The moonlight had roused Goyong from his nap. The kubo was engulfed by darkness save from the moon that shone like a brilliant gem. A melody produced by crickets hummed outside accompanied by the rustling of trees that swayed with the gentle breeze. He took a look at the sleeping figures of his companions and slowly stood up. The night lured Goyong outside and so he strode towards it.

The cold breeze immediately hugged him. He looked up at the night sky, the moon slightly obscured by a few tall trees. He looked around the vast expanse of land around him and started to walk, with no destination in mind. With his hand clasped behind his back, he strolled across the dirt, looking like a lost prince in the middle of the countryside. He marveled at the simplicity of his surroundings and felt a wave of tranquility. After a few strides, he heard the cackling sounds of a river nearby. Filled with curiosity, he followed the sounds until it led him to a crystalline river, its clear glassy water a sight to behold. The moon was no longer concealed under a blanket of trees; it now shone freely, its splendor fully exposed. Along with it, stars dotted the night sky. Goyong let out a smile, deeply moved by the beauty of Filipinas.

Goyong leaned at a nearby thicket, staring at the scene, drinking it in. He gazed at the river and asked it about how his family was doing. The river merely stared at him.

Goyong tried to recall the events that transpired. It was Goyong's first taste of the battlefield. And he had no idea what to think of it. The ear shattering blasts of guns and canons, shouts from all sides, blood, dust, sweat, engulfed his mind. The battlefield had been terrifying, but it injected an uncanny exhilaration in his veins.

At the far end of where he's standing, a figure sat on a boulder near the river, gazing at the night sky. Goyong squinted his eyes and came towards it. He later realized that it was the girl from the kubo, her hair wildly splayed against the wind. As he came closer, Goyong slowed his steps.

"Isn't it dangerous for a girl like you to be alone in the middle of a forest?" Goyong said as he was a few meters from her.

"The guardians of the forest looks after me, I am sure" the girl replied. She turned and looked at him "Isn't it a dangerous for a wounded soldier like you to walk about in the middle of forest?" she shot back.

Goyong smiled "A fair maiden shall look after me, I am sure."

The girl merely scoffed and stared at the moon again. Goyong inched closer to the boulder until he was directly next to it. He placed himself directly across the girl and made sure that he was nowhere too near, as he respected her and didn't want to scandalize her.

"What happened? At the battle, I mean" the girl asked.

Goyong raised a quizzical brow "I do not think the gruesome details of the battle would be an appropriate topic for a gentleman to share with a lady such as yourself"

"Indulge me" the girl persisted.

Goyong shared about his sojourn at Kakaron, and how he and his fellow comrades had defended the fort with all their might. The enemy came from all sides, the revolutionaries outnumbered. A few of them had stayed, answering the enemy fire with all their might. Once an opening at the enemy lines was visible, Goyong along with his remaining comrades escaped. They found not a single Katipunero in sight for all of them had escaped during the first few shots that were exchanged.

The girl listened attentively, and at the end of Goyong's story, she sighed.

"Is your father part of the battalion deployed at Kakaron?" Goyong inquired, wondering if she asked him because of it.

The girl shook his head. "My parents disappeared long ago. The guardia civil suddenly barged into our home one night and dragged them away. They never returned."

Goyong didn't attempt to make a remark, for he couldn't imagine it if his parents suffered the same fate too.

"I was too young to understand then. But as I grew older, rage quietly brewed up in the recesses of my mind. All I need is the right timing, and I too, shall take up arms against the enemies," the girl said simply.

Goyong looked incredulously at the girl, her young features illuminated by the moonlight. Her tone carried a firm vindication that one would not dare question her. Goyong almost laughed at how silly she looked. Her youth eclipsed her tough façade.

Goyong was about to say something when the girl cut her off "And don't you say that because I am a woman I cannot step on a battlefield. This is my country too. And just because I am wearing a skirt doesn't mean I can't fight," she snarled.

Goyong adored the girl. He pursed his lips and smiled. The girl flushed scarlet.

"I was about to say that Filipinas surely is a lucky nation to have someone like you fighting for her," Goyong said. "I respect your desire to take up arms, but I must advise against it. I think the soil of this country shall weep if ever a drop of your blood should spill."

"But if you desire such a thing, if you want to take part of the armed uprisings, then I shall respect your decision," Goyong added.

The girl thanked Goyong for his honest opinion. Goyong and the girl talked a bit more after that. The former talked about his family excessively and shared his student days at Manila. The latter talked about her private education under the tutelage of her Tia Silia. Tia Silia had been their neighbor back in Malolos. She had been a part of the group of women who attended a night school where they were thought Spanish and literature. When the night school closed, Silia took her and left Malolos. Both of them talked relentlessly, mostly about literature, for both of them were fond of words. They talked until a satisfied silence ensued afterwards.

"Its marvelous isn't it," the girl said after the pause, describing the scenery around them.

"It's not bad," Goyong replied.

"Not bad? The moon itself is breathtaking" the girl added.

Goyong looked at the girl; how her hair fell carelessly around her face, how her eyes sparkled with wonder, the soft smile that played on her lips. "I've seen better" Goyong said, while their eyes met. He wanted to stare at her dark brown eyes for some time. Both of them stared at each other, before the girl scoffed and looked away.

"Men like you are always so eager to make ladies fall helplessly in love with you" she said. "Mere words do not make my heart flutter"

"Fair maiden, I assure you that my words are earnest and true" Goyong said, dignified.

"I am not foolish enough to fall for words alone. Such empty flattery won't win you a woman's heart" she said.

Goyong was about to reply but the girl hastily got up. "I think its half past midnight. I should get back to the kubo."

"Let me accompany you. It would be against my very being to let a girl such as yourself roam the forest unaccompanied" Goyong pleaded.

"That wouldn't be necessary. I am perfectly capable of going back. I also don't think Tia Silia would like it if she sees us both return at the same time" the girl said.

"I really must insist-"

"You should stay here for a while. Moments like this don't come often. And besides, the goddess Mayari might appear" she gave a knowing smile and briskly walked away.

Goyong raised a quizzical brow. His education told him that folklores and superstitions are just follies of the mind, but his family respects such things.

Goyong had a hard time convincing himself not to follow her, for she is a different kind of woman. Far different from the women he normally sees at his hometown. She was unorthodox and unusual, and in a way, beautiful.

Goyong was left alone at the boulder, and looked up at the vast expanse of sky. He released a sigh, for the memories of the battle kept on barging in on his thoughts. The memory of Kakaron slowly ebbed away, leaving only the feeling of overwhelming desire to fight for Filipinas. Goyong breathed in the majestic scenery, for he knew that he would never see such a thing again. Dark days are up ahead. And he knew that he would see more blood shed, more artilleries being fired, and more loss.

"By the gods, I swear that I will fight and die for this country with all my might" Goyong said full of vindication.

Goyong was filled with the stupor of patriotism when he heard a rustle at a nearby thicket of trees. His head snapped to the right, his eyes squinting to see what made the sound. He felt terror and apprehension fill up his whole body. But nothing emerged from it.

Goyong took his eyes away from the spot and was about to gaze at the moon when he almost choked on his breath. A woman, pale as an ivory, loomed over his face. A singular eye was etched on her forehead. The lone eye was the whitest white he had ever seen; her features striking and terrifying at the same time. Her hair was a straight silk of inky black; her body bathed with what looked liked diamonds that sparkled like stars. Goyong couldn't move. He couldn't speak. His heart pounded in his chest.

The goddess had appeared.