Notes :
Ligalig is a Tagalog term for troubled, disturbed, unsettled, or bothered,
Talim is a knife 🔪
With a sharp flick of his wrist, Nathaniel summoned a burst of water from the pouch at his side. It spiraled upward, twisting into a ribbon that snapped outward like a banner caught in wind.
Midair, the water flattened and hardened into a thin, glassy panel shimmering pale blue. At its center, a circular sigil pulsed softly at first, then faster, like a warning heart.
Council Channel Three. Code Sanctum. Contact Vermilion.
The sigil brightened, flickered… then dimmed.
Nathaniel frowned. Try again. Channel Four. Contact Nimhar.
Nothing.
He tapped two fingers against the surface. A harsh ripple spread across it, like raindrops striking still water.
Still nothing? Lucien asked, leaning over his shoulder.
Nathaniel's lips pressed into a thin line. Someone cut off external communication. There is a field locking this place down. Whatever is covering this town is strong and precise. It is not just trapping us. It is isolating us from the rest of the world.
The watery screen hissed faintly, as if boiling, before collapsing into mist.
Zuriel shifted beside me, his hand brushing mine for the briefest second. Not intentional. Just close enough to notice.
So we are trapped? he said. No messages? No exit?
And no reinforcements, Lucien added. Which means whoever planned this knew exactly who we were.
Silence settled over the broken room.
Then Nikolai spoke, his voice steady. I heard rumors about an artifact buried in this region. That is why I came. The bounty is high, if it even exists.
Nathaniel's eyes narrowed. Who posted it?
Nikolai shrugged. Could have been a cult. Could have been some noble obsessed with relics. Could have been nonsense. His golden eyes flicked to me. But gossip always starts somewhere.
Zuriel stepped forward, not aggressive, just enough to place himself slightly between Nikolai and me.
You always follow gossip into sealed towns full of monsters? he asked with a faint smile.
Nikolai lifted a brow. You think I knew it was sealed? I got in the same way you did.
I swallowed. I had a vision earlier.
Nikolai's gaze locked onto me instantly.
There was a knife, I continued quietly. Not normal. The blade looked like crystal. Glassy. There was fog inside it. Symbols kept moving across the hilt like they were alive.
Lucien's eyes widened. The Talim ng Ligalig! I have only seen that name once. Supposedly it was used in ancient Nephilim wars. Not to kill, but to reshape reality.
Everyone turned to him.
He pulled out his notebook and flipped to a page filled with drawings and notes. The blade does not just affect people. It changes the area around it. Buildings. Entire towns. It can make fake things feel real. That is why this place feels so wrong.
Nathaniel straightened. So we are inside a lie?
Exactly, Lucien said. But I read that aswang use it as a hunting ground. Right Master Nathaniel? I think you wrote about this a few years ago. It's a living dream powered by the knife's magic. That is how the aswang hide. We are not just fighting monsters. We are standing inside their trap.
Then Nathaniel said Yeah I remember now. This trick can trap anyone inside. If the one using it is strong enough, they can suck away our energy or life force. They make us weak so we are easier to hunt
Nikolai crossed his arms. Then finding that knife is the only way we get out.
Unless you are the reason it is active, Zuriel said suddenly. His tone was calm, but there was an edge beneath it.
Nikolai tilted his head. Are you accusing me of something?
Zuriel smiled faintly. I am wondering how a treasure hunter just happened to be in the exact town where a mythical knife is warping reality. You call that coincidence?
I call it instinct, Nikolai replied coolly.
I looked between them. Zuriel's jaw had tightened. He was not joking.
Nikolai's voice softened. I am not your enemy. I helped her once, did I not? He nodded toward me. She knows that.
I hesitated but said nothing.
Zuriel stepped slightly closer to me again. Helping once does not make you harmless.
Enough, Nathaniel cut in raising a hand. We will deal with trust later. First, we need shelter and answers.
If the town has been reshaped, Lucien added, then the church might not be a church. The tavern might not be a tavern. Even time could be distorted.
Zuriel nodded grimly. Then we move. Before this illusion decides we do not belong here.
We stepped outside.
Nathaniel led, the blue gem at his waist glowing faintly. The streets were unnaturally quiet, broken only by the crackle of damp leaves under our boots.
Stay close, he warned. The wards will not hold them forever.
Lucien adjusted the strap on his shoulder, eyes darting toward every shifting shadow. Nikolai walked at the back, one hand resting lazily near his blade, humming something low under his breath.
I stayed in the middle, arms folded tight across my chest. The scent of burnt salt and old blood clung to my blouse like a curse.
I would rather be bait than rot in that cursed tavern, I muttered. The oil on those windows smelled like fish guts and feet.
Zuriel snorted. You would rather smell blood out here?
At least out here we can see what is coming, I shot back.
You think you will see anything through this fog?
I will probably trip over a tree branch or something before I see it. I am counting on that.
He gave me a sidelong look. I knew he could see through the sarcasm. My arms were pulled in too tight. My steps were too light.
I was scared. I was trying to hide it, but the truth was my body was shaking. I wished my life wasn't this type of adventure, I thought to myself, still trying to hold my composure.
Nikolai chuckled behind us. Do not worry, Gehan. I will protect you.
I stiffened but did not answer. He said it so easily, like it was a promise he had made countless times before??.
Zuriel's jaw tensed. He did not turn around, but I saw his eyes roll. His fingers tightened around his wand as if he were forcing himself to stay quiet.
Nathaniel suddenly raised a hand. Everyone froze.
Stick together! he shouted. Zuriel!
But the sound was swallowed.
The mist had thickened around our ankles without us noticing.
Then it moved.
Not with the wind. Not naturally.
Deliberately.
It crept upward like invisible hands pulling threads. The street behind us vanished in seconds. Ahead, there was nothing but white.
Where did it all go? I gasped.
The world twisted.
Not a flash. Not a roar.
A fold.
Like space itself exhaled and reshaped around us.
The air became too quiet.
No footsteps.
No Nathaniel.
No Lucien.
No Nikolai.
I was alone.
Only Zuriel and I remained.
The fog had swallowed everything else.
I did not realize my hand had reached for him until my fingers curled into the back hem of his cropped shirt. The fabric was damp beneath my grip, clinging like it did not want to let go either.
Zuriel glanced over his shoulder, one brow lifting. Really? You are picking now to play tag?
I blinked. Sorry. I did not mean to---
But I did not release him.
His smirk came fast and sharp. Did not peg you for the clingy type.
My jaw tightened. I tried to bury the panic rising in my chest, but my breathing had already shortened. My eyes kept darting. The fog pressed around us like a wall of breathing glass.
His teasing faded, just a little.
He did not pull away.
Instead, he shifted closer, angling his body so I stayed within his peripheral vision.
Next time, grab my arm he muttered. You are going to stretch the fabric.
Noted, I replied dryly even though my voice was tight. I will make sure to ruin a different shirt.
Still, I did not let go.
We walked like that for several steps. The mist swallowed the sound of our boots. When I glanced back, the path behind us was gone. The trees were nothing but shadows without roots. Even the sky looked wrong, like something had swallowed it whole.
Do you think they are okay? I finally asked.
Zuriel's eyes narrowed slightly. If Nathaniel cannot handle a fog trick, I am questioning my entire training.
And Nikolai?
He scoffed softly. I am sure he is heroically brooding in a puddle somewhere.
I tried not to smile, but my fingers tightened against his shirt anyway.
You are not subtle, Zuriel.You are not subtle, Zuriel. You really don't like Nikolai, huh?
I did not realize I needed to be, he said, glancing at me. His voice softened, but only a little. Especially with people who walk straight into a stranger's promise to keep them safe, like it is a free sample tray.
Right, I muttered, looking away. Thanks for the vote of confidence.
He did not answer, but I caught the slight tilt of his head. Almost regret.
After a few more quiet steps, something tugged at my memory.
Wait. That broken lantern…
Zuriel stopped. His gaze followed mine. Then his expression hardened.
A twisted tree root. A half-buried stone. That same patch of pale grass that looked like silver mold.
We had already passed them.
He exhaled through his teeth. Fantastic. We are rats in a magic maze.
My throat tightened. It is an illusion.
Not just that. He crouched and dragged his fingers through the soil. It is feeding off us. Keeping us circling. Draining focus. If we stay too long--
He did not finish.
The mist felt heavier now. Watching.
Zuriel stood, brushing dirt from his pants. Casually, almost lazily, he drew his wand. With a quick flick, a faint ripple pulsed through the fog. For a heartbeat, the air felt warm, like it was holding its breath.
I flinched. What was that?
Nothing, he answered too quickly. Just marking a spot. So we do not get lost.
But I saw it.
A faint shimmer, like threads of firelight weaving around my shadow before disappearing.
A protection spell???
You are terrible at lying, I muttered.
Then stop asking dumb questions, he shot back, his tone tight but not cruel.
Thanks. For the not-a-spell.
Whatever. It was not for you. It was for my shirt.
Despite everything, I smiled. My chest still felt tight, but the panic eased just enough to breathe.
After a few more silent steps, he spoke again, quieter this time.
Stay close, Gehan.
I raised a brow. Worried I will wander into a tree?
No. His eyes flicked to mine, sharper now, as if something real was slipping through. I am worried I will find out that idiot treasure hunter led you straight into a trap
My chest stirred at that.
Before I could respond, he added, And if you grab my shirt again, at least warn me. I am ticklish.
I rolled my eyes, but the tension in my lungs loosened a fraction.
We kept walking.
His arm brushed mine more often than necessary. His pace slowed whenever my steps faltered. And every now and then, when I was not looking directly at him, I felt it.
His gaze.
Quiet. Guarded.
Far too soft for someone who pretended not to care.
Behind us, somewhere in the fog---
The same broken lantern flickered again.