Mutagen

It was quite a surreal scene, a scene that almost no human in modern times would believe.

Mark shrugged at the silence that enveloped the surroundings.

There were no lies in what he said. It was also true that the only time he met this Aunt of his was when he was just a small boy. Nevertheless, it seemed to be hard for these races to believe him.

But then, Mark\'s Aunt stepped forward with an unsure expression.

"You are... Mark?" She asked. "That boy that suddenly got lost for no reason and then just appeared in front of the house after sunset?"

"Ah..."

Mark could not make a come back to that.

That event did happen. But for some reason, even in his subconscious, Mark had no recollection of what really happened that time. Still, out of all things, that was what she remembered.

Well, it was no like Mark did anything remarkable to remember when they went on vacation here at that time.

"That\'s me."

Mark shrugged as he replied.

Of course, as the reply started to sink in her mind, her eyes grew wide. It seemed that it was really shocking that the Demon standing in front of her was the very same kid back then.

On the other hand, Mark was a bit less surprised to see her here. Not as a human but as a half-spirit.

Gennie dela Providencia, that was her maiden name. She was the third child among the six siblings and the third female too. Well, they were supposed to be seven, but one child was not only born odd but also died shortly after birth.

She was married to a rather unfaithful man. But even so, she lived her life like normal with her children.

But then, when neither her husband nor her children were at home, they came home only to find a cold corpse in the living room.

And to say, while it was announced as cardiac arrest, her death was quite mysterious.

Not to mention that there were rumors of her being courted by something inhuman. It was not just a rumor in the family, but it seemed that it was secretly known by the neighbors too for some reason.

Furthermore, that was not the first instance. There were others way before that.

In their family, Gennie was the most attractive woman. Well, towards non-human beings. It was not wrong to say, though. Among her siblings, her looks were far better.

But even so, she married a human and had children. She was also faithful. It was very unlikely that she would follow her non-human suitors and leave her family. And yet, here she was, already turned into a non-human being.

And why could Mark tell that she was just a half-spirit? It was because she was alive. She was not just a soul at all.

It made Mark think that whatever the thing that was buried in her grave, there was no way that it was her at all. Probably it was just a trunk of a Banana Tree, like how the folklore went.

After all, there were various stories of people being kidnapped by elementals but were proclaimed dead. It was because their bodies were found. However, that body was not a real one but just a banana trunk covered with illusion. Once the body was buried in their graves, the illusion would be dispelled.

And once the family members or other people dug the grave, they would find nothing inside the casket but some dried plant matter.

Gennie\'s death was too mysterious. After all, she had no history of having heart problems, although it was true that her body was getting weaker as time went by. That was why even though they were present at her funeral, some people believed that she was not dead and was taken away instead.

And since she was present here, it seemed that it was true that she was taken away by spirits and elementals instead of dying.

Gennie stared at Mark, scrutinizing his appearance. Nonetheless, she was not saying anything. She was quite a shy person. Furthermore, the strange circumstances around her fueled this trait of hers. And even though they were relatives, it was the first time she saw Mark after twenty-four years. Trying to confirm Mark\'s identity was the best she could do.

Finally, after about half a minute of staring contest, Gennie opened her mouth.

"You\'ve grown big."

She said.

Mark could only smile bitterly. It was also true, after all. Back then, Mark was just a small child, even compared to his cousins of the same age. It was even though the shortness of stature ran strong in their family.

But now, Mark was a tall man, probably taller than any of their relatives here in Catanduanes. Even Gennie standing straight was just up to his chest. That was how short she was.

Gennie slowly took a step forward. After all, it had been years since she was able to talk to any of her relatives. She might be shy, but her longing for familial interaction seemed to have taken over.

But of course, it would not happen just like that.

Gennie could only stop as her arm was grabbed by the Tamawo that stood in front of her earlier.

"Ordulk, what are you..."

Gennie turned to the Tamawo only to see him shaking his head.

"He might be your nephew but don\'t forget that he\'s a Demon. Those Demons nearly caused you to die."

Gennie could only clench her fist dejectedly.

On the other hand, Mark\'s interest was piqued.

It seemed that his Aunt became a Spirit, not because she wanted to. Also, by how it appeared, these Spirits did not want it either. However, it seemed that they had no choice, and it was only the way for her to live.

"Can you not associate me with those Demons?"

Mark spoke to the Tamawo called Ordulk.

"What are you talking about?" Ordulk said, with hostility. "Demons are Demons. All of them are the same."

"Wow, what a prejudice."

Mark could not help but say.

Of course, those words only made Mark gain more hostility from the surroundings. It seemed that these bunch had the worst experiences with Demons.

"In any case, I\'m not interested why you people as too hostile." Mark shrugged as he turned to his Aunt. "Aunt Gennie, are you the reason why they are protecting my brother, no, probably the whole family, right?"

Gennie immediately understood what Mark was talking about. And in response, she hurriedly shook her head.

"I-its not me."

And then, she turned to the Diwata.

With that gesture, it not hard to understand. His family was actually under the protection of this Diwata.

"Why?"

Mark asked the Diwata. He was really curious.

And there, the Diwata could only sigh. She was obviously hostile to Demons. But as it was confirmed that Mark was related to Gennie and Michael, her hostility lessened drastically.

"Here is not a good place to talk. Follow me."

The Diwata said as she turned around, facing the deeper areas of the forest.

"But Diwata!"

Of course, there would be some opposition. It was the very same Tamawo, Ordulk, that shouted.

"It\'s fine." The Diwata said with a beautiful smile. "He might be a Demon, but he\'s also their relative. It is not the race that matter here but our vow."

With those words, Ordulk finally closed his mouth. Of course, the Spirits and Elementals were still looking at Mark with eyes filled with hostility. One wrong move from Mark and these guys would definitely jump for his neck.

And then, the Diwata started to lead the way.

It was when Mark suddenly spoke.

"Wait."

"What is it?"

The Diwata turned her head and asked.

"My Dragon is still dumping those guys."

The Diwata froze a bit. Her mind was too preoccupied with the revelation that the Demon in front of her was a relative of the people they were protecting. That was why she forgot about Chaflar that was still dumping the unconcious men in the middle of the muddy farm field.

***

After Chaflar was finished with his task, they finally left the place.

They went deeper and deeper into the forest. Mark then realized.

Even though they were just walking leisurely, it seemed that they covered a very large distance already. In just a few minutes, they already reached the next mountain, even though that distance would normally take about half an hour of walk.

By the looks of it, it was the very same ability they used to surround Mark and Chaflar when they landed. It was a very good ability and what was more was that it could be used on a group of people.

The journey took quite a while. Probably, about half an hour or so. Mark could not tell at all. Furthermore, even though he kept track of the direction they were taking, he had no idea where they were now.

And then, as they stepped foot unto another forest at the foot of the next mountain, the surroundings changed drastically.

"The Domain."

Mark murmured.

They already entered the sanctuary the Diwata was managing. It was the home for the good Spirits and Elementals in Catanduanes.

Still, to bring him here, it could be either the Diwata was not cautious of him anymore, or she was confident.

However, it was most likely the latter.

After all, it was their territory. It would be surprising if they were not confident that they could win if Mark suddenly changed his mind and attacked.

And to say, even though it was not a part of the Spirit Dimension, there were a lot of Spirits and Elementals residing in this place. If Mark made a bad move, he would be swarmed by these people.

The hostility aside, Mark could only admit. The place looked beautiful.

The trees had lustrous green leaves that were very noticeable even in the dark. There were huge mushrooms here and there and some were even emitting a bright glow. There were also some night time flowers that were emitting light like lamps.

Mark kept looking around, trying to see if he could find some interesting things.

As for Michael, he was still being carried by the armored spirit. Since it was troublesome for everyone present if he suddenly woke up, one of the spirits applied sleeping magic on Michael. It was really convenient. But of course, that magic was not capable of erasing memories, unlike the powder of Pefile\'s tribe.

A few more minutes passed. They finally reached a destination.

And unexpectedly, their destination was a seating area under a huge Spirit Tree. This tree was just a regular magical tree, though, unlike Chiyo, the Night Everred Pure Spirit Tree that Mark owned.

In any case, this Spirit Tree seemed to be unique on its own. Its leaves seemed to glitter in the darkness of the night.

"Take a seat."

The Diwata said, pointing at a half-cut log behind a tree trunk table. At the same time, she dismissed a lot of the Spirits and Elementals, leaving only a few necessary ones.

"Do we really have to go all the way here just to talk?"

Mark asked as he took the seat.

"Yes." The Diwata answered without hesitation. "The question you asked is quite a troublesome one. If some unnecessary beings caught wind of the conversation, it might put everyone in danger."

Hearing that reply, Mark could only nod. It was rather obvious that she was talking about Demons when she said unnecessary beings.

"Then, can you already explain what was going on?"

Mark urged.

"You don\'t have to be worried. The time here is slightly slower than outside. There is no rush."

The Diwata said as she called unto some people to join the conversation.