THE REALMS OF KAHILWAYAN: Alunsina Chronicles

Chapter 2 - Amihan & Kanayon

The bells of the capilla of Santa Rita tolled every 8 o'clock in the evening. It would toll eight times, echoing far and wide, reaching even the surrounding towns of Santa Anna in the North, San Lazaro in the East, San Isidro Labrador in the West, and Santo Tomas in the South, and even beyond on clear and cold nights. It tolled, as folk stories tell, to signal the hour when the veil of the living and the dead became one, hidden in the shadow of the night, and so the townsfolk would call out to their ancestors as professed Christians would pray for the souls in purgatory.

But tonight, in the eerie stillness, the bells tolled eight times as it always has, but there was something more looming in the darkness of the night. The bells sounded like rumbles, eight of them, rolling to all directions wherever the dark fog reached. The townspeople, anxious, thought it was thunder, and they prayed this time to their ancestors, to God, to spare them of another storm before a good harvest.

Meanwhile, in a thicket a distance away from the house of Carla and Kulas, a swooping sound broke the stillness. Gushes of wind appeared chasing each other around, breaking and spreading away the dark fog.

"We should not have done that!" A forceful but reverent voice exclaimed out of nowhere.

A voice, sounding more frivolous, replied, "Do we have a choice?"

The voices bickered, muffled by the fog. It continued on and on until one gush of wind descended, and circled into a funnel on the ground, and took the form of a young boy. He was about ten, about 3 feet tall, slightly cherubic-faced, dark-skinned, with black wavy hair and piercing eyes. He eyed the other gush of wind still swooping in circles above him.

Shaking the dust off him, he called out, "Kanaway, stop playing around!"

The gush of wind halted and turned about, gathered itself midair, and circled into a funnel as it descended. The moment the tip of the funnel touched the ground, another boy, a little younger than the other one, took form. He had the same prominent features, dark skinned, black, but a little less wavy hair, and a milder stare, one that appeases.

He took his stance before the other boy and snorted, "I wasn't playing around, Amihan. This dark fog smells of the stench of Kadudulman," he said.

"There's no doubt about that." Amihan agreed, approaching him. "That's why we have to be serious about this."

"I am being serious. Just not your style."

"I know we should have done it a little, well, what's the word?" Amihan resting his head on his palm, struggling to remember what he wanted to say.

Kanayon casually dropped himself on the ground, crossed his legs, and snickered, "What? You blew the word off your fickle mind again?"

Amihan glared at him.

"The word you're looking for is discreet. We could have done it discreetly, Amihan. But you and your impatience, those tantrums of yours, they're not helping our mission - "

"Not my fault." Amihan interrupted. "That is my nature. And...and...you, you just slow me down all the time. Besides, I don't know why I was sent with you. It's almost harvest time here, my season has passed."

Kanayon sat upright, eyeing Amihan circling wearily around him, and took some time to compose himself. "The boss must be really worried the other realms felt it too...and..and they got ahead of us," he surmised.

"That's going to be epic!" Amihan exclaimed. "And I mean not in a good way."

"What's epic about that?"

"Kanaway, really? What is epic about that? You never thought how significant this mission is. I mean, as it unfolds."

"I don't see where you are going," Kanaway ridiculed, scratching his head.

Amihan snorted. "And you call me fickle minded, eh?"

"Sure," said Kanayon, "but what is epic, in a good or bad way, about what is about to come, about what is unfolding as you say so?"

Amihan circled around Kanayon, trying to figure out how to explain himself, about why he thinks the outcome of what's unfolding will be epic, and maybe in the process of explaining himself, he can also tame Kanayon's frivolousness.

"It is epic, Kanaway, because with all these unfolding, whoever fulfills the Promise of the Eternal Search, that's a long name for a quest, don't you think, terrible why they had to call it that," he explained and proceeded air quoting, "the "Promise of the Eternal Search", but...but...no matter what realms fulfill that, humanity will believe again - "

Kanayon snorted. "I didn't realize you were that romantic, but I give it to you. Let's just call it, " he said, and continued mimicking Amihan's air quoting, "The Promise", for short."

Amihan stopped and gave him a nod, and circled around him again.

"If the fulfillment of "The Promise" is epic, Amihan - "

"Can you get to your point," interrupts Amihan impatiently.

Ignoring Amihan's impatience, Kanayon continued and all the more enunciated his words, "...and if we want to be epically good, that's on us. You know that, right?"

"I know." Amihan sighed in agreement. "And it is on us, too, if we fail this. And I don't want to fail."

Amihan locked his arms around him as he paced around Kanayon and towards the edge of the cliff. Kanaway stood up, but his legs were still wobbly, and so, he stumbled as he took his first step.

Amihan heard him fall and laughed. "Figured why I never lazily sat down like I was the prince like you did after taking our human form?" He quipped.

"Yeah, right. Thanks for telling me." Kanayon stood up once again, this time feeling his legs first, that it was there, attached to him, to his mind, at least, and letting whatever was flowing inside of him fill it in. He didn't know what blood was, but he liked the feeling of warmth as it coursed through his chest, to his abdomen, and down to his legs, and finally to his feet. Feeling his weight on the ground, he took a step, and then another, until he cautiously walked towards where Amihan was.

Amihan glanced back at him with a smirk. "Finally."

As Kanaway reached the edge of the cliff, he saw the house of Clara and Kulas, the only candle-lit structure in the middle of the valley covered by the dark fog.

"So," exclaimed Kanaway, standing proudly on his feet. He put his arms around Amihan's shoulders and felt the burden of responsibility on it. He wanted to bring that up, that he was not alone, that he was with him all the way, knowing Amihan wanted him to take their mission seriously, and so, instead, he asked, "How do we do this, my friend?"

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