6:00PM

What is going on? A groggy Yani woke up in the middle of who knows where with a massive migraine. He was surrounded by tall trees, tied down to a wooden chair. “Ugh, what?” He began struggling, trying to get out.

“It’s useless.” Kris’s soft yet menacing voice crossed through the vicinity. He now changed back to his regular attire. White long sleeves and a flowy patadyong for a skirt ending right above his ankles. “Look around you. I hung up talismans.” 

Yani looked around—fully understanding the gravity of the situation. Every single tree in his sight of view was wrapped around with ropes made with white cloth and some charms engraved with something. He was caught in a deadlock.

“I won’t kill you. I’ll just take your memory of being a mangkukulam away.”

“You can’t do that!” Yani panicked. Those memories were dear to him. It wasn’t just about wielding the power, it was what made him… him.

“And you can’t go around harming others.” Kris rebutted and stepped closer to him—gripping his collar tight and pulling the latter inches from his face to make a serious point. “You’re lucky it was me who caught you. Others are much less holistic than my tribe.”

The area began to glow a golden hue—leaves reflecting the atmosphere to them. “I would’ve continued with a simple memory erasure a while ago, but I figured that you might have been possessed. I need to conduct a Pag-aalis to protect your soul. Your Dungan.” Kris eyed the sky. “So I needed the power from the twilight. Takip-silim. I suppose you know what that means.”

Yani clicked his tongue. “Possessed? What made you say that? I’m not possessed!”

“The other night, you were strong enough to push me away. That’s not normal.”

Yani gave Kris a judgemental look. “No? You’re just all skinny and scrawny like a damsel.”

“Excuse me?” Kris pushed him away and crossed his arm. “I’m not a damsel. Take that back.”

“No. Unlike you, I’m actually man enough to work out-”

Yani felt a sudden slap to his cheek. “Ow! What is wrong with you?” He shouted.

“I hate men like you. Just because I’m feminine doesn’t mean I’m less of a man than you are.”

Yani was silenced. Well, he has a point. That was quite offensive. Yani looked down, a bit guilty. “I’m sorry… I was just flustered. I didn’t mean it that way.”

Kris was taken aback by his sudden apology. But of course, he appreciated it. “I guess… Thanks. Maybe you’re not possessed, after all.”

“Because I’m not.”

“Regardless, I can not tolerate such evil deeds.”

“Evil? How is what I do evil? That’s reaching.”

Kris began circling around him with his bamboo in hand. “I was sent to Quiapo since there have been rumors of dark magic spreading. Upon investigation, you were the only person there with powers.”

“So what? That doesn’t conclude I’m evil.”

“For me, it does.” Kris bonked the bamboo stick on Yani’s head. It wasn’t necessary, he just felt like it.

“Ouch?”

“From your words, man up. That’s barely even a bump.”

“Touché.”

Kris halted himself and faced the latter. “You’re really a mangkukulam, huh?”

“So what? Aren’t you one as well?”

“What? No way. I’m a babaylan.” Yani tilted his head, seemingly not familiar with the term. And of course, Kris felt offended. Dumbfounded, even, from how a magic wielder is stupid enough not to know of his own origins.

“Gosh, you’re so stupid.” Kris shook his head.

“Excuse me?!” Yani reciprocated his offense.

“Tell me, do you even know who coined the mangkukulam?”

“Old ancient Filipinos?”

“No! How can you be so wrong?!” 

“You tell me!” 

Kris sighed to regulate his frustration, then sat on the ground to prepare a long lecture for the latter.

“It was the Spaniards, ok?”

“Mangkukulams are foreigners?” Yani looked at Kris as if hidden behind his skull was a smooth and empty brain.

“No! Ok, history lesson here. mangkukulam did not exist in the past. There were only babaylanes and counterparts from other regions. The colonizers spread a stupid propaganda that we were evil Pagans so that Christianity may prosper.”

Yani listened intensely, working on the last few brain cells he had left. “Ok… then?”

“They demonized us, and some babaylanes were gaslighted to think that just because they have the power to harm others, they should be bad people too. They even took on the name mangkukulam—forgetting their babaylan origins.”

Yani nodded, slowly understanding the latter’s point. “I see. So we’re basically the same?”

“No way.” Kris deadpanned. “Anyway, it’s likely that you’re harming others badly, so I need to erase your memories.”

“Huh? What? Bro, I thought we were bonding!”

“Impossible.”

Yani gasped, “Wait, wait! I swear I didn’t do anything!”

“Doubtful.”

“I promise!”

“I can’t trust you.”

“Please!” Yani began struggling once more—trying to untie himself from the chair. Kris stopped him from moving by stepping on the chair’s surface in between Yani’s thighs. “Ow! I thought you hit my balls!”

Kris almost laughed. Almost. 

Kris began murmuring a chant.

“Kris, please! I’m not the culprit. I’ve only ever perpetuated minor inconveniences! The worst one would be herpes, but I swear I didn’t make any of my spells permanent. I don’t know how!”

With Yani’s rambles, the babaylan looked at him. Like seriously looking at him—almost digging into his soul. The man seemed desperate. Almost too desperate. Perhaps losing his memories as a mangkukulam could mean so much more. Kris knew that expression too well. The furrowed brows, fear of loss, and hopelessness. If Yani was powerful enough to create the disturbances in Quiapo, he should have chanted a spell to help himself escape. But he didn’t. All he did was plead like a powerless human.

“Ok.”

“Ok?”

“I’ll let you off for now.”

“Really?” Yani chimed, celebrating with a bright smile. Kris thought, For a very alt person, he’s quite expressive.

“But I’ll keep a close watch, mangkukulam.” Kris gave him a death stare.

“Come on, you didn’t need to say that like a slur.” Yani joked around—laughing to himself as Kris began untying him from the chair. And when he finished, the twilight ended—letting the sky be taken over by darkness.