The Moon Symphony

Luminary

The village head did not anticipate my moves. My movements accelerated as I enchanted myself again with Dance of Silent Night. The Night's fall ignited brighter with my swift maneuvers.

The head never saw my attacks, only felt the edge of my sword skittered across his body. The barrage of attacks continued and cleaved his body. The village head growled in pain from my continued assault. The leader lashed out his staff in defense but met my sword in mid-swing, causing a shockwave from two opposing energies. All the chief could do was swing his weapon into motion, blindly aiming that his attacks would connect, not daring to stop. I successfully evaded all his counterblows. 

My lungs were burning, and my muscles were on fire with the adrenaline rush. What had been seconds felt like hours for the village head, crying in agony as I continued my rapid thrust. I did not give the enemy a chance to cast his magic. The Night's fall continued to land every strike on his weakening body. Giving those signs, I did not waste any time and shifted my movements towards his back. I poured every ounce of energy I have and stabbed his back with two precise thrusts. 

The enemy landed on the ground, almost lifeless. I moved back and went to where Apo was. I was breathing heavily because of those movements, and anytime, I will pass out. 

"I will bring all of you together with my death!" The village head said, trying to stand up. 

"I won't allow you to do anything you want!" I shouted. 

The village head started to gather the last ounce of his strength and summoned a giant black hole. It was beginning to swallow everything on its path. I can still hear the menacing laugh from the head. 

"Let's escape, Master! Baku said. 

I looked behind and smiled at them. I said that it was okay. I can feel the life force from Apo was stable. 

I closed my eyes, gathering all the light energy within me and the Night's fall shined brightly like the moon in the night sky. The ancient text flowed into my thoughts one by one.

"Oh, the moon so bright, give us your serene light. Vanquish that evil, swallow thy life. Heed my call, as I am your navigator. Oh, Cosmos, show thyself, I am the Luminary." 

Extinction!

The sky grew dark like the night sky, making the moon visible. I can hear Ani gasping from a fascination with what she saw. Arrays of light gathered and blasted towards the black hole. The collision of the opposing forces caused a large shockwave within the radius. Baku used his magic to cast a barrier, protecting them from getting hit. 

The light continued to rain down on the black hole, and it's starting to vanish. I continued my spell until the black hole fades away. 

The traces of dark energy disappeared. I looked around to check where the head was, but he was nowhere. 

The sky went back to normal. The rampaging winds that struck Amihan ceased and, the dark haze also disappeared. 

I opened my eyes to check if my friends are okay. I saw Ani and Baku smiling and said that everything was fine. All of a sudden, Ani hugged me and started crying. I was feeling a bit emotional too, and I was able to help her, even we don't know each other personally. 

I felt my consciousness fading slowly because of the exhaustion from using such large-scale magic. I closed my eyes, and I can feel the warmth from the one who was holding me. 

Apo.

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"Master Ayari, are you okay now?" The girl asked. 

Her voice sounds familiar. It was Ani, and she was wiping the dirt from my body. I tried to sit down, feeling dizzy. 

"I'm okay, Ani. Thank you." I said. 

"Thank you so much for saving Amihan," she said and bowed her head. 

"Please raise your head, and call me Ayari." No need to address me as your Master. I said. 

Ani smile at me.

"Again, on behalf of the people from Amihan, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart." She said. 

"No, It's okay. I am just a random stranger who happened to pass by." I said. 

"Still, we want to thank you." The man behind me said. 

"Thank you for saving my daughter's life." He said. 

"It's okay, and I'm glad that everything is good now." I said. 

"Yes, I know that it will be hard for us to start again, but we know we can do this." Ani's father said. 

"By the way, what happened after I passed out?" I asked. 

Ani told me that Apo regained consciousness after I passed out while Baku searched the area to look for the Village Head's remains, but he left no trace. He must have caught in his spell. Ani told me too that Apo was so worried about me and didn't want to leave me. 

Why would he be so worried? We just met not long ago and we are not that close. 

"Ayari, I have something to tell you." Ani said. 

"Sure, go ahead." I said.

"Honestly, I saw you with one of my visions. I want to warn you not to trust too much, or it will cause your demise again." Ani said.

"Thank you, Ani. I'll remember what you said."  I said. 

"I also have a question, Ayari. Can you please tell me what this is?" She said.

Ani removed her scarf that was covering her chest and showed the mark to me. I felt a bit shy as she told me to take a closer look. The pattern looked like a raindrop, and suddenly it glowed. 

I can feel my mark tingling too. I held out my arm and showed it to Ani. It feels like the two were resonating. Both of us were amazed by what's happening. 

Suddenly, a bow appeared from thin air. An unknown force summoned the bow out of nowhere. Fine silk covered the grip of the weapon, making the wielder comfortable using it.

Emeralds and pearls made the upper limb and lower limb of the bow giving it an elegant look. Adding to the elegance was the golden bowstring. 

The bow gleamed together with my Night's fall. 

A relic?

"Master, that's the Galeforce from the armory of winds. The most beloved weapon of Anitun Tabu." Baku said after entering the makeshift tent. 

"We thought someone was attacking you again after seeing the light and rushed back. " Apo said. 

Galeforce was Anitun Tabu's weapon?

The bow floated towards Ani. Ani touched the bow, and it was reacting to her and glowed brightly. A gentle wind blew inside the tent. 

"Ani is one of the successors of the deities." Baku said. 

"Me? A successor?" Ani said, confused. 

"Yes, Miss Ani. You are the faithful maiden of the Monsoon." Baku answered. 

Ani looked at me, full of questions. I smiled at her. 

"To tell you honestly, we are on our way to locate the successors and their relics. Like you, I had a vision where the Moon Goddess said that I need to find you. The awakening of the Evil Lord is getting nearer." I explained. 

"That's the reason why a herald of darkness appeared. "Apo said. 

"We need to be careful on our journey to find other successors." Baku said.

"Why am I chosen?" Ani asked. 

"I don't know why the deities chose us. That's the reason why we are heading to the Oracle." I answered.

"I understood." Ani said.

The next day, we helped the villagers to rebuild the damaged structures. Ani's father, now the new Village head, told us not to help, but we insisted. 

I went to where Ani was and asked her if where we can find the Wind Pillar. She told me that she would go with me to the pillar. We went straight to the temple. Ani said that the post is underneath the temple. 

Ani guided me, and we reached the structure. 

It was a giant stone tablet, and carved in the stone are ancient words. At first, I cannot understand the passage, but little by little, it changed to the language I was using in the real world. 

"Listen closely to the wind, as it will guide you calmly across life."

The stone tablet glowed, transporting Ani and me to a place where water continued flowing. A vast lake. There stood two maidens, and they slowly went in our direction. I noticed the familiar face of one of the women. 

"Where are we?" Ani asked. 

"It's okay, and we are where the deities live." I answered. 

"Thank you for saving me, Ayari, and also for looking for my successor." The other woman said. 

She was wearing a veil with the same length as her hair. A tiara made from pearls and emerald was on her head. Her clothes were also made from the finest silk. The patterns looked liked waves and raindrops.

"Let me introduce her," the Moon Goddess Mayari said. 

"She is the Goddess of the winds and rain, Anitun Tabu." Mayari Said. 

"The real Goddess?" Ani asked. 

"Yes, Ani. I am the one who governs Amihan. "Anitun answered.

The real reason we called you here is to give you this. Mayari summoned her treasury and reached out for a scroll. She then gave it to me. 

"What is this?" I asked. 

"You will find out soon." Anitun Tabu answered. 

"Here we go again." I said and scratched my head.