MINIGAME

The Four Winds

Before you, followers, are the cardinal directions—North, West, East, and South—and the ordinal directions. Guess the location where the Star of Vis will appear. Should you guess it right, advance to FINISH.

“There’s a minigame?” Benjamin was surprised, and not particularly pleased.

“Even better!” James found it fun in contrast.

“I’m betting Southwest—the world of the concert,” James nonchalantly took the initiative.

“I’m choosing North—the Heavens,” Topher added, happy to join the guessing game.

“Um, the West—the sea, I guess?” Roanne reluctantly guessed.

“The Northwest—the nebula in space,” Benjamin obliged himself, though begrudgingly, to the surprise minigame.

“Oh, here it is,” James said in anticipation.

The Star appeared in the Southwest—the concert.

“Yes! Lady Luck must be on my side,” James cheered, gleeful with the result.

The idol token moved toward the FINISH, as if on a flat, moving walkway. The K-pop superstar ascended to the pedestal as an Acolyte, and the orange luminary appeared, revolving in its concentric plane around the Star of Vis, farther from the third plane of the yellow luminary.

Outside, rain splattered against the window, the glass dripping wet. Inside, the Sevilla family—Allison’s mother Thalia, her father Eric, and their maid Morissette—stood helpless as the storm prevented them from continuing their search for the girl.

At the chapel, Grandma Emily and Grandpa Al, along with their bachelor son Uncle Ronald, sat among the pews praying. The Pangilinans—Greg, Martha, and their daughter Mary—were also praying beneath a large crucifix. Above Jesus on the cross read the inscription: INRI.

“This can’t go on like this,” Thalia frantically said to her husband Eric as she paced back and forth.

“What do you want? For us to charge into the storm?” Eric replied, just as lost on what to do.

“I don’t care anymore! I’ll find a way,” Thalia said, her desperation growing.

Thalia walked away from Eric toward a staff member in the lobby.

“Is there any way we can continue the search? The storm isn’t that bad,” she pleaded.

“Sorry, ma’am, we’re not authorized to resume the search and rescue,” the staff member replied, following protocol.

“You don’t understand—the lives of our children, my daughter’s life, are at stake!” Thalia raised her voice.

“Is yelling at the staff going to save the kids?” Ellie approached from behind, questioning her older sister’s outburst.

Ellie composed herself before continuing, “I suggest—”

“I suggest—suggest to your face!” Thalia interrupted, her searing emotions—fear, anger, sadness, and disillusionment—finally boiling over. Without warning, she grabbed Ellie’s hair, dragging her across the lobby.

“How dare you! You tell me what to do? You’re not even a mother! You don’t know how it feels!” Thalia yelled.

Eric and Ansel quickly ran after their respective wives as the full-blown commotion drew the attention of other guests.

“Come with me! We’ll charge into the storm. We’ll find the children together!” Thalia shouted, pulling Ellie toward the entrance.

“Aaaaaaahhh!” Ellie screamed, unable to contain the pain of her hair being yanked.

“Stop!” Selena yelled from behind, rushing to break up the fight between her sisters as their husbands held them back.

“This is already a nightmare, and you two are fighting?” Selena asked, tears streaming down her face.

Thalia released Ellie and looked at Selena, listening. Ellie leaned into Ansel’s arms, catching her breath.

“Topher is my only son—my only child. I can’t give birth again. He’s all I have,” Selena broke down, sinking to the floor.

Thalia freed herself from Eric’s grip and knelt beside her older sister, hugging Selena as they both cried. Ellie closed her eyes, turning her face upward and placing her hands over her chest, quietly feeling the sadness of the moment while in Ansel’s embrace.

At the resort management office, Topher’s father Bill was talking to the resort manager, Mr. Sullivan.

“We’re doing everything we can, Mr. Kennedy. It’s just unfortunate that the storm has proven to be too big of a hurdle,” Mr. Sullivan reasoned from behind his desk.

“I understand. It can’t be helped that the search and rescue had to be postponed as soon as it started,” Bill said, extending his consideration.

“Thank you for your patience, sir. Rest assured, as soon as it’s safe to go outside, our team will resume the search and rescue operation immediately so we can reunite your children with your families as soon as possible,” Mr. Sullivan replied.

“We’ll keep you posted with any news and updates,” Mr. Sullivan added.

Bill exited the office, where Carlisle, the family butler, was waiting in the hallway.

“What did the manager say?” Carlisle promptly asked.

“Mr. Sullivan promised that the search and rescue would resume once it’s safe for the team to head out. The resort management will keep us posted on any important news and updates regarding the children’s whereabouts,” Bill relayed.

“That’s not good enough, sir. Time is of the essence. We don’t know what’s happening with the kids—if Topher is alright out there. I should’ve looked harder for Bud. I would’ve found your son, and he’d be here with us,” Carlisle said, consumed with guilt.

“We know Topher has always been a wanderer, always had that spirit of adventure burning inside him. He’s the best scout there is, equipped with the survival skills he needs, and his cousins are there to guide and help him. This situation is beyond our control—it’s no one’s fault.” Bill patted Carlisle on the shoulder.

Back at the cave, the blue-white hologram of the minigame dissipated, and the Visean Universe model returned. Having finished the game, James left the players’ circle, sat in one corner, and leaned against the cavern’s wall. He pulled out his phone and attempted to message his friends despite the seemingly off-grid location.

FACEBOOK MESSENGER

Kaleidoscope Boyband GC (Group Chat)

James ‘Rockstar’ Pangilinan

Hey guys, I’m pulling off an experiment to see if I can send messages from inside a cave. How cool would that be? Did you receive this message? Kindly reply ASAP. 😊

Sent 4:00 p.m., Tue July 19

Ezra ‘Guitarist’ Santos

Woah! I got your message, and you’re inside a cave? Unbelievable. How is that possible? Where did the signal come from? This is pure magic.

Sent 6:02 p.m., Tue Jul 19

Apollo ‘Guitarist’ Magdangal

Are you in a different part of the world? Your message says it was sent at 4:00 p.m. Dude, are you in a different time zone, or did you set your time two hours early?

Sent 6:05 p.m., Tue Jul 19

James ‘Rockstar’ Pangilinan

What? It’s already six o’clock in the evening? You mean it’s probably past sunset. This is bonkers—we’re just playing, and now it’s almost time for dinner.

Sent 4:07 p.m., Tue Jul 19

Kai ‘Keys’ Calzado

In the first place, your different time shouldn’t be reflected in our messengers. Is this a glitch in the app? Or did Facebook just decide to show various time zones?

Sent 6:10 p.m., Tue Jul 19

Rowan ‘Drummer’ Ramos

This is outright spooky! Is the cave haunted or what? If I were you, I’d get yourself and your party out of there.

Sent 6:13 p.m., Tue Jul 19

What is happening? Should I tell my cousins? I don’t know what to do. James glanced at his cousins, unable to make up his mind.

Roanne rolled the two dice. Her mermaid princess token—wearing a long flowing gown and holding a moon scepter—moved to the oddly gray tiny platform, the same color as the clay playing pieces, in the upper-left panel of the board: the glowing cyan space nebula in the Northwest. A sprawling line of blue platforms stretched across the panel, serving as playing spaces.

HIDDEN RULE

X. Should you reach ‘THE CHOSEN’—the only gray platform—advance directly to FINISH.

Another hidden rule appeared in glowing blue-white letters.

The mermaid princess, now resembling a sorceress, dropped flat on the board’s floor as if her legs had transformed back into a mermaid tail. She practically crawled, face down, to FINISH as if swimming through the sea. Then, she climbed onto one of the silver pedestals.

The seafoam green luminary appeared and began to revolve, in its concentric plane, around the Star of Vis, farther from the fourth plane of the orange luminary.

“I ascended as an Acolyte next to the crystal ball,” Roanne remarked.

“What? Another hidden rule. How many odd rules are there? It’s like the game is just making up whatever rules it wants along the way,” Michael complained, chastising the game makers.

“You’re back. Done with your workout?” Allison said, raising an eyebrow. “And says the guy who was so ecstatic when he rolled a double one on the START—thanks to a ‘hidden rule.’”

“You almost didn’t even play the game since you won as soon as you started,” she added with a saucy tone.

Benjamin rolled the two dice. His clay token—a space captain, helmeted and clad in full-body armor—moved the number of spaces indicated by the dice. He advanced in the upper panel—the Heavens of the North, where golden clouds glowed with holy light. A sprawling line of tiny golden platforms served as the playing spaces.

“This is why I prefer games requiring skill over those that rely too much on luck. I happen to be cursed with bad luck,” Benjamin grumbled, as he and Topher were the only players left.

HIDDEN RULE

XI. Poor misfortunate fellows—if you are second to last, advance directly to FINISH.

The space captain was propelled toward FINISH in the Heavens of the North.

“The board took pity on you, Benjamin,” Michael mocked. “Because you’re so unlucky, hehehe.”

The space captain landed on FINISH and climbed to the silver pedestal next to the crystal ball. He ascended from a mere follower to a true Acolyte. The cyan luminary appeared and began revolving, in its concentric plane, around the Star of Vis, farther from the fifth plane of the seafoam green luminary.

“I’ve recorded everything—James’ minigame, Roanne THE CHOSEN, and now the game’s mercy for poor Benjamin,” Allison said, satisfied that her vlog had captured all the significant developments.

“You don’t have to put it like that. You could just say your Kuya Benjamin got lucky this time,” Benjamin replied.

“‘Poor misfortunate fellows’ sounds like pity to me—sorry!” Allison answered back sassily, winking with her tongue out.