Aswang's fog form attacked us without any warning. Nicole, looking so strong enough to stand, went closely to Barry. "Give me the claypot."
Barry refused. I couldn't blame him for not trusting Nicole again.
Aswang's fog circled rapidly around us, it was already hurting our skin like rough sandpaper.
"Please, give me the claypot." Nicole begged.
Barry looked at May. I saw May nodded and Barry reluctantly handed the claypot to Nicole.
Nicole concentrated as the black fog kept on circling us. The fog went close to us. It already made a little cut on my right hand. Nicole opened the lid of the claypot and glowing butterflies came out from it.
"You thought butterflies can help us?" Barry angrily bellowed, but he was surprised when almost hundreds of butterflies in different sizes came out of the claypot and joined the black fog as it circled us. The fog slowly separate itself from the butterflies and went to the stone bridge where it transformed back to its ghostly Aswang form.
The butterflies floated near each other and glowed with blinding light. The light exploded and Maria Makiling appeared in our sight.
"It's you again!" Aswang bellowed to Maria Makiling. "It's always you. I'm not going to let you kill me again." He opened his mouth and black sand came out going to our place.
"You're already dead." Maria Makiling said. A giant butterfly wings sprouted from her back and in the wink of an eye, she flew in the middle of us. Her wings folded and cradled us inside. I could hear the black sand hitting the wings. It sounded like sand falling to a metal surface. The wings disappeared when Aswang stopped his attack. "The same old strategy Aswang."
"Why don't you just let me do what I want to do? I'm more ancient than you." Aswang's fang came out and he snapped it as a warning.
"You don't belong here anymore, Aswang. You're story has long been forgotten by the people. There must be few who remember you, but your name is already use as a call for monsters that are lower than your rank." Maria Makiling walked in front of us. "Give me the medallion."
Aswang laughed hysterically. "No, no, no. Not that fast, butterfly woman. I have a proposal to you. Do you still remember when people respect and know you as a goddess and not as some fairy that lives in a mountain or forest? Together, we're going to take back our rank as divinities of this island."
I saw how Maria Makiling stepped back and the glow around her white terno dwindled a little.
Aswang advanced a little and continued talking. "See? You're realizing how much you have lost ever since people redressed you." Aswang laid his hand in the air. "Come with me and we're going to get everything back."
Maria Makiling turned her head to us. She gave us that motherly look, but this time she seemed asking for help.
"Don't." I said.
Maria Makiling's face glowed brightly and she instantly faced her enemy. Aswang's lengthy wings spread so wide, it darkened the place, but it exploded into hundreds of black bats with glowing red eyes. All of them attacked us. "Goodbye then, there's something more important to do than defeating the fairy who killed me." Aswang was ready to leave, looking at our way back.
"You're not going anywhere!" Maria Makiling bellowed. A long golden rod appeared in her hands and she used it to ward off the bats, but some of them made their way to us and we have nothing to do but to kill it using our hands. Suddenly, we heard loud rumblings above us. The cave was slightly quaking. Aswang couldn't move but watch what was happening.
Nicole was holding my arms, she was shaking and crying out of fear. Barry and May were staring at the pits above. Suddenly, everything became quiet and Aswang cracked a defeaning laugh. I covered my ears, and then witnessed an amazing but wild entrance of glowing butterflies from the pits above.
Those butterflies attacked the black bats. They were going to glow when the bats bit them and the bats turned into albino but still with its red eyes glowing. Aswang was so angry, he went back to his fog form and attacked Maria Makiling. Maria Makiling transformed herself to a hundreds golden butterflies. The fog and the butterflies created loud sound, as if a strong wind and fire were fighting around.
"Jimuel, do you remember your dream?" May asked me. I didn't answer becuse I didn't know what she's talking about. "You had a dream before, I prayed to Morpheus. I asked him to show you what might happen ahead. You have to remember it now!" I looked at her, still couldn't think of anything. "Any figure? Your godly parent? us? arrows?"
Arrows. I remember that dream. I was standing in the middle of the darkness and my godly parent's silhouette was ahead. Then I felt people behind my back, the other Unclaims, formed into circle with our back facing the others' back. We are only seven, but all of them had no face. There were only two girls. The sound of flapping giant wings above our head, startled me. Then I felt cold underneath my feet and found out there was water around, rising in a very high speed. I remember seeing a beast ahead of me, a glowing beast. It opened its mouth and silver arrows flew out like missiles, targeting the giant, I believe was a bird. The creature with flapping wings landed in the water. Then only two Unclaims were left, me making it three. Out of nowhere, something pricked on my back, and it passed through my left chest. It was piercing through my flesh.
"Remember it now?" May interfered my thinking.
"Yes."
"Tell me what happened to you?"
I felt reluctant and May noticed that. I looked at her and said. "I died."
May's tiger roared at the edge of the cliff. It scurried back to our spot and turned back into a silver bow. May took it and then she readied herself. A silver arrow just appeared when she used it. She aimed it at me.
I stood frozen. What was she doing?
"What are you doing May?" Barry was shocked too.
May released the arrow but then Nicole swiftly moved and covered me. The arrow went through her left shoulder. She bleed.
"What's wrong with you?" I bellowed. Nicole went ahead of me and charged at May.
Aswang's fog form went to Nicole and it entered in the wound on her chest. Aswang possesed her body easily. "Finally." Aswang's voice thundered.
"Look at what you've done!" I said to May, angrily.
May looked at me. "My plan was to let Aswang possess you. Remember what I said, you are the 'light' here. Aswang is the 'darkness'. The two of you can't be mixed. That way, you can get hold of him, but you didn't trust me."
"How could I trust you when you look like you're going to kill me?" I snapped.
Nicole's body transformed into Aswang's look. The remaining bats around gathered at her and returned back to giant wings. Nicole flew. Maria Makiling returned to her physical form. She had bruises and cuts on her face and arms.
"Your dream is now useless." May whispered to me. She aimed her bow and arrow at Nicole, and released it. It pierced through Nicole's leg but it didn't make any hurt because Nicole continued on flying around without no directions.
Maria Makiling aimed her golden rod at Nicole, but she's having a hard time keeping the rod pointing at her. "We need to catch her." Maria Makiling said to us.
Barry's face brightened as he took something from his back. "The claypot."
Maria Makiling took it and open the lid right away. An old book leaped out of the pot. Maria Makiling put the lid back and then put it on the ground. She opened it and instructed everyone to step back. When she opened it, white vines came out like tentacles moving upward. It was stretching and started to chase Nicole. The white vines caught first Nicole's legs, then quickly it took her down. Nicole was struggling, her face turned to Aswang's.
"Released me!"
"Give me the medallion!" Maria Makiling said.
Aswang chuckled. "You can't. You won't. The only one who can take it back is the one who gave it to me."
"The one who stole it?" I said.
"Nicole herself." Aswang laughed. "But how could she take it from me when we are one?"
"It's easy!" Maria Makiling looked at May. "Do your supposed plan."
May's bow turned to a sword and she slashed my legs. It created a long deep cut. Aswang went wild, his fog form left Nicole's body. She was unconscious.
Aswang's fog form went into my wound, and I felt like ice-cold tiny rocks were entering my legs. I screamed and groaned. It was painful. I still saw Barry and May looking at me and they were both looking so worried. Maria Makiling was trying to wake up Nicole.
The last thing I saw was the darkness spreading at my sight, and I shut my eyes while hearing Barry and May's voice calling out for Maria Makiling's help.