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2024-10-29 19:42:56Alice was back in her home in the town of Urrutia. It was still too early to come out of hiding. Their enemies, the other clans that Ledanai’i stirred to war, were still waiting for them. She missed Cavite, and the other places she used to freely go to. The silence in the room she was in was able to push her to that remembrance. Dante, she sat there on her bed thinking. Are you happy? Was this what we wanted? A crash before the growth of something else? Did I do it? Was I successful?
It had completely been a year since his death.
Alice buried her face in her palms. She was tired, but now she had rest waiting for her. A little break before a few more. Where does this lead to?
She lifted her head from her palms, and checked the tattoo on her arm. It was still burning: the new one. She recognized the symbols immediately. There was a dragon, a hound, and a deer… fighting. It was the first new tattoo the Void had given her sin
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God Hounds Chapter 1: The Boy
The bright and beaming white ball was firm above the sky as it stared down at him. It was a full moon. His breaths whirled rapidly. Gusts of air looped in and out of his lungs in an unstable, and unending, cycle. His head throbbed violently, like something inside was drilling his brain and he couldn’t reach for it. It felt like he had slept for a millennium, and his brain had already been shattered to pieces while he was asleep. He just woke up, after all. It felt as if he had just come back to life, after being left for dead—deep in a forest with no life in it. It was just… dark, woodland hell all around him. He was lying down in a small patch of seemingly dead grass. It looked as if the tiny pasture spot was purposely prepared for him—to die in an open, meadow-carpeted coffin. But, around him, it was all just trees. They stretched on; almost for forever. And without the sun, they were just color black. He couldn’t decide if the trees were also just victims of the darkness
God Hounds Chapter 2: The Tattoo
“Dante,” Alice said. Her voice echoed across the pitch-black abyss that they were in. A void; an empty black nothing—except for Dante and Alice. They stood on a sea of darkness, abandoned by stars and planets alike. It wasn’t even cold. Dante only stared back. Wordless. “It’s me. It’s Ali—” Dante turned away before she could finish. She watched as he stepped farther away from her. His footsteps rang solitarily across the lightless expanse they moved in. It was like a hallway. Dante could only go forward. And Alice followed. The destitute infinity around them gradually got more inhabited as she continued along Dante’s path. Stars, albeit distant, started to glow above them. Winds began to storm in. Eventually, they reached a table. Dante moved to the other end, and kneeled down. There was a mallet, and a hafted needle. Alice realized immediately; it was the rite of the batok. An old ritual. Done by the eldest tribes. The inking of a warrior’s skin. Wi
God Hounds Chapter 3: The Forest
He just stared at it. Dead silent. And it laid in front of him like it was some other mango he had to eat. He lost his memories. But he knew bodies didn’t fall from trees. He didn’t realize it, but he was getting closer. His feet pulled him towards it unconsciously. It felt like his soul took over, and desperately wanted to see what—who—was inside. He had no choice, anyway. It felt like a moral responsibility. Or an ethic. Or an inborn rule. The only way to react to a dead body is to go towards it. Wasn’t it? He questioned. He could feel its coldness. Like he was already beside it. It only just needed to turn its face to him.The air felt thicker as he closed in on the corpse. Flies and maggots? Everywhere. The pests sprouted out of nowhere. The stink got in his nose now, but he managed. And the mangoes stopped falling from the tree, like everything else waited… and watched. It was just him and the body. And he was possessed. By curiosity,
God Hounds Chapter 4: The Woman
The headbag screened him from the room he was in. He could hardly breathe through the small holes of the rough, brown fabric. His hands and feet were tied to the metal chair, and he tried to stay calm. He listened; three voices in the room. “Go, get her,” the deep, stern voice on his right side said. “Yes, sir,” another replied, as a strict set of footsteps of leather shoes tapped the echoing concrete floor. A door opened—metal, from the sound of it—and closed, as the pair of footsteps faded away and a faint hint of what waited outside whispered to him. There were only two voices in the room now. Still, he was clueless.“What’s your name?” the question startled him, as he turned to face the same, low-pitched voice he heard earlier. His breathing broke form, turning his inhales and exhales into irregular wheezes. They still hadn’t taken the bag off his head.“You scared him,” another voice rin
God Hounds Chapter 5: The Village
It was the same moon. Unchanging and indifferent. The same light beaming from the black sky. But it didn’t give him comfort anymore. He felt betrayed by it. Deceived and seduced. Lied to by a silent, white circle fixed on the dark background. Its brightness could tell anyone that they were safe. But they were not. He knew it the hard way. But it was still good to have something familiar as he rolled down the stony hill in blood and broken bones. Why? He thought. Why him? Was it just right if he was dead? The pain and the motionlessness gave him enough time to think, as he lied down the ground drenched in his own blood. All he could do now was remember. The corpses. The burning tree. The river. The child. The dog. The forest. Yes, the forest, he thought. It was the forest. It wanted him dead. It wanted him to just stop. And he did stop. The thick, red fluid ran across his forehead and some got into his eyes. It obstructed him from seeing anything at all, as if
God Hounds Chapter 6: The Target
The forest seemed to breathe around them. The green panorama vibrated and exhaled itself onto Miko and Lyle as they trekked up the monumental mountain. It seemed to watch them every step of the way. It seemed to welcome their entrance. Their appearance. After many years.“How long has it been since we came back here?” Lyle asked. The way up felt like an escalator to them. Like a path opened up just for the two. And they wore their suits, in case the locals would ask.“Too long,” said Miko. “I miss this place.” He spun around slowly as he let himself be consumed by the little frames and systems that synchronously made the forest. Its curved trees grew in a way that represented movement. Like a shockwave at the center had just blew them all away and now they’re frozen in time. Its moss populated it enough to make everything colored green. For a moment, the two felt peace. “Your sister would’ve liked this,” Miko
God Hounds Chapter 7: The Path
There was a ray of light at first, but it was more of just a blurry smudge of brightness in his eyes. But it gradually grew. He blinked repeatedly, until he got the sense of his own surroundings. Until he got the sense of his own state. He was looking up at the trees above. They covered him from the perfectly-risen sun and its light, but a few beams of the full morning had still managed to get through. Tickles of heat played around his skin like yellow insects, but overall, it was a perfect shade of phosphorescent green in the daytime. His head felt hard. He felt like he was lying down in a rough and itchy asphalt road. His body wasn’t in any kind of pain, but it felt like it finally moved for the first time after a hundred thousand years. It was dizzying, and nauseating, just to sit up straight. His eyes took in even more of what was around him. Right in front of him was just enough space for him to see a majestic, solid bluff, that overlooked an illuminated skyline. He felt
God Hounds Chapter 8: The Three
To Alice, everything was all about the cafes in San Pedro. Every street. Every road. Every corner. The seven-year-old city was Laguna’s beating heart for food and coffee. The kids grew up watching coffee shops and restaurants come and go while family businesses and startup companies eat each other and fluctuate against even more. Alice was never a big fan of coffee. But that never really stopped her. Jumping from one café to another remained one of her biggest hobbies, if she wasn't in one of the safehouses brutally interrogating her prisoner. Cafes just felt right, to her. It was essentially the most important human innovation in all of economic history. Maybe it was the people. Or the menu. Or the interiors. But Alice always felt at home, in the best ones. There was a novel sense of privacy that came with coffee shops. Everyone would just mind their own business. Civilized customers knew how to respect the silence. And the café enthusiasts always had thei
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- God Hounds
Epilogue
Alice was back in her home in the town of Urrutia. It was still too early to come out of hiding. Their enemies, the other clans that Ledanai’i stirred to war, were still waiting for them. She missed Cavite, and the other places she used to freely go to. The silence in the room she was in was able to push her to that remembrance. Dante, she sat there on her bed thinking. Are you happy? Was this what we wanted? A crash before the growth of something else? Did I do it? Was I successful? It had completely been a year since his death.Alice buried her face in her palms. She was tired, but now she had rest waiting for her. A little break before a few more. Where does this lead to?She lifted her head from her palms, and checked the tattoo on her arm. It was still burning: the new one. She recognized the symbols immediately. There was a dragon, a hound, and a deer… fighting. It was the first new tattoo the Void had given her sin
- God Hounds
Chapter 68 – Blood
The village deep in the forest had not taken lightly to the news that Nukasuni was dead. To pay respects, and even more than that, they were silent and inside their homes. A great bonfire was lit just outside the village.Aden stood on top of the cliff, as always. Maria wasn’t there with him. Instead, it was Alice who he saw and he heard the footsteps.“Are you finally here to kill me?” Aden asked.Alice stared back in silence, but her eyes did not show surprise. She narrowed her eyes on him. “I find that you’re of better use to us alive. Besides, I know there’s still one more thing you need to do. I know that’ll benefit us.”Aden nodded. “My family. They’re alive.”Alice nodded back, with a slight smile. “Are you really going there?”“They’re alive,” Aden replied. “And I have questions.”Alice scoffed, then shook her head.
- God Hounds
Chapter 67, Part 3 – Throne
They coughed through the wave of dust and smoke. Alice and Lyle were closest to the crash. Lyle supported her sister while he tried to dispel the thick dust and smoke with his hand. Aden walked slowly along their direction. The last thing he saw were the antlers striking through Nukasuni’s body.Then, finally, the air’s curtains slowly withered. As if joining the thick layer’s erasure, the clouds from above had also moved past the island, allowing for the blue sky and the shining sun to strike through them.It was clear, now. And they were looking at Ledanai’i’s lifeless body, then to Nukasuni’s as well. The dragon was almost out of breath. The three stood beside the dragon, looking helplessly at the life-taking wounds in his body.Nukasuni, gasping for little air, still managed to lift his head not to look at that the three, but to stare back at Ledanai’i. The deer had no life in it left, not after the broken antler tha
- God Hounds
Chapter 67, Part 2 – Throne
“Hold the line! Remember the choke points! And wait for my signal!” Lyle exclaimed into the radio wrapped on his wrist, connected to his earpiece. There were stragglers, those who managed to avoid their ambushing force. Lyle and Aden made quick work of them. The rest of the Ledanai’i were pinned down, pushed away farther and farther from what now was the gods’ arena.“We’re not gonna hold much longer, Alice,” added Lyle. “This better work.”Alice heaved and raced for her breath. “It will.” She coughed, and closed her eyes. Sparks of lightning, little by little, gathered around her. Her tattoo glowed.Lyle watched the scene then focused back to the choke points. “Let’s give her more time,” he radioed again.“I’ll support the front,” Aden said, rushing to that direction. “You got this, Lyle?”There were three more stragglers in view, abou
- God Hounds
Chapter 67 – Throne
“Nukasuni!” Ledanai’i howled, her back on the ground while she struggled to stare at the burning images of Nukasuni and Kadlum. Compared to the form Ledanai’i took, Nukasuni and Kadlum seemed like giants to her. But…Come on, show yourself, Alice thought. She waited, as she untied the guards with her. Where’s that goddess?Lyle and Aden dashed towards Alice in the center while the Ledanai’i were pinned down by the attack. “How’s it feel to best a goddess in mind control?” Aden said.Alice chuckled. Before infiltrating the temple, Aden had taught her how to recognize when someone was trying to influence and corrupt the mind. Although it had almost overcome Alice, that slight second of recognition and preparation made it all possible. “The Ledanai’i at the port?” asked Alice.“Dead,” replied Aden. “All dead.”Alice nodded back as s
- God Hounds
Chapter 66 - Corruption
Three days ago…Replacing the ambient noise of the humming engine was the crackling of the large fire ahead. It was concentrated, far from harming the trees surrounding it. It was encircled by the forest, but it was just a little far enough so the leaves wouldn’t catch fire. It wasn’t a bonfire, no. Aden and Alice walked closer. The crackling was now matched with intense heat. It was a deep depression on the ground, almost like a freshly-dug mass grave. Only, the grave it was housing was that of the embers of the fire.Aden stepped closer to the fire, examining the concentrated flames bursting from within the ground. Alice had not followed him. Instead, she stood far behind Aden in the cover of the trees.A few more seconds, and then Aden heard more than just crackling in the fire. Left and right, from within the shrubbery… movement. Aden looked to the sound. He sighed, as the figures came to light. “We were never here fo
- God Hounds
Chapter 65 – Goddess
“You?” Alice said under her breath. She had had her fair share of meetings with gods and goddesses. But, this was different. She narrowed her eyes at her even more. “Ledanai’i?”The tall woman chuckled softly at her. “You were expecting something else?” Her eyes twinkled against the morning light.Alice remained silent. She gripped the jar of ashes tightly.Ledanai’i noticed the sudden shift in her grip. She looked down on the jar and looked at it with motherly glance. She chuckled. “Ailan’s eyes… you’ve finally come back to me, my child.” She tried to reach out to caress the jar, but Alice slightly jerked the jar away. They met eyes again.Ledanai’i smirked. “I understand.” She blinked softly, then sighed. “How is Kadlum?”“Alive,” Alice broke her silence. “But not so much as to give you his regards,” Alice cocked he
- God Hounds
Chapter 64, Part 2 – The Island
As Alice and Karel walked across the paved road towards the island’s centre, the temple, she felt more uneasy. Like the stone pillars from before, the structures that trailed beside the roads were of ancient origin. They were either built for shorter people, or just people with limited resources in an early civilization. They were ruins, traced with squarish patterns of demons and ill kind as engravings. The stone they used to make it was so old the color had seemed to fade. But the Ledanai’i didn’t stop using them. Instead of building newer buildings, they utilized the old ones and repaired them with their own resources. Still, looking at the mix of ancient and modern architecture in one building, Alice felt uncomfortable. She was looking at something new and strange to her, and she had no way of guessing how to understand it. The Ledanai’i, indeed, weren’t just people. Some of them… hardly blinked. All of them were harrowingly quiet ex
- God Hounds
Chapter 64, Part 1 – The Island
‘The Wanderer’s Pier’ was the what they called it. It was a small hidden docks detached so far from civilization that Alice and her men needed several local guides from the remote villages. When they arrived, a handful of Ledanai’i’s men were already waiting in the area. They sat on wooden boxes and crates, and some were inside the small hut stationed beside the pier. Beyond the pier, though, it was all just fog. It was a gassy curtain thickly obscuring whatever awaited across the water.One of Ledanai’i’s men—the one in charge—stood up from the rubble of crates and eyed Alice scrutinizingly. He frowned and raised an eyebrow at her, lifting his head upwards as if to match Alice’s postural aura, but Alice was naturally taller and more intimidating. “You must be Alice Buenaventura,” he said.“The fact that you’re asking that means the man I need to be talking to isn’t here,” A
