Afternoon came and Lolo Gani started the funeral rites for his two friends. Lumawig has also returned for the funeral procession. The people made a makeshift stretcher that could hold two bodies laid side by side. It was a specific instruction of Lolo Gani that they are not separated even when transporting them to their final resting place, this was in hopes that they will see each other quickly in the afterlife.

The stretcher was then put on a karosa (a cart pulled by a carabao) that was installed with wheels. On either side of the karosa, two people are walking as if to stand guard to the bodies. Lolo Gani who was in front was leading the procession as they walked towards the short hill where they intend to bury the bodies, he was burning some aromatics as he walked.

It took them only one hour to reach the hill and buried the two bodies there. There were no tombstones prepared yet as the burial was rushed, however, some charitable people said that they will have it placed there after a few days.

Lolo Gani then performed a simple burial ritual for the two, hoping that they find peace in each other’s presence in the afterlife, and vowing vengeance to whoever abruptly brought their happy life to an end. All these were done by Lolo Gani hoping to appease their spirits. Lumawig who was a babaylan in training was standing at the side, observing his lolo’s actions.

After the burial rites, everyone returned to tiyo Noning’s house via a different route. When they arrived at the house, everyone went to wash their hands and feet with a warm water of boiled guava leaves, after that they started to have a feast. Food offering was set aside by the people who prepared the feast for the departed souls and separated their portion from the rest.

The feast was quite sumptuous and grand, with lots of food and delicacies. There was no trace of sadness or solemness on the faces of the people, except for Lolo Gani and Lumawig. Try as they might, they cannot really bring themselves to appear happy, with the successive passing of two important people in their lives.

“Let us go home apò. I am tired, and I want to sleep.” Lolo Gani told Lumawig, his back looked so lonely as he made his way to the gate. No one tried to stop the old man though, as they understand what he is feeling. Lumawig just kept quiet and walked by his lolo’s side. Upon arriving at their house, the maglolo went straight to their bedroom and slept.

However, as they were sleeping, Lumawig’s agimat, the heirloom that was passed down their family for generations started to give a gentle golden glow. The glow then spread on Lumawig’s body until it fully covered him, then it started to expand to also cover Gani lolo fully as well. Even with the birght glow of the agimat, neither of the two was awakened.

Instead, they felt more comfortable, and their bodies’ tiredness was removed, and their mental abilities were slightly improved. Of course, the two of them were oblivious to these as they were soundly sleeping.

**********

It has been three days since the malignant spirits, Busau, Tagbauaw, Agkui and Mangilala left the Spirit realm to roam in the Mortal realm again. For more than three hundred years, they were trapped and cooped up in the Spirit realm. Seeing their place grow bleaker and bleaker as the years passed by, feeling their power and life force draining out of them, year after year.

It was fine that they were feared and sometimes hated by the people, for even with that they still receive adoration and followers through those who commit evil; nourishment from the collective negative emotions of the people and the evil souls sent to them; power through the continuous belief in them. But the years of having these, suddenly cut off has made them resent these people.

The resentments in their hearts built up and have already reached the tipping point. So, when they were given the chance and opportunity to finally go into the Mortal realm again, they were happy, excited and thrilled. For now, they had the chance to exact their vengeance on the people who have abandoned them.

Busau, the very first one to jump into the lake spirit point to reach the Mortal realm did not went very far. Instead, the moment it stepped foot into the Mortal realm, it immediately went into hiding. Only moving at night away from the spirit point from where it came from – Lake Sebu.

For it knows that even though the deities in the Upperworld of the Spirit Realm has been weakened, they are still capable of bringing him back to the Spirit realm should it be found, either by D’Wata himself or his agents, within the vicinity of the spirit point. Another reason why it did so was because it suddenly found out that it's already weak power was further weakened by its transmigration into the Mortal realm

Agkui, Tagbayaw and Mangilala knew this as well, so as soon as they emerged from the spirit points, they immediately went their separate ways, going as far as they can from lake Sebu. Agkui and Tagbayaw headed north to where they think they can freely exert their influence, while Mangilala headed east. Trying to locate a bustling and developed city.

Busau on the other hand has only moved several dozen kilometers from the spirit point. However, even though it moved less compared to the other three, it was the first one to finally feel the whereabouts of the item that Sitan has asked the four of them to look for.

The other three never thought that one of the items that they were asked to look for would be so close to the spirit point they used. Having sensed the location of the item, Busau immediately made its way to the location. Since it was in such close proximity, it was able to pinpoint where the booklet was and was even able to see it.

It was precisely Busau who was staring right at Lumawig during his ritual. It was Busau who Lolo Gani mistook for just another evil spirit lingering in the vicinity. Due to its powers and presence weakened by the long years of being starved from its nourishment, Busau was able to ‘blend’ in with the other evil spirits. However, only humans like Lolo Gani and Lumawig can feel its presence, but they are unable to clearly tell its rank.

The booklet that the Busau saw was precisely the librito Lumawig was carrying. It actually tried to attack that day during Lumawig’s ritual, but it was too weak to even break the barrier that Lolo Gani put up to ward off evil spirits.

Hence, it looked for another way to get the booklet and that was to regain its strength first. As a being that gets nourishment out of the destruction and death of humans, the Busau uses its dark power to transform into a creature that can bring terror and fear on humans, but also inflict harm and death. It chose to transform into an aswang, and it was its aswang transformation that attacked and killed tiya Elsie.

After killing tiya Elsie, the fear and terror its action caused granted it a boost in power that it was finally able to exert its influence on the creatures of the dark in the whole area. The Bal-bal, was just one of the beings it was able to influence using its dark powers. People who have weaker dungan succumbed to corruption released by the Busau.

Deranged killers and other supernatural creatures started to appear in the once peaceful barangay of Dumadalig and its neighbors. The Busau, realizing how easy it is for him to regain some of its powers, decided to also inflict more harm to the humans by releasing pests and pestilence and on them.

The effect these events had on the Busau greatly increased its abilities. Just one day after claiming its first victim, tiya Elsie, the Busau is now able to directly control the supernatural creatures affected by its influence.