Etheria Plot Summary
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This is the plot summary of Etheria: Ang Ikalimang Kaharian ng Encantadia fantasy soap opera (locally known as telefantasya) which was aired in Philippine television on GMA Network.
This page will help understand the summaries of the episodes 1-50 of the series Etheria which aired from December 12, 2005 to February 17, 2006.
[edit] Prelude to Etheria
A giant wooden door, very much like the design on the great Aztec calendar with the sun on the center, but very different because it has carving on both faces, is kept, with a giant rotating mechanism serving as a sort of gate to another dimension. This one has inscriptions on its sides, unrecognizable to any. At the start of Chapter 138 of Encantadia, three guards (a Sapirian, a Diwata and a Hathorian) are seen standing and guarding it. But, by chance, the door started rotating and there appeared two Etherian soldiers with none other than Animus. The guards fought with them, but the Etherians overpowered them and left with Animus carrying away a golden chest, with its real purpose yet to come (later on revealed to be the chest of the Golden Clock). Cassiopea became a voice-over, asking us if this is the curse thereupon mentioned in Etheria, because a guard also mentioned, in Enchanta, "The curse of Etheria". This giant door will be revealed in this series.
After defeating the Hathors in the Great War, the Diwatas, Sapirians and Adamians were able to find peace for a long time but the Etherians are looming to be brought back in the present world of Encantadia.
The prophecy is fulfilled. The last Sang'gre is born, Cassandra, and the Golden Clock was discovered. Etheria was about to rise again from the ashes and reclaim their place as Encantadia's mightiest kingdom it used to be at the expense of the fall of the other kingdoms.
It is up to the four Sang'gres (Pirena, Amihan, Alena and Danaya), the greatest and strongest beings and warriors that ever lived, the powerful and brave King of Sapiro, Ybrahim, and the powerful and wise Cassiopea to go back in the time of Encantadia's past and once again destroy the forces that wish to conquer the entire realm.
[edit] Introduction: The Kingdom of Etheria
Etheria is the ancient kingdom in the Encantadia world where the Kabilan was found and made war with the other kingdoms like Adamya, Sapiro, Hathoria, and the newly founded kingdom of Lireo. Animus, an Etherian agent from Hera Sensa, was responsible for the deaths of Memen and Ornia, the parents of Cassiopea, hence the three other kingdoms symphatize with her and declared war against Etheria. This united effort of the four kingdoms helped Cassiopea defeat Etheria.
Back when Encantadia was a young world, there was a kingdom called Etheria, the strong and powerful kingdom, ruled by Queen Avria, who wanted to control the entire land of Encantadia. The neighboring kingdoms, including the newly established Lireo, however, banded together and attempted to defeat the forces of Etheria. Avria would not be defeated easily even as her kingdom succumbed. The queen swore that Etheria would return to power once the Last Sang'gre was born.
[edit] Encantadia's origin
In the beginning Ybrahim told Cassandra the story of Encantadia based on the writings of Raquim. It details how Encantadia was created. The story begins when winged beings (presumbably not the Mulawins), (this part is the battle of the angels, where 1/3 of the population of the angels where doomed, including Lucifer) good and evil, battled each other. The evil winged beings lost the battle and they were condemned to eternal damnation by good winged beings. On the other hand, three neutral beings (Bathala, Arde and Ether) were expelled by the good winged beings in a mystical place. Eventually this place became Encantadia and the creatures that thrive here were created by Bathala.
Arde fell in love with Ether that made Bathala mad and said that gods should not act like ordinary beings. Because of this, Bathala cursed Arde and Ether. Arde became a dragon that would eventually guard Devas while Ether became a snake.
Many Encantadians worshipped Ether and in her honor, established the first Encantadian kingdom, ergo the name Ether-ia.
[edit] The rise of Etheria
When the Diwatas, the Sapirians, the Adamians, the Hathors and the Etherians lived in a magical land of Encantadia, Etheria was once known as the most powerful kingdom of Encantadias while the Diwatas were the weakest and were treated like slaves. There were four houses (Heras) that completed the Etherian Kingdom: Hera Volo under Cilatus and his daughter Juvila, Hera Sensa under Barkus and his children Andora and Animus, Hera Aega under Asna'n and Odessa, and Hera Andal under Avria and her daughter Mine-a.
[edit] The Golden Clock
Meanwhile, Etheria's most powerful weapon, The Golden Clock (or Hourglass), was lost and ultimately forgotten as time passed.
The prophecy is now fulfilled. The last Sang'gre was born and the Golden Clock was discovered. Etheria was about to rise again from the ashes and become the mighty kingdom that used to be.
Encantadia is in trouble and the four Sang'gres of Lireo must travel back in time to ancient Encantadia, destroy the Golden Clock, and save the present. They must also get the lost Sang'gre to stop Avria's centuries-old plan to dominate Encantadia.
It would not be easy. The Golden Clock is guarded by four custodians who come the four tribes of Etheria: Hera Volo, Hera Sensa, Hera Aega ans Hera Andal. Four kingdoms against four Heras. Four Sang'gres against four Etherians. One Golden Clock that will determine the fate of two worlds.
[edit] Queen's wrath
Avria ruled over Etheria as their queen. But Avria's husband, Memen, took a lovely Diwata, Ornia, as his partner. Shamed by the betrayal, Avria ordered her husband and Ornia to death. But the guards of Etheria failed to find the two. Avria ordered the Diwatas killed, hoping that it would force the Diwatas to produce Memen.
Ornia got pregnant and gave birth to Cassiopea who was prophesied to be the savior of the Diwatas. Evades knowing the prophecy took the child in order to protect her from Avria.
Memen and Ornia hid in Sapiro under the care of Asval who urged the two not to surrender to Avria.
The Diwatas who fled from the mass murder of their race found themselves at the eastern forest of Encantadia. There, they were met by Evades and a teenaged Cassiopea. Evades advises the Diwatas to flee but Cassiopea declares no, took a sword, pierced the ground with its blade and announced that from that day on, the land is now their own, the Land of the Diwatas, Lireo.
[edit] Road to War: Two Assassinations, and the Council of War
Little provocation is needed to a war that has been brewing for some time. Etheria's continued arrogant stance against the other kingdoms and their relentless persecution of the Diwatas would have been enough of a fuel for the conflict. Yet only a few deaths would be needed to turn the fires of discontent to conflagration.
The events leading to the war were obscure: the elopement of the Etherian queen's consort, the Juvila tournament, the Diwata repressions. Hera Memen, now a fugitive with his lover Ornia, took refuge in the Kingdom of Sappiro. Though the Sappirean King, Meno, means only good intentions, his brother Asval is using the two fugitives as a locus for a coming war.
Meanwhile, the undefeated Heran warrioress Juvila openly told her father that she would not take any man unless that man would defeat her in single combat. This, however, sparked a rivalry between Barkus and his son Animus. Animus would not have his father prevail over the maiden that enchanted him from before. So, consulting with his sister, Andorra, he went to seek the Olontre within the forests of Aega, in the hopes of gaining its powers.
Guarding the legend of the Olontre was Odessa, daughter of the Hera Aegan queen. She zealously guarded her charge, but was struck by a poisoned arrow from an unknown assailant.
The weakened Odessa was brought before Avria, who promised to plead her case to Ether in exchange for one thing: that Animus kill the fugitives Memen and Ornia. He accomplishes the feat despite the desperate warnings of Cassiopeia, by now fully grown and seerlike, to her parents, and with the aid of an ambitious Asval, who sees the incident as the perfect pretext for war.
A Council of War is convened. Adamya, Sappiro and Hathoria is represented. The fledgling Lireo, represented by the blind Cassiopeia, is also present. Asval does not mince words; he is vocal for war. Meno, however, could not bring himself to that step to conflict with Etheria. His doubts are supported by the words of Cassiopeia, that "even with my family dead, I will not have this war".
In the end, he decides for a punitive mission to Etheria. The mission: to assassinate the assassin Animus (identified by the seer Cassiopeia). Asval, Raquim and Hagorn were tasked for the mission. They found him in the midst of "celebration" following his (Animus') victory over Juvila's sword and heart. In the ensuing scuffle that followed, Asval was unmasked. The three, however, manage to escape amidst the confusion.
With Animus dead, the newly-widowed Juvila seeks retribution. Avria is quick to respond: there shall be war. The same conclusion is forced upon the Council of War, and Meno.
[edit] War: Etheria and the Grand Alliance
The principal armies of the Council of Encantadia, mainly those of Hathoria and Sappiro, assembled at the square at Hera Sensa. Adamya is represented, but not significantly. Opposing them were soldiers from Hera Sensa, Volo and Aega. Barkus and his Heran soldiers were conspicuously absent.
The traditional meeting of the two leaders began, with Avria demanding no less than the surrender of the Sappirean prince Asval and his two companions. Meno politely refuses. They exchange empty salutations, and withdraw.
The two withdraw, and the battle immediately rages. In the midst of the conflict, Raquim pulled Minea away to the Etherian outskirts, and then to forestry. Hagorn saw them escape the carnage and followed.
Meanwhile, the Diwatas heard of the war against Etheria, and rallied on by Marvus, marched to support the Grand Alliance. Even with their numbers, however, with Etherian and Sappirean-led forces sizably thinned, the Etherian armies gained the upper hand, and Meno could do little more than order his remaining men to withdraw.
Sure of Etherian victory, Barkus and his Heran soldiers finally entered the war in the side of Avria.
Back in Sappiro, Cassiopeia and Evades met with the shattered remnants of the force of the Grand Alliance. Desperate for victory, they implored the aid of Emre, and the Bathala was soon to answer their prayers. Offering a large diamond, he said that the jewel represented the four elements and must be guarded with utmost care. More importantly, it would be the key to defeating the Etherian empire. Cassiopeia remained critical of the war, and the weapon. Nevertheless, the six leaders departed for Hera Sensa.
Where they found the Etherian soldiers being rallied by Avria. The sight of the six leaders without their armies must have seemed strange to them, but Avria was not slow to react. She ordered her soldiers to attack, but as they did, the six used the jewel given to them by Emre. The soldiers were thrown back by the power emanating from the jewel. Avria was stunned, but with Barkus tried to attack the six leaders with their powers. The jewel deflected it, and turned it towards Etheria.
Immediately, the kingdom began to crumble in on itself. The six disappeared, and as the columns fell on her, Avria cursed that the last of the lineage of Memen's and her daughter's would herald the resurrection of her lost kingdom.
[edit] History's End: Raquim and Minea
Raquim took Minea to the deep forestry, where Minea asked if this was where Raquim would kill her. He, however, pulled her there only to take her away from the war. Then, betrayals, hurt emotions, and allegiances aside, Raquim took the Etherian princess in her arms and kissed her deeply.
Minea was stunned, and pulled away. Haunted by the deaths she caused among the Diwatas, she shouted that she was bethrothed, that they were now both stained with sin. "I can't help loving you," Raquim replied, and she retreated from him and back to Etheria.
Hagorn saw the whole encounter.
Later, Raquim was with Hagorn in the midst of celebration. Hagorn would have none of Raquim's friendship, saying that there only exists hatred for the betrayal. To add to this, Cassiopeia later prophesied to Raquim that no enemy will cause his death, but that of a friend's.
Looking at the ruins of what was once the glorious empire of Etheria, Minea swore that she would make the Diwatas pay in her lifetime.
Beyond this, the Raquim parchment says no more, or at least nothing further is said of its contents.
[edit] The Encantadia Connection: Fragments of History
A large part of the beginning of the history of Etheria is told in large part by the parchment dubbed as the Raquim Papers. Written by the Sappirean during his self-imposed exile with Amihan in the realm of the non-Encantadas (mundo ng mga tao), it was lost after a tragic encounter with a vengeful Hagorn and a late in coming rescue of Amihan by the Diwatas.
The Raquim Papers were later found and displayed in a museum of antiquities, and, by chance, it catches the eye of a mortal: Anthony. He takes it for himself and carries it to Encantadia, where he sought to reunite with his long-lost love, Lira/Milagros.
Unwittingly, the Raquim Papers served to Amihan and Ybrahim a reminder of the tragedy and (to them, possibly) needless sacrifice of their daughter Lira/Milagros for the sake of her love for the mortal Anthony. The two parents fell to their versions of embitterment: Amihan rejecting the intimacy and care for her grandchild Cassandra, and Ybrahim falling more and more to the work of studying the papers, if only to remind him somehow of his daughter Lira.
[edit] The Encantadia Connection: Abduction
Beyond the backdrop of carefully concealed feelings of embitterment, is the Encantadia after the chaos of the Hathorian Wars. Sapiro had taken the lead in carrying out the peace, serving as the "melting pot" of the different races. Under their guidance, Hathors, Diwatas and Adamyans could trade and interact with each other without the need for hostility.
But all is not well with Encantadia. The curse of Queen Avria of Etheria remains, that when the last Sanggre of the line of her husband and her great-granddaughter is born, Etheria will rise again. Cassandra, unfortunately, fits both descriptions: Cassiopeia offered her blood to make her, and of course, Lira is a direct descendant of Minea.
As the Sapiryans prepare for the celebration of Cassandra's birthday, a lone cloaked figure, Animus, leads Cassandra out of the palace and to the ruins of Etheria, where she is given a golden hourglass to play with.
Meanwhile, the disappearance of Cassandra is at last noticed by the Sang'gres, who had arrived to present their gift to their grandchild. In fact, there were plenty of warnings presaging the abduction: the constant nightmares of Cassandra of her being taken away by a cloaked man; the Raquim Papers describing how a younger Cassiopeia prophesied that a young Sang'gre from the future would visit the past; and then, of course, the curse.
It was Cassiopeia, in the end, who provided for what had happened to their grandchild. Leading them to the center of Encantadia, to the ruins of Etheria and to the Golden Clock, the Sang'gres discover that Cassandra is trapped within a large, golden hourglass. The only way to free her is to fight her captors, Animus and two more cloaked Etherians. Though the battle seesawed, in the end, Animus was too elusive, and he escaped to the safety of the Golden Clock.
The Sang'gres watched in helplessness as . Following this, a huge earthquake erupted throughout Encantadia, and strange phenomena begin to happen throughout the land.
It would seem the prophecy was fulfilling itself.
[edit] Evades
Standing in front of the gate, the sang'gres and King Ybrahim were clueless as to where Cassandra is. Cassiopeia advises them that her teacher Evades might know where and what happened to Cassandra. After deciding to meet with Evades, they were along their way with Cassiopeia leading them.
When they arrived where Evades resides, Cassiopeia calls for her teacher and introduced the sang'gres to him. Evades is honoured to help the guardians of the four crystals. The sang'gres relate the story of what happened to Cassandra, and that she is the key to resurrect Etheria from its ashes. Evades says that if Etheria does return, it will be at the expense of the four kingdoms. Amihan asks if there is anything they can do and Evades answers that they need to go to the past to correct its mistakes and save the future.
[edit] Unwittingly, the Cause
Though the Sang'gres' main intention was to prevent the war, their very presence triggered the events that led to it. On their arriving in Etheria, they were immediately entangled in a scuffle with Etherian soldiers. This led to their rescue by Ornia, who gave them refuge in the dwelling place of the Diwatas, the future Lireo. There they met a Banak and Nakba, different from the two they knew in Encantadia.
At the same time, news of the fight reached Queen Avria, who sent another group of soldiers to find the Diwatas. And Memen, husband of Avria, volunteered to go with them.
Another fight ensued between the Sang'gres and Etherian soldiers. Memen escaped, was caught in a trap, only to be helped out by Ornia. Thus, they met, and though Pirena herself warned later to Ornia that their love would lead to a war... the Sang'gres themselves triggered the events that led to just that.
Memen returned to Avria with news that he had killed the "rebellious Diwatas". Avria could not trust his words and sent her own general to investigate. The Etherians came upon Ornia, who told them that she and the renegade Diwatas had gone their separate ways. The general, however, took the statement to mean that the Diwatas were still alive... and King Memen had lied. Ornia was arrested, and brought before a triumphant Avria, and a rather embarrassed Memen.
As the search for the four Diwatas intensified, so did the violence towards the Diwatas. The Sappireans, particularly Prince Asval, greeted the news with approval. It would be, to him, one step closer to bringing all of Encantadia to war with Etheria... and to make Sappiro the central kingdom of the land. Avria worried of the renegade Diwatas, and announced to the outlying kingdoms that she would execute the Diwata Ornia, unless the four surrendered to the soldiers of Etheria.
This triggered the emotions of Memen- first, pity, then love. The day of her execution came nearer, and then, he took action and escaped with her.
The seeds of Minea's hostility were also sown as news of the elopement reached her. She swore to avenge the disgrace of their family and herself kill the two adulterers.
[edit] Ybrahim in Etheria
In another part of Etheria staggered a perplexed Sapiryan. Ybrahim had followed the others, something that shouldn't have happened, and found himself without a memory and consequently, identity. Captured by Odessa, guardian of the Olontre, he was led to Hera Aega, the secret "fourth tribe" of Etheria. Populated explicitly by women, Odessa was immediately questioned on her decision to bring a dazed Ybrahim (blindfolded) to their tribe. She answered eagerly that he was to be the trade for her Vakar. A vakar is a pashnea that is similar to a bird that hums beautiful tunes
In fact, that Vakar was now in the hands of Raquim, after he captured it in the woods of Etheria and brought it to King Meno as a present. Learning of his error, he agreed to be punished for his mistake (public flogging) and returned the bird to the Herans.
Ybrahim was not exactly helpless. Taking advantage of the weakness of the Herans and their need not to be seen by men, he held Odessa in a vise, and demanded that he be released from their custody. It was then that the Sappireans appeared, and returned the bird to Odessa. With nothing holding Ybrahim to Hera Aega, he was given permission to leave.
Odessa, however, was commanded by her aunt to slay the outsider... since it was law that no man could look upon their kind and live. Fortunately for Ybrahim, the Heran fell for him, and helped him escape to the woods.
[edit] Heir to Sapiro
Ybrahim came across Raquim, and the prince took him back to Sappiro. There, he was found by King Meno, who found an odd sense of delight at seeing him. Asval remained suspicious of the newcomer.
Raquim, meanwhile, took to the Fountain of Truth (Batis ng Katotohanan) to find out who Ybrahim was. The Fountain gave him a glimpse, and the prince wondered how the stranger was a King of Sappiro.
Asval, however, took Ybrahim to be a threat (much more so that the King was beginning to consider him the son he never had-- though Ybrahim was, technically, his grandson to be), and ordered his guards to get rid of him.
Ybrahim was driven unconscious and taken to the outskirts of Sappiro, there to be killed. But his executioner could not bear to kill him, and left bearing news only that he had done the job. Meanwhile, Ybrahim was found by a Diwata named Amarro, and together with his child Aquil, took care of the stranger.
[edit] Ether and the Sang'gres
Avria grew worried as the renegade Diwatas continued to elude her. She prayed to the "Bathalumang Ether", the Bathala of the Etherians. Ether obliged her, and appeared before the Sang'gres.
"I cannot let you stop the past from meeting the present," the Serpent-Goddess uttered before the Sang'gres. Since she was in constant rivalry with the other Bathala, Emre, she could not send them to Devas and thus to Emre. So she did what she thought would make them completely helpless... turned them back to children.
Fortunately, Banak and Nakba were witnesses to what happened, and encountered Evades as they turned to flee. Evades came across the Diwatas, and told them that he had no powers to help them, though perhaps Emre could.
They prayed to a nearby shrine, and Emre entered Evades. Emre told the Sang'gres that, sadly, he could not counter what was done by Ether. He told them the only way to counter it is to go to the heart of Etheria.
As Evades returned and learned of what Emre had said, he blessed the Sang'gres with the power to teleport in the place they wished to go. Blessed with new hope, the Sang'gres started their way to Etheria... and hopefully, to the Golden Hourglass.
[edit] The Sang'gres and the Heras
The four sang'gres of Lireo travelled back to time to destroy the golden timer of Etheria. But the golden timer has 4 Etherians guarding it. Right now, the Sang'gres and the Herans are almost equal because the sang'gres are better in sword fighting, while the four herans have stronger powers. The four herans only have little advantage because they already have all their powers. Once the jewel of elements is created, the four diwatas will regain their powers of Fire, Air, Water and Earth (it is unknown why they don't have elemental powers and why Pirena, Amihan, Alena and Danaya could control the elements even without jewels when they were children in their time and this was proven in the sequel Encantadia. It is suggested that it is because the powers of the jewels were not yet forged), the four elemental spirit guides and the power entrusted by bathala.
[edit] Esmeralda, and the Curse against Etheria
The plight of the Diwatas in Encantadia, their subsequent enslavement, and the hatred of the two peoples-- the Diwatas and the Etherians, go back to the time of Esmeralda. The most powerful of Diwatas, she could change her environment with a mere blessing from her and her staff. Etherians who spied her plotted to take the power.
In the struggle that ensued, she was slain, and in her dying breath cursed that the Diwatas will avenge her death, and be the cause of the fall of Etheria. The wand she carried was also lost with her death, and all the Etherians had to show for their efforts was a curse directed at them.
So the Etherians, in fear that the curse would come true (since all of Esmeralda's uttterings rang true eventually), enslaved the Diwatas and forced them to become the lowest class among the Encantados.
Incidentally, Ornia happens to be Esmeralda's last living direct descendant.
[edit] Unexpected Reunion
As the Sang'gres (now children), teleport in and out of Etheria, their paths cross with soldiers pursuing Memen and Ornia (in fact, they came across the two as they were entering the Kingdom). They run screaming, and attract the attention of two princes--Raquim and Hagorn. Feeling a need to help, Raquim starts a melee which eventually involves him and Hagorn against the Etherians.
They eventually slaughter the group of Etherian soldiers... as a curious Amihan looked on. She had heard one of them say Raquim, and approached the prince. When he answered that yes, he was Prince Raquim, she was so taken in her emotions that she found herself embracing her would-be father. Raquim, flustered and confused, thought the child unwell, and advised them to escape while they still had the chance. Meanwhile, he told Hagorn that they should escape before they are found by the Etherians. Reluctantly, Amihan was pulled by her sisters away from the two princes.
Meanwhile, the hostility of the Etherians towards the Diwatas could be seen in their extreme actions in levying taxes. An Etherian squadron, commanded no less by Avria's general Victu, came across the dwelling place of Amarro and demanded for the regular tribute. Though Ybrahim struggled with the soldiers, all three of them could only watch as Victu exact the punishment for the failure to pay--the burning of the house.
A similar incident had begun to unfold as the Sang'gres were making their way to Etheria. Etherians were demanding payment from a group of Diwatas, and Danaya was suddenly compelled to help, though in a limited extent. Eventually all four got involved, and got separated, as Amihan and Alena escaped capture from the Etherians.
Pirena and Danaya were taken to the throne of Queen Avria where a triumphant Etherian relayed the tribute taken from the Diwatas. He also told of how the young Diwatas he had captured fought them. Avria, incensed, would have had them locked up in the prisons, but her daughter came in at the same time and interceded on the children's behalf. They instead became servants for the household.
On the other hand, Alena and Amihan took a respite in the Diwata encampment, then left that same evening for their sisters. They were apprehended by Prince Asval, and were dragged to another direction. Alena, however, was able to use her powers of song to disable the Sappireans, and together they escaped.
Both Mine-a and Raquim felt uncertain of their separate encounters with the Sang'gres. Raquim confessed his doubts to King Meno, confused that he would have a Diwata for a daughter. Mine-a, who didn't recognize the children, nevertheless felt a certain familiarity at them.
Eventually present problems distracted them. Raquim, still haunted by what he had done with Hagorn, wrote in his journals that the penalty for the killing of an Etherian was death. And Mine-a, holding the kabilan in her hands and ready to look for her father, overheard a conversation where the Prince was implicated in the slaying.
[edit] The Snowball Effect: The Sang'gres change Time
Though Ybrahim's and the Sang'gres' presence in the past has up till now been uneventful (they were, in fact, the cause for some of the trivial facts), at some point, they would have to change time.
Mine-a's trek outside of the comforts of Hera Sensa and into the forests leading to Lireo was uneventfully delayed-- as she had to directly order Victu not to pursue the matter of his dead soldiers. Though the general did not protest, he uttered a cryptic warning to the two princes... he would be watching.
Meanwhile, as Pirena and Danaya started to adjust to life within the Palace, their two other sisters were captured by Odessa and taken to the care of the Adjantaos - who incidentally were also sheltering Memen and the now-pregnant Ornia. It was, in fact, Amihan who suggested to name the child Cassiopeia.
Within Hera Sensa, the tug of emotions within Mine-a compelled her to have an interview with one of the children. Danaya felt an odd sensation of familiarity towards the princess, but Pirena dismissed this as contradicting their mission... which was to destroy Etheria and the Queen. Nonetheless, Mine-a did promise to bring Alena and Amihan to Etheria to reunite the four sisters.
The soldiers searching for these two happened to meet with Odessa, the Aegan exile. She told them that they were in the company of Adjantaos. Eventually, Alena and Amihan were captured within the forests.
But not within the Adjantao encampment. Here, the soldiers stumbled on the natives talking of the prophecy of Cassiopeia and the fugitives Memen and Ornia. And they worked quickly to apprehend the two.
With Memen and Ornia captured, what excuse would be there for the Heran Animus to travel to Sappiro with mission of assassination? What excuse for the Council of Encantadia to depute Asval, Hagorn and Raquim within Etheria to assassinate Animus?
The war has been averted, and the curse undone. However, at what cost is this change in time? Will it no longer be the Encantadia that the Sang'gres knew, where the Diwatas lived in peace long after the Hathorians were vanquished? Will it be an Etherian world?
Will Ether and her people be, after all, triumphant?
[edit] Changes in History : Memen Killed. Ornia in Hiding.
Memen and Ornia are caught within the Adjantao encampment. Memen is wounded by an arrow. The Etherian soldiers cluster around them. Seemingly, it is the end.
But Memen will not let harm come to his family. He bades them to go, and escape capture from the soldiers. Reluctantly, Ornia escapes with Evades, and is herself separated from him when wounds inflicted on her become too much burden. Evades cares for the child (as was destined) and Ornia is saved by the timely intervention of Asval.
Sappirean soldiers had been spying on the movements of Memen and Ornia for some time. Asval is convinced that they are the key to the final break from Etheria, and war. With Ornia in his hands, it would seem history would still prevail against change.
But already, change has another in its grasp. Through the backchannel negotiations of the scholar-leader Barkus and the Hathorian King, Hagorn and Mine-a are engaged to be married. But a crime has been committed, and the sins of such act cannot go unpunished. Will Queen Avria still permit such union against a potential criminal?
Will the crimes of the two princes be enough for war? Without the engagement, there would be no rivalry between Raquim and Hagorn... or would there?
Memen, meanwhile, is brought before a triumphant Avria. She does not hesitate, and moved to strike him dead. But their daughter interceded, wishing only that he be pardoned. Avria agrees, but only if Memen rejects Ornia and Cassiopeia. He does not and with her sword, she plunges it into Memen. Memen dies in the stadium of Hera Andal.
Young Pirena and Danaya have seen all the events that have had happened. (Young) Danaya rushed to Minea's side and hugged her only to rejected by her. She declares her hatred even more for the Diwatas for what has happened to her father.
[edit] No Turning Back Now: The Sang'gres Return
Trapped in bodies of their younger selves, the Sang'gres ponder at how far they had come. Hera Memen was dead, supposedly a powder keg for war. Minea is indifferent to their pleas, all the more open of her hostility towards the Diwatas.
And Etheria still stands tall and proud, its very presence a threat to the future of Encantadia.
It was Pirena who rallied her sisters. They had come so far, they will not fail their mission now. Together with Danaya, they enter the dungeon where the others are and free them from their chains. Together, they warp away from their prisons.
They reach the center of Hera Andal, near an Etherian altar. Pirena first suggests to use it as their means to break the curse, but Amihan says otherwise... surely something can be used to counteract the spell of Ether? When they reach into the pieces of the golden clock, they attempt to use it as they would the gems they had in Encantadia. And the spell is broken.
The Sang'gres know, for a fact, that they had permanently altered their past. But the way still remains clear: the golden hourglass and the destruction of Etheria.
[edit] A Love Affair doomed from the start?
Since the beginning, fate has stood between the union of Ybarro and Alena. Ybarro lived among the warrior-mercenaries; Alena was diwata nobility. Ybarro sired a daughter from another woman (ironically a sister, Amihan), and throughout the twenty or more years that this daughter lived among the world of Men, Alena lived with Hitano, a captain of the Diwata guards and later Hathor general.
Their own child was the ill-born Khalil, of whom Cassiopeia prophesied as "the test of the Sanggres."
How then, could it have been surprising that Ybarro would have gone apart from Alena and into the arms of an Etherian-born, in a land of firsts, a land of murky allegiances?
Ybrahim (Ybarro's noble name) had followed the Sang'gres back to a time when Etheria still held sway over most of Encantadia. No one could have suspected the consequences of such an intrusion, especially from a non-Diwata. Ybrahim, as events followed, lost his memory, to be rescued by an Etherian, Odessa of Aega.
He was given refuge in Sappiro, escaped there to the family of the future Aquil, and once again met with Hera Odessa. Eventually, she learned that he had already been fated with one of the Diwatas she had helped before (Alena), and before he could fully wrest from memory his lost past, she enchanted him with an arrow of love.
Knowing only a pang of longing for the Heran Odessa (which he probably could not explain), he left the company of Amarro and Aquil to be with her. He became slave to Odessa's powers.
But at some point, Alena would have to come across Ybrahim. In the middle of reconnaissance with Pirena, she caught a glimpse of Ybrahim. After consulting with the Fountain of Truth, she found that it was indeed her spouse, Ybarro.
They met again as she and Pirena found the way to the golden hourglass. She was stunned that he could not remember her, was even passionate over another woman (shades of her madness over Amihan's baby girl and the death of Khalil). In her rage, she encountered and unwittingly killed the Etherian Animus.
From an outsider's point of view, the few encounters between Alexus (the name given to Ybarro by Hera Odessa) and Alena seem like a rekindling of the courtship between the warrior-mercenary Ybarro and Sang'gre Alena. From her viewpoint, however, this was a series of misfortunes that had dotted her relationship with Ybrahim. Marred by an extra-marital child with Amihan, the death of their son by Danaya, the loss of Lira and the estrangement of Ybrahim... how could Alena have gone on for so long? And will the memory of her spouse ever return... or will it be too late as the Sang'gre is again driven to the edge, and transformed into an avenging spirit wandering the woods, as she had in the present time?
[edit] The Forbidden Love Affair, the War, and the Point of No Return
In the untampered history as written by the (unwitting) historian Raquim, the love affair between him and Minea only blossomed after the war, long after Etheria imploded in on itself. Only then did the alliance between Hathor and Sappirean fall apart.
But the little changes the Sang'gres made soon became irresistible. And Raquim fell for Minea as she fell for Raquim.
Raquim first saw her as he was making way to the Fountain of Truth to inquire about the stranger he had just rescued (Ybarro, recently rescued by Odessa). In a humorous encounter, she had introduced herself as Ssheda. Later, they met again among the company of Diwatas, Minea still confused of her loyalties (still hurt from her father's elopement and subsequent death). There she told him she was Coesha, a Diwata-slave.
They protected each other, Minea forbidding the soldier Victu from revealing the fugitives who had killed his men during the Hagorn-Raquim encounter with an Etherian squad and Raquim later on rescuing her from the clutches of her surrogate mother, Avria (as to be revealed later on).
Their love would be tested just as hardly as in the original history, for here as well Minea was engaged to be married to Hagorn.
During the many trips of Minea across the woods, she came across Raquim. He professed love for her, told her so many avowals of passion. Minea warned that he did not know who she really was. A Diwata-Slave? But Raquim was far caring.
At that point, Gourna entered the scene, Hagorn trailing. The Hathorian prince was inquiring about Minea, and the loyal handmaid went after her. There followed an embarrassed exchange of looks between Raquim, Hagorn, Minea and (yes!) Gourna. Raquim used the logic that the Diwatas would be attacked because Minea betrayed their positions to profess that he rejected Minea's heart forever. He had lied to her, he openly told Hagorn later.
Of course, that wasn't the case when later he found Minea suffering under the hands of Avria. He went out of his way to try to rescue her, and give her refuge in Sappiro. After the Sang'gres rescued Minea, Raquim was at her side, all doubts forgotten.
Hagorn's bitterness began to threaten the very alliance of the original world. Without the unity of Encantadia's four peripheral kingdoms, Etheria could not possibly fall. And Hagorn was not bluffing, demanding that Minea be first handed to him before an alliance can be secured.
Raquim was torn between his love for Minea, and the need to save Encantadia. Finally, in a move reminiscent of the elopement of Memen and Ornia some time before, Minea and Raquim themselves eloped, away from Sappiro and away from the doomed alliance. Raquim swore that he no longer cared for "the friendship of Hathor and Sappiro, whether it prosper or wither". Unwittingly, he might have changed Encantadia for the worse.
[edit] One Last Desperate Try
As the Sang'gres return to their old selves, and make their way to find the golden hourglass, they come across Minea, still oblivious of the identities of her four daughters. They are imprisoned and forced to fight "arena-style" in the Etherian capital kingdom of Hera Andal. They escape when they could no longer stand before the combined might of two of the Etherian champions, Andorra and Juvila.
The Sang'gres find their way to the woods, and later to the company of Diwatas trying to seek refuge in future Lireo. They are embroiled in the Diwata Revolution, and again come to swords with Etherian soldiers. Finally, Pirena decides that they need to make one more try for the Golden Hourglass, or they will change the future forever.
She and Alena made their way through the maze of corridors that was Hera Andal, and later told their sisters the location of the Golden Hourglass. They are able to successfully take it from its location, and with them to the forests outside of Etheria, with all of that kingdom's soldiers in hot pursuit.
Ether, meanwhile, has revealed the identities of the strangers to Avria, and told her to use her own daughter to barter for the Golden Hourglass.
The Golden Hourglass, at the hand of the Sang'gres, could not be destroyed by any weapon. And as the Sang'gres bring it before Sappiro, by then Minea had already been apprehended by Avria, and shackled in the dungeons. Forced to choose between the Hourglass and their own lives, the Sang'gres gave up the Golden Hourglass.
Later, Ether revealed that the spirit of the dead Animus had taken the Golden Hourglass to the future, for the subsequent events of that time.
With no more sure way of saving Cassandra, and no more sure way of destroying Etheria, it would seem that the Sang'gres have failed in their mission. What is left for them to do, still remains to be seen.
[edit] Hera Minea of Lireo
As she told Raquim during a meeting in the woodlands of Lireo, "I cannot afford time with you. There are still questions about me left unanswered."
Hera Minea's crisis of identity first came around when she encountered the Diwatas wandering the halls of Hera Andal (must have shocked her; what Diwata-Slaves could have resisted the soldiers of Etheria). They had referred to her repeatedly as their mother, and this incensed her as it clouded her thoughts.
Later, she learned from blind Cassiopeia that she was of the same blood as Cassiopeia's; the would-be seer and queen referred to the birthmark on her back. Minea learned from her that somehow she had Diwata blood. Could she have been a half-breed as her father was (though never mentioned)?
But a more sinister past lurked behind her. Avria, having no child with Memen, prayed to Ether for a child. With the help of Balthus, she was able to get one among an obscure couple. A Diwata couple. Balthus later told Avria that if Minea knew of her past, there was no other way to save the situation but to kill Minea.
Minea, meanwhile, continued to seek answers to questions within her. She was shunned by her surrogate mother, and the way to Cassiopeia was already difficult. Then, she learned from Raquim that she had a birthmark resembling that of what he saw from the Diwata-warrior Amihan. With Amihan is the answer, she thought.
Her encounter with the Sang'gres and Avria's encounter with the Bathala Ether came almost simultaneously. The Sang'gres admitted that the reason Minea had the same mark as they had was because they were her children from the future. At the same time, Ether told Avria that Minea was the answer to all her problems-- she was the mother of the renegade Diwatas.
As Minea left, even more perplexed, she was captured by Avria.
By this time, Avria had completely severed all her ties with her "daughter". If it came to a choice between you and Etheria, Avria probably thought to herself, it would be Etheria.
The anguish of a daughter betrayed, Minea's sole consolation remains with Raquim. In his arms after the Sang'gres eventually traded back the golden hourglass for her, it was Minea who would not sacrifice her love for an alliance against Etheria. Though the hate within her for all the allegiances lost knows no quarter, she would not part with Raquim for it.
They eloped, of course, in the tragic tradition of their predecessors, Memen and Ornia.
And Minea, happy in the arms of her beloved, and oblivious to the legions being raised in Etheria, the broken alliance between the Hathors and Sappireans, and the bloody rebellion that is the founding of Lireo, has as yet to realize that even as she rests in the arms of her would-be lover, even then malice creeps its ugly head.
[edit] The War of Lireo, Sapiro, and Hathoria versus Etheria
In a forest stood the Saprians about to face the Etherians. At first, they didn’t know how to win but suddenly came Queen Cassiopeia and the Diwatas and King Bartimus and the Hathors to side with them. And with them were the four sang’gres of the future. At first there was an agreement pact with the two leaders, King Meno and Queen Avria. King Meno said that peace for Encantadia is their goal and Avria replied with Then Peace is what you shall receive if you surrender at this moment. The leader of Sapirian didn’t accept to surrender because of the evil of the Etherians. The war started equal among the soldiers of both sides. While Amihan was standing in a spot, Juvila approached her and said that she didn’t expect to see her again but Amihan replied “this day wouldn’t end until I finish all Etherians from Hera Volo. Amihan fought her even if Juvila kept on using her speed powers. Juvila lost because Amihan kept on kicking and punching her and Juvila even tried pulling her feet but Amihan slapped the strongest warrior of Hera Volo. But Pirena was in danger and tried fighting Andora. Andora held no sword and used her powers to choke Pirena. Pirena was choked for a few seconds but Amihan and Pirena were able to escape. Meanwhile, Avria found Alena and Danaya. Alena and Danaya faced the Kabilan with normal swords so they lost but King Meno arrived and faced Avria but Asval striked his brother with his axe from an attack behind. Avria was pleased with what happened so she then gave him powers to teleport and that’s how Asval earned powers to teleport. Asval went to Sapiro to kill Meno's family but Raquim faced him and Raquim almost gained the advantage. King Meno arrived and healed himself but then Asval was conquered so he teleported and cried in the mountains.
[edit] The First battle of the Sang’gres against the Herans
The Sang’gres surprised Hera Andals’s Hera House and killed all of them and proceeded to the room where the golden clock hourglass is hidden. Arkrey battled them but the sang’gres were too powerful for him. But suddenly appeared the four heras that take care of the golden clock. Amihan faced both Arkrey and Juvila, Pirena faced Andora, Alena faced Odessa and Danaya faced Avria. Amihan was close to winning but she looked at her sister, Pirena who was in danger. Pirena was defeated by Andora. Alena and Odessa were almost equal in match but Alena suddenly lost control that she let Odessahit her. Danaya also lost to the Kabilan’s powers. The four herans created an energy ball that would drain the diwatas energy and lives and trapped them in it. The four sang’gres lost strength and fainted.
[edit] The Jewel of Elements is back
Bartimus, Meno, Cassiopeia and Agea prayed to Bathala that he would help them in the war they are facing. Emre then appeared and gave them a jewel, a weapon that would help them in the war and to maintain the peace in Encantadia and is also the strongest weapon in Encantadia. The four leaders of the four kingdoms went back to the battle field to finish their battle.
[edit] The Second battle of the Sang’gres against the Herans
The Jewel of Elements is back which means that the Elemental powers of the sang’gres have now returned to them. The power which they own in the future and the destined holders. The strong energy of the jewel countered the energy ball. They invoked their respective Jewels, Amihan and Danaya flew in the air and the two remained on ground and they tested their powers if they are really back and it was as great as before. And then new weapons appeared suddenly (maybe from Bathala). Alena’s spear’s blade was different and it looked lighter than her old spear. Pirena shifted the twin blades and found a new sword. Amihan also had a new sword (unknown if its still the sword she inherited from her father). And Danaya’s sticks became shiny and newly covered.
The five herans (+1 because of Arkrey) arrived again and were surprised how they were able to defeat their powers. The four sang’gres smiled at their enemies. The four Etherians stood beside each other and combined their powers and striked the Sang’gres but the Diwatas didn’t get hit. Then the sang’gres showed of their own powers and striked the heras with power stronger and greater than the Etherians and the Etherians fell to the ground because of the strong force but managed to evade it. Avria then screamed at Juvila and Arkrey to fight and Amihan said Leave this one to me. Amihan put Juvila and Arkrey to ground and Arkrey went back to the other side because he got scared while Juvila stood angrily and ran around Amihan with quick speed but when she was about to hit Amihan with her sword, Amihan flew to the air and struck Juvila with a wind blast. Avria then screamed at Andora to fight. Pirena, very angry with Andora stood in front and said She’s mine. They battled it off with swords but Pirena was much better and put Andora’s sword down. Andora then used her telekinesis to put Pirena’s sword down too. Pirena hit Andora with a punch in the face. Andora used her powers to try and choke Pirena again but it seemed like it had no effect on Pirena so Pirena summoned a fire ball and hit Andora back to her team. After Amihan and Pirena have won their battles, Avria screamed at Odessa to fight next. Alena, mad at Odessa for putting her husband under a spell so that he would fall in love with her, stood up and fought Odessa. Alena and Odessa battled (Odessa’s face seemed so in angry because Alena was too powerful and skilled). After Alena kicked her opponent numerous times, she sang a song and used her magical voice against the Etherian. Odessa couldn’t move a muscle. Alena then screamed and Odessa was thrown off by the sonic blast and was knocked unconscious. Danaya went forward and asked Avria for a match of queen versus queen. Danaya was too quick for Avria and kept on hitting her, and kicking her. After that, the five Etherians knew that the four elemental goddesses were too much for them due their great powers so they teleported out of the room.
[edit] The Four Herans in Book 3
Ether flew around her kingdom which was all destroyed to find the Four herans. She found them all and kept their spirits in a crystal ball and brought them to the future. The Crystal ball broke and their spirits were free and they hid in Hera Andal. They practiced fighting and were plotting something evil so they may try and steal the four jewels (because their powers were too weak compared to the sang'gres powers) so Etheria may once again rise back in glory.
