The cold breeze of wind glided towards the air, the torches magically lit ablaze, the scent of cracked stone dust, sounds of fresh fruits dropping from trees and thumping on the ground, and humility for their need.
"Please teach us!" Ezekiel and Bagani kneeled and bowed on the cobblestone lobby, begging the giant to genuinely teach them anything to counter the foul beasts called Aswangs.
Bulawan was still in a state of certification, seeing the Eye of Bathala did not only made him believe the two but he also sensed a terrifying amount of rage at the heart of Bagani. "This kid... He's going to exterminate them all." He muttered to himself. On the other hand, there was Ezekiel. He sensed the boy as well. Ezekiel was filled with greed, to only care about his race and none for others, but the youngster was also filled with compassion for the ones that he loves.
A suspenseful pause was present as Bulawan couldn't spout a single line. Bagani's eyes opened wider, facing the specks of dust of cracked cobblestone teared him up. "Please..."
Bulawan tried to fight the urge to agree to the two's request but as his resolve slowly crumbled he had no choice but to succumb to their appeals. "Fine. Be it." He replied confidently as to keep the tension from consuming him.
Ezekiel and Bagani then let out a sigh of relief.
"Training starts tomorrow. You two will be under my supervision for the next years." Bulawan stated.
"Years?! What about my family?" Ezekiel asked abruptly.
"We use doves to send messages here. Once your buddy gets well he will be my maid. Is that a deal?" Bulawan negotiated.
Ezekiel quickly shake on it and made the deal.
"The second room on the right, that's the dining from and the kitchen combined. Make your meals." Bulawan ordered.
The two quickly ran to the said location and prepared their dinner. Surprisingly the room was filled with rice, meat, bread, and other edible goods, none of them also gone spoiled.
"Whoa! I won't have to hunt anymore." Bagani cheered in joy as he was bewildered by the stocks of food. "There are big pots in here as well!"
As they make their dinner the Ezekiel got curious about Bagani and asked him questions.
"Bagani right?" Ezekiel questioned whilst cutting spuds. Bagani quickly nodded. "Where are you from?"
Bagani thought about the question himself for a while, confused about what to reply he answered simply. "Here and there. I travel every month before I found your village. By the way, what's your name?"
"Oh, I guess I haven't introduced myself." He remembered. "My name is Ezekiel."
"Well Ezekiel, the first impression of us wasn't that great so let's start over today." Bagani declared.
The newly found friends chatted for a while as they prepared their dinner, along with the conversation they came across Ezekiel's true goal.
"Say, Ezekiel what's your plan after we finish training?" Bagani curiously queried.
"I'm going to find the Buhayostine." Ezekiel quickly replied.
Bagani scratched his head in confusion while preparing the utensils on the table. "Buhayostine? What's that?"
Ezekiel explained to Bagani what the Buhayostine was along with the myth that the old man told him.
"It can kill entire civilizations you say..." Bagani tremored in shock. He took a deep breath and gained confidence once again as he remembered the similarity of their objectives. "You know what after training I'll help you find it! Let's kill those bastards..." He announced in a vengeful tone.
They ate shortly afterward and slept. The sounds of crickets chirping, the vast view of mountains covered by the subtle darkness, and the ominous smell of cigarette lingering from above.
"Buhayostine. Haven't heard that thing in decades." Bulawan chuckled at the rooftop, smoking his big cigar.
The night passed by and the light of dawn slowly lit up the temple. Bagani being used to getting up early waked Ezekiel from his slumber.
"Hey get out of bed. Get up man." Bagani in daze tapped Ezekiel's arm continuously.
Ezekiel raised his head irritatedly, he opened his eyes and squinted afterward. "It's so early. I can't even see the sun." He contended in pique. Ezekiel than slammed his head on the bed and covered his face with a pillow.
"Our food. We make it ourselves, remember?" Bagani sluggishly reasoned. He slowly carried Ezekiel out of bed and dragged him.
"Damn it let go I'm walking." Ezekiel said in a torpid state.
Bagani let go and the two prepared their breakfasts in their unenergetic states. They lit up a flame at the firewood under the clay pot and began to cook rice. The smell of smoked pork and fried eggs filled the air as they prepared the dishes. The kitchen door suddenly opened with a loud clang, the two got startled and turned their attention towards the noise's direction.
"Hey, Ezekiel is that you?" James limped.
Ezekiel quickly got out of his half-asleep state and ran towards his friend. "Are you okay mate?" Ezekiel grabbed him by the shoulder to help him stand up properly.
"W-what's that thing?" James pointed towards Bagani.
Bagani then sighed. "Here we go again..."
Ezekiel told James about Bagani and Bulawan.
"Are you hallucinating? These things are our allies? I can still believe you when it comes to the blue guy, but a 9 feet smoking beast?" James in doubt whispered to Ezekiel.
All of a sudden a heavy stomp shook the ground. "Here we go again..." Both Ezekiel and Bagani groaned. "Hey, you can walk properly right?" Ezekiel asked.
"Yes, I can. Why?" James replied.
The two pushed James out the door towards Bulawan. They ran back the kitchen and shut the door close. "Wait this thing is real?! Let me in!" James shrieked. He screamed like a little girl, banging on the door.
"You'll be alright." Ezekiel voiced out to James. He then continued working with Bagani to cook their food.
After preparing breakfast they ate the newly made breakfast which was composed of freshly steamed rice, a fried egg, and smoked pork belly. Along with them was James who was slightly pissed off at Ezekiel. He grabbed the bacon and forcefully stuffed it in his mouth along with the rice while furiously staring at Ezekiel.
"Oh crap, he's mad." Ezekiel thought to himself and panicked. He then tried to communicate to release the stress. "Are you-"
"Shut it fool!" James yelled.
Bagani laughed at the two which led to him choking on his food. The two worried about Bagani released the anger of James, they gave Bagani a cup of water eventually. After that, they headed out of the room to meet Bulawan who was waiting in the lobby.
"Is the coward going to be training with you?" Bulawan asked.
"No, I'm not." James swiftly declined.
"Wait why not?" Ezekiel queried.
"My goal was to escort you here. Plus I'm in no condition to train as of now." James replied.
"Well if you're going to be a maid here, better start by being the one preparing the meals and clothes of these two." Bulawan arranged.
"Maid? Ezekiel, what is he talking about?" He asked in confusion.
Ezekiel just chuckled with his hands in his pockets and slowly walked away.
"You..." James stared at Ezekiel in anger once again.
"You should create a letter for your people to know where you are first, and also warn them that you won't be back for years. We'll just send them livestock." Bulawan suggested.
"Yeah, I probably should." James agreed, he ran to a room and rapidly wrote a letter.
"To my dear people, I am James Castro. A citizen of Village Mapagisa, a fellow adventurer on the escort of Ezekiel Valerio on the conquest to find the sacred temple up north-east. Out of the ten exhibitionists, only two had survived. Those survivors are me and Ezekiel. For the next few years, Ezekiel and I will be under the housemaster's guidance. Fear not for we will provide everybody with essentials, they will be sent by flocks of doves headed to the cave. Farewell to everybody and once again this is James Castro. Signing out."
The letter was swiftly sent to the people of Village Mapagisa and announced to the villagers by the leader.
"Our son is alive!" Ezekiel's father, Hulio, along with his mother, Christina, cheered.
Back at Bulawan's temple Bagani and Ezekiel stood proud in front of the colossal teacher, waiting for his order.
"The first day of training starts today!"