A crunch from dead leaves.

Swish from dirt being kicked.

Buzzing from mosquitoes and flies.

Yani had his eyes closed for a certain amount of time. Touching every bark from a tree they passed by, and holding each rock that stood out. His seventh sense is on the work the whole hike up the shady mountains.

Each sense of feeling translated to scenes from the day Joseph visited the mambabarang. The man’s troubled expression and sense of loss was watched by the nature surrounding the area. And now, Yani borrowed its non-existing eyes.

“We’re on the right trail.” Yani spoke up.

“Are we any closer yet?” Cielo panted while using the trees she passed by as a support for her weight. The air was thin around the mountains—probably from the mist formed due to its elevation. Yani’s already used to cardio since he has hiked a lot. While the others? Definitely struggling.

Isagani is yet again using Pauline as a blanket—freezing. He’s not bothered by the cardio, but he definitely has a visible weakness. Pauline? Unfazed. Simply walking up the elevation while hiding her aching soles.

Kris followed along behind him—seeming to be just fine. And Rafael? Picking random shiny and smooth looking rocks that crossed their path.

With one last step, Yani felt the change in the gravity of their places. And it seemed like Kris did as well. A few meters from them, they spotted what they were looking for. A make-shift house built from palm leaves and bamboo. A bahay-kubo. It was too foggy to see properly, but thanks to Yani’s vision, there was no need for confusion.

Yani took another step forward, but Kris held his arm—stopping him. “You stay here.”

“What? But that’s the place.”

“I know. And you have done your job. We’ll take it from here.”

Yani looked at the others, and nodded. He understood that if he were to join them, he’d only be a burden. “Stay safe…”

Rafael ruffled Yani’s hair. “Thanks, kid. Great job.”

Like a standard operating procedure, the maharlikas were first to approach the place. They both already pulled out their sword and dagger. The mist made it difficult for them to simply attack. They had to be cautious.

From behind the blurry air, Isagani felt a chilling sensation. They’re here. Out of instinct, he raised his dagger up, and a spark flickered when another piece of metal hit it. Another machete? He couldn’t even find time to contemplate on the situation, and another attack came from behind—putting him on a defensive mode.

Because of the fog, none of them could see who or what was attacking them. They had no choice but to keep letting it come. Rafael barged in through the blur—unafraid. He launched his kris to wherever, and he hit nothing. But when he looked in another direction, an attack was already coming after him.

“Raf, you see anything? Where are you?” Isagani called out loudly. Because of their dispersion, he couldn’t just slice his dagger through since he might hit Rafael.

“I’m here. Where are you?” Rafael shouted back.

“I don’t know. Have you seen the rest?” Isagani looked around him. Shit. “We lost them!”

Through the fog, they began seeing a shadow. 

Shadows.

“Raf, incoming!”

A hoard of blades began unveiling themselves to him. Rafael strutted to an approaching sword, and finally toppled over someone. A man. “Who are you?”

The man smiled with the pace of a snail. It was exactly like the fake Joseph’s. He took back his machete that had fallen to the ground, and launched for Rafael’s head. But of course, Rafael swiftly flipped on his back and swung his sword—injuring the latter. When he saw that the man was bleeding, he pulled back. “Isagani, be careful. They’re humans. Don’t hurt them! It’s just like Joseph.”

“I’m trying!” Isagani struggled while being in combat with three different men. He aimed for their legs, and eventually had them fall.

Meanwhile, Cielo and Kris are back to back—fighting against an unusual enemy—a swarm of wasps. “Don’t let it sting you or get in your body. The mambabarang can control you with them.” Cielo emphasized.

Kris nodded and used his bamboo stick. “Conducting bugaw!” A shield of amber covered their parameter—burning the wasps as the insects came closer. But, another swarm began hurdling towards them. 

Cielo took out a bottle of wine, and made a quick offer. “Bless me with incense that could take out these wasps.” She threw the bottle up high. And mid-air, it transformed into packs of incense. “Kris, light those up!”

Kris jumped to the incense, and swung his stick to burn them—making clouds of smoke blend in with the fog. Soon, the insects began dropping down to the ground.

They both ran together—trying to locate the maharlikas. And when they did, they found the boys surrounded by a dozen men. Kris hurried to the scene, and challenged two of the men on his own. Isagani sighed in relief. Thank goodness.

Kris tried to conduct a bugaw, but he couldn’t. Rafael uttered, “It’s pointless. They’re just like Joseph.”

With no other choice, Kris fought using his bamboo stick—enveloping it with spiritual energy. He aimed at the man in front of him, and he fell back. “Cielo, a rope!” Cielo made another offering, and a golden rope like before followed. Kris tied the struggling man down, and when the man turned around, he spotted him wearing a charmed necklace. An anting-anting made with metal and cloth with the image of the Black Nazarene on it. “An albularyo from Quiapo?”

Slowly, a figure holding a wooden staff cackled while walking towards them. It was a lady wearing dark clothes and a shawl-like covering made with dried leaves. She wasn’t too old, yet her skin seemed scarred and wrinkled. Her hair grew from so many directions that it made her look scary. She was probably only around her mid-fifties, yet people would definitely mistake her for an old evil witch. Well, that wouldn’t even be a mistake.

“Are you all having fun with my friends?” She maliciously commented.

“Friends? More like puppets.” Cielo bit back.

“Little girl, is that how you’re taught to talk with elders?”

“You’re the mambabarang, right? Let these men go before we put you in your place.”

The lady frowned. “Children today are so ungrateful! How dare you talk to me like that?! Have this!” She pointed her staff towards Cielo, and a massive hive headed for her direction.

Kris ran towards her—immediately activating his amber shield. Cielo threw three bottles at once, and multiple incense packs came out—allowing Kris to burn them and drive away the wasps.

“You are all getting on my nerves. How dare you all destroy my peace? My friends and I are already having a great time! Unless… you all want to be my friend too?” She laughed, clutching her stomach, and cast some massive mosquitoes out.

Isagani sneaked behind the mambabarang. He swung his dagger, but his hands froze mid-air from the mosquitoes defending the lady. He instantly stepped back, another enemy, a man under her control, wanted to mark his presence. “You foolish child.” She threw a swarm to Isagani, but Rafael immediately sliced an incense pack to keep themselves safe.

“You children are all the same. Being ungrateful? Ruining my peace just because I look like this? Leaving me here just because you’re ashamed? This generation is messed up!” The mambabarang tapped her staff on the ground twice, and a bunch of cockroaches crawled their way into the scene. 

Some of it reached Cielo’s legs, and she began swatting them away in a panic. “Ew! Ew! Get them off of me.”

The ground slowly darkened from the scale, and they were all too busy fighting with mind controlling roaches.

From high above, Pauline watched the scene while sitting on a tree branch. Since she wasn’t a capable fighter, she was simply a player who threw her pawns on the chess board. And of course, it would take her some time to carve out pieces she could use. She waited for the right time to use her powers, and it was now. She whispered to her carvings, “Come to life. Become big.”

She threw all ten of them to the battlefield, and they all became larger—with massive feet and massive hands. 

“Let’s go, Pau!” Rafael chimed—grateful that their back-up finally moved.

The wooden creations began stomping on the roaches, and swatting the wasps.

This pissed the mambabarang off, and made her grunt. “You kids always hate on everything you don’t find beautiful! I hate you. I hate you all!” 

“I don’t know what issues you’ve got to be doing all of this, but it sure is messed up.” Kris whispered behind the mambabarang. Her eyes widened. While she was busy getting mad at the wooden carvings, Kris had already sneaked up behind her.

“And if I were to guess, your own children probably abandoned you because of reasons you claim to be about your appearance.” He crouched down to the ground.

The mambabarang froze—feeling a threat coming for her.

“If Yani was here, he would probably say some cheesy lines that he understands, and that you deserved better.” Kris raised his weapon up. 

“But I’m not Yani.”

He began hitting the ground with his stick.

Bang!

The mambabarang covered her ears.

Bang!

She crouched down as low as Kris.

Bang!

Fiery ribbons began wrapping around her body—sending her into hellish pain. “AH! STOP IT! YOU UNGRATEFU-”

“Take away her powers, take away her sixth sense, and take away her memories.” Kris uttered. “It’s done.”

And with the ribbons disappearing, the lady was left unconscious.

The controlled men all dropped down and stopped moving.

After a few minutes, Cielo asked the maharlikas to line the men up so that she and Kris could perform an exorcism. Then, Pauline fetched Yani, and they both headed for the scene together.

Yani sighed in relief, “Great job, guys!”

Cielo smiled brightly, “Thanks!”

Rafael and Isagani are now laying the men down—arguing who carried more bodies to the assembly. Kris shook his head, “Finish up already.”

Pauline and Yani sat on the sidelines, and observed Kris and Cielo perform a pag-aalis on each body at once. With each chant, insects came out from the men’s ears, nostrils, and mouths.

“They’re really strong, huh?” Yani asked Pauline.

She simply nodded, and followed with, “They’re the strongest ones our age.”

“That’s cool. I never knew spiritual arts could be used this way.”

“Welcome to our world, Yani.”

Eventually, all of the albularyos woke up groggy. Kris is now talking to one of them. His name was Leonardo. Or as they call him, Ka Leo.

“I just received a local complaint about her. They even had to go to Quiapo to tell me. And probably the other albularyos here too.” He sighed, “But I’m a mere healer. I couldn’t handle someone this strong. The others too.”

Kris nodded, “Thank you for your service, Ka Leo. Next time, try contacting the Baylanes beforehand. We know we don’t have the best connection due to your Christian faith, but we can always lend a helping hand.”

“Alright. Thank you, Asog.” 

A pause.

“Pero, I am wondering about something.” Ka Leo added.

“Hm?”

“There’s a very strong albularyo around here that had that mambabarang contained for a while. He made an invisible barrier that trapped her here upon the request of her children. I’m wondering why he hasn’t shown up, and why the locals had to go to Quiapo for an albularyo. I believe his name was Ka Rene.”

Cielo looked in their direction, “Do you know where he lives?”

Before dark, they found themselves inside another bahay kubo. The place’s walls had frames of The Last Supper and other images of Christ on it, and anting-anting charms and garlic hung from the ceiling. However, the entire place was thrashed. An old school television on the ground, a cracked mirror, and chairs with broken legs. And Ka Rene? Nowhere in sight.

Yani gasped, “Who did this?”