Looking down, Lolo Gani saw five claws protruding out of his chest. After a few seconds, the claws were withdrawn, and the action caused Lolo Gani to cough out blood. Confused, he looked back and saw the monster who was supposed to be kept out by the fire, has its arm extended all the way to their location inside the cavity.

Lolo Gani looked at Lumawig, and gave a warmth filled smile at his apò. Then he unsheathed his sundang, and slowly stood up.

“Well, apò, it seems that lolo will have to stay behind. I wish that you grow up to become a powerful babaylan. Greater than your Inang Selia.” Tears started rolling down his eyes. No matter how stalwart Lolo Gani appeared to be, he is just like any other human. Afraid of death, to be more precise, afraid of dying and leaving their loved ones behind.

He knew that this time, he can no longer escape death. The wound in his chest was a fatal one, and he has already lost a lot of blood. Even if by some miracle he survives, he is certain that he will still die due to severe blood loss. As Lolo Gani started to walk out of the cavity, he once again summoned his abyan.

“Stop him from going out.” Without looking back to his apò, Lolo Gani commanded his abyan to restrain Lumawig.

“LOLO!! PLEASE DO NOT GO OUT! MY AGIMAT CAN HEAL YOU!” Lumawig shouted, pleading. Trying to convince his lolo to stay.

“You do not have to convince me apò, I know when it is my time.” Lolo Gani tried to sound brave for Lumawig.

“Mawi, I hope that one day you become a splendid babaylan!” Before stepping out, Lolo Gani said his final words of encouragement to Lumawig.

After saying his last statement, he stepped out of the cavity. The moment Lolo Gani stepped out; the entrance became totally translucent. It looked like a thin membrane of sorts separated them from the outside world.

Taking a deep breath, Lolo Gani faced Busau who is now laughing in a guttural voice. Seemingly proud of its achievement and looking down on the human in front. The flame that Lolo Gani has great confidence in has become ineffective, and thus allowed Busau to pierce him. Knowing that he can no longer fight the monster, Lolo Gani instead thrusted his sundang on the ground, and spread his remaining arm and feet, in an effort to block the monster.

Seeing Lolo Gani’s effort, Busau only released a growl and its six arms stretched to pierce the old man. In an instant, the six arms found Lolo Gani’s body and pierced him, creating six additional wounds on his already weakened body. However, despite receiving such wounds, Lolo Gani did not fall down. He stubbornly gritted his teeth and cling to his last breath until he can make sure that Lumawig is transported safely.

Inside the cavity, Lumawig was able to vaguely see what is happening outside, and he knows that his lolo is being attacked – no, being murdered by that monster. He can see every time of the monster’s arms would pierce his lolo. He can see how every time Lolo Gani was pierced by the monster, he would jerk, but refuses to fall down. It was an agonizing sight for him. It reminded him of the scenes he saw in the Spiritual realm.

“Why? Why am I so weak?! Why did my gift only awaken recently?!” Lumawig started bawling, lamenting his powerlessness to help his lolo. His only living relative in the world. He had just gained power and was told by his lolo that he has a great potential. However, what use is that potential if he cannot use it to protect his only family. What use is that potential if the person he loves will no longer be around?

Lumawig frantically brought the librito and agimat out. He quickly flipped through the pages of the librito in an agitated manner. However, to his dismay, most of the pages are blank, and the scant few where there are chants, he could not read.

“Please, just one… I only need one chant that can help me save lolo!” Lumawig is now extremely distraught, as he crazily flipped through the pages of the librito. But it was no use. No matter how hard he pleaded, there was no reaction from the librito nor the agimat.

“Why would you not activate now that I truly need you?!” Lumawig, through his disappointment, threw the librito unto the ground.

“I only have my lolo with me now. Why would you take him away from me?!” Lumawig sobbed.

“Is this really the fate that I need to live with? To lose the people I love, all in exchange for a small possibility to save the future?!!” He angrily shouted, but no one could hear him aside from himself.

“Abyan, if you are inside me, at least try to save Lolo Gani!” Finally, he tried to communicate with his two abyan. There was no reaction. He repeated his sentence, but there was still no reaction.

Then Lumawig remembered that his two abyan would show a reaction when he usd his 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, now one. You will use my blood, so that your growth will come.]

The moment he finished his chant, the two abyan showed a reaction, and Lumawig tried to give them a command.

“Abyan, if you are inside me, at least try to save Lolo Gani!” he repeated again his statement. This time, the abyan residing in his left hand stirred. Then he felt it move towards his glabella and stayed there. Lumawig thought that that was it, however, he suddenly saw his shadow moved on its own and took shape in his image. The shadow then went outside.

Meanwhile, after enduring three rounds of attacks from Busau’s six arms, Lolo Gani is still clinging to his one last breath. Busau is already extremely annoyed by the stubbornness of the old man to die. So, it fearlessly approached Lolo Gani past the flames. It attacked Lolo Gani using its two original arms which are faster, more powerful, and more lethal.

One arm attacked his chest to crush the old man’s heart, and the other aimed for the head. However, a black shadow suddenly emerged from the cavity and hit the one aimed at the old man’s head with all its might forcefully parrying the attack. After that one attack, the shadow disappeared, and Lumawig that was inside the narra tree, also lost consciousness.

As soon as this happened, the shaking increased in intensity, and the golden glow reached its maximum brightness. Outside, Busau was so enraged to have been interrupted again, that it tried to attack the narra tree with all its might. Its attack was able to damage the trunk of the tree which also caused the cavity to take a bit of damage, but with the full activation of the spirit point, even if Busau were to destroy the whole tree, it would still not be able to stop the teleportation. And this is exactly what happened. The spirit point activated successfully and brought Lumawig away.

Seeing that Lumawig was safely transported away, Lolo Gani gave out one last smile and breathed his last. Dying in a standing position with his remaining arm and feet spread apart, his body riddled with holes. Busau, who had been standing in the flames, saw that one of them had escaped and was enraged. He immediately grabbed the dead Lolo Gani and started munching on his body. Soon after, a face that looked like Lolo Gani appeared on its shadowy body. Busau then left the area to recuperate and heal the injuries it sustained.

Lumawig on the other hand was brought into another forest. As the narra tree was damaged while he was being transported, his destination was altered, and he was transported to an unknown area. Lolo Gani’s abyan has also disappeared along with the old man’s death. Here, the unconscious Lumawig lay down on the cold forest soil with only the clothes he was wearing and the buntot pagi and the pasyawan whip beside him. Suddenly footsteps were heard, but Lumawig still remained unconscious. A few moments later, a shadow slowly approached the unconscious Lumawig.

***End of Act 1***