OPEN your eyes, my child.
Taken hostage of by the enticing slumber for a long, long time that became months then years to the mortals below. Who has been fighting for their lives every day after losing the only light that protected them during the night, the powerful spiritual beings who have sealed the crawlers of the darknessㅡ without Libulan, they cannot function. They cannot control themselves. They cannot withstand without the presence of their guardian. The Seven Moons were not pleased to know what have happened to their Chosen One, upon his disappearance from the sacred hall, they have also decided to never show. Not until Libulan will return to his consciousness and reign the Moons again.
So many events have already taken place, many lives that were lost have been gathered to be delivered for their final verdict, to find their homes back into the heavens againㅡ into Bathala's hold. The god of death may not want to move away from his beloved's sepulcher, where Libulan laid to rest as if death have knocked on his door, Sidapa had to attend to his duties and that he has to play his part in the war against beasts of the night. He has counted how many existences slowly faded away from the trunks of their trees and became seeds to grow once again, into a new life, into a new world.
But as of today, Libulan slowly opened his eyes.
"Oh... you are finally... awake?"
Unfamiliar faces have surrounded the moon god who has gained his consciousness once again, but the god of death was nowhere to be found. Libulan breathed back to life again, so the deity beside him assisted him to sit down and take a good look at his environment properly. He knows he is no longer at the place where he used to be, and that everything seems to have changed because of how long his hair has grown.
"Indeed, you are the most graceful and elegant god that I have ever seen in my entire existence," one of the deities spoke, admiring the beauty before them, who was confused as to why he felt his body strangely odd for a moment.
The moon god only lifted his head to look at them with no emotions, before he took some strands of his hair and noticed how soft they have been despite being asleep for those long days. Someone must have been tending to his silky silvered hair yet a little blackened from its end because of its tenderness.
"Hay nako, it no longer surprises me why that little kid has his eyes on this moon god," and another one of them snickered, sitting on a wooden chair as he crossed his arms on his chest. They started discussing things about how he looks different, to why Sidapa must have fallen for him until they mentioned the realm that brought horrible memories to Libulan.
Run!! Save yourself!!
His silent demeanor instantly changed into losing himself to his sanity, scenarios from Laya came rushing inside his head, his breathing hitched, he began to shiver in fright as he hugged himself for protection, screaming in fear and shouting on top of his lungs that it hurts so much, that they should stop hurting him.
The deities of Madjaas began to panic, not knowing what to do for the sudden outburst of the moon god.
"SIDAPA!"
Magyawen and Sidapa were busy tending to each soul, which they called kalag, who will be brought to the Salud, the place where the dead goes until one of the deities came running towards them with news that would make him smile once more but also will worry him a lot.
He did not waste any more time and teleported himself to where Libulan is, leaving Makaptan and the other sighing to themselves before they followed him as well.
"Don't touch me!! You will seal me up like what you have done to them!! Get away from me!!"
Upon arriving in the place, Sidapa caught his beloved struggling to free himself from the restraint from one of his allies that held the Moon god down by her power.
"Kanlaon, you can let him go," Sidapa calmly told the goddess who only nodded her head and released the raging moon god, who immediately produced an insane amount of light energy to protect himself, but it backfired when the wounds he received from the castigation have opened up.
He stumbled down onto the floor, heaving breathlessly.
Sidapa was quick to carry the moon god back again to the bed, despite the other trying to fight the god of death, thinking it was Mayari and Apolaki's men.
"Why didn't you pick up the moon god?" Pandaki, the god of chances, whispered to the goddess beside him, the one who restrained Libulan, the Supreme goddess namely Kanlaon.
"Our old friend will get mad if I do, silly," she whispered back, making Pandaki understand the situation. Magyawen motioned them to leave the two alone for a while since Sidapa have been waiting so long for the return of the Moon god. It'll be best to give them the time they need for a while.
They all left the two to themselves.
"They did nothing wrong!!" Libulan screamed at Sidapa's face, almost clawing at him while the other was trying to calm him down. But since Libulan have been born with a puny, and frail bodyㅡ it was easy to tackle him down back to the bed and Sidapa was afraid of even holding him upon realizing how fragile Libulan is.
"I know," he whispered to him repeatedly, caressing his hair over and over again as he let Libulan cry every horrible scene he has witnessed and memories he last saw that forever scarred him.
"I am here now, I am here."
It took the god of death a little while before Libulan have finally come to his senses, that he is no longer at the sacred hall of his palace but in the arms of the god who saved him from that nightmare.
"I... am... sorry," Libulan sniffled, hugging himself as he backed away from Sidapa. Especially when he saw the scratches he made on his arms, neck, and face for thinking it was those people who tried to take him away and punish him once more.
The thin silky robe that Sidapa borrowed from Kanlaon didn't manage to cover much of Libulan's wounds and it is also because of his milky pale skin that it stands out.
"It's okay, come closer, no one will hurt you again. Not on my watch, my beloved," Sidapa softly told the other, reaching out for his face to caress. Libulan have let him, and this made him burst into tears again. His slender, bony hands held the calloused and rough hand that was caressing his face. Leaning in for comfort.
Sidapa clicked his tongue, decided to pull the moon god closer to him, letting the other sit on his lap as he watches Libulan cry like a little kid. It made him angry to see how the marks of the lightning and burnt from the Sun never faded up to now. He wished he could replace them with his markings.
"You can put me down now," Libulan told him, trying to look away from the gaze that Sidapa was giving him. But the god of death could not listen to any words as of the moment, his only focus was on the entirety of the god he thought he will lose forever.
"A-are you crying?" Libulan asked when he noticed Sidapa’s golden honey orbs were twinkling.
"No," Sidapa immediately replied, resting his face on Libulan's shoulder, which made the latter whimpered for a while because of how heavy he seemed.
"How about you? Do you still want to cry everything out? I can be with you for as long as you want."
His voice was deep and low, yet it brought safety into Libulan's uneasy heart, making him smile a bit before he brushed Sidapa's hair with his fingers. But he immediately pulled himself away from Sidapa when the very image of the Serpent god came into his mind.
"Bakunawa!!" he gasped in horror; tears were visible again on his sunken eyes and pain engulfed his body once more. He dashed towards the door, but Sidapa stopped him from going outside.
"Where is he! I have... I have to know where he is! He will get mad at me!! He will... he will think I betrayed him!!" he said through his sobs as he tried to budge from Sidapa's grip on the doorknob but received no reply from the god of death.
"He... is dead," Sidapa declared.
Libulan felt like all of his senses were ringing inside his head as he faced the door with an utterly pained expression, his hands that were trying to remove Sidapa's hand from the knob fell to his sides, then not long before his knees gave in to the ground. Causing a loud thud that worried Sidapa.
"I am... I am sorry. He was killed upon capture, while you were unconscious. That... was his punishment," the god of death added, biting his lower lip in guilt as he watched Libulan trembled and shiver, suppressing his cries and trying to sink everything in.
But deep inside, Libulan knew that his heart has shattered like the meteors in the sky.
Little one, you read a lot.
"Baku… nawa…” his lips quivered in coldness, as he called out for his name, a name that will no longer respond to his voice.
Sidapa knew he had to lie.
He knew that Libulan will leave his side once the latter would discover that the serpent god is still alive. He knows this because Bakunawa's marks of life finally showed up again on Sidapa's ancient tree. It may have been hard to believe but the ancient god he used to fear when he was still a little god who knew nothing, is existing. For thousands of moons, away from the eyes of the heavens and even mortals. The weapon that Bathala used against his siblings to fight for the throne, the very first child of their creatorㅡ became heaven's greatest enemy.
He was named Bakunawa.
"I understand the part where you have to protect and keep him away from the Moon deities," Makaptan then sighed in dismay, "but lying to him due to your personal reasons? Mahabagin, you clearly understand that this will lead to a never-ending birth of lies, Sidapa. Lying is like pollen, it gets taken by a butterfly and spreads it to flowers that will everyone take as it is."
"I hate to agree with you, but Makaptan is right," Kanlaon told the younger death god, who was only looking down on his feet while the elder gods of Madjaas are looking at him for an explanation.
"I couldn't help you with this argument, I apologize," Pandaki smiled a bit, afraid that the two will lean their attention to him next.
"I don't want to lose him," he reasoned out to them, earning exasperated sighs from the deities that expected him to be better than this. They knew it is no use in convincing the stubborn god of death, but they must do everything to knock some senses onto him.
Before someone else will.
"But Sidapa-"
"I have made my decision; he will stay with me. I no longer wanted any discussion regarding this, I am off," he dismissively waved his hand at them, letting his sylphs flutter around him as they accompany their god to his duty.
The rest of the Madjaas gods were left to stare at each other, waiting for someone to speak out something, to suggest a plan on how to separate the two before one of them will be put in grave danger.
"Ack! Okay! Hear me out, this... this is going to be maddening but I have something in mind that might... help us?"
"Better make sure it is something helpful, Pandaki."
LIBULAN have been looking at his reflection for a while now on the clear waters of Madjaas while he was washing. Aside from his blackened hair caused by the disappearance of his powers and the moons, he noticed something odd about his eyes that he has not paid any attention to before. Being blindfolded your whole life can make you forget that you even had eyes.
So, he leaned closer to the water's reflection of his and observed the imprint he has on his right eye. It was fascinating, odd yet familiarㅡ he suddenly remembered seeing such imprints before on textbooks he used to read every night. It also made him think of what Adlaw once told him about the veil he puts on every time there are other gods around him.
The only question he has for himself now is, what was the reason behind it? If so, he had this imprint, what made the moon goddesses resort to this kind of thing?
"It's... so painful," he whispered to himself, tears forming as he shivered in fear upon remembering what had happened to him. Wrapping his arms around his body was the only thing that made him feel safe for a moment. The electrifying and burning sensation of the castigation still lingered on his body that gives him extreme distress whenever he is alone.
"...Mayari, why would you do this to me? Of all people who know me, you should have known me better. I do not know you anymore."
The moon god decided to dress himself up after washing, then look for Sidapa to ask about the situation and if he can still return to the Lunar Realm.
The uneasiness inside his chest would not stop until he gets to know what had happened during his slumber. But before he could ever walk away from the lagoon, the place was suddenly covered in mist, surrounding him like a plague.
"Who's there?" Libulan asked the entity behind this sorcery, but only the whispering wind have answered him.
Para sa sagot na iyong tinutuklas
Ito ay aking kusang ibibigay
Alalanin o mag-aalala
Ano man ang pagpipilian
Puso ba o isipan
Dalawang tadhanang inukit
Isa’y dadanas ng dugo’t kadiliman
Isa’y dadamhin ang liwanag
Magtago man o tumakbo
Tadhana’y lalapit sayo
Lalaon ang pito’y mapapahamak
Tiyak na lublob sa bunganga
Ng makapangyarihang Baku Nawa
He recognized that voice echoing around the mysterious mist.
The bird of misfortune, Muhen!
Libulan wondered why he is hearing this now especially when Bakunawa have already passed away. The moon god cannot comprehend the passage anymore without the serpent god's help.
"Stop..." he cried, "...Bakunawa died because of me, I didn't get to defend him and the others. This is not my destiny; this is my tragedy!" Libulan frustratingly screamed towards the unknown, it didn't matter to him now, whoever was listening, he had enough of the scheme.
He just wanted to be free, and happy but the god of fate seemed to disapprove of him so much.
"G-go away! I-I no longer harness the power of the moons! I am... I am just as weak as the moon god I used to be! That is who I am!"
Locked up in his chambers and kept away from the people he should be protecting from deities that might harm them. He never knew what life was outside the palace that imprisoned him for many, many moons.
One moment, he was being trained to become the guardian he must become, then the next thing he knew, he has been thrown out and punished by the same deities that had hopes about his guardianship.
About his existence.
About his capability to protect the Lunar Realm.
"Do you think this is the end?"
Libulan almost flinched when he heard another voice near him, but when he looked around, he couldn't see anyone but the thick fog.
"A moon guardian has never been defeated like this; you will regain your place once more."
"If this is my conscience, I will no longer listen to you. That duty is not meant for m-"
"It is meant for you. No other gods could ever harness the true power of the moons in the sky, and that you are the only god who can take over the Third Heaven, or the Lunar Realm as you moon folk would call it. I am not the conscience of yours, neither I am your guilt. I am the last remaining light inside of you, so you can still be able to reconnect yourself to the Seven Moons once more, so you do not need to worry."
Libulan was silent for a while, pondering over the message that the mysterious voice has told him. He still can't see himself as the rightful guardian for the Lunar Realm, and that he failed to be one miserably. No moon deities would ever accept a tainted god like him anymore.
"You have a lot of questions in mind, likewise you have a lot of things to do right now. The fourth cycle of the moon will come soon, and another wave of demons will terrorize the villages from below. You must act now..."
"Wh-what? What do you mean by that?? Demons??"
"...and remember from whence you came."
AFTER finishing all his duties for today, the death god decided to retire towards his chamber, thinking that Libulan have already finished reading the scriptures he has on his shelves. With the excitement he felt as he walks, Sidapa surely could not stop himself from cracking a smile whenever he thought of the moon god.
"SIDAPA!"
He closed his eyes for a brief second upon hearing the shrieking of his sylphs in unison. They seem to be frantic, and he couldn't understand whatever they are trying to say so he raised his hand to hush them.
"One at a time," he commanded, and one little sylph approached the death god with a worry plastered on its face.
"The moon guardian! The moon guardian!" it told him, then the rest have started talking as well in panic, they sounded like bees for a second, but Sidapa heard a distinct word that froze him on his spot.
"Did you just say, 'he ran away'?"
DETERMINED to know what the voice meant about his destiny and his power, Libulan left the Madjaas unannounced, completely unnoticed by the other gods, especially the death god himself.
He felt guilty for not being able to thank Sidapa one last time for saving him, but he will come back again once things will be settled.
"If I show my face, nobody will recognize I am the moon god of the Lunar Realm. None of the moon deities, except Malyari and Mayari, knew about my face. I should be fine," Libulan told himself as he ran far as he could, planning all the possible ways of retrieving his powers back and finding out what have been happening since the day of the Sealification.
He momentarily stopped when he saw a rock with a sharp edge, enough to cut something. Picking the stone up, he then held his long hair in front of him, sighing for a brief moment before he decided to cut his hair shorter than it usually looks.
He felt the tug in his chest upon doing this.
"I am nervous... I am scared..." Libulan whispered, but he heaved a heavy sigh before looking down the path towards the realm of the mortals, "but I have to know why I am going through all of these."
Slowly, with bare feet stepping on to the mortal soil, he walked, then he ran as fast as he could, far away from the eyes of the deities until his presence can no longer be traced.
The guardian of the moons has now set his foot on the land of where their believers reside, the Mortal Realm.