggghhnn... What's your problem? It's still early in the morning, goddamn."White immediately apologized and explained, "I had a nightmare. Now I want to recall it, but for some reason, I can't.""Arrghh..Tsk." She grunted. "You talk too much!"White got confused and squinted his eyes, clearly worried that his sister needed some medical help, but then, after his gaze shifted to the calendar on the wall, he now understood why."Haaahh..."Hearing this, his sister popped her head to glare at him and started rapping."Haahhh? What if you go buy me some pandesal outside and make me some coffee? That way, you'll be able to stop being an irritable human!"While Zia was irate while trying to order him, he cautiously walked out of his bed."Hurry up before I break your head off for waking me up!"White caught a glimpse of Zia wrapping herself in a blanket and stifled a laugh. 'What a child'"Sure sure. I'll wake you up again when your breakfast is ready, mah..lady~ " remarked White, who was exiting the room promptly.He took a deep breath after yawning as he grabbed the money that was sitting on top of the TV."Oh, Nak, you surprisingly woke up early this time. What happened?" His mother immediately greeted him when she saw him walking out the door while she was still watering the plant."Goodmorning, Ma.." White greeted with a mano po."I woke up earlier today because of a nightmare.""Is that so? Oh, maybe it's because you went to bed late? " his mother jokingly said. "Kaka selpon mo yan." she added while chuckling."Ma naman eh.""Just kidding, hihi~" they both laugh wholeheartedly as the morning light gently shines with their bright smiles."By the way, where are you going this early in the morning?""I'm just going to buy pandesal and coffee at the store." White answered, he suddenly remembered his sister's grumpy expression "And then," he immediately added "Aya's month started."His mother laughed softly when she heard this word."Alright, I understand.Don't worry, I'll buy that one later too." His mother understood his concern and before White's departure, she handed him extra money."Also use this to buy an extra coffee since your father is on his way home.""Alright Ma, I'll be right back." White replied with a smile after the money was handed to him.• • •While waiting for his purchases to be handed over, White noticed a news report being aired on television in front of the store where he was making purchases.[ The famous 'Mystic Fortune Teller' announced an alarming prediction this year! Is this unbelievable prediction to be believed? Or should we just pass it off as speculation? ]The salesman was annoyed when he heard what was announced on television. "Famous fortune teller? Saying that the world will collapse at the end of the year? What kind of nonsense is that?"'Yeah.. I don't think that will happen anytime soon anyways'The salesman handed White what he was purchasing and said, "Salamat! Balik ka ulit!" as he started walking away from the store.The road was full of busy tricycles and jeepneys as he walked home.He felt anxious and uncomfortable in the middle of his stroll, caused by the news he had seen earlier on television.'I know for myself that it's impossible for that to happen, but... Why am I fretting over that news? 'He had no answer to that question, so White dismissed those thoughts and headed directly to their house.