A few moments later, Job was already driving and they were traveling the road to Calbayog City, it is a small city in the western part of Samar Island.
This was not the first time Job had been to this place, as he had also made previous trips to the area related to the orders given to him by his Master Titus.
Job is a Third Circle Magi and a disciple of Maestro Titus… a renowned historian and a doctor professor in a secretive school in the neighboring province of Bicol.
Daniel and Titus are best friend and comrade in arm during their time in the Army. They were like brothers that they were almost inseparable during their early days.
Their bond starts when they both enlisted in the army and started their career as a soldier. After their training, they were assigned both in Mindanao and fought the local terrorist groups and the insurgents in that place.
They were in the army service for more than ten years and both assigned in a special assignment program of the government after their last stint in insurgency campaign in southern part of the Philippines.
As per the law of their country, any army individual that reaches ten years in service are entitled of the early retirement program or they can decide to continue serving in the government by transferring to non-combat service such as office worker or as an instructor of the new recruits of their government trainees.
Daniel and Titus were supposed to avail this program but an unexpected circumstance happens in their last mission that led to their new special assignment.
One day, while their troops were in the covet operation of taking down the one of the big camp of the local terrorist group in the outskirt of mountainous Zamboanga Peninsula, the terrorist was been alerted by the operation, and while the Kasangga Corps was on their way – this twenty four man elites commando of government troops which being lead by then Captain Daniel Oconner and his second in command 2nd Captain Titus Silents, an ambush occurs to their team while performing their mission, and after more than three days of exchanging bullets with the terrorist group the Kasangga Corps started to overwhelmed their enemies.
While the enemy camp was about to be conquered, the terrorist back up party arrive that eventually started to overpower the government troops.
And as their fighting continues, the terrorists are losing more and more lives, but on the part of the government troops, it is also inevitable that there will be casualties and the thinning of their force.
The fatigue and exhaustion of more than five days of exchanging fire with the terrorists, pursuits and the unfamiliarity of the terrain, the Kasangga troops started to dwindle in numbers. The twenty-four men troops, drop down to only fourteen members.
As the operations steps on the sixth day battle, more of the back up of the terrorists arrive in the area, this enemy of the state started their retaliations and the troops of Daniel and Titus were greatly overwhelmed.
As the Kasangga Corps is waiting for their back up force, a stand by platoon that were stationed around fifty kilometers away from the area of operation, which their Comm. Officer ask for back up a day before, for some unknown reasons…the intense battle in that jungle extended more than a week and the expected back up still did not arrive.
On the tenth day of heavy bombardment, the terrorist group rounded up the government troops. Only eight members of the Kasangga Corps are remaining. But as the veteran Captain Daniel and his second in command Captain Titus knew the ordeal of their troop, Captain Daniel eventually ordered to retreat and the objective to reach the upper part of the next mountain is their possible option for survival. This is to gain more vantage point in the upper terrain from the pursuing enemy.
But as the eight men on their way, another team of terrorist arrive on the upper part of the mountain… because of the sudden appearance of the enemies in their escape route, four more members perished as the remaining members maneuver to avoid being sandwich by their enemies from their rear and front area. Daniel and Titus as well as their two semi-unconscious members after more than five hours of retreating and avoiding their enemies, they manage to stumble into a hidden long tunnel like cave. Daniel attended the wounded two member of his team while Titus secured the area for any hidden danger or enemy.
On the following day, without the enemy in their tail, Daniel and Titus scout the perimeter of the cave for any food to replenish their supply. The other two wounded member since they were already out of immediate danger and was already awaked, after ensuring the safety from their enemy and the danger of any wild animal's attack, they were left resting in the entrance of the cave as the group was trained to move with buddy-buddy set up or goes with two-man party always.
While the other two members was left in the safety area near the entrance of the cave, Daniel and Titus decided to check the inner part of the cave. As the two of them feels weird about this cave, they traverse the cave with cautions.
After more than an hour of traversing the expanse of kilometer or so… as they continue forward, the duo slightly feels a dizziness and the strangeness in the space that they only feel's when they were travelling in airplane or in helicopter in the sky.
To the duo, their time while traversing inside that cave feels like it was a lifetime, however when the both of them came out on the other side of that cave – a blinding bright light welcomes to the both of them.
A few days later, Daniel and Titus returned to the place where their remaining companions were stationed, near the entrance of the cave. And their companions were greatly surprised by the great change in the appearance of the two. It was obvious that they had aged almost five years and even their hair had white strands of hair, as did their beards and mustaches and a few wrinkles on their faces.
It became a major topic of conversation on the responding troops that rescue them, especially those that knew personally the both of them.
The weird part was that, as per the other two member of their troops that they leave near the entrance of the cave, it was only a few couple of days had pass since the time they entered the cave to avoid their chasing enemies, and only a week had passed when the terrorist ambushed them.
But for both Daniel and Titus, something happens to them that it took them a while to separate the reality of their experience in that cave.
Their bench officers conducted an investigation, as the failed mission of their two best and brightest ground captains had shaken the morals of the army troops. It took more than five months to finish the said investigations, then a senior officer in their intelligence command was being relieved from his posts for being suspected of leaking the details of covert operations to the government enemy. While his accomplices were directly tried in the court martial.
And for the unexplained phenomena of the both Captains Daniel and Titus, when the reports come out, there were an instruction from the higher ups that sealed the findings and are eventually classified the findings as "a very confidential".
The two officers were given a special assignment that separates the both of them in which both the two brothers were not seen by their colleagues in the army since then on.
Until some info that circulate which says the both of them suffers a "war shock" of the incident. But to some people specially those with them in that operations are puzzled as to what did really happens.
After the final recommendation was release… the both of them were being instructed by their officer that they cannot disclosed the details of their last operation experience in that said cave including their testimony as well as the findings of their report to anyone including their family… and later the government release a paper that says, that the both of them avail the early retirement program and live a simple life.
As per the government arrangement, both Daniel and Titus live with their own private life or so it seems in the outside.
Beyond of the surface of their Mission Order, is a Highly Confidential and massive Secrets of the government that the two prestigious former Captains of Army are now handling a very sensitive position.
So, Daniel goes back to his province in Samar with his wife –Ruth.
Titus, on the other hand, lives in Sorsogon in the Bicol region. He continues his studies, become a doctor and eventually a historian and a head instructor of an unnamed university that is very few knew about its information.
In the last five years, the two men very seldom see each other, although they both met in several covert occasions, but the personal meetings they have been only happened twice… first is during the baptism of James, which was Titus is a sole godfather. And followed next is on the second birthday of James.
Subsequently, two years ago, the two brothers, talk about the possible schooling of James in this special school which was headed currently by Titus in Bicol area.
James because of his unique talent and genius level of intellect, he accelerated his studies. From his six years of grade school, he completed it with only five years and for the four years of secondary schools, James finish it with only two years.
As James was about to be enroll in college, Titus and Daniel discussed about entering James in their school instead.
That's the reason why Job picks up James and accompany him to Bicol for his study.
But James had no idea about the school he was going to, what was there, or why his parents had chosen him to study there instead of in their hometown.
That's why James decided to do some research, about what was going on, and what kind of school is headed by his ninong Titus in these past few days. But to his great disappointment, no matter how much he tried to find information about the school, he couldn't find anything. His father didn't even tell him the full name of it too. All he said was that he would find out once he got to the school himself.
So, until now he was clueless about what was really going on in this school. And while traveling, James just took the time to look around while occasionally asking Job for some information he could find out.
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