The Illuminated Maiden

Chapter II

Footsteps upon grass and dried leaves boomed through the jungle. Lianas swung and shrubs rustled. The fog unraveled itself as hands swiped it sideways, revealing a silhouette of a young woman against a background of white void, running through moss-covered trees moistened by dew. The monsoon had not come, but the jungles had their own season. Shadows of foliage and vegetation against the whiteout greeted anyone who strayed into the trees of the Galang Valley's emerald patches.

Within the dense foliage was a young maiden, carrying a pack attached to her back with a drawstring. The little moonlight shone upon her, revealing her almond eyes, with pupils the color of tree barks. She halted, pausing to pull up her skirt of blue embroidered with golden patterns. She tightened her shawl as she looked behind her. The wind blew through her hair that flowed down to her torso.

There were screeches from afar and her eyes widened. Halting was an unwise move and in an instant, she went off with her sandals striding through the ground. Thoughts raced inside her head, such as tripping on a root or falling off a ravine.

Yawa, she thought. Daku'ng kayawaan. Calling for help would be futile. The night had aged so much, and the chances people would be around were low.

Four of them, she thought as she glanced at her waist, where she attached a sheathed blade through a belt.

Her heart pounded and she neared to be short of breath. The frozen wind dried up the beads of sweat flowing down from her temples. She was thirsty; she needed water. There was perhaps a nearby spring earlier and there was the sound of flowing water. Stopping only exposed her to creatures active during the night chasing her. Dread filled her senses.

They were the aswangs, vampiric ghouls who used witchcraft to transform into whatever they wished to be, reputed to take human form during the day, but at their core, their skins were corpselike, their hair gray, their eyes black, and their teeth, as sharp as arrowheads. They had wings similar to that of bats. Some forms of the aswangs had the ability to separate their torsos from their waists upon transforming from being human.

She was trained in swordplay, but that wasn't enough. It was better that she kept running than face the monsters with her blade. She hadn't fastened it well, and it kept swinging on her side, making a clicking sound every time she took steps. It annoyed her, as she wanted to stop just to tighten it. She turned her head to search for a place to hide.

As she strode forward, there appeared a root where she trod. Her sandal struck it and her foot tilted. Her ankle twisted sideways. Pain went to her joints, pain piercing the bones and sinews on her legs. She then tripped and fell to the ground, landing on her shoulder. Her palms fell on the moist, dew-riddled ground. Her cheek followed and some dirt stuck to her face. She let out a cry in her frustration as her shoulder throbbed.

The hair on her nape stood, and she turned cold. The screeching of the aswangs grew louder; the creatures were nearby. She turned around to see through the outline of leaves that humanoids with bat wings were drawing near. In an instant, she stood up, struggling to deal with her ankle's pain, which made a single tear stream down her face.

She then placed her hand on her blade's grip, trembling as the sound of rustling and screeching went on. The screeching grew even louder, and she gritted her teeth, bracing herself for the impending attack.

Then, there appeared four figures, with wings flapping in grace amidst chaos, rousing the fear within Paglinawan's heart. She waited, and waited, and waited—until there was one aswangs' face, staring at her in mischief, as if chasing her for amusement rather than necessity. The rest of them tailed behind, passing through the void between the leaves that swayed every time the aswangs flapped their wings.