Only Lumawig knows that he had made a connection not with one spirit, but two! However, he chose to keep it a secret as his lolo did not inquire further on the number of spirits he had made a connection with.

“Long before the Spaniards came to this country, selecting a spirit to accompany a babaylan is uncommon among them. This is because the babaylan is the sole mediator between the spirits and our ancestors. Another reason why is because the spirits are all around us, if a babaylan would ever need the assistance of a spirit, all he or she ever needs to do is invoke that spirit by chanting, and a spirit suitable for the babaylan’s request will come. But with the advent of the Spaniards, as I have told you before, the spirits left our world and to maintain our connection with them, the babaylans were left with no choice but to form connections with one spirit, the spirit then would become their abyan (companion). The type of spirit one forms a connection with depends on a person’s dungan, the stronger your dungan, the greater the spirit you will form a connection with.” Lolo Gani also explained the history of forming a connection with a spirit to Lumawig.

“Depending on the hand that you raised earlier, your path as a babaylan will be affected. If you raised your right hand, this means that you are inherently a good person and patient as the gimokud residing on your right hand is good. This means that your healing prowess as a babaylan will be stronger. However, if you raised your left-hand, it does not mean that you are bad. It only means that you are a bit more impatient and tend to make rash decisions. However, this also means that you are fearless as the left gimokud, though it symbolizes the evil part of your soul, also reflects one’s fearlessness. Your physical prowess will be stronger, and you will find it easier to become a spiritualist type of babaylan.” lolo Gani also explained the different outcome if Lumawig raised his right or left hand.

“Of course, to fully feel the effects, you will need to nurture your abyan.” added lolo Gani.

“How can I nurture my spirit abyan, lolo?” asked Lumawig

“You will need a chant, apò. Open the librito I gave you; you should now be able to see what is written there, at least some of it.” Answered the old man.

“Couldn’t you just teach me the chant?” inquired Lumawig

“No, I cannot. Every babaylan has a different chant in nurturing their spirits.” Affirmed lolo Gani.

Hearing the old man’s answer, Lumawig immediately opened the librito he was holding. The moment he opened it, a flash of bright light appeared and instantly disappeared; Lumawig, in that short amount of time that the light appeared hurriedly closed his eyes and only opened them after ten breaths, thinking that it would take a long time for the light to disappear. Lolo Gani on the other hand was just standing a couple of steps away from Lumawig, seemingly enjoying the scene, a warm smile evident on his lips. When Lumawig opened his eyes, there was already no bright light, and his lolo did not say anything, just maintaining that warm smile on his face. Lumawig, oblivious to what happened, looked down at the librito and saw the chant for nurturing the spirit. It appeared in the form of an ancient Filipino script, but he somehow understands the script as he can easily read them. The script is written in gold and has a faint glow on it.

“So this is the chant: A mo do e ba ba a sa mo do e la le, la ha a ma ka ka o na. A e pe de to a ta o a ma ka pa te. A a ke a e yo bo ha nga yo a e e sa. A a ke do go e yo ga me te o pa a e yo pa se bo a do ma te.”

[ Translation:

Filipino: Sa mundong ibabaw, at sa mundong ilalim. Lahat ay magkakaugnay. Ang espirito at tao ay magkapatid. Ang akin at iyong buhay, ngayon ay iisa. Ang aking dugo iyong gamitin, upang ang iyong pagsibol ay dumating.

English: On the surface world, and on the underworld, everything is interconnected. The spirit and men are brothers. Mine and your life, are now one. Use my blood as you will, so that your growth will come.]

After reading the script, Lumawig felt that the spirits inside him had a reaction, and delight could be seen in his eyes. He also felt that after the ritual he was able to see things clearer; his hearing has improved as well. He also felt that his body seems to be lighter and full of energy. He tried doing some exercises and stretches just to confirm this. Lolo Gani on the side was watching, softly chuckling. He remembered that during his time, when he underwent his first ritual, he also did what his apò is doing now. Thinking up to here, his eyes suddenly were filled with longing, however, he quickly snapped out of it and turned around, his back facing Lumawig.

“Come now apò, we are done for now. We will continue later in the afternoon. If you want, you can sleep again.” Lolo Gani told his Lumawig.

“Okay lolo, I’ll try to sleep again, but I doubt that I will be able to, since my body feels like it's full of energy right now. Heh! I think that even if I play basketball for three full days, I will not get tired!” Lumawig answered, his mood is clearly good.

“Hahaha! Do what you like. It is already close to sunrise, so I will get ready. I will be helping in the harvest of melons today. For breakfast you can cook your own, four of our hens laid eggs yesterday.” Lolo Gani informed Lumawig.

The whole event happened in almost an hour and a half, and one could hear roosters already making their wake-up calls. In some houses, light could be seen, people are already waking up for the day.

The barangay where Lumawig and lolo Gani reside is called Dumadalig, a quiet agricultural barangay located twenty minutes north of Koronadal City, in the municipality of Tantangan. Most of the people here are farmers and they support each other, helping one another if a need arises. The life here is not something someone from the city could get used to, but the people here are hardy and resilient. Though modern medicine has made itself available, a lot of people still believe in the abilities of albularyos like lolo Gani. Most of the time, lolo Gani treats illnesses such as colds and coughs, fevers, and even being poisoned; however, there are times when his expertise on spirits is also called upon. Evidently, the people in Dumadalig still believe in the existence of spirits, for when a sick person cannot be healed by modern medicine, the people would assume that the patient is being possessed or played upon by a spirit.

Although lolo Gani is primarily an albularyo, he has his fair shares of dealings with the spirits that would malign a normal person. As a babaylan, he is all too familiar with them, and most of the time, he can end the patient’s suffering without any harm done to the person or the spirit. This kind of life for him became the norm for many years, and the people treated him and Lumawig kindly for his services. However, this norm that has lasted many years will be broken today. As one of the houses located near the entrance of their street opened their lights, a scream was then heard. As it was still early morning, not much ambient sound could be heard, only the crow of the rooster and some dogs barking; the scream was filled with horror and mixed with despair. After the initial scream, calls for help could be heard.