"How many years has it been?" Elena asked the girl clad in a white gown.
"I don't remember, Elena," answered Grace as she adjusted the hem of her gown.
"Me too. There was a time when we didn't see you. THAT, I remember because we kept counting the days. We were afraid you wouldn't come back."
"I was...elsewhere," Grace said, struggling to remember where she was.
"It made no sense. We are all prisoners to this tree," Elena looked at the balete tree with mixed fondness and disgust if there was such a thing.
"I don't understand, either. It was as if my mind was somewhere else. Inside the body of another girl who worked in a fancy building. I went on an adventure. I met other people. Their faces were hazy but I saw some of the greats. I saw the studly Lam-ang and the brothers from the south," she said dreamily.
"Really? What was he like? I don't remember ever seeing him. I do know him from stories of the other greats who sometimes crossover," Elena adjusted her wings to get closer to Grace.
"Big. Romantic. I did see him fight the Bakunawa and he was awesome. The brothers were also good looking but I especially loved how Lam-ang kept the flame alive for Ines Kannoyan for that long," she said with a wistful look.
"Don't get bitter on me now."
"I'm not. True love is not really for everyone."
"Hey, don't say that. You might still find yours."
"Being tied to this ugly tree and being trapped in this form? Who would ever love me? Any of us, for that matter?"
"I still have hopes," Elena giggled as she flapped her wings lazily and floated a couple of feet above Grace.
"To what, meet a handsome bat?"
"That's spiteful," she said angrily but she smiled.
To an onlooker, if he ever has a spirit strength high enough to see them, this conversation would be anything but normal.
He would see the ghastly and gory figure of the Manananggal and the ephemeral form of the White Lady. It doesn't matter what the topic would be; the scene would be enough to send anyone running in fright.
"If anyone would hear us right now, he would think that we are just two spinsters talking about romance," Grace giggled.
"But we are," countered Elena seriously.
"True. I wish people did not forget. We'd get more chances of crossovers that way. Do you miss the parties we used to have?"
"Oh how can I not? The Kapres are fun once you get enough Tuba in them. The Nunos always try to grope my lower half. I have kicked more than my share of those naughty little buggers," she laughed.
"There are whispers of a great crossover. The guardians call it synchronicity or alignment, I can't remember which."
"You mean all the stories will exist as one? Wouldn't that be a sight? But that would mean the shadows will be present as well. You think there will be another war?"
"I hope not. The last time got us chained to the tree. Who knows what would happen if there ever was another?"
"That reminds me, what of the guardians? Have you seen any one of them lately? It seemed like forever when I saw one. Not even Tarayon which we see from time to time back in the old days."
"I saw some of them on that adventure I told you about. I even saw our guardian."
"Lemmeng? That one loves to stay hidden. How did you see him? Did you talk to him?"
"I couldn't talk when I was there. This other girl did the talking and she didn't know the guardians so she did not talk to them."
"How come you saw a lot when you were there? It was like a great crossover. What tale and what kind of person could hold a lot of the stories in one place all at once?"
"I was wondering about that as well. I did gather some information here and there and from what I pieced together, the tale where we were was inside the head of someone who has access to the Golden Thread. That's why it was possible to hold that many stories all at once. It was called Cradle of the Valiant."
"Hmm...never heard of it. The writer must be one heck of a storyteller."
"It wasn't a written story. It was a game."
"Eh...games are also stories, I guess."
"If you say so. It was a different kind of game from what we know, though. We fought the Pighatis and the Igaaws."
"Shadows," Elena gasped.
"Just the small ones. I did see the Scythe Wielder and the Red Eyes behind the old dragon."
"How are they there?" Elena looked shocked and confused.
"Apparently, this game had gates that allowed for crossovers. I didn't get the whole story but the game could be the heart of the alignment. Some of the old stories are beginning to spill over."
"I wish we can talk to Lemmeng. He might know more about it. If what you said is true, I fear for our fates. I don't really mind another war, though. We might get a chance to roam free."
"Be careful of what you wish for. When I was inside the girl's head, I saw that the Shadows found a way to get stronger. It might not be like last time."
"Wow...here we are chained to a tree and they found a way to get stronger? Where's the justice?"
"They found a way to use the new world's technology to embed themselves into false cultures and new dogmas while we stayed in old books and even older cultures. Plus in this new world, our island is no more."
"How come we are still here then? Speak with more sense, please."
"The guardians did something. The isles are not gone. They are just not where they are supposed to be. We still exist somewhere."
"Argh, this is making my fangs itch. I want to bite someone. So what do we do then? Wait for the great crossover?"
"No. when that happens, we might not be around. Well, we will be here when the crossover happens but after that, another history might supersede ours."
"Damn it! Damn this chain!" Elena said and tried to fly away but a chain soon materialized from thin air and prevented her from going far.
She came back to Grace, defeated.
"What do we do?"
"There might be a way for us to survive. You know these people I talked about? The one I was with on that adventure? They could write one version of history. We could be in that version. If enough people remember us, that is."
"I hope someone does."