The Tales of Tikum Kadlum

5 DEALS WITH DEVILS

5.5 GROWL TO GROWL

"Tikum!" the ati shouted, shaking the former timawa from his paralyzing fear. There was a note of despair on her voice as she called for him again. Recognizing how shaken she sounded, the Black Dog turned and met Jurah by the door of the hut.

"Gi-atay..." he said under his breath. "What is it? What happened?"

Jurah stooped by the hut's threshold. Her face was pale and covered with beads of sweat. Her voice turned to a whisper when she finally spoke, "Did you feel that? Something's trying to tear open the spirit-barrier." She paused. "I think its not even human. I think it's a demon-"

"A gadlumanon," Tikum corrected her, just as Milong came out of the hut behind the ati woman. Tikum shook his head as a feeling of despair settled on his shoulders. It was a very familiar feeling he could not easily forget. It was the kind that left a stain on your soul. Something you'll always remember at the back of your head.

"It's coming this way from Gadlum. I know it's coming this way for us."

Upon hearing what Tikum had to say, Milong made a face in between horror and frantic panic. "What's exactly going on?" he said, holding a kampilan sword and looking around, expecting enemies to jump out from the shrubbery around their hut at any moment. He tilted his head as he sighed. "You're making this all up, right? All this talk about the dark minions of Saragnayan-"

Jurah narrowed her brows. "What did you mean,Tikum?"

"A monster born from the womb of all shadows," Tikum answered. "That's how my old master would put it, and he's not wrong."

"A what?"

Tikum signaled them to follow him inside the hut. "Okay, I'm going to make this as short as I can."

"Wait, you're not joking? Real demons are after you?" Milong said, paler than usual. "That's just an expression, right? I mean, you're not that kind of troublemaker, right?"

"Please, let us hear him out first," Jurah said. "We are all ears, Tikum. Go on continue..."

Tikum nodded. "As the old story goes, when the land of Vijayas still had no name, there was once a great war between devatas and things beyond the light- demons, you call them. Shapeless things from the stars. Well, this goddamn war of theirs scarred and brought ruin to the entirety of the Great Archipelago, killing mortals in the thousands... even ending a god or two. And those the demons did not kill, they enslaved and tortured. It was a losing battle for the devatas and for all mankind. But even in the brink of destruction, the devatas were too proud to see their faults, all thought they would be victorious. As though destiny demanded it that way."

Tikum spat and continued, "All thought they were the superior ones, but these things they fought were conquerors of worlds. Again, god-killers. And the gods lost and lost to their foes until one battle was left, the one that would decide everyone's fate. But, in desperation, one of the devata made a choice- a secret promise he would not keep. As luck would have it, his choice shifted the tide of war and the conflict was won by the gods our people now bow down to."

"Wait, you did not say how?" Jurah said. "And who is this Saragnayan you all speak of-"

"Well, that's it, lady Jurah," Milong said. "One of the shadow-fiend had a child with a mortal woman and the boy grew to become one powerful demi-god. The tale goes, that our gods struck a pack with him... Or he with them as some chants go. The great betrayal they call it.

Tikum nodded. "So, you're familiar with the tale."

"Yes, I'm an uripon, that does mean I have to know many things too." He smiled. "To do many things at the behest of my masters."