"What did you just say?!" Jade exclaims in my face.

I raise my hand to her. "Calm down, Jade. There's no need for you to react like that."

We are about to leave the Babaylan's and will take up residence in the guest room close to the inner area of Hiraya. Isagani says that there are no more houses in the middle part of the outer area of the island, so they are forced to give us three rooms at the inner area's guest rooms, the one that is separate from the Mainland guest's rooms.

"But your challenge is only to pass a Bow and Arrow exam?! That's all!? Can't you see how unfair it is? Migo and I were forced to slay an enormous shark. Look at my legs! Look at Migo!"

I look. Migo still has issues with his fingers due to that huge crab. He can move both his arms, but sometimes his fingers jitters uncontrollably. And Jade, well, she can walk by crutch but she still needs support from time to time.

"Why are you angry with me alone? Renz's challenge is the same."

Jade purses her lips and says, "I don't care."

"Well, his challenge is also unfair. Don't put all your anger on me. Just be grateful that only the third challenge remains for the five of us."

Jade groans in frustration and slumps back on the bed that Migo had already fixed. He frowns when she messes it up again.

"Besides, I have other news," I add. Both Migo and Jade look at me, expectant. "The Mainland people are here. So Laya and I will be taking a look."

"Are you saying that Jade and I will be taking care of your transfer to the inner area?" Migo groans.

"You got it! Ah, you're so smart!"

"Aian!" Jade scolds. "You do know that I am still injured and I can't have Migo carrying all this stuff? No matter how little this is!"

Then there's a knock and Mayumi enters. "Laki asks me to help Jade with the transfer?"

Migo's smile widens. He drops his clothes on the bed and welcomes her. While Jade has a questioning look on her face. She looks at me and mouths, "Why?"

I shrug my shoulders, although I got an inkling on why. Jade and Migo saved his life and so he is trying to repay that.

So, I stand up and say, "Since you got help now, I'll just go and meet Laya on the barracks."

********************

Laya and I walk towards the wall that separates the middle and inner areas of the island. I groan in frustration. Being one of the Rajah's aides or general, or whatever he's called, I thought that we will be given first-class seats to watch them be introduced to the Rajah. Unfortunately, his plan of checking out means spying on them from afar.

Laya stops and touches the wall. "This will be a great area for sightseeing," he comments.

Then he jumps over the fence and makes it seem like it's not more than four meters tall. I gawk at him. He's about to jump to the other side when he realized I'm not following.

"What? You want to take a peek at the visitors, right?" he asks.

I did, but not like this. It's as if we are criminals who are going to take a look at something we shouldn't. He should have used his connections!

"Can you please remind me again why we are going to check them from here?"

"I told you, I am allowed to take a look, but you are not."

Ugh, damn. I look at the wall that I need to jump. Laya understood my predicament and lowers his arms towards me. "Okay, come on, I'll raise you." A smile forms on his lips.

I glower at him. "I'll do it."

I reach for the top of the wall and raise my body towards it, successfully climbing it. Now, here comes the hard part. I look at the ground. Four meters high, huh. That should be easy to jump.

Laya jumps and makes a gesture as if he will be catching me. "Come on now. I promise I'll catch you."

"Go away," I say and make him move away from the spot where I need to jump.

I close my eyes, wish fervently that I won't lose the use of my legs, and then jump. However, I slip and for a split second, I thought I'm going to die. I open my eyes and I realize that I am still alive but my butt is hurting. On the other hand, Laya is stifling his laughter.

He's about to say something when I cut him off. "Shut the f*ck up," I warn.

"Shut the f*ck up," he mimics.

"Stop copying my words!"

"Why should I? Yours sounds informal." He lends his hands to me and pulls me up. Then he adds, "I like it."

When I'm up to my feet, we hear a commotion. We hide ourselves in the bushes and observe. There is a solemn procession of white-robed people that are coming out from a room on our right. I'm not sure what it is for, but it is enormous when seen from the outside.

On our left are Bagwis, Isagani, Dakila and Rajah Sinagtala. Dakila is the one doing the introduction but we are too far to make any sense of the words spoken. After that, the guests continue to another room where the Cleaners are waiting to usher them to their respective rooms. From what I've heard they will be here for a month.

"A symbol of Purity," Laya whispers to me. "They should display themselves as Cleansed to the Rajah if they planned to be liked by him."

"They really want to be his wife, huh," I comment. "Are all those women?" I ask. Since I cannot see beyond the white robes and veils, I can't identify their gender.

Laya snorts. "Are you kidding me?"

"I told you to stop mimicking how I speak."

Laya waves my complaints and says, "Some of them are soldiers, warriors, servants, and men of high ranking. They are keeping up appearances, have you heard of that?"

When I glower at him, he adds, "That's what they are doing." Then he mutters to himself, "Two high ranking families, three mid and five low. That's a lot for this year."

I wonder how these families are ranked. Hopefully, something not too barbaric?

"For this year? How many times have they visited?" I ask.

"Every three years they come here to visit. It's mandatory for Mainland families. But lately, Dakila has been doing it yearly."

"Why?" I ask. Surely, that question won't come out as strange?

Instead, Laya frowns at me and says, "Sometimes, I feel like you're some kind of a child who knows nothing."

"You don't have to insult me if you don't want to answer."

"Come on, Aian. Have you really forgotten everything before you arrive at this island? Because it doesn't seem like it when I am talking to you."

I did not answer so he continues, "More like, the five of you have been ignorant from the very start before the Ablution even happened."

Ablution? What does that even mean? I look at Laya, he's busy observing the Mainland guests. Is it safe to ask him? Should I trust him? Will I endanger Jade and the others if I do this?

I take a deep breath and then I ask, "Ablution?"