After the event she participated in, Manila did not immediately go to prepare for the Alumni party for PSU LC, wanting to go have a trip down memory lane, and her first stop, the College of Education Building, she, with her corporate attire sat down on the widened building that got more floor than what she had remembered, munching on the Banana Chips that she has as a snack during the seminar.

_Ah, is it okay to get out of there after my part was done?_

Manila, even though she is a former professor, Manila is not well known for her patience, she might even be considered a terror for how she set deadlines for her students.

_It should be fine, I just gave free copies of my book, they just have to read it if they do not understand anything, and besides this is a three-day seminar, so I have the chance to explain it better._

"There is still an hour before the Seminar ends, you know?"

An old lady in a yellow t-shirt sat down beside Manila so suddenly.

"Ah, well, don't you think it's redundant to have a seminar about Emilio's life if they already taught it in high school, a pleasant afternoon, Dr. Petrola."

Manila gently grabbed the hand of Dr. Petrola and kissed the back of her palm, the old lady looked at her and wiped the little makeup on Manila's face that got destroyed because of Manila crying earlier.

"No matter how senseless it might be, an educator shall support all forms of knowledge acquisition... By the way, you are as smooth to the ladies as ever huh, is this how you treat your lover/s?"

Manila smirked a little as she took reins on the tissue being held by the lady and then wiped her face.

"No, usually it's a kiss on the lips, and that "/s" is unnecessary, I have changed."

The old professor smirked a little too, she had been anticipating meeting one of her most memorable and successful students.

"You are more disciplined than the girl I know before, going in the exam hall reeking of alcohol, going into fights, mooching students and teachers alike, yet still became the Magna Cum Laude and topped the L.E.T..."

Manila could not help but laugh awkwardly, she remembered doing all of those things that she was not so proud of, and the worst thing was that all of her professors that is yet to retire and still in service in this university probably told her that story to all of their students.

_Wait a minute, is that why all of those students are cheering so loud? No there's no way that they got their hopes up because a former delinquent became an NHCP chairperson, right?_

Manila wondered, but shook her head, if that is the case, then those future maam/sir will be up because of a rude awakening, no and not because they can't succeed because they are a little juvenile, but because Manila's competition is not just the cream of the crop, Emilio and Apolinario alongside her are given privileges by the government that gives them an unreasonable edge over everyone else.

It just so happens that Manila used those privileges as a shield to continue her despicable acts when she was still a student.

"Well, you can say that I became well-behaved compared to before."

Manila did not voice out any of her thoughts, she answered with a smile as she munched on the chips that she placed in between her and her professor, suddenly they saw the students going back to their respective buildings, some of them were drinking water and some of them are wiping their tears, both the teacher and the student looked at their watch and saw that the seminar was already up.

_We were just discussing how I almost got suspended 5 times in year 1 alone, who would have thought that time would fly by so fast._

Manila sighed as she stood up.

"Well, I have to go and visit my house and prepare for the alumni night, I'm afraid I have to cut our conversation short."

Dr. Petrola also stood up and then started to walk toward the faculty office.

"That is too bad, well then, I also have my next class, goodbye."

Manila then started to walk in the opposite way of the students, her car was parked in the parking area near the College of Education building which is conveniently near the exit of the campus, she didn't know if the school knew of her impatient behavior or they are just being kind to alumni, but either way, she gets to have a very good parking spot, so she doesn't mind.

"... Good thing I am rich and don't need to clean the house myself every time I go for a visit."

Manila picked up her keys and then opened her car, sat on the driver's seat, and sighed as she started the car.

"Though I hope my girlfriend is here."

After that mutter, she stepped on the gas and drove towards the exit, Manila's destination is her house, or mansion if one is to strictly speaking, however, just as she was about to put up her windshield, a red dot appeared on Manila's head, she instinctively noticed it and immediately altered the position of her head, however, no human can surpass the speed of a bullet that was fired at 3,000 Kilometers per hour, Manila's head was penetrated by the bullet, her brain lost control of her whole nervous system, the two holes on her head gushed blood like a fountain and she slumped limply on her seat as her car lost control.

_What the fuck was that?_

Manila was confused as her consciousness slipped away, maybe because of defiance or maybe because of her brain not immediately shutting down in the first place that she felt the strong stop of momentum and her body suddenly being violently forced forward when she crashed with a truck, her already hurting head pounded further and more blood gushed out from it, the police who are protecting the guests of honor sprinted towards her badly damaged car and her already dying self and suddenly, an officer held her hand, shouting.

_It's one of my ex's..._

She could see the female officer crying, but she did not know why the officer was crying, surely Manila had seen her face before, but Manila was not so good at memorizing the names of her hookups in the past, she said sorry from the bottom of her heart and with great effort shook the hand of hers that was being held.

The lady's tears started to trickle down, she was so excited when she learned that she would be the officer that would supervise the security of the event in which her T.O.T.G.A (the one that got away) was leading, hoping to find some closure, but if they were to become lovers once again, it will be better, who would have thought that she will instead response on an assassination against the person she oh so loved.

Of course, the lady knew that Manila has a lot of body count, but as they say, first love never dies.

"Ghk... Fgghfk..."

Incomprehensible words came out of Manila's mouth, her vision was already half of what it used to be, and she squeezed all of her energy to say her last words.

_Does this bastard think he/she will get away with this just because we are not in Manila?_

_Oh man, you better get the hell out of this country if you even want to have a chance for survival._

_It was not even a decade since Apolinario destroyed the pillar of the Philippine economy by the violence of arms, and then some people still dare to try to do something like this? You better make the holy week a holy year for you and don't eat anything in hopes God will be able to protect you against an educated Tondo (1) Guy like him._

"May God forgive you, because Apolinario won't."

And with those words, Manila's eyes finally closed, signaling the death of yet another prodigy of the pearl of the Orient.

_____

Note: Some of the places' names were altered as the sources for some places during the pre-colonial period are inadequate. And again, I am a college student, majoring in SCIENCE, so I will not guarantee the full accuracy of the accounts.

On an unknown date, somewhere in the 15th Century, Northern Caboloan Gulf later known as the Lingayen Gulf, Pre-Colonial Philippines, two certain individuals were lying on the sand, their bodies soaking in water and the two of them were surrounded by planks of wood, the woods, besides being broken and snapped in half looks finely chiseled, surely the planks did not come from random trees and if one is to see the giant white cloth attached to a mast that is snapped in three parts, one will be able to confirm that the two individuals came from a destroyed ship.

"Urgh..."

The lady grunted and opened her eyes in a daze, realizing that she was not on the ship on a stormy night anymore, her body got jolted with revitalized energy, furthermore, the moment she saw the shackles on her hands being snapped in half, probably because the intense water currents, Antoinette felt like she was given a new life, tears trickled down her cheeks, she did not even mind the searing pain caused by the salt water splashing on her wounds.

Antoinette is a French woman who was framed by her parents for being a witch just so that they can pay the taxes imposed on the commoners of the French Kingdom's hierarchy, it's not like Antoinette is blaming her mother and father, after all, that is their only choice, good thing (or not) Antoinette get to keep his life when a certain clergy, the clergy beside her named Antoine, coincidentally having the same name as her, just masculine bought her as a slave.

"I must escape."

All of the tortures on her little tenure as Antoine's slave flooded her mind, it may not be as intense and crippling as the rumors she have heard about slaves, but being fed just so that her body will stay delectable for her master is something she cannot bear, thus she stood up and looked one last time to the cruel man yet a kind servant of God that saved her life.

"Where are you going?"

However, just before Antoinette can step towards the forest just a few meters away from the gulf they are in, Antoine utters such words as she stares at Antoinette who only has garments for her lower half, her face paled and her overflowing smile disappeared in an instant.

"...S-sir... I... it's not like I want to..."

"Your master's head is throbbing, and you have the time to sightsee?"

Antoinette was frozen, her despair elevating when her body started to walk back in instinct, she thought she was already free, she thought she was seeking freedom, but her brain felt fear just by the thought of Antoine might find her if she ever thought of escaping, she doesn't want to be molested again, but she also knew what will happen to slave who escaped her master, thus without even realizing it, she went at the head of her master and then held his shoulders and helped him get up.

After which she silently hanged her head, crying because of the fate not accepted by her brain but already done so by her body.

Meanwhile, Antoine looked at the gulf, first with his dazed eyes but when he saw the view, his eyes widened.

_Lingayen... this is Lingayen, right?_

Antoine II, otherwise known as Manila Brillantes woke up on a ship that was already half filled with seawater, in a panic she grabbed the lady in handcuffs beside her bed, definitely not because of attraction to her curvaceous body, but because he was somehow naked, he searched some garments on her... his naked body and jumped out of the wind-powered ship Manila remembered all of what happened, her being sniped, being held by one of her ex, all of them, as well as the memory of the clerical works given to the body she is now inhabiting as the Priest and the accused witch, turned slave somehow found themselves in the Tosa Province, the territory of the Chôsokabe Clan, during the Sengoku Period.

Because of this information, the fear of the unknown immediately disappears, though Manila, now known as Antoine is still grossed out because of all the memories of Antoine's molestation against Antoinette.

_Yes, good thing I calmed down, but the thing is that this Antoine is not recorded in French history, probably, his accounts are lost or were erased to clean the putrid history of the Catholic church._

Antoine sighed and then stood up, his clergy attire was destroyed and his slave, was mildly wounded while also being half naked, he had to find anything that was still useful, he then looked at his back, his eyes somehow locked.

"Antoinette, whatever you do, don't go beyond that forest, is that understood?"

Antoinette, who was crying slowly raised her head, somehow looking flabbergasted.

"Good sire... did you ju-"

Antoinette wanted to ask something, but when Antoine gave her "the stare", she once again hung her head and then stood up.

"Understood."

Antoine looked at his slave... former slave, not happy at all because his "Teacher's Stare" still worked despite not teaching for years, for he knew why Antoinette shriveled like a cat when he stared at her like that.

He suddenly thought of different things a healthy man would think of to remove the trauma out of Antoinette's body, but immediately shook his head.

_Does she count as my ex even though I am still technically alive?_

Antoine did not linger on the topic further as he and Antoinette went to the cloth and started to remove the broken mast from it, his goal, for now, is by all cost get away from the eyes of the soldiers of the gulf's owner.

The Kingdom of Caboloan.