Episode 18

Episode summary by Animus_Este of EC as reposted by #1 Critic of PEx:

Kabanata 18: Ang Ginintuang Orasan
(Episode 18: The Golden Hourglass)

The Past: Forest of Lireo

While wandering in the forest as children the sisters come upon Evades. Pirena recognizes the elemental and the sisters come out of hiding to meet the familiar face. But the younger version of the Etherian Elemental does not recognize any of them.

Evades: “Sino kayo? At anong ginagawa ng mga paslit na tulad niyo sa kagubatang ito?”
(Who are you? And what are little children such as you doing in the forest?)

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Before the sisters can give him an answer though Banak and Nakba arrive following the Etherian. They ask about the Diwatas, and then when they notice the children they ask about them too. Evades has the same question in mind, who are these kids. Just then Danaya come forward and addresses the two men calling them by name. This puzzles the Sapirians, how do these kids know them. So Alena informs them that the kids definitely know the two men, and it’s because they are the Diwatas that they are looking for. This admonition surprises the men. They would like to know what has happened to the Diwatas and how did they get turned into children.

Pirena: “May nakalaban kami, siya ang may gawa sa amin nito”
(We fought someone, she did this to us)

Evades: “Ether, and bathala ng mga kalahi kong Etherian. Siya and may gawa sa inyo nito”
(It was Ether, the god of my fellow Etherian. She did this to you)

So Amihan implores the powerful elemental to help. Is it possible for his power to return the sisters to their original form. But she doesn’t get an immediate response from the Etherian.

The Palace of Sapiro

Prince Raquim is pacing in the training hall of the great palace. Something seems to be bothering the young man, something he is pondering very deeply. Suddenly King Meno with his personal guard arrives and addresses the Prince. He informs his nephew that he ahs just learned that their guest seems to have left Sapiro. Raquim tells his uncle that the stranger left without giving any word. This puzzles the king since they provided the stranger with every courtesy, yet he still hopes that no harm comes to young man.

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Just as the king is getting ready to leave the prince alone, Raquim decides to ask his uncle about what has been puzzling him. He is simply curious about the Diwatas, as far as he can remember they have always been enslaved by other races, especially the Etherians. He just can’t understand why Etherians treat the diwatas that way.

Meno: “Ito ay bunga ng takot Raquim”
(This due to fear Raquim)

This answer only serves to confuse the prince even more. The Etherians are very powerful, what do they have to fear from the Diwatas. It seems that even with all their power the Etherians fear the Diwatas because of a curse that was bestowed in the distant past. A curse set upon the Etherians by the most powerful Diwata ever conceived, Esmeralda.

Raquim: “Esmeralda? Sino si Esmeralda?”
(Esmeralda? Who was Esmeralda?)

So the king decides to tell his nephew of the tale of Esmeralda as it was told by his father. Esmeralda was the most powerful Diwata ever to walk Encantadia, but this was centuries ago. She was so powerful that with the help of her scepter anything she said would come true. When the Etherians learned of her power they grew envious and wanted it for their own. So they attacked Esmeralda in her sleep, bent on wrestling the power from her. Esmeralda tried to drive them back with the scepter, but outnumbered by the Etherians she succumbed. Yet before giving in to death she uttered a curse again the Etherian race.



Esmeralda: “Pagbabayaran ninyo and ginawa ninyong ito sa akin. Ang mga kalahi kong Diwata ang maghihiganti sa inyo. Pababagsakin nila ang kaharian ninyo, hanggang walang matira sa Etheria kung hindi ang alaala ng inyong kapalaluan”
(You will pay for what have done to me. My fellow Diwatas will seek vengeance upon you. They will tear down your nation, until nothing is left of Etheria but the memory of your arrogance.)

Upon her death the Etherians thought they had won the power of the sceptre. But it was not so for along with the ebbing of Esmeralda’s life the sceptre vanished into thin air. Leaving the puzzled Etherian with nothing but a curse upon their heads. Esmeralda’s final words drove fear into the hearts of the Etherians and from that day on they strove to suppress the diwatas. That was the start of the Diwata’s enslavement.



Raquim finally understands why the Etherians have been enslaving the Diwatas, it’s because of fear. But Meno feels that the enslavement is senseless. After so many centuries no Diwata has ever gone against the Etherian. So Raquim tells his uncle about the Diwatas who went up against the Etherian guard, the same Diwatas that Etheria is looking for right now. They may be the fruition of Esmeralda’s dying curse.

Forest of Lireo

Evades is telling the sisters his power is no match for one of the gods. So he cannot help them, only another god could possibly help them now. That is why he has brought them to try and call upon Emre for his aid. With his wand he lights the magical cauldron and calls upon the benevolent Emre to heed their prayer and appear to give them assistance.

Somewhere in the Forest

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Marvus is trying to rile the other Diwatas to take up arms against Etherian oppression. He tells his kinsmen that from the moment they are born it is as if they are branded for slavery. Their kind does not say a word at being seized and forced into servitude by the Etherians. Likewise they remain silent when their kind is tormented and punished. So the Etherians are led to believe that the Diwatas are cowards who cannot put up a fight. But isn’t enough-enough?

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While Marvus continues his speech to his fellow Diwatas two Sapirian guards stumble upon the assembly. With curiosity the guards watch over the proceeding. It would seem that news has travelled fast, hence all the Diwatas now know of Ornia’s execution. That is why they have come together in this secluded section of the forest. With this realization one of the guards ponders if Ornia may be the catalyst that their lord Asval has been seeking for all these years.

Hera Andal Dungeon

A bloody and bruised Ornia hangs limply against her chains when a hooded man carrying a sword approaches her. He awakens the Diwata who immediately begins to squirm until she realizes that the man in front of her is Memen.

Memen: “Alam mo ba na paparusahan ka ng kamatayan bukas?”
(Did you know that you will be put to death tomorrow?)

Ornia: “Tanggap ko na, Alam ko nang yun ang kahahantungan ko”
(I have accepted it, I knew that was were I was headed)

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So Memen admits that he cannot abide by this, he cannot let her die. He tells her that ones he has an opportunity he will help her escape and he will take her far from Etheria.

Hera Andal Palace

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Avria with the captain of the guard Victu are stand before the altar of Ether as the god’s serpentine form hovers above the flame. She exclaims that their god Ether has finally returned. This only means that she has gone up against whoever is threatening their golden hourglass. She decides not to take chances, so she issues a dire command to her captain. She commands that the guards are to surround Etheria and capture or kill all none etherians trying to enter the capital. Victu readily accepts the queen’s orders and sets off to fulfil her wishes.



The Forest of Lireo

Evades calls upon Emre. Suddenly the fire on the altar erupts and the glowing flames engulf Evades. As the magical glow envelops the Etherian Emre takes control of his body to use it as tool to speak with the sisters. Emre then asks those in front of him why they have summoned him. But even before Amihan can tell him who they are he informs them that he already knows who they are. He also tells the sisters that he knows why they are in the past. Pirena then tries to plead for Emre to return them to their original selves. But alas Emre is unable to undo what Ether has done. He informs the sisters that it is the law amongst the gods that one cannot undo what another’s will. So he cannot overturn Ether’s magic, just as Ether cannot undo his own actions.



When Danaya asks if that is so then how are they to return to their grown up selves. She is told by Emre that this can only be accomplished through their own actions. They need to enter Etheria together, and by doing this undo the spell that Ether has placed them under.

So Danaya decides to ask Emre for the Hope Gem so that they will have a means of defending themselves and entering Etheria. But her idea is faulty, for Emre tells her that only the people who are destined to obtain the Hope Gem will receive it. By this he means that he can only give the Gem to the original group he bestowed it upon, Cassiopeia, Bartimus, Meno and Aegen. So he cannot give the gem to the sisters, even if they are its guardians in the future. He then repeats what he said the sisters must accomplish in order to break the spell and leaves.

After Emre leaves and Evades regains control of his body, he has no recollection of what has just happened. So he asks the sisters to tell him what Emre told them.

Later we see Amihan leading her sisters to another part of the forest, closely followed by Banak and Nakba. She tells them that they cannot enter Etheria without a plan. So they decide to use their youth to their own advantage. So they hatch a plan for it might just be possible that even etherians would not hurt a young child and so they can go to etheria unhindered. Now, once inside etheria they can then easily find the golden hourglass, or so they thought.



But Evades tells them that finding what they seek will not be so easy. The hourglass is kept in a hidden room and even he does not know its location. Only Queen Avria and the four guardian of the hourglass can enter this secret chamber. No one knows who the four guardians are even the guardians themselves do not know each other. Only the queen knows their true identity.

Everyday one of the guardians takes their turn guarding the hourglass. Each has their own unique ability. Aside from guarding the hourglass they have one other duty, which is to wait for the last speck of sand to fall in order to begin the cycle again. Everyday they each take their turn at guarding the hourglass, devoting their time to its protection. This is because the hourglass is the source of power for all of Etheria.



While the sands of the hourglass continue to flow Etheria is secure in its continued existence. But the moment the sands stop flowing the whole nation will topple to the ground. All it’s magic and even it’s very lifeblood will disappear.

As the sisters prepare to set off towards the kingdom of Etheria Nakba and Banak try to dissuade them from continuing their journey. But the sisters are resolute to see things through. Even Evades is convinced that the sisters play an important role in history and should not be hindered. So he decides to give them a parting gift that may prove useful. He decides to give them his ability to teleport. As the sisters use their new ability Evades gives them a farewell blessing.



Hera Andal Dungeon

As Ornia regains all of her senses she notices that she is no longer in her original cell. She asks Memen where they are, and what has happened to the other Diwatas. Memen tells her that she has moved to a different cell. Ornia then insists that the others need to escape as well. But Memen tells her that doing so would make things difficult as they would surely be detected.

Outskirts of Hera Andal

The sisters materialize in front of a rocky edifice.

Danaya: “Ang galing nagagawa ulit natin ang maglaho”
(Great we can disappear at will again)

Amihan: “Salamat kay Evades, utang natin sa kanya ang ganitong kapangyarihan”
(Thank Evades, we owe him for giving us this power)

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As the sisters are talking Alena suddenly notices something toward the horizon. She calls her sisters attention in that direction. In the distance, beyond a grove of trees, the mighty palace of Hera Andal is clearly visible. They have successfully reached Etheria, now they need to find a way into the city.

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Abangan:

• Prince Hagorn is reading a decree that there is to be a celebration in Etheria to be highlighted by a fight featuring Juvila, the greatest warrior in Etheria.
• Memen and Ornia are fleeing Hera Andal just as the sisters enter the city.
• Odessa has Asval at arrow point as she asks him where she can find Ybrahim
• Ybrahim finds himself in an unfamiliar dwelling and is suddenly approached by a little boy (little Aquil)
• The sisters are running and screaming away from something as they run past Princes Raquim and Hagorn who are surprised to encounter children in the forest.