The Book of X | The Kingdom of Ingrid Ch. 2

The Book of X

          There is a legend of how humans became companions with magical beasts. A tale of extremely powerful beings, lending their divinity to a chosen few. Who in return used their power to defeat a then rampaging demon in the barren lands of Pagtung-an.

          Humans are inherently non-magical beings; hence, they were afraid of beasts who possess the power of nature. They cannot stay in large groups for the concentration of human scent attracts the attention of carnivorous creatures, like the Wakwak, Balbal, and Bungisngis. They lived in secluded places away from the slightest trace of mana and traveled wherever they deem is safe, that is until the Kingdom of Ingrid was established.

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Back in the diner, Dru and I are eating dinner out of the ten nickels I got from the noble. Contrary to Dru’s expectation that we will travel tonight, Rodrigo’s actually waiting for another person to accompany us. It seems that Dru’s more itching to go than Rodrigo.

“This is way cheaper than the caldereta we ate earlier,” Dru grumbles. He wasn’t particularly happy with my choice. “You definitely have to shoulder me one more meal.”

Since we already had meat earlier, I suggested we get monggo. It’s stewed mung beans with garlic, onions, tomatoes, various leafy vegetables—bitter melon leaves being my favorite, patis for umami, and small slices of pork for those who can’t survive eating without meat, like this complaining boy in front of me. It’s a Friday favorite menu in my hometown. I'm surprised that Aling Nena serves it on Wednesdays.

“Hmm..” I hum in response, not really willing to recognize what he’s saying as my attention’s poured over the book I’m reading. I mentioned that I wasn’t able to see a single library since I came to this town, and Dru out of nowhere pulls a booklet out of his ragged bag. He said he had nicked it from a travelling merchant.

          In many history books, it was told that the alliance of the first groups of humans paved way for the modern era, where humans are now capable of using magic. 

          Of the original eight High Families of Ingrid, the public only know of six, including the royal family of Ingrior who descended from the Devatas, and the race of the elusive Dalaketnons who are believed to possess massive amounts of mana. The other known High Families are the Sari, Echiverri, Sinaya, and Dracotour. All of which have contracts with divine magical beasts. An ability, lower nobles and commoners can hardly achieve, but is given to the direct descendants of the High Families.

The book talks about the different noble families that have established the Kingdom we live in. Problem is, I don’t know half of the names in it, and I pride myself in knowing Ingrid’s history because I’m a scholar. In the essence of protecting my pride I think this is a fairy tale.

I scanned over the highlighted names and found what I’m looking for:

          The High Family of Sinaya have built most of the structures in the Kingdom of Ingrid, especially its towering walls that protect the people from wild beasts wandering the nearby forests. Their familiars are the Kapir, which are giant creatures reaching the height of thirty feet.

"Oi, you still reading that rubbish?" Dru shakes his head in disbelief. "I tot as a sholar yuld haf lesh, uk" after talking with a mouthful of rice he finally cuts his sentence and gulps some water "ah, less interest in fairy tales."

"Can you please tone down your voice?" I asked him softly, but irritatingly as I threw daggers with my eyes on his barbaric posture of putting one foot on top of the stool he's sitting on.

"Argh, what's wrong with their rice today? Why is it so hard?" He seems to have a lot of criticism on what he's currently eating, but he consumes it fast enough. Silencing the noise around me, I proceeded with my reading.

          House Sinaya's main prowess is their almost inhumane strength, and their immunity to poison and most diseases. They are valiant heroes. Mighty and straightforward in war. They led the attacks and defense against the ravaging beasts. One could say, their clan sacrificed the most number of lives.

This can be a fairy tale but the author does know to include facts here and there to make it seem credible. Everyone knows that Sinayan nobles are strong, well they have bulging muscles in their portraits displayed everywhere. And I’ve always found their immunity to poison fascinating. I once proposed a research idea to test poisons of varying potency on my noble classmate, which of course he turned down furiously. That made me think that maybe they’re lying about that one.

          The Sinaya's familiars are the kapre, agta, and pugot. They are tree dwelling giants. The kapre is a giant who sat atop balete trees smoking tobacco. Their prescence is usually felt once fireflies are seen flying around a tall tree. They are giant, with human-like features, but with long hairs all over their body. Their numbers are rather scarce for the birth of female kapre is rare.

However, the more I read, the more I’m convinced this looks more like a history book. I mean, on the cover it looks like a typical children's fairy tale, but the author does know what he's narrating. The information included here on the noble families I know is almost a sum up of what we learn in history class at the academy. Dru might have stolen a not so cheap book.

"I only read that book once and it's pretty funny." Dru comments looking at me, puzzlingly, perhaps because I haven’t really made an effort replying to him as I’ve been reading the whole time.

Finally deciding to give him attention, "What did you find funny about it?" I asked.

"Well, it talks about eight legendary families and all," he replied, quoting both of his hands in the air when he said the word legendary.

"As far as I've read, there was no use of the word legendary to describe the High Families." In an effort to be original and not mimic him, I resorted to simply emphasizing the word.

"Well, they're still legends, aren't they?" Dru asks rhetorically.

"Anyway, all I know from my experience of travelling around Ingrid is there's only three High Families. Three, not six nor eight. The Royal Family, the nobles of Sari in the East, and nobles of Sinaya in the West, three High Families." He said that as he showed me three fingers, shoving them to my face, as if I do not understand the words he's saying.

"Imagine if we have more High Families, do you think the kingdom will be better?" He mumbles, again with a rhetorical question, suddenly all serious looking. Ah, I did not consider you to think of such matters Dru, I contemplate in my mind.

"The atrocities of the nobles of Sari and Sinaya is enough," he says melancholy, his eyes tracing his surroundings, which I follow. I forgot that Hagonoi is near the outskirts, far from the central cities. That means the people living here generally have fewer opportunities to better their lives. Establishments like libraries will not be put up here. As if poorer people deserve less in acquiring knowledge or are not deserving of the entertainment a book can give.

To try and get him out of the uncharacteristic gloom he’s in, "Dru… What do you know about the author of this book?" I asked, and noticed a bowl of noodles being delivered to him now. Am I gonna pay for that too?

"Hmm?" He mumbles in between savoring the yellow noodles I’m definitely not paying for.

"Never heard who this X is?" I pointed to the small mark on the upper left of the book cover, which I’m assuming is the emblem of the author. It looks like a squigly script of a wide letter X.

"Nope, why would I bother?" Yes, stupid self, why would he, all he seems to think about is what food to eat next.

"Are you looking for more books like that? There’s plenty in the antique shop where it came from." Finally, some proper answer, but then I remembered what he said earlier.

"I thought you stole it from a travelling merchant?" He paused slurping the noodles he's eating.

"Now that I think about it, I think that’s a different book. That one," he points with his pouted lips towards me, or towards the book..., "There’s a lot of copies of it distributed last week. For free. I took one.” Oh… It seems this boy actually likes books too.

As if all tiredness was swept away from me in this newfound information, I promptly stood up and got ready to go. "Can you bring me there?" There are no libraries here but there’s a bookshop giving history books for free!

"Right now? Uh-huh? But I'm still eating my mami.” This glutton.

"You can always eat more later. We need to go now. Or I won't pay for the meal." Nice threat Agnes.

His eyes bulged at the thought he might pay for all the food he's eating. He has added pork buns in his order. "Sure. Sure, sure,” he laughs, “If you say so brother Anggus." I close my eyes and feel embarrassed by the fake name again, I could have chosen a more natural boyish name, like Luke. Why did I have to make it sound like a butt hole? And why did I ever agree to be travelling companions with this guy. He might just seriously empty my salary via his stomach. Maybe that’s his modus operandi. Luring in helpless people looking for a job, treating them for a meal, and making them feel guilty to treat him to a meal too.

I watch him ask the servers to have his noodles and buns be packed for takeout, I dread to see the cost of all that shared food. My thoughts got so lost in my reading that I didn't notice he kept on ordering, and I agreed I'd pay for it. I only had monggo, and he had three different meals. I got scammed.

I grit my teeth in controlled patience. I got some good information out of him anyway. This is the first time I am able to find a trace of what I'm actually looking for. I can't believe I'll be able to read information about the lost families from a book at an antique shop, when I wasn't able to read anything from the records of the Academy.

This book even contains information about the fallen Echiverris, the leaders of the now in hiding water mages. How cool is that?

We only know a few about the founding families now. History had been lost to time, and most people aren’t really interested in them. But I'm not most people, because I have always been fascinated by our history. 

I look at the book in my hands again, feeling the passion swell in my heart. What an ironic way to tell a story of truth, long lost and forgotten, searched for endlessly by the most established of scholars. A possibly ultra expensive information, literally put it in plain sight, dismissed by the common people who know nothing of their value.

Who could have written this? Who is X? I contemplate as I trace the embosed script.

This emblem, where have I seen it?