"Look into their eyes, if your reflection is upside down, they are most likely not human but an aswang, Nasrin." Camilla pointed to her eyes as she started lecturing me about my duty as the Lady Moonlight.
"Aswang? What are they?" I questioned, puzzled.
"They are a tribe of Cannibals; they used to be humans, but the Diabolic race turned them into fiends and demons. Be careful, Nasrin. They may seem unintelligible but they are clever, savage, aggressive and violent ones," Camilla explained with great patience.
"Is there a way to turn them back into humans, Camilla?" I inquired expectantly.
Camilla stared at me with helplessness, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, there is no cure yet and the only salvation for them is…death."
I swallowed as my brows knitted together. "There is no other way…?"
"No one knows. However, if we do nothing about it, other innocent lives will be the ones to be put in danger, and in turn, the world will end up in a precarious situation," Camilla explained.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed deeply. "But Camilla…they're humans as well, at least they used to. We shouldn't give up on them, that isn't right."
"So this is why you were chosen, poor child," Camilla mumbled inaudibly.
I raised my head. "Sorry, what? I didn't hear you clearly…"
Camilla smiled, shaking her head. "It's nothing. Anyway, currently, all the houses of the heavenly beings are looking for ways to turn those fiends back into human, but as of the moment, there has been no progress found in their research."
"Maybe they miss something, there has to be a way for them to be saved, not just by death, Camilla," I stated, frowning as I bit my lower lip.
Camilla nodded in agreement. "We are currently trying to capture one that is still alive, so we could further make improvements on the research. However, it was difficult to seize even a single aswang. Because except for the lightbringers, everyone will turn to an aswang with just one slight scrape of their claws and sharp teeth. Which is why we decided to postpone that plan until we find the lightbringers."
"Oh, then what do you want me to do?" I inquired.
Camilla smiled. "If possible, we would like you to capture one aswang that is alive and healthy."
"I see, I'll do that." I nodded heavily, feeling my shoulders burdened from the pressure of this world's expectations. "I'll try to catch one and bring it back here."
"However, Lady Moonlight, I still advise you to prepare yourself to kill," Camilla stated solemnly.
My brows furrowed again. "Why? There is no need, right?"
"If these tribes of Aswangs are left unattended, they will end up hunting more humans or other life-species, turning them into an aswang like them, which would increasingly grow in number before we could even find a cure," Camilla answered.
My jaws clenched, feeling conflicted.
"Also, if nothing is done, they would stay as an aswang for the rest of their lives, feeding like savage fiends. So it is your duty as the lightbringer of the moon to bring an end to their suffering. When that time comes, you must prepare yourself. Remember, they must die in your hands, otherwise, their spirits will not return to Goddess Magwayen in the sea of souls."
"Why does it have to be me?" I sighed frustratedly.
"Because you are the one chosen for this, Nasrin. There is no one else that could handle this role other than you." Camilla patted me in my head; her eyes held sympathy and pity.
My brows creased. "Chosen for what?"
"To carry the sins in this world; that is the role of the lightbringer of the moon."
***
Camilla's warning words came back to me as I stared at the eyes of the 20 or so creatures surrounding me and Amana. Every single eye mirrored my upside down reflection.
'Excellent,' I sarcastically thought.
"Boss, what's the plan?" Amana asked, holding the Tianak in both of her palms as she stood next to me. "It's my first time encountering such creatures, how do we handle them?"
"Well, leave the rest to me, and just stay here to defend," I stated, rolling my neck and shoulders to warm up my muscles. "Don't kill anyone and just defend, you can do that, right?"
"Well, I can, but is that it, boss? What will you do by yourself then?" Amana replied, bewildered.
"Prepare for battle, what else?" I said, then I pointed the white blade at the little thing, who viciously gnash her sharp teeth at me. "Also, whatever happens, don't let go of that Tianak."
Amana furrowed her brows, staring at the Tianak with visible puzzlement. "Does this thing have value, boss?"
I ignored Amana's question as I took a cloak inside the Shadow Circlet. "Wear this if you don't want to become like them. Don't let them scrape you even for a little no matter what."
"What will happen if they scrape me?" Amana questioned.
"You'll become like them," I answered, taking off the cloak in my body, folding the sleeves of my black shirt right up to the elbows, then taking out a black gigantic sword from the Shadow Circlet as I glanced at Amana. "If you turn into an Aswang, then I'll have to kill you. We both don't want that, right?"
Amana widened her eyes in horror, then she hurriedly wore the cloak to her body, unsheathing her sword on her hips, while holding the Tianak with her other hand. She gritted her teeth, staring in alarm in her surroundings.
At that, I finally feel at ease, leaving Amana alone, carrying the Giant Sword, which is called Kamatayan; a sword that grows by feeding on the blood of the Demons and the Diabolic Race; the sword was originally owned by a Dark Elven Saint-Warrior in the past.
King Hayam Wuruk of the Majapahit Empire gifted the sword to me, blessing my journey as the lightbringer of the moon. Despite receiving plenty of gifts from the dark elves, I only felt a sense of anxiety instead.
"What a pain…" I mumbled, walking to the Aswang, waiting for me to come to them, then I stopped just a few metres away, standing as I stared blankly at the tribes of Aswangs, roaring provocatively at me.
About two Manananggal flying in the air; they are female creatures, who detach their lower body, leaving and hiding the lower body somewhere; they have vampire-like wings and fangs; their intestines are sagging down from the inside of their body.
The rest is an aswang called Tiktik; they have pointed ears, sharp teeth and nails, and a long stretching tongue that extends to attack.
And there is this nauseating smell being emitted coming from somewhere along the Aswangs.
With a deadpan face, I thrust the tip of the sword on the ground as I opened my mouth to speak. "To be honest, I don't want to kill anyone, so let's settle this peacefully," I said to the Aswangs. "We can help each other out by not fighting in violence."
"Boss, they probably don't understand us, you know…?" Amana commented behind me.
Of course, I know that, but it won't hurt trying since the Tianak can speak like a human. Though, it's a little gibberish. That's why I'm hoping I could talk with these Aswangs, so I won't have to kill them.
However, to my utter dismay, the Aswangs only roared at me, attacking me all at once as the long and strong tongues of the Tiktik creatures struck at my head.
Pulling out the Kamatayan sword, I jumped up, dodging as I retreated back a few steps away from them.
"I see, no negotiations then," I mumbled, lifting the Kamatayan Sword, resting it over my shoulder as I held the grip tightly.
Taking a deep breath, I augment my feet with the wind attribute, using the skill Monkey Dance, dashing my way to the Manananggal in the air, slashing off their wings one by one, falling on the ground, and crawling to escape.
The Tiktiks howled, shrieking piercingly, then they scattered apart, retreating deep to the forest.
They must have sense that I'm not their match.
Descending down on the ground, I let the two Manananggal escape. Because the only way to kill a Manananggal is to find and burn the lower body.
Well, I'll just follow them later once I finish off the rest.
Meanwhile, in my peripheral vision, three Tiktik creatures slip past me, going for Amana, whipping their extending tongue in her direction.
Lifting the heavy sword, I threw the Kamatayan Sword at the back of the one nearest to Amana.
Next, slipping through my own shadow, I walk for two steps, then exiting out under the shadow of the second nearest Tiktik to Amana. Taken aback, the Tiktik stumbled on his feet.
I took that chance to thrust the white blade on the Tiktik's throat, severing its head from its body.
The last one almost made its whip-like tongue to Amana, but I chopped it off with the white blade before anything happened.
The Tiktik howled as black blood dripped down from its cut-off tongue, gnashing its sharp teeth, retreating as it tried to escape.
As if I would let that happen.
Going to my shadow again, I exited out of the shadow of the last Tiktik, and with one dash out, I cut the Tiktik into two from below its shadow.
Dark liquid drips down from the white blade on the green surface, and the corpse of the Tiktik spreads the ink-like blood coming from their scattered and separated body parts.
"Boss, you look awesome!" Amana cheered, waving the sword in the air like an idiot, and holding the Tianak with the dark fabric on her other hand. "Everything looks smooth and easy! As expected of the boss, you're really formidable."
I ignored Amana as I felt a foreboding, because like what Amana said, everything came too easy, and that is suspicious.
Walking to the Kamatayan Sword stuck on the back of the dead Tiktik's body. I held the grip, pulling it out with a thoughtful gaze.
Camilla said that the Aswang Tribe may seem unintelligible but they are also clever creatures. After all, they also used to be humans or other life-species.
Roaming my eyes around, I didn't see anything strange, which makes it more weird. Because I felt a strong presence and that nauseating smell is still there, lurking around somewhere near…Amana.
My heart pounded as I turned to Amana, aiming the Kamatayan Sword at her. "Duck!"
Amana's eyelids widened in alarm, but she still complied, crouching her head down, and the Kamatayan Sword whacked the creature behind her, piercing its torso.
However, it wasn't enough; the creature's claws scraped Amana's cheeks.
"Aaaaah!!" Amana screamed in horror, still holding the Tianak as she took a step back.
Breathlessly, I sprinted towards them.
The creature is a Sigbin; an Aswang that is unknown, because the only record that the Majapahit Empire has on them was about their appearance and nothing else.
The Sigbin walks backwards with its head lowered between its hind legs; it resembles a hornless goat with large ears that look like a hand. Suddenly, it turns invisible to the naked eye.
Fortunately, only its body turns invisible; the Kamatayan Sword remains attached to its torso, so it appears like the black giant sword is floating around as it came, dashing to me.
Racing even faster, I raised the white blade, thrusting it on the foul smell in front of me. Just right below the Kamatayan Sword.
With that one blow, the Sigbin became visible again as its body fell to the ground in front of me.
Panting heavily, I pulled the Kamatayan Sword, turning around, and jogging to Amana.
"Bo…boss…" Amana called, kneeling on the ground as she still held the Tianak, despite her complexion turning pale white; blood pouring out from her eyes, nose, and ears; her chest raising up and down in rapid motion as she breathed heavily. "Boss…please kill…me. I…I don't…don't want to…become like them…."
As soon as Amana said that, she fainted, her hand still gripping tightly on the Tianak that was biting her hand.
Dropping the sword down, I dash to her, kneeling down as emotions showed on my face for the first time after acquiring the water attribute. "Amana."