Chapter 44
Nille wanted the conversation to continue. There were still too many unanswered threads, Becca, the Celestial Cloth, the fragmented history, but Maruha's attention had already shifted elsewhere.
Her expression had grown distant, focused not on him, but on something beyond the room.
Urto Dimas.
Maruha could still sense the residue of his influence, the structure of his illusion, the way his mind control had once spread through the domain like a web. It had been sophisticated, layered, and invasive. Those who entered his artificial reality did not simply see illusions; they experienced them. The fake environment could affect perception, emotion, even physical response. It was not just deception, it was enforced reality.
And yet…
It had collapsed.
Not gradually. Not through resistance over time.
But instantly.
When Urto faced the young Babaylan, his control did not simply fail, it shattered inward.
That, Maruha understood, was not ordinary resistance. It was rare. Almost unheard of.
She had seen powerful shamans fail against lesser distortions. Minds trained in discipline, ritual, and spirit negotiation had broken under far weaker constructs. Illusion mastery of Urto's level was not easily disrupted, especially one built on direct psychological infiltration.
Yet he had crumbled against Nille.
Not because Nille was stronger in the conventional sense—but because something within him rejected being entered at all.
Maruha's gaze sharpened slightly as she considered this.
And there was another layer that made it more unusual.
Urto belonged to a generation shaped heavily by technology, a world where spiritual systems and artificial systems often overlapped, where perception could be enhanced, simulated, or replicated. Most modern manipulators learned to blend illusion with structure, using external systems to reinforce internal control.
And still…
He had failed.
Completely.
Maruha exhaled slowly, her attention returning briefly to Nille.
That was what made him dangerous.
Not just his strength.
But the fact that his mind did not behave like anything she had studied before.
It did not bend.
It did not fragment easily.
And in Urto's case, it had not even been penetrated properly before it collapsed inward on itself.
A rare silence settled in her thoughts.
Then she spoke softly, more to herself than to anyone else.
"…So that is what he is."
Maruha Dalisay finished her tea with quiet elegance and set the cup down gently on the table.
She rose to her full height, composed and authoritative, then inclined her head slightly.
"Excuse me," she said calmly. "I need to see Urto Dimas."
Without waiting for objection, she turned and moved toward the exit.
"I will speak with him while he is still contained," she added. "My steward is already conducting an investigation into why he targeted our domain. There are older and larger Encanto settlements in this country, this attack was not random."
Her tone remained controlled, but beneath it was clear intent: this matter would not be left unresolved.
As Maruha left the room, the atmosphere shifted slightly.
Silence returned, but not emptiness.
Lualhati remained seated, her gaze still fixed on Nille. He was not performing, not trying to impress, not even aware of the full weight of her attention. That, in itself, made him different.
She studied him carefully, almost analytically at first.
"He looks average compared to other males who try to approach me," she murmured under her breath, more to herself than anyone else.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, not in disdain, but in reassessment.
"But unlike them…"
A faint pause.
"…he carries the heart of a warrior. And the instincts of a natural hunter."
Her expression softened just a fraction, thoughtful now rather than dismissive.
"Very few Fairies can fight like that. And none I've seen at his level."
Then her gaze shifted slightly, more distant.
A quiet realization formed in her mind.
He is mortal.
That should have been a limitation. A boundary.
Yet it did not feel like one.
Instead, another thought surfaced, more strategic, more rooted in ambition than emotion.
If someone like him became part of a lineage…
She stopped that thought halfway, narrowing her eyes slightly as if evaluating it more carefully. Strength, compatibility, future stability, these were all things a leader considered when building a clan.
And yet…
This line of thinking felt different.
More personal than she intended.
She exhaled softly, steadying herself.
"I could strengthen my clan…" she thought. "Establish something far more resilient…"
Her gaze lingered on Nille a moment longer.
Not as a target.
Not as an object.
But as a variable that did not fit any system she already knew.
And that, more than anything else, kept her attention locked on him.
Nille glanced at Lualhati briefly.
It was an honest, passing observation, not the kind shaped by desire or fixation, but recognition.
If measured by human standards, she would be far beyond what most would consider "exceptional." Not just attractive, but striking in a way that felt almost unreal, like someone shaped with deliberate precision rather than chance. Even compared to other Fairies he had seen, her presence stood out.
But Nille didn't dwell on it.
He had seen enough strange beings, powerful entities, and distorted realities to know that appearance rarely mattered in the way people assumed it did. Strength, intent, and what lay beneath perception carried far more weight than surface impressions.
Still, the resemblance to Maruha was clear, same composed structure in her features, same underlying authority in her expression when she wasn't speaking. It made sense. Bloodline, inheritance, and the shaping influence of leadership ran deep in Encanto clans.
Nille's attention shifted away from physical observation just as quickly as it came.
What interested him more was not how she looked,
But why she was studying him so carefully, as if trying to calculate something that didn't fit into any normal equation.
Lualhati moved smoothly into the seat her mother had just vacated, as if she was naturally stepping into the same space of authority. She sat upright, composed, hands resting lightly on the table, her gaze steady on Nille.
Then she asked it directly.
"Would you marry me… if my mother asked you?"
The question landed cleanly in the silence.
Nille didn't react immediately.
Not out of confusion, but out of careful restraint.
He had encountered people before. Encantos, humans, spirits, some straightforward, some manipulative, some testing boundaries in ways that were disguised as curiosity or humor. Romantic implication was not unfamiliar to him either. He simply never allowed himself to drift into it.
His life had been built around hunting, survival, and confronting things most people avoided even in thought. Emotional entanglement was not something he gave space to lightly.
Still… he wasn't naïve.
He understood what questions like that could imply beneath the surface.
But he also understood something else, this was not a simple personal question. Not entirely.
His eyes remained calm as he studied her expression, reading intent more than words.
Then he spoke, measured and direct.
"That's not a question people usually ask without reason."
A brief pause.
"I don't think your mother would ask that of me."
His tone stayed neutral, not dismissive, not entertained.
"I also don't make decisions based on hypotheticals that remove choice from both sides."
He leaned back slightly, still composed.
"And even if I understood the direction behind the question… I don't operate in those terms."
There was no discomfort in his voice, only clarity.
Nille's attention stayed steady on her, but his focus was already analyzing something else beneath the surface of the exchange: intention, strategy, and what she was trying to determine about him through it.
Because to him, this wasn't romance.
It was assessment.
Lualhati did not press the question further.
Not because of Nille's answer, but because her curiosity had shifted. Whatever she had expected to read from him, she hadn't found it. And that, more than anything, made her want to understand him better.
She leaned back slightly, her tone easing into something more conversational.
"Our bloodline is… a bit different," she said. "My sister and I can retain our human form indefinitely."
Nille's attention returned fully.
"That's not common," he noted.
"It isn't," she replied. "Most of our relatives have to revert back to their fairy form regularly. It's part of how they maintain balance."
She paused briefly before adding,
"Our father wasn't a Fairy. He was a Tamawo."
Nille's eyes sharpened slightly in recognition.
"An elf," she clarified. "Or at least… the closest equivalent in human terms."
She continued calmly.
"Tamawo don't need to revert. Their form is already stable. Human-sized. Balanced between realms."
Her gaze lowered for a moment, thoughtful.
"My sister Tala and I inherited that trait. We don't need to shrink back or shift forms to recover."
Then, with a faint shift in tone:
"My mother still does."
A small, almost knowing smile appeared.
"She returns to her fairy form every few days to replenish her energy. Not because she prefers it… but because she has to."
Lualhati glanced briefly toward the direction Maruha had left.
"But she favors her human form. It's… easier."
Nille nodded slightly, understanding without needing further explanation.
"More practical," he said.
"Yes," Lualhati agreed. "No need to constantly adjust. No need to limit movement or interaction."
Her fingers tapped lightly against the table.
"The human world already has everything built at this scale. Facilities, tools, space… it's all accessible."
Nille leaned back slightly.
"It makes sense," he said. "Adapting to the dominant environment reduces friction."
Lualhati looked at him again, a bit more intently this time.
"You think about things in terms of function," she observed.
"Most of the time," Nille replied simply.
A brief silence followed, not awkward, but filled with quiet evaluation.
Lualhati was no longer testing him directly.
She was learning him.
And Nille, whether he realized it or not, was doing the same.
Nille rested his arm lightly on the table, his attention steady as he shifted the conversation.
"What about your clan's relationship with others?" he asked. "Especially with Lakan… and his side."
Lualhati smiled faintly, not dismissive, but relaxed.
"We're fine," she said. "There's no conflict between us. Just… differences."
She leaned slightly forward, her tone taking on a more thoughtful edge.
"Unlike humans, Encantos are not built the same way when it comes to flaws."
Nille listened.
"We don't carry all seven vices," she continued. "At least, not naturally. Most of us are bound to only one."
A brief pause.
"And that vice… is Pride."
There was no denial in her voice, only acceptance.
"It's already difficult to manage on its own," she added. "It shapes decisions, relationships, even how clans interact with each other."
Her gaze shifted slightly, recalling something recent.
"That's why what happened with Urto Dimas was… abnormal."
Nille's eyes narrowed slightly.
"He wasn't just prideful," Lualhati said. "That part was expected. But I sensed more in him."
Her voice lowered.
"Greed… and something else."
She hesitated, then finished it clearly.
"Lust."
Silence lingered for a moment.
"That combination…" she continued, "…is unheard of among our kind. Pride alone already pushes limits. But adding greed, wanting more than what is natural, and lust, desiring beyond balance…"
She shook her head slightly.
"It destabilizes everything."
Her eyes returned to Nille.
"Humans can carry all seven without realizing it. They manifest them easily, sometimes without control."
A faint breath escaped her.
"But for an Encanto to carry more than one…"
Her expression hardened just slightly.
"That means something interfered. Or something changed him."
Nille remained quiet, processing.
Because if that was true,
Then Urto Dimas was not just a rogue individual.
He was an anomaly.
Nille grew quiet after that.
His gaze lowered slightly, not out of hesitation—but reflection. Pieces of past encounters began to align in his mind. Faces. Fights. The way certain Encantos had acted before they fell.
Then he spoke.
"…The ones I've killed," Nille said, his tone steady but thoughtful. "Some of them didn't act like what you're describing."
Lualhati listened without interrupting.
"They weren't just prideful," he continued. "Some were… excessive. Unstable. Like they were driven by something beyond a single impulse."
He glanced at her.
"Could they have been affected by human vices too?"
The question lingered.
Lualhati didn't answer immediately. She leaned back slightly, her expression shifting into something more serious.
"…It's possible," she said at last.
Nille's eyes sharpened.
"Encantos aren't supposed to carry more than one vice," she continued. "But that doesn't mean we're immune to influence."
She tapped her finger lightly against the table, thinking.
"When an Encanto stays too long near human settlements… especially without proper balance… things can bleed over."
"Bleed?" Nille asked.
"Not physically," she clarified. "But in behavior. In thought patterns. Humans carry all seven vices naturally. It's part of how they exist."
Her gaze met his again.
"And unlike us… they don't regulate it the same way."
A brief pause.
"If an Encanto is exposed long enough—especially one already unstable—those traits can start to imprint."
Nille leaned slightly forward.
"So they change."
"Yes," Lualhati said. "Not immediately. Not completely. But enough."
Her tone darkened slightly.
"They start wanting more than they should. Acting beyond their nature. Losing the balance that defines them."
Nille's mind moved quickly now, connecting patterns.
"That explains the aggression," he said. "The unpredictability."
"And the escalation," Lualhati added.
Silence settled again.
Then she spoke more quietly.
"But Urto… was different."
Nille looked at her.
"That wasn't just exposure," she said. "That was… accumulation."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Two vices manifesting clearly is already rare. But the way he acted…"
She exhaled slowly.
"It felt like something was feeding it."
Nille didn't respond right away.
Because if what she was saying was true,
Then the Encantos he had fought before…
Might not have been acting entirely on their own anymore.
Their conversation continued, the tension of earlier events now replaced by a quieter exchange of knowledge.
Lualhati leaned slightly forward, her curiosity returning in a more focused form.
"When you fought the Sarangay," she said, "your movements weren't random. What kind of martial art was that?"
Nille thought for a moment before answering.
"…I learned it from an Encanto," he said. "A shapeshifter."
That caught her attention immediately.
Her posture straightened.
"A shapeshifter?" she repeated, more sharply than before. "Do you know what kind?"
Nille shook his head slightly.
"No. It didn't stay in one form long enough for me to classify it."
Lualhati's eyes narrowed—not in suspicion, but in interest.
"That's… unusual," she murmured. "Those kinds of beings don't interact casually."
She leaned back, folding her arms lightly.
"You might not be aware of this," she continued, "but there is a structure—a hierarchy—among Encantos."
Nille remained silent, letting her explain.
"At the highest level," she began, "are the mimics… the shapeshifters."
Her tone carried weight.
"They are not just skilled. They are partial deities. Their lineage traces back to ancient service under the Elders themselves. They don't simply change form—they understand structure, essence, and identity at a deeper level."
A brief pause.
"They are rare. And they do not teach without reason."
Nille absorbed that without reaction.
"Below them," Lualhati continued, "are the Tamawo."
Her voice softened slightly here.
"They are… closer to what humans would call 'noble beings.' Elf-like in nature. Often benevolent. They maintain balance rather than disrupt it."
She glanced at him briefly.
"They resemble humans more than most—physically stable, refined, and capable of living in either realm without much strain."
Nille nodded faintly.
"Then there are the Dalaketnon," she added.
Her tone shifted.
"They are similar in form to Tamawo… but not in nature. They are often
Their conversation continued, the tension of earlier events now replaced by a quieter exchange of knowledge.
Lualhati leaned slightly forward, her curiosity returning in a more focused form.
"When you fought the Sarangay," she said, "your movements weren't random. What kind of martial art was that?"
Nille thought for a moment before answering.
"…I learned it from an Encanto, that can shapeshift to a ca, she said, its called Pekiti-Tirsia Kali: "
"A shapeshifter?" Lualhati reaction
That caught her attention immediately.
Her posture straightened.
"A shapeshifter?" she repeated, more sharply than before. "Do you know what kind?"
Nille shook his head slightly.
" she was actually a black cat, when i save her from getting killed by a Sarangay as i step foot into her realm."
Lualhati ask again what "kind of Sarangay, "
" i didn't stay long enough, to classify it , but it had four horns and was showing signs of intelligence and reserve , it was similar to the one i recently defeated here"
Lualhati's eyes narrowed, not in suspicion, but in interest.
"That's… unusual," she murmured. "Those kinds of beings, especially the shapeshifter don't interact casually."
" you mean the te black cat , i actually name her as Luna ?"
She leaned back, folding her arms lightly.
" you really have no idea, i am now curious toward the black cat,"
"You might not be aware of this," Lualhati continued, her voice settling into a more deliberate, almost instructive tone, "but there is a structure… a hierarchy among our kind."
Nille remained silent, allowing her to speak.
"At the very top," she began, "just beneath the One Who Created All, the source beyond naming, are those who serve directly under that will."
She paused briefly, as if choosing the correct term.
"They are called the Messengers. But in older records… they are known as the Ancient Ones."
Her gaze steadied.
"Only a few names have survived through fragmented memory. Uph Madac… and Abo Natac."
The room felt quieter as she spoke them.
"They were not rulers in the way you would imagine," she continued. "They did not govern through command, but through function. They stood at the extremes of existence, guardians tied to the Sun and the Moon, maintaining cycles long before structured realms or domains existed."
A faint breath escaped her.
"They did not merely live in the mortal realm… they stabilized it."
Nille listened closely.
"Below them," she continued, "are what we call the Great Spirits."
Her tone shifted slightly here, less distant, more grounded.
"They are the first true administrators of existence as we understand it. They shaped order after the Ancients withdrew. Balance, life cycles, domain boundaries, spiritual law… these fell under their responsibility."
" a few names you might have heard, like the name yggdrasil on the tree of life, or simply called World tree"
She folded her hands lightly.
"They are not as absolute as the Ancients, but they are far more involved with what we now call reality."
A brief pause.
"And beneath them… are the Elders."
Her eyes sharpened slightly.
"Also known as mimics. Shapeshifters."
There was weight in how she said it.
"They are not simply beings who can change form. That is a shallow understanding."
She leaned slightly forward.
"They are partial deities."
Nille's attention sharpened.
"Their lineage traces back to direct service under the Ancient Ones themselves. Not all of them, but enough that their bloodline carries fragments of that function."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"They understand structure… not just physically, but conceptually. Form, identity, essence—these are things they can perceive and manipulate at a deeper level."
She gestured faintly, as if outlining something unseen.
"To them, a body is not fixed. A form is not absolute. Even behavior can be studied, replicated, or altered."
Nille remained still.
"They are the ones most likely to interact with mortals," Lualhati added. "Not out of kindness… but necessity."
A pause.
"Because mortals, sadly they outnumber them by an overwhelming margin."
Her eyes met his.
"Millions to one."
Silence lingered.
"The balance of the world does not favor Encantos in number," she continued. "It never has. So the Elders… the mimics…the shapeshifters serve as intermediaries to the mortal realm."
" because the world tree gathers its nutrients from humans , that is were the cycle of life"
Nille responded " so we humans are living batteries, or fertilizer"
Her tone grew more grounded.
"They were task observe. to adapt.to learn from mortals, not just to understand them, but to maintain equilibrium between worlds."
She leaned back slightly.
"That is why the Elder or Mimics are dangerous and well known to use their power directly to mortal and immortal."
" these beings are hard to understand , they are unpredictable and spontaneous",
A faint pause.
"Not because they are hostile… but because they can become anything and do anything necessary to fulfill their role. and very powerful in terms of magic and knowledge , a few are master in fighting or martial art combat"
Nille absorbed the weight of that.
Because if the one who trained him belonged to that level,
Then that encounter had not just been rare.
It had been intentional.
A brief pause.
"Mimic, are rare. And they do not teach without reason."
Nille absorbed that without reaction.
"Below them," Lualhati continued, "are the Tamawo."
Her voice softened slightly here.
"They are… closer to what humans would call 'noble beings.' Elf-like in nature. Often benevolent. They maintain balance rather than disrupt it and far powerful than us, we are somewhat still related to them,"
" we are like second cousins"
She glanced at him briefly.
"They resemble humans more than most, physically stable, refined, white skin good looking and capable of living in either realm without much strain , and they a so prideful and arrogant., and lastly they are good fighters "
" they are what they call … VIP guards and followers of the Messengers"
Nille nodded faintly.
"Then there are the Dalaketnon," she added.
Her tone shifted.
"They are similar in form to Tamawo… but not in nature. They are often spiteful, with darker skin tone tied to darker domains. Many are said to dwell in dark hidden realms."
A short silence followed before she continued downward.
nest are the Dwarven race master forgers and smiths their distant relatives are the Halflings and gnomes
"Below them are the Fairies, and our relatives … and the pixies Sprit, Nixie: and their other different kind,
"and lastly the Giants. We all manage certain domains, maintain smaller ecosystems, and interact more directly with localized environments."
Her voice remained steady, but the structure became clearer.
"After that, you have the grounded beings, the ones tied more heavily to the physical world and half of half of both realms "
" these are creatures that bare the human physical form but with beast body parts"
She began listing them more deliberately.
The Sarangay is a creature in Philippine mythology, often described as a Filipino minotaur with the body of a human and the head of a bull or water buffalo
Lamang-lupa A general term for "inhabitants of the flesh of the earth" or ground-dwelling these are the Mangalo or goblins, kobolds, these are the evil and twisted cousin of the dwarf
Abyan a spirit companions Spirit Guides (Folklore): In Philippine shamanism, abyan are "unbound spirits" or guardian spirits that act as guides and companions for shamans.
Kahoynon , Ents or Treants these are sentient living trees brother of the elemental nymph , and a long distant cousin of the fairies .
Taong Lipod , Ghouls these are flesh eaters like aswang A term used to describe engkantos to avoid attracting their attention, often residing in forests and ground areas, they are predatory, and gain notoraety because they like eating human beings
Taglugar (People of the Place or humans ): A term highlighting their status as the unseen dwellers of specific areas of land.
She looked back at Nille.
"That is the general structure. but many things has change in t he past few millennia, we fairies became solitary, knowing that human man made elements can actually harm us , so many hide within their realm out of fear and misunderstanding "
"But as you already know—and have experienced firsthand," Maruha continued calmly, her gaze steady on Nille, "there are still many Encantos who roam the human realm."
She paused briefly, letting the weight of the statement settle.
"They do not always remain within our structures or domains. Some leave willingly. Others drift away over time."
Lualhati returned to the earlier thread, her curiosity circling back to the shapeshifter Nille had mentioned.
"So if what you're saying is true…" she added slowly, her tone thoughtful, "…then the one who taught you…"
She paused, as if reconsidering the implication.
"But an Elder interacting with humans now is extremely rare."
Her gaze sharpened slightly, studying him more intently.
"…which means she was not just any ordinary Encanto."
Nille remained quiet.
Because now, even he understood,
That encounter had not been ordinary.
tied to darker domains. Many are said to dwell in dark side of the outer realm "
A short silence followed before she continued downward.
"Below them are the Fairies, like us… and the dwarven kinds. We manage domains, maintain smaller ecosystems, and interact more directly with localized environments."
Her voice remained calm as she continued speaking, each word measured and deliberate.
"And the dwarven kinds… and us Fairies," Lualhati said, leaning slightly back in her seat, "we are not at the top of the hierarchy. Not even close in terms of raw power."
Her fingers traced lightly along the edge of the table as she explained.
"But we are more stable. More grounded in the physical structure of the world."
She gestured subtly around them, as if indicating the space itself.
"We are the ones who manage domains like this one. We maintain smaller ecosystems, ensure they remain balanced, and prevent collapse in localized regions where higher beings do not intervene directly."
Her eyes returned to Nille, steady and thoughtful.
"We interact with the physical world far more often than those above us. Land, people, settlements… we deal with what is immediate and maintainable, not abstract or distant systems of control."
A faint pause followed, her tone softening slightly, though still composed.
"We are not the strongest," she admitted without hesitation, "but that was never our purpose."
She tilted her head a fraction.
"We are necessary."
Her expression remained neutral, but her certainty deepened.
"Because without us… the structure beneath the higher orders would destabilize. Collapse would begin at the base long before anything above could react."
She let the words settle in the room.
Then the silence returned, not empty, but filled with the weight of position, function, and the quiet understanding that in their world, strength alone did not define importance.
Nille sat quietly for a moment after Lualhati left, the weight of everything she had explained still settling in his thoughts. The structure of Encantos, the hierarchy, the layers beneath what most beings ever perceived, it all added new depth to the world he thought he already understood. He asked a few more questions after that, careful and precise, each one refining his understanding rather than expanding into speculation.
Time moved without urgency. The conversation stretched on for nearly two hours, shifting between history, structure, and the subtle rules that governed domains like this one. Eventually, the atmosphere softened when Maruha returned.
She stepped into the room with calm authority, her presence naturally drawing the conversation to a close. Her eyes briefly assessed the situation before she spoke.
"Lualhati," she said gently, "give our guest time to rest now."
Lualhati, still composed but noticeably more settled than before, nodded. She offered Nille a brief, respectful smile before excusing herself without resistance, leaving the room with the same quiet dignity she had unexpectedly displayed earlier.
Once she was gone, Maruha turned her attention fully to Nille.
"There is something else," she said.
Her tone had shifted slightly, more serious, but not heavy.
"The Sarangay you defeated… has regained consciousness."
Nille's gaze lifted slightly.
Maruha continued, watching his reaction carefully.
"It is asking to see you."
A brief pause.
"Before it accepts its fate… and embraces death."
The room fell quiet again, but this time the silence carried a different weight. Not of politics, or hierarchy, but of consequence.