It was a stormy night. There was a ruined temple in the middle of the forest. On the mezzanine of that temple stands 9 ominous silhouettes seemingly looking at the entrance. The dark skies rumbled and lightning flashed, then a man wielding 2 Panabas blades suddenly appeared at the entrance. He had long white hair, and his face could barely be seen because the only source of light was the lightning strikes.
The white-haired man spoke to one of the 9 ominous figures, specifically the one in the middle who appears to be the leader among them. The conversation could barely be heard because of the roaring skies. Suddenly, the leader lifted a woman by the neck who was previously hidden by the mezzanine's railings. The white-haired man screamed in anger. White flames started to emit from all over his body. The leader said something that stunned the white-haired man and he stopped emitting white flames.
Suddenly, the rain stopped, and a crying baby was heard behind the 9. The white-haired man knelt and just looked at the woman. They were smiling at each other as they cried. Then, sunlight started to creep into the temple. The woman whispered words that the white-haired man didn't hear, so he just smiled as the sunlight reached him. He started burning while still looking at the woman with regret and sorrow in his eyes.
All of a sudden, Leo got up trying to catch his breath. He realised that it was all just a dream. Then, he saw Kagi and Netnet standing in front of him which surprised him.
"What are you doing here?!", he asked Kagi. Then, he looked at Netnet and said, "What's he doing here?!"
"Wait... where am I? This is not my room", he added.
Netnet answered, "You're in my room. Kagi threatened to kill me if I didn't agree to take you here to be treated."
"Treated?", Leo confusedly asked.
"Well... Kagi tried to kill you when you went berserk earlier. Then, he took you here and had you swallow a green pill which magically healed your fractures and burns", said Netnet.
Then, something happened that Netnet and Leo didn't expect. Kagi knelt and said, "My prince, I apologise for what happened earlier."
"Whaaaaaaaaat?!", Netnet exclaimed. "What the hell is going on?!", he added.
Leo had a similar confused look on his face. He became speechless.
"You almost killed Leo and now you're apologising?! You must be out of your mind. And who are you exactly anyway? And what's this 'prince' crap you're going on about?", Netnet said frantically.
"I know how confusing everything is right now. Your highness, please allow me to explain", said Kagi.
Still couldn't comprehend what was going on, Leo just went with it and said, "Okay."
Kagi rose up and explained, "I'm Kagirim Likha---."
Netnet interrupted him, "Yeah, we already know your name."
Kagi looked back at Netnet with a deadly look on his face and said, "Interrupt me again and I will kill you."
Netnet froze and looked at Leo implying for help. Then, he made a gesture of zipping his mouth.
Kagi continued, "I'm an Engkanto. 13 years ago, your grandfather, the old king Bagwis, visited our home just outside of Biringan City to give his blessing to me as he chose me to be the next royal warrior. A royal warrior's sworn duty is to protect the royal family."
"I'm part of the resistance whose objective is to help the royal family reclaim the throne that was stolen by the tyrant, Dakila", he added.
"I'd totally believe that you're an Engkanto, but Biringan City... that's just a myth", said Netnet.
"I've heard of Biringan City from stories. It's the invisible city in Samar, right?", Leo asked.
"Biringan City is in the Nethers, a realm different from yours. Few humans have seen it because they stepped on a portal that connects Earth and the Nethers.", said Kagi.
"Okay, sure. But if your sworn duty is to protect Le-- I mean the prince, then why did you almost kill him? That's just ironic and seems fishy. You should be punished. I say we use a guillotine on him", said Netnet.
"Net, stop it", said Leo.
"My bad. Just wanted to lighten up the mood here because things are getting tense. I mean Biringan City, tyrant, royal family", said Netnet anxiously.
"The only reason I fought the prince earlier is because when the old king chose me, he told me that my first mission is to seek him and to challenge him to a fight to see how strong he is and if he has awakened. I didn't mean to injure you like that, your highness. It's just that you became bloodthirsty, which is odd. An aswang only becomes bloodthirsty until the age of 4 because they still couldn't control their senses. I've observed you and I know that you have complete control, so I really don't know why you turned", Kagi answered.
"What?! What do you mean aswang?!", Netnet asked in shock. "Oh, what have I gotten myself into", he said.
"Yes, the prince and his family are aswang. But don't get me wrong. They're not the type who kill people. It's the rebels you should worry about. The group led by Dakila that dethroned the royal family and killed the prince's parents", said Kagi.
After hearing that, Leo felt like gravity was pushing down on him really hard because he realised now that he will never get to meet his real parents. But, he asked, "How about my grandfather?"
Kagi took a moment before he said, "Nobody knows where the old king is. After he came to us 13 years ago, we never saw him again. The resistance can only assume the worst, so we're on our own now. You're our last hope to defeat the tyrant and reclaim your throne."
"Somehow, this all sounds surreal and doubtful to me. Don't you think, Leo?", said Netnet.
"You just saw us fight with superhuman strength and speed, a burning sword, and you even saw me turn a branch into a hammer, and you think all that I said doesn't seem true? You must be stupid", Kagi answered.
"That's a good point. But, that hurts", Netnet whispered.
Kagi and Netnet noticed that Leo has become quiet because he's occupied by his thoughts. Then, Leo said, "I don't know if I can do this. I'm just 17, and I don't think I'm capable of leading a kingdom, let alone deal with this Dakila guy."
"Isn't there anyone else who's actually capable?" he asked.
"You're the only royal blood left, prince Leo", Kagi answered.
"Hmm... I see. Let's go to Biringan City then", said Leo.
"Yes! Let's do that!", Netnet exclaimed.
"I'm afraid it's not that easy, your highness. First, the portal to Biringan City is in Samar. The only other way to get there is if we create our own portal from here", said Kagi.
"Okay. How do we do that?", asked Leo.
"We need someone who knows how to create a portal like a witch doctor, or we can use an enchanted charcoal to draw a portal", Kagi answered.
"I don't suppose we have an enchanted charcoal", said Leo.
"Unfortunately, only Dakila and his men have those. It's created from a burnt piece of an enchanted tree. The same tree that makes up the natural portals between our realms", Kagi replied.
"We can try to find other portals here in the Philippines, but I don't know where to start. The Biringan portal is the only one I know", he added.
"Yeah, I don't think we can hop on a boat or a plane to get there considering we're all minors. Unless, we bring adults with us or we sneak in", said Netnet.
"We? Who's 'we'?", Kagi asked while he looked at Netnet with disdain.
"What did I ever do to you, huh?", Netnet replied.
"Both of you, stop it", said Leo. "I think I know what we should do", he added.
-
The next day, the 3 met up in front of the school. As they walked through the hallway on the way to class, Leo discussed the plan.
He said, "We don't know any witch doctors to help us create a portal, right? But, we know someone who probably has enough knowledge about that kind of stuff."
"Who?", asked Netnet as they arrived at their classroom doorway, and they saw their Filipino teacher/class adviser.
Leo, Kagi, and Netnet looked at each other. They had the understanding that the person Leo was talking about was standing in front of them, the admin of the Philippine Mythology and Folklore club, Sir Epdelion AKA Sir Delion.
Epdelion said, "Netnet and Leo. It's just the 2nd day of the school year and you're already tardy 2 days in a row. That's an unimpressive feat."
Netnet said, "We're sorry for being late, Sir."
An hour later, the class ended and all the other students left the room. As Epdelion was wiping the board, he asked, "How can I help the 3 of you?"
Netnet asked, "Sir, since you're the admin of the PMF club, I assume you're the person who has more knowledge about that kind of stuff than anyone else in this school. Is that right?"
Epdelion chuckled and answered, "I'd like to think that I am. Why do you ask?"
Netnet answered, "We're interested in joining the club."
-
Later that day during lunch break, they all met at the club's designated room. Coincidentally, every member of the club is present to welcome the 3 new members. As soon as the 3 went inside the room, someone caught Leo's attention. A tall girl with light brown skin and wears glasses. She looks simple and innocent that makes her not stand out, but enough to capture Leo's interest.
Coincidentally, someone caught Netnet's attention, too. A short girl with light skin and doesn't wear glasses. She's also simple and innocent unlike Netnet. Unfortunately, nobody caught Kagi's attention because he's the type of person who is focused on his goal like the true warrior that he is, plus, he's too vain to care about a personal relationship.
"Good day, everyone. Thanks for being here. I've gathered everyone here to formally introduce 3 new members to our small club. Boys, introduce yourselves", said Epdelion.
"Hello, I'm Basilius Bacunawa, but you can just call me Leo."
Immediately, the short girl took notice of Leo's name. She said, "Bakunawa?! Like the mythological serpent?!"
"Yeah, but with a C instead of a K", said Leo.
"Coooooooool!", short girl exclaimed.
"I'm Kagirim Likha. You can call me Kagi."
"And I'm Netnet."
Kagi noticed that Netnet didn't say his full name and he knows that it's because Netnet's embarrassed about his full name, so he brazenly said, "Juanito Batumbakal is his full name."
This act garnered looks from some of the members. A look of someone who's trying to hold their laughter.
Netnet got pissed and whispered, "I'll kill you."
But, Kagi just smirked.
After that, the existing members introduced themselves. That's when Leo learned that the girl's name is Loren, and Netnet learned that the other one is Rachel.
"So... what made you 3 boys interested in joining this club?", Delion asked.
Netnet answered, "We're just huge fans of mythologies and folklore. Personally, I like Arthurian myth. One can claim it's not a myth. But anyway, we're more interested in the invisible city."
The club members were curious to know what invisible city he's pertaining to, but Delion looks like he knows what Netnet was talking about.
"...Biringan City", Netnet revealed.
"What do you wanna know about that city?", asked Rachel.
"Everything", Leo answered promptly.
"Hmm... Sir Epdelion owns a tome with information about all mythology and folklore around the world. There's information about Biringan City in the Philippine section of that really big book", said Rachel.
"Net, just ask them if they know about portals", Leo whispered.
"Uhm... do you guys know about portals?", asked Netnet.
Other club members started to murmur because they've never heard about portals. So, Netnet added, "You know... portals that connect our world and the underworld or the Nethers. Whatever you wanna call it."
The murmurs didn't stop. Then, Rachel asked, "What do you mean 'the Nethers'?"
"But I thought you guys have a tome that has information about our mythology", Netnet replied.
"We don't have information about that in the tome", said Rachel.
Leo told Netnet, "Maybe they just don't know about it yet."
All of a sudden, among the confused crowd, there was a voice that said, "I've heard about the Nethers."
Everybody looked towards the person who spoke. It was Loren. Everybody became curious and keen.
"What do you know about it?", Leo asked.
"I've heard stories from my grandmother about a realm where all mythological creatures actually came from. She also mentioned that Biringan City exists in that realm", she answered.
"She said it's a kingdom in a country called Maharlika, where aswang, tikbalang, kapre, and other creatures in our folklore live in harmony", Loren added.
Leo looked at Kagi. Kagi gave a nod of approval, implying that Loren has legitimate information about the topic.
"Uhm... Loren, can we talk later in private?", Leo asked.
"Hmm... Sure", she replied.
-
Later that day after school hours, the 4 met at a fast food restaurant just around the school block. Leo and the boys were surprised that Rachel came along, but Rachel explained that she's Loren's best friend so she goes wherever Loren goes. The boys just accepted it because they also feel like Rachel's knowledge will be useful at some point.
Then, they saw Epdelion lined up to order food. Netnet called, "Sir Delion! Do you wanna join us here?"
Rachel said, "You guys call him Sir Delion? We call him Sir Epdelion or Sir--- Oh, I see. Basilius is Leo, so you're calling the professor Sir Delion to avoid confusion."
Netnet replied, "Exactly."
Kagi butted in, "But why are you asking him to join us here? This is supposed to be a private meeting, dummy."
Netnet replied, "That's because he's also knowledgeable when it comes to stuff like this, you monster."
Kagi got annoyed, "You're gonna regret saying then when I feed you to a group of tiyanak."
Netnet was spooked, "Leoooo... he just gave me death threat."
Leo just called Kagi and looked him in the eye. Kagi responded, "I obey."
Then, Rachel said, "You guys are weird. Do you know that?"
After that, Epdelion came to their table and said, "You 5 seem to be forging a good friendship after knowing each other just a few hours ago."
Kagi replied, "We're not friends with Juanito. He has no friends."
Netnet reacted, "Last time I checked, you're the one who just joined me and Leo."
Epdelion chuckled and said, "You two are definitely gonna have a strong friendship in the future. But anyway, are you discussing something important here?"
"No, Sir", Leo answered.
Netnet subtly elbowed Leo, and Kagi gave Netnet a mean look. Then Leo said, "I mean yes. It's okay for you to stay here, Sir. I think everyone in this table can be trusted."
"Trusted? Seems like you're about to reveal something that shouldn't be revealed", said Rachel as she laughed.
"I'm an aswang", said Leo.
Everyone was shocked including Netnet and Kagi because they didn't expect him to say that at all. However, Loren was not as shocked as the others. Then, Rachel just passed it off as a joke and said, "Haha! That's funny. That's certainly something someone should never reveal. I didn't know you had humour."
Kagi and Netnet sort of felt relieved because Rachel thought it was just a joke, however, Leo kept a straight face, so Rachel started to feel uneasy as she started to think that maybe it wasn't a joke at all. Then, Leo activated his enhanced vision for a moment, making his icy blue eyes glow in front of the Loren, Rachel, and Epdelion. To their surprise, instead of showing fear, Rachel actually got excited.
She said, "Whoa! Your eyes are ---", but Loren covered her mouth and said, "Keep quiet!"
"Now, do you believe me?", Leo asked.
"Uhm... Your Highness, not all aswang can make their eyes glow so I don't think that's proof", said Kagi.
"Wait... why are you calling him 'Your Highness'?", asked Rachel.
"Now, that's something you're not supposed to reveal", Netnet said cleverly.
Then, Leo said, "Kagi, please stop calling me that. If you can't call me by my name, just call me something like Sir, Sire or something. The story you told me and Netnet hasn't even sunk in yet".
"Understood. My apologies", said Kagi.
The two ladies were so confused about what was happening that they were just staring at the three boys. Leo took notice of that and said, "I'm sorry about all this. We just really want to know what you know about the Nethers, Loren."
"But... why did he call you that?", Loren asked confusedly.
Leo just let out a sigh and looked at Kagi. Kagi understood that Leo wanted him to tell the girls and Epdelion the story, so he did. After telling the story, the ladies took a moment for the information to sink in.
"I just have one question... Why did you try to kill Leo if he's your prince?", Rachel asked.
"Exactly!", Netnet exclaimed.
Kagi was annoyed, "I'm not gonna answer that question again!"
All of a sudden, Loren said, "I've heard stories about that from my grandmother."
Everybody turned their attention to Loren and started to listen keenly as she talked about how her grandmother used to tell her stories about Biringan City.
She said, "I don't know if we're talking about the same thing, but from her stories, she said the city was ruled by a king named Bagwis. But, the kingdom all went to chaos when a rogue aswang rose from the shadows with his followers to take down the royal family. She said the name of that rogue is... Dakila."
"She would always tell those stories over and over. She even talked about a prophecy", she added.
Kagi was surprised by that so he listened carefully.
She said, "A royal blood will be born of the power of the Bakunawa, the eater of moons, yet his hair will resemble the moon's light. He will first fall to the sun's fire, but---"
"---But will eventually emerge from the drowning depths of death to bring peace and unity above and below, and the downfall of the one with the moon's darkness", Kagi continued.
Loren was surprised that Kagi knows about it. Everyone else was just confused. But, Kagi revealed to Loren that the stories that her grandmother told her were not just stories but are facts.
He said, "It's a known understanding in the kingdom that the prophecy refers to Leo's father, the old king Binhi, because his hair is all white just like the moon's light, and he was the most powerful being in the kingdom."
"Wait! You said he will fall to the sun's fire, right?", asked Leo.
"Yes, sire", Kagi answered.
"I've been having nightmares since I was a kid about a man with white hair who faced these 9 dark figures in a ruined temple to save a woman. I always wake up just when the guy starts burning", said Leo.
"The King!", Kagi exclaimed.
"What do you mean?", Leo asked.
"There was a story that the King was burned by the sun when he faced Dakila and the 8 Moons in a temple. I'm pretty sure that you saw your father and perhaps your mother", Kagi explained.
"Wait wait wait wait! Now that you mentioned that, isn't Leo supposed to be killed by the sunlight, too?", Netnet asked.
"Yeah, that's a good question", said Rachel.
"Hmm... it's a known fact that the queen isn't aswang, but we also don't know what she truly is", answered Kagi.
"There's a good chance that his mother is human", said Epdelion.
"Or an engkanto or something", said Rachel.
"She can't be engkanto. If she was, Leo would have features of an engkanto like pointed ears", said Loren.
"How can you be sure?", asked Rachel.
"Because aswang and engkanto have pointed ears. So there shouldn't be any reason why Leo would have human ears", Loren answered.
"Alright. Enough of the gene math. We're getting side tracked", said Netnet.
"You're the one who brought up the topic, tiny", said Kagi.
"Whatever. There's just a lot of information to take in. Let's just focus on the goal first", said Netnet.
"Loren, you seem to know a lot about this stuff. Do you know how to open a portal to Maharlika?", he added.
"I don't...", she answered. "...but, my grandmother probably does", she added.
"Great! Where is she?", Netnet asked.
"That's the problem. She's in Agoo in La Union."
Everyone realised how big of a problem that is considering it's over 200 kms up north and they're just minors who are expected to go to school. So they can't just go to La Union without their family questioning where they are.
Then, Epdelion said, "Aren't you guys rushing? I mean if this is true and 9 powerful beings are waiting for you on the other side, don't you think you're not strong enough to face them all? And we haven't talked about the other challenges that you might face along the way."
"But we don't have time, Sir Delion", said Netnet.
"If there's anything you have, it's time. Besides, the enemy is not aware of Leo's existence, right? So they won't make a move yet. Take all the time you have to train and grow. I'll be able to help with that. I may not know how to open a portal, but I have enough knowledge to help you train and get stronger", said Epdelion.
"He's right. We can't take them on in our current state. We can barely take on each other", said Leo as he looked at Kagi. Kagi just nodded.
"Okay. I suppose that's best. So... we have to go through a filler arc first before we get to the main arc, huh?", said Netnet.
"What are you talking about, Puny-to", said Kagi.
"Hah! I didn't expect you to know. There's obviously no anime in the Nethers", he answered.
Kagi leaned towards Netnet and whispered, "You know I can easily kill you without using my sword."
"Can't you take a joke?", said Netnet while he was shaking in fear.
Epdelion laughed as he was amused by the two. Then he said, "Well! We should get started tomorrow right after class."
"What's the plan, Sir?, Leo asked.
"Well, what better way to train than to gain experience from fighting people that are equal or are a bit stronger than you?", asked Epdelion rhetorically.
There was a look of confusion in the 3 boys' faces. Then he added, "Let's have the two of you go against Omegas."