Vampires, Fairies, Sirens. These are just a few creatures that should exist only in fiction. In storybooks, children read and fantasize about seeing these magnificent creatures one day. In stories that parents tell their children so that they won't wander too far from the house or make them behave. Unfortunately, that is not the case; These supposedly mythological creatures roam the earth, now referred to as "Mythics". They have been part of our history and lives, neither a mere figment of someone's hallucinations nor a tale passed down from generation to generation.
Just like most living beings, these creatures require sustenance. Most mythics meet their needs without endangering humans and can be left alone. Some are pretty mischievous and play pranks on humans who make the mistake of wandering into their territories. But some mythics are greedy, a slave to their cravings. Eating more than they should, lusting towards humans, or tormenting them with their excessive "pranks". Such creatures are too dangerous and pose a threat to the world.
Fortunately, the sacred trees which gave birth to everything magical, extend their fruits to chosen individuals, granting them the ability to draw power from its sap.These gifted individuals are capable of turning themselves into creatures of myths. Such people are given the title "Branchers" for they are said to be an extension of the sacred trees.
(In the principal's office of Francisco Javier University somewhere in Cavite)
Behind a paper-filled desk, a woman sits with her hands on top of her crossed legs, waiting for someone. Her black hair is barely illuminated by the sun just before it sets, and her eyes are fierce as if she can see through anyone with just one look. And it's directed towards a young man who just entered her office. He keeps his head down even while walking towards the woman's desk, trying to peek at her expression through his long hair.
"Have a seat, Mr. Flores." Principal Amaya said, looking eerily calm.
Daniel Flores sat on the chair across her desk, "W-wazzup madame principal! You're looking young and pretty as always! I brought some garlic fried rice from that famous Chinese restaurant, please have it." A desperate attempt to get on her good side.
She stared into Daniel's eyes, "I hate garlic. And I didn't call you here to eat. I called you because I have questions about your report. Regarding missing details."
Daniel Flinched "Hmm? I have no idea what you mean, ma'am." His head's filled with fear, "AHHHHH!!! Principal Amaya is so scary!!! She's even scarier than the Aswangs I fought! And what's with her red eyes?! Is she a vampire?! She must be some sort of vampire! Yes, yes, that's the only explanation she can be so scary!"
"Mr. Flores, after working for me for 18 months, I assumed you would know better than to omit details on your report." She threw his written report on the desk.
Nervous, his body got stiff "H-how did you know?"
Principal Amaya leaned forward, "I have eyes everywhere, Mr. Flores. Now go on, try lying again. Let's hear what pathetic excuse will come out of that mouth."
"I'm very sorry Ma'am! I promise it won't happen again!" He pleaded. "But it worked out fine in the end, right? There were no witnesses, and the Tikbalang is dead now." He replied, trying to defend himself.
"You were supposed to take it's golden hair! Or at least injure it! We need information more than anything right now!" Principal Amaya shoots a cold glare.
Not having anything to defend himself with, he replied, "Well... It was super fast, and it was trying to eat me soooo..."
"Because you were messing around! You could've transformed into something else, instead, you chose a tikbalang!" Principal Amaya sighed "At least no one got hurt. Next time, I expect better results. And Mr. Flores, I assume you wouldn't need me to tell you what will happen the next time you submit an incomplete report, would you?."
He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the scary part was finally over.
"Yes ma'am, I understand! But if I may ask, why are all the missions suddenly capture assignments? And why is every mythic stronger than usual?" He asked reluctantly, "I... I think you're hiding something, ma'am!" He clenched his fist in nervousness.
All he got was a slight dismissive look from Principal Amaya and a short answer, "This doesn't concern students like you."
"But ma'am! I think I deserve to know." He pleaded, "There's something different! I can feel it! All the mythic I fought these past months are stronger, and my transformations are stronger too!"
"It's better if you don't know too much."
"But I-"
"Don't make me repeat myself, Mr. Flores." Her crimson-red eyes seemed to glow the moment she spoke.
"Understood, ma'am." All it took was one glare to make Daniel drop the topic. "Uhmm... One more thing... What about my allowance? I'm kinda broke... and I'm starving..." He muttered.
Principal Amaya glared again "Did you say something?!"
"Nope, didn't say anything. Must've been the wind or something. Definitely not hungry." He left the principal's office in a hurry.
On top of being hungry, his walk back to the campus dorm was pure torture. The students he walked past were carrying food from McDonald's, Jollibee, and worst of all, some students were carrying plastic bags with tokneneng and dynamite inside. Those were all his favorite foods! "Ughhh I'm so hungryyyyy!!!!" He screams after entering his dorm and throwing himself to his bed
"I'm gonna have to ask for another mission from Principal Amaya tomorrow. I'm gonna starve to death at this rate," He thought to himself after screaming and complaining about how Principal Amaya is so stingy, harsh, and scary.
A knock on his door 30 minutes later "Hello, Daniel? Are you there?" the voice behind the door was familiar, it was his classmate and fellow freelance hunter at the university, Danica Jimenez.
Daniel opened the door and greeted her with a tired face. "Hey Danica, wazzup?"
She replied, "Well, I was walking to my room and heard you screaming, 'I'm so hungryyy!!' so I thought I should bring you something to eat."
His face lit up after hearing what she said, and the sight of tokneneng and dynamite in a plastic bag Danica was holding brought tears to his eyes, "You're an angel! My Goddess! Thank you for blessing me with these foods!"
A faint pink color appeared on Danica's cheeks, "Oh stop crying, it's not that big of a deal." she said, "If you weren't buying so many toys, you wouldn't be starving right now."
He replied, "It's a big deal! I would've died without you! Hold on, I'll get the table ready, let's eat together."
While they shared the food she brought, they discussed their last missions and upcoming midterm exams. Which by the way, Daniel has no knowledge of! Or it probably just slipped out of his mind. Something that happens quite often.
"I'm telling you, this Tikbalang I fought is way faster than the ones I faced before! And you know what's more interesting? It only has 2 golden hairs!" Daniel explains, followed by a big bite on a tokneneng.
Danica raised her left brow "You sure you're not seeing things after a kick in the face? Why would someone go into so much trouble to take a Tikbalang's golden hair and not use it?"
He sighed, "I don't know! Ugh... honestly, I don't even wanna talk about it anymore."
"Yeah, it's better to focus on our midterm exams for now. Especially on sir Will's subject. That prof-" She paused after seeing Daniel's reaction, "You forgot about our exams, didn't you?! The midterm exam is 3 days from now!" Danica's eyes furrowed.
"I've been busy with missions, so I wasn't able to study. I don't want people to get hurt by evil man-eating mythics, so I do my best!" He smiled, trying to save face.
Danica, clearly seeing through his lies, replied, "I saw you on Discord playing Monster Hunter!" She proceeded to lecture Daniel like he was a child, "Do not take any missions and do not play games all day! Do you understand me? Study for the exams!"
He can't hope of winning against her when she's in "Strict mother" mode, "Yes, ma'am, understood." He lowered his head, looking like a sad puppy, "But I don't have any mon-"
She interrupted before Daniel finished his sentence, "Yes, I know... you spent it all on the cosplay convention." She sighed, "Just come to my room. I'll cook for us, I have a lot of groceries anyway." She covered her mouth.
Daniel's eyes lit up, "Really?! Thank you so much, Danica! I promise I won't fail the exam!"
Danica went back to her dorm room, while he rested for a while before studying. He would be too ashamed to face Danica if he failed the midterms after everything she's gonna do for him. Instead of taking a mission tomorrow, Daniel decided to use the 1 week's vacation and accept a mission that would send him to someplace outside Cavite. He figured it would also serve as a vacation. Daniel plans to invite Danica so they can finish the mission quickly and spend the rest of the week as tourists.
- END OF CHAPTER -