Mutagen

Day 147 - 1:12 AM - Mountain Sanctuary, Catanduanes

When the Diwata called unto some Spirits and Elementals, Mark did not expect the ones that stepped out.

There were four people. Three Spirits and one Elemental.

First was the very same armored spirit before. The more Mark saw this guy, the more it felt that it was out of place.

It was the same for the second one, another existence that was out of place. It was a woman wearing a white dress. Her appearance resembled the White Lady that was common in Philippine Horror stories. However, unlike what was depicted in those stories, this woman did not look like something scary at all.

The third one was actually one of those black-skinned children. Compared to the ones he saw before, however, not only this boy appeared to be more mature and had stronger magical power.

And lastly, the Elemental. It was just a ball of light that floated down from the branches of the Spirit Tree. At first glance, it might just appear like that. However, Mark could sense intelligence from this ball of light.

With the arrival of the four, the Diwata sat down in front of Mark. The armored spirit and the lady in white stood behind her while the black child stood beside her seat. The ball of light hovered over her left shoulder. Lastly, the Tamawo, Ordulk, and Mark's Aunt, Gennie, took the empty seats beside the Diwata.

On the other hand, the others that were present earlier dispersed, although they kept a close watch while waiting hidden in the surroundings. Without a doubt, all of them were still wary of Mark.

As for those that the Diwata called, Mark was quite confused as to why these people were here. He was only asking a question, after all. Was it for protection?

Finally, the Diwata began.

"Let's start this by proper introductions." The Diwata sternly said. "I am Iraya, the Diwata of Catanduanes."

Hearing her name, Mark could not help but realize why the locals call this mountain that name.

After introducing herself, she then introduced the people surrounding the table one by one.

The Armored Spirit was called Morlkil. He was a person incapable of talking. Why? Apparently, the armor was not just a form of equipment. It was his very existence. He was cursed armor that gained sentience, similar to Ignis that was on Mark's back. Still, what was a cursed medieval armor doing here? Mark wanted to ask, but now was not the best time for that.

The next one was Aliya, the lady in white. And as Mark had thought, she was really a White Lady. Though right now, more than a ghost, she was already a full-blown spirit. However, that was not the shocking part there. 

"If you really are Gennie's nephew, then Aliya should be one of your ancestors."

That was what Iraya said.

Both Mark and Aliya were surprised to hear that as the two stared at each other. They held the same curiosity towards each other.

Not minding the gesture of the two, Iraya continued.

The black-skin child was called Deriellio. A Yasaw. It was the first time for Mark to hear their race. And apparently, the ability to move fast came from them.

Then, the ball of light. It was called Bituin. The name meant Star, although there was no way that it was one. It seemed to realize what was in Mark's mind, and it seemed to be shivering. Of course, it was angry.

"Now is not the time for that Bituin." Iraya sighed as she turned to Mark. "And don't be rude about her name. It is a sensitive topic for her."

Well, of course, it would be. Everyone probably noticed that detail.

And there, Bituin started shivering again, making Iraya give out another sigh.

The last person to be introduced was the Tamawo named Ordulk. Apparently, he was Gennie's suitor. 

"Lover?"

Mark could not help but ask while looking at his aunt. After all, she was a married woman despite her husband being unfaithful. She also had three children.

"N-no!" Gennie immediately denied it with an embarrassed face. "He's only a friend!"

Unfortunately for the guy, Mark's aunt did not fall for him. And until now, he was still pursuing her, although she saw him as nothing but a friend.

Those words made Oldulk a bit dejected. However, it seemed that giving up was not in his vocabulary.

Mark, however...

"Heh."

He smirked.

Ordulk's pale face could not help but go red in both embarrassment and anger. Gennie immediately tried to pacify the Tamawo. After all, she did not want her friend and nephew to fight.

"Can you please stop trying to rile them up on purpose?"

Iraya's voice started shivering. It seemed that she was also losing her temper since Mark did not seem to be paying attention at all.

"This is why Demons are troublesome to interact with."

Deriellio remarked at the side, making the others agree somehow.

"My turn, right?"

Mark asked, ignoring the little guy. And to answer his question, Iraya nodded.

"As you heard from my aunt, I'm Mark."

Then, there was silence.

It was a bit late when they realized...

"That's it?"

Gennie asked.

"What am I supposed to say?"

Mark asked. It was not like he was here to be chummy with everyone or anything. He just wanted information.

"You can at least tell us your full name or current race as a Demon, right?"

Iraya said. Although she was hostile to Demons, she held some curiosity towards Mark.

"His full name should be Mark Anthony Dequiño."

Gennie suddenly said.

Mark could only stare. He also did not expect her to just say it all.

That stare, however, made Gennie feel that she did something unnecessary.

As such, he added.

"I already threw my full name away. I just go by Mark."

He stressed out that he did not want to be called with something else.

It was something that these people could not understand. To Spirits and Elementals, names were the root of their existence. 

Once they were given a name, they would not be able to throw it away like humans. In fact, even humans would be able to take control of a Spirit or Elemental's will once they learned about their true names.

Seeing that they understood what he meant, Mark decided to disclose his race.

"I'm a Blood Demon and a pureblood."

That, however, made the people around both confused and surprised.

It seemed that none of them knew about Blood Demons at all. But what surprised them was that Mark was a pureblood.

"Are you kidding with us? A pureblood? That's impossible! Do you think that you can trick us with a lie like that?"

Ordulk voiced out.

And in response, Mark shrugged as he stood up. Then, he released his demon form.

Everyone started to shiver. Even Iraya was not an exception.

Horns, fangs, his eyes, the markings on his body, the two pairs of reddish-black wings, and the most important part, the pressure that was coming from him.

Mark was not lying. He was a pureblood.

It only lasted a few seconds, and Mark returned to normal, taking his seat once more. He would not release it for long in this place. He could see that a lot of the Spirits and Elementals could not endure the pressure from him and fell unconscious. Even the night animals and insects started fleeing in fear.

"How is this possible?"

Iraya said, could not believe it.

"Is it impossible?"

Mark asked. The reactions were quite unnatural.

"Humans that became demons can never be purebloods. Unless..."

Iraya replied contemplating deeply.

"Unless?"

Gennie asked to the side.

"Unless that human had a pureblood Demon's bloodline."

As Iraya said that, her eyes panned to Mark, Gennie, and even to Aliya behind her.

"However, humans that had a pureblood Demon's bloodline could not become spirits either..."

That was what confused the Diwata.

After all, there were two people here that came from Mark's ancestry that became Spirits.

Mark nodded as he heard that. He now understood why they were confused. Nonetheless, Mark knew that there were no issues here. After all, Blood Demons were a versatile mixed race, carrying both Demon and Spirit Bloodlines. It was also possible that their ancestor was a Blood Demon and a Spirit, allowing this scenario to happen.

Well, Mark had no plan to explain. Blood Demons was a hated race, after all.

"That aside," Mark decided to change the topic. "I want to know why the Spirits are protecting our family."

Iraya turned to Mark with a cough. She lost her composure. Surely, they came here for a different topic.

But before all that, Iraya turned to Bituin. She looked like she was confirming something. The ball of light then released a brighter glow for a second, making the Diwata release a confused sigh.

"It seems that you are not lying."

She said.

"Is that a lie detector?"

Mark asked.

Being treated as some sort of tool, Bituin bounced in the air angrily.

"Bituin's ability is to see through the intentions of people in front of her. Her glowing brightly just now indicated that you are telling the truth and had no other intention aside from asking for information."

"How convenient."

Mark said, staring at Bituin.

Being treated as an item again, Bituin continued to bounce in anger. If not for Mark releasing that frightening pressure earlier, she might have charged at him already.

"Bituin, settle down."

Iraya reprimanded the ball of light, making it sulk as it floated to Aliya's shoulder.

Releasing another helpless sigh, Iraya turned to Mark.

"As you can see, Aliya and Gennie are here. That is the very reason why we are protecting your family."

At first, Mark would think that it was their request or the like. However, the Diwata's expression told Mark that it was not the case and it was something deeper.

"I don't know if you knew about this but not just any human can become a Spirit or Demon. Or else, humans would have gone extinct long ago, turning into either Spirits or Demons."

According to the Iraya, even if a human wanted to, it did not mean that they could turn into one. It was like how Demons like Aswangs and Mananangals, who were half-human Demons, could not increase their population that easily.

Aswangs and Mananangals were not a race. Their ancestors were humans that had undergone a disease-like Demonification. That was why like a disease, these Demons could turn other humans into their kind. Of course, it was only possible if the criteria were fulfilled. Like humans with high compatibility with magical energy.

"And your family had been producing those kinds of people for a very long time now. It was already like this before we even realized that it was happening."

"So, your people are protecting my family, so they don't fall into the hands of Demons?"

Mark asked.

"That is right."

Iraya nodded.

"Of course, we won't force them to become Spirits either. Besides, not everyone that had magical compatibility could become one. In the least, we ensure that none of them join the sides of the Demons until their lives ended."

Iraya then looked at Gennie.

"Though Gennie's generation was quite exceptional."

"What do you mean?"

Mark asked.

"Five among the seven siblings exhibited magical compatibility. One was even born with a spiritual body. Unfortunately, he died shortly after birth because of some complications. Even we could not do anything about it."

That was quite a surprise.

Now that Iraya mentioned it, Mark's mother and some of her siblings exhibited strange abilities.

Mark's mother, Grace, had a talent for reading the future using various mediums. She even managed to successfully cast various household spells at home.

On the other hand, there was his uncle, Roy, that had a weak kind of healing hands. He could relieve pain and minor illnesses with his massages.

There was also his youngest aunt, Belen, that had various experiences with the unknown.

And of course, Gennie, that was now a Spirit.

As it turned out to be, Mark becoming a Blood Demon was not just a pure coincidence.