The Moon Symphony

Ester

When Apo left, I felt empty somehow. There was a part of that was yearning for his presence. Maybe it's because he saved us all from the brink of death that time. Well, like what he said, our paths will cross again in the future.

After another day of traveling, we are back at Bulan. I missed this place, especially my two siblings, Anan and Ester. When we arrived at the village gate, Ester and Anan were running to meet us.

"Welcome back, big brother Ayari." Ester said and hugged me.

"I'm back." I said and hugged the two.

"Big brother, who are they?" Anan asked, looking at Baku and Ani.

"Let me introduce them, and they are my friends. I met them during my journey to the Mourning Valley." I said, asking the two to come closer.

"Hello, I am Baku. I am master Ayari's servant." He said and bowed his head to the two.

"Servant?" Anan asked.

I looked at Baku and signaled him to explain, but he was confused too.

"No, Anan. Just don't mind him because he has a weird way of expressing his thoughts." I said.

"Oh, okay. Big brother." Anan said, confused.

Silly Baku. I forgot to tell him that to call me in my name, not Master.

"Nice to meet you. I am Ani, and I am from Amihan." Ani said and bowed her head.

"Nice to meet you too. I am Ester, and this is my brother Anan. We are the younger siblings of Big brother Ayari." Ester said and smiled.

"Amihan? Did I think you only went to the Mourning Valley?" Anan asked.

"Something happened on my way, and I had the chance to meet Ani." I answered.

"Your big brother saved me from the Herald of Evil." Ani said.

"Really?" Ester said.

"Yes, and your big brother is so cool." Ani added.

"Are you my big brother's girlfriend?" Anan asked out of the blue.

I almost choked on what Anan said. Baku and Ani can't help themselves and started laughing. My two siblings looked at each other, confused.

"I'm sorry, I'm not your big brother's lover." Ani said, laughing.

"We apologize!" Anan and Ester said, bowing their heads.

"It's okay, but I'm so grateful to Ayari because he saved the whole Amihan from the grasps of evil." Ani said.

"Don't worry, and I know who your big brother likes." Ani said.

"Who is she? Is she pretty?" Anan asked.

Oh my goodness, she is teasing me again. Ani is so mischievous despite her appearance.

"Enough, let's head back to our house. Mother and Father might be worried about us." I said.

"Okay, big brother." The two answered in chorus.

We decided to head back. Baku and Ani followed us. While on our way, the two did not stop asking about what happened on my journey. I told them about what happened at Amihan and meeting the Oracle at the Mourning Valley. I also said to them that Ani was the Monsoon Maiden, that she is the deity's successor, Anitun Tabu. The two were amazed by the stories I told them.

"Big brother, I want to go with you." Anan said.

"I want to go too." Ester followed.

I just patted their heads and smiled at them as my reply.

-

We arrived at our house after some time. It took us a while because Anan and Ester kept on asking us questions. We also decided to take Ani and Baku on a tour of our village.

"Welcome back, my son." Father said and asked me to come closer.

I moved in his direction and bowed my head to pay respects. Father asked me to lift my head and looked at him. I noticed that he seemed so exhausted.

"Are you okay, Father?" I asked.

"Don't worry. I'm okay. A lot has happened during the time you were away." Father said.

"What happened?" I asked.

Father told us to sit down. We followed his instructions. Father said to us that after I left for the Mourning Valley, there was an incident where an unknown force attacked the village soldiers. Unfortunately, some of them perished during the battle. After investigating, it appeared that the village soldiers suffered from a massive amount of blood loss, drying their bodies up. The incident happened twice after dawn when the units go patrolling. Father told me that they heightened the security within the area to stop the attacks. He instructed us not to go outside at night alone. After talking with my FatherFather, I decided to go to my room to rest. I asked Baku and Ani to go with me first since our helpers are still preparing their rooms.

"What kind of creature can do this?" I asked Baku and Ani.

"I'm not sure; this sounds like the work of Sigben or Wak-Wak." Ani said.

Sigben? Wak-Wak? These creatures sound familiar. I think I heard them somewhere. I remember they are from one of the movies I watched when I was alive in the real world.

Based on their descriptions, this matches the incident that your Father told us. I never thought that they existed. Ani added.

"Why?" I asked.

"They are stories used to scare the children if they are naughty or not listening." Baku answered.

"Can you please tell me more about them? I asked." I wanted to confirm if they match the description that I know.

Ani told me that the Sigbin is a creature said to come out at night to suck victims' blood from their shadows. They walk backward with their head lowered between their hind legs and have the ability to become invisible to other creatures, especially humans. It resembles a hornless goat but has enormous ears that can clap like a pair of hands and a long, flexible tail that resembles a whip. The Sigbin is said to emit a horrendous odor. According to the legend, some demons possess the power to command these creatures and keep the Sigbin in jars made of clay. The monsters are said to keep them as pets.

As for the Wak-Wak, they are bird-like creatures that suck blood dry from their victims. They often describe them as having long sharp nails and a pair of wings similar to those of a bat. It uses its nails or claws to s***h its victims and to get their hearts. The wings are also said to be as sharp as a knife. Most of the time, they only feed on the blood of their victims.

"What terrible creatures, but who in the world would order them to do so? And why would they appear here in Bulan?" I said.

"That's what bothers me too." Ani said.

"Honestly, Master. I am still confirming things, but I can feel the slight presence of another successor near us." Baku said.

"Near us? You mean here in Bulan?" I said.

"Yes, Master, but the energy is faint and dormant." He answered.

Who could this person be? And why did we not noticed this before leaving for the Mourning Valley?

"Is it possible to have two persons in the same place as the successor?" I asked.

"There is a possibility that this could happen, but the rate is only at one percent out of one hundred. It might be related to the fact that three of the deities are siblings." Baku said.

"Who?" Ani and I asked in chorus.

"Mayari, Hanan and Tala are sisters. They were born from a human maiden, and after giving birth to them, she died. The almighty ruler decided to take the three sisters with unparalleled beauty and gave them a seat at the celestial court." Baku answered.

"I did not know that they were siblings." Ani said.

"From what I have heard and read, they did not state that those three were siblings." I said.

"That's right. The story was handed down to many generations, changing most of its contents. That's one of the reasons why." Baku explained.

"Okay, I get it. Thank you for explaining things to us, Baku." I said.

After that, Baku and Ani left my room and told them to rest.

Who could this person be? The other successor and for which goddess?

It bothered me the whole night, and because of too much thinking, I did not notice that I fell asleep.

"Ayari, my child, Wake up." A voice said.

I looked behind, and it was Lakambini. I am at the Mourning temple again.

How? Is she communicating to me through a dream?

"That's right, Ayari. I'm sorry for intruding on your thoughts; I have something to tell you." She said.

"It's okay, and I understand your intent." I said and smiled at Lakambini.

"Thank you. I had some visions, and I believe the Monsoon Maiden saw it too. Remember the necklace I gave you." Lakambini said.

"Yes, I wore the necklace that you gave me. Thank you for this." I said and pulled out the pendant.

"Five days from now, there will be a Blue Moon. Starting tomorrow, in the middle of the night, bathe in the moonlight. The necklace will absorb energy from the moon." Lakambini said.

"It will help you cultivate your spiritual energy. Right now, the flow of your life is not stable. That's why when you fought the Herald, you suffered exhaustion after using your abilities. It would be best if you overcome this because it could be your critical weakness." Lakambini added.

"I understand; I will do what you say, and thank you for giving me this necklace." I said.

Lakambini smiled at me. She stood up and waved her hand, telling me that need to go. Before vanishing, she said something about the successor.

"Remember, what you seek is just within your reach."

"I woke up all of a sudden when I heard someone calling outside of my room." It was Ani and Ester.

"Ayari, you won't believe what I saw in my visions." Ani said.

"What is it?" I asked.

Before Ani could answer, our marks started to glow.

"Big brother, look." Ester said.

Ani and I looked at her, and we were surprised by what we saw.

"The mark of the successor!" Ani and I exclaimed.

Is Ester the third successor? How?