“From the ashes of chaos, a new future is born—forged from the fires of unity and the resolve of resilience.”
—Maximo Imperial, Post-Bataan Defeat
The shoreline had long since settled into silence. The glyphs that once danced in the air now lay dormant, buried beneath the weight of retreat. Maximo Imperial sat alone in the shadow of a fractured shrine, his tactical suit tattered, the crest of Ahas ng mga Lakan barely discernible beneath the soot and blood.
His flute—Sumpit ni Dumalapdap—rested across his lap, silent. Not broken. Simply… waiting.
He replayed the final clash in his mind: Gregorio’s violet spirals, Renato’s prismatic shield, the synchronized fury of the Sandata Unit. They had moved like gods. And he, once their brother, had become the discordant note in their harmony.
“Forgive me,” he had whispered before striking. Yet forgiveness had ceased to be a currency they exchanged.
He touched the glyph etched into his wrist—a personal override, a melody only he could discern. It pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat refusing to fade.
“I didn’t join the Ahas for power,” he murmured. “I joined because I had to.”
The wind shifted. Somewhere in the distance, the warship Balanghay groaned as it retreated. Maximo did not follow. He had no orders, no allies—only the echo of a promise made long ago, beneath the orphanage’s steel sky:
“If I ever fall, let me fall with purpose.”
He stood, brushing ash from his shoulders. The flute hummed softly, sensing his resolve.
With that, Maximo vanished into the mist—not as a traitor, nor as a hero, but as something far more perilous: a rogue note in a song yet to be completed.
Bulakan Safe House, Bulakan
The Sandata Unit arrived at their sanctuary in Bulakan, a secluded haven nestled amidst lush foliage. The air was thick with the scent of earth, providing respite following the tumultuous events they had endured. Gregorio convened a meeting in the dimly lit living room, where urgency mingled with the relief of temporary safety.
Marian and Agosto took their seats, prepared to relay the critical information they had gathered. Marian began, her voice steady yet infused with the gravity of her findings.
“From the Archives, I have identified three factions actively pursuing us, particularly you, Gregorio: the Babaylans, the Ahas ng mga Lakan, and the Military Intelligence Division Zeta. These groups are not mere adversaries; they are formidable entities deeply entrenched in both mystical and political spheres.”
She provided detailed descriptions of each faction:
- The Babaylans: A militant spiritual group rooted in ancient Filipino spirituality, renowned for their ability to manipulate reality through relics and rituals. Their objective is to sever relics from fate and wield them for their own purposes.
- Ahas ng mga Lakan: A criminal organization that exploits supernatural relics to gain power. Operating underground, they have infiltrated law enforcement and political circles, posing a significant threat.
- Military Intelligence Division Zeta: A covert military unit tasked with addressing supernatural threats, blending modern military tactics with arcane disciplines. Their involvement indicates a high-level interest in our activities, and some members have previously trained Sandata wielders at the Orphanage.
“I am certain we are personally acquainted with some of them,” Marian remarked, her gaze shifting from Gregorio to the window.
Agosto then shared his findings, urgency reflected in his eyes.
“The first piece of Kamay ni Bathala is located in Coron, Palawan, and the second in Davao. Sybill Lucero and Ricardo Magno are the current custodians, having inherited these relics as ancestral heirlooms. They are skilled Sandata wielders; Sybill possesses the Kandila ng Dilim, while Ricardo wields the Alab ng Tala. Both have successfully evaded capture attempts by the Ahas ng mga Lakan and the Babaylans.”
“Ricardo Magno? You mean the same Ricardo Magno from the Orphanage?” Renato inquired.
Agosto nodded affirmatively.
Gregorio commended the team for their diligence. “Excellent work, both of you. Your efforts have provided us with invaluable intelligence.”
“And Renato, I cannot thank you enough for your support at the Orphanage,” Gregorio added with a warm smile. “I don’t know how we would have survived that battle without your defensive assistance.”
Renato responded with a firm salute to the team.
Curiosity piqued, Gregorio inquired about Kalawit’s status. Agosto replied, “He is currently sealed in our dimension, but given his capabilities, he may eventually find a way to break free.”
Gregorio acknowledged this with a solemn nod. “We must remain vigilant. Maximo is alive and has gone rogue. Exercise extreme caution if you encounter him.”
A brief silence enveloped the team, interrupted only by the distant rustle of leaves. Each member held their inquiries, prioritizing immediate objectives. Gregorio outlined their next mission: the pursuit of the pieces of Kamay ni Bathala.
“We will prioritize targeting Ricardo first. It is imperative that we approach this as a cohesive unit, as we have yet to fully assess his affiliations. As for his abilities, I trust you are all aware that he is one of the instructors at the Orphanage. Alongside Juan Luciano, he is another individual capable of contending with gods.
- Intelligence Gathering
- Marian will lead this phase. Once completed, we will proceed to the next stage.
- Stage Setup
- Agosto and Renato will prepare for the capture. Completion of this phase will trigger the next.
- Capture Phase
- Marian and I will execute the capture.
- Extraction Support
- Renato will secure the target, Agosto will neutralize threats, and Marian will provide a veil for stealth.”
Concluding the briefing, Gregorio dismissed the team to rest. “That is all for now. Rest well; we will move soon.”
As the team dispersed to their rooms, a sudden, menacing aura halted them. The air trembled with an unsettling energy—an apparent spirit breach had manifested. Rushing outside, they witnessed the breach tearing across the sky, an ominous rift pulsating with malevolent intent.
Instinctively, they activated their Sandatas, the relics humming with readiness as they stared into the breach.
Location: Bulakan Capital City – Before the Sky Split
Incident Type: Spirit Breach Onset
Date: [REDACTED]
Compiled for: Military Intelligence Division: Zeta Archive — Level 7 Clearance
[18:57 PHT] — First Anomaly Detection
Runic interference manifests on civilian telecoms across a 3 km radius. Baybayin glyphs cascade in rapid succession over LED billboards, rotating faster than human-readable speed before collapsing into pale static. Independent radio operators report simultaneous broadband compression and harmonic bleed.
[19:08 PHT] — Environmental Shift
A rapid barometric drop of 7 mbar occurs within 90 seconds. Wind shear descends in irregular pulses, bending lamp posts toward the epicenter. Nearby security cameras show an 11-second blackout, frames replaced by blurred silhouettes in triplicate.
[19:15 PHT] — Initial Manifestation
A hairline tear forms above the eastbound flyover. Civilian footage captures the “air folding inward,” edges shimmering with refracted light like oil over glass. A low harmonic note vibrates through surrounding structures, rattling steel beams and triggering motion alarms.
[19:21 PHT] — Echo Emergence
The first wave of Class-B echoes breach the threshold. Morphology: amorphous shadow forms with residual human limb ratios. Aggression Index: 6/10. Effect on populace: Sudden panic, irregular evacuation patterns, trampling incidents in Capital Plaza side streets.
[19:28 PHT] — Escalation
The tear extends under visible strain, reaching full breach status. From within emerges a demi-human echo of Tikbalang morphology, carrying an obsidian-hued axe measuring 8.7 m. The shockwave from its landing is registered by street-level seismic sensors.
[19:31 PHT] — Containment Units Arrive
MID-Zeta armored carriers breach the southern cordon, initiating engagement sequence. Forward teams deploy resonance rifles; breach periphery visibility improves by 13% post-engagement.
Witness Testimony 01 — Civilian
Name: Leandro “Len” Arguelles
Occupation: Food stall vendor, Capital Plaza
“One second, I’m ladling soup; the next, my tent’s inside out like it’s trying to leave without me. Everyone’s phones lit up, not with messages—glyphs, spinning like they wanted to climb out of the screen. Then the air just… split. Shapes came out wrong, like shadows that forgot their bodies. I didn’t lock the till. Money doesn’t matter when the world looks broken.”
Witness Testimony 02 — Civilian
Name: Maricris Velayo
Occupation: Night-shift nurse, Bagumbayan City Hospital
“I was late for my shift, trying to beat the light at the flyover. My ears popped—then the streetlights dimmed, but the dark got heavier. I looked up and saw… horse-headed, armored figures pulling themselves through the crack in the sky. They dragged weapons longer than the ambulance bay at the hospital. My bike died under me. I left it and hid. That’s when the black-armored soldiers showed up, rifles burning blue.”
Witness Testimony 03 — Law Enforcement
Name: P/Chief Ernesto Villanueva
Position: Chief of Police, Bulakan City Precinct
“By the time dispatch said ‘disturbance,’ half my men were moving marketgoers out. Then I saw it—like a thunderstorm frozen mid-strike and ripped open. The things that came through… we don’t train for that. But we formed a line anyway, sidearms out, covering the civilians. Almost all of my men lost their lives. Suddenly, MID-Zeta broke through. We were seconds from losing that street. If those carriers had been any later, I wouldn’t be sitting here.”
