Chapter 4 - Family

"Firstly, I don't appreciate how you force me into this. Why don't you bring the others with us?" as Jasmine stares Juan. She feels like this whole thing is a big joke – being dragged from one place to another. She refuses to enter further to the dead tree "I demand answer Juan"

Juan just laughs and proceed to the hallow trunk of the dead tree. "You have no choice Chronicler. Either you stay here in the wilderness or join me." Jasmine realized he is right and reluctantly follows Juan to the depths.

Juan winks at Jasmine. "I will explain my dear, being one of the first guardians born from your ritual; it is my duty to explain everything to you."

As they walk the further to the underground, Juan explains to Jasmine that he was always at the tree. Jasmine argues that Juan was cheating. Juan replies he didn't cheat; he was just using his frogs as proxy. "This is the real Juan walking with the Chronicler towards the depth, no tricks here".

Juan uses is magic to summon fireflies to illuminate their path as they walk. Jasmine asked Juan why didn't he include the other guardians and Juan replied that Leshin won't allow them to go here. The underworld is supposed to be off-limits to the living and entering it might upset the balance. "He is kind old school you know? Plus I stopped time so we can venture the underworld without any intervention from the other guardians and I need you to record any information we got when we return to the inn" Juan retorts.

"Plus time travels differently here at the underworld. We might spend one day here, and returned to the surface 30 cycles later. There was times one time when I visited the underworld and I spent like 30 minutes here and returned at the surface two days later. I dunno, time is weird here. . . . That's why I used this!"

Juan points to his pocket and reveals an hourglass. Jasmine sees this hourglass is tainted with gold linings on its silver surface and no sand inside it. "Weird isn't it? I got it from a Djinn merchant"

"Allows me to stop time when I focus my magic in it" then Juan proceed to point out the green magic in it.

As they walked further, Jasmine tells Juan that she was unsure about this, wouldn't they die if they went to the underworld? "Of course not! I am a guardian and you are the Chronicler. We are exclusive to the rule. "Juan says as he proudly says with confidence.

"I've been there a lot of times from different continents! All of the continents, from the Antrian and all the way to the other side of the world"

Jasmine then remembers hearing the name of this world she is in. She asked what this world Antrian is.

"Pay attention to the magic I project while we walk" Juan claps his hands and a glow of light illuminates and from that magic showed an illusion of the world map to Jasmine. Juan explains there are 7 continents of this world:

Antrian, a place where creatures of different size and origins come together to build a place for them to live. This where Jasmine landed, Antrian. Lush forest and green hills and seen. A lot of food and spices are found here and the ocean is located to the east. A land of color and beauty, this is the simple definition of Antrian. In the western edge of the Antrian is an old mountain border that was made to protect this land against the invasion of the lizard people. Little is known about and why the invasion happened but they used to rule the world and originated from the Ruks-Bel Lands.

To the west of Antrian, the Ruks-Bel Lands are located. A place where creatures like Jasmine lived there, human like beings but they are taller and have white and pale complexion, bush brows, and large built with red hair. There are savage creatures living there, like giant scaly creatures that breathe fire called dragons – descendant of the old lizard race that almost destroy this world long ago. Some are large, some with wings, and some don't. There are also elves there but they deal only with elves and think lowly of other races and creatures.

The Ruks-Bel Lands are the origin of the said invasion of the lizard people. All information we known about this time is there was 7 kings of the lizard people and they decided to conquer the world. The world was divided then as there was no army or kingdom that can stop such creatures of power and magic. And without any opposition stopping them, the world fell to their oppressive rule.

The creatures and races that lived in Antrian united and rebelled against the lizard people. They amass armies; fought back and pushed them back all the way to mountain border. Before there were no mountain ranges that divide the two continents, instead it was a plain grass field.

During the clash between the army of the lizard people and Antrians, the most powerful Antrian magic users came together and opened up the earth to swallow the lizard army whole and raised mountains on the grass field to protect their land against the lizard people. Other continent heard about this story and rebelled as well.

Soon the whole world fight as one and together defeated the lizard people and their 7 kings.

Freeman's Land and Land of Origins is the located at the south of the Ruks-Bel Lands. The magic users their also erected mountain ranges to prevent the lizard fold from invading them. The Freeman's Land is the safe haven of any magic practitioner of any, no matter how dark that magic is you are welcome to use it; thus the name of the continent Freeman's Land.

With this, their progress with magic gave them access to new magic ability and other herbal knowledge that even other continents have yet to discover. This region's weather is weird, as their mages can manipulate the weather to their whim.

On the right of Freeman's Land located is the Land of Origins. The race that lives there got faces of animals but they walk on two feet and are organized despite looking animals. Deer, lion, pigs, dog, and even bird people originated from that area. They speak, eat, walk and eat like any other races. This land is harsh, intense heat from the sunlight bathes this area but the abundance of rivers in this area helps them survive.

On the south of Antrians are the Inciens and Tymar.

Tymar, the place of where world's deadliest creature exists: giants with one eye or multiple hands, females with metallic wings and shrieks with sharp noises, and the people living in this land are made from clay. The animals from this place are dangerous, scorpion with wings, flying snake and cats that eat fire. The sentient living beings on continent are survivalist and have lived in harmony with these giants. The humans living there are said to make food for the giant and in return giants the patrol the sea border and defend the contient from any invaders.

Incien is the newest continent that formed. This land was originally just a small deserted island with just one mountain on it with no vegetation and animals there to support life – even the lizard people did invade this land. After many cycles, the land underneath the earth lifted the island and soon the land expanded and life grew.

Incien's mountain drained the area with river system connecting the water back to the sea. After the land drained its excessive water, one side of mountain collapse and its king and citizen emerged from it. Soon his subjects settled on the new formed continent. The Inciens are dark and brown skinned individuals and you can find the most magnificent creatures you can see, like men and woman but with horns or 10 arms.

Finally the Ginn Hus, the most southern continent. This land is mostly covered in snow and their magic is based on stones. The folk who lives there are giants with blue skin and cold as ice and got golden locks of hair. There are humans there too and their skin got the brightest complexion you will ever see. Those humans are naturally powerful as they can lift rocks that weight tons with ease. Their leader is a man of knowledge and power. Right now, there is an ongoing war his race against the ice giants.

"Wow. . . I mean just wow. I can't believe this world got a lot of creatures that even my grandparents never told me." Jasmine says as her book jiggles with new information from Juan's information about this world.

"Grandparents huh? Yeah well me too. I got family here in the underworld." Juan says with a heavy tone. Jasmine feels this is kinda hard for Juan to talk about it. She doesn't want to pry about it but Juan talks anyway.

"This is why I visit the underworld regularly. . . I got my daughter here. I was a farmer before I turned into a Guardian you know? My family was rich and I got a lot of siblings. Heh, my favorite sibling is my older brother; we were close and love to go in adventures together. When we got older, our father gave us land to tend. Eventually, I found myself a wife and three kids"

Juan smiles and paused a bit; his breathe becomes heavy and his eyes stopped grinning. His childish demeanor is replaced by a man speaking with pain in his heart. Jasmine sees this and asked Juan to stop talking about it if he wanted to. Juan waves his hand in disagreement "Let me continue"

"Then I got some disagreement with my dad since he didn't like how I handle my land. That caused a rift between me and my father. Eventually my brother got involved and he tries to settle the issue but eventually it got worse and my brother took my father's side."

Juan's magic turned from light green to darkish green as Jasmine sees some tears fall from Juan's eye. Jasmine feels sad as she tug Juan to stop if it hurts talking about it. "No, Chronicler. Please let me finish so you will know why I join being a Guardian in the first place."

"I loved my family you know? But it hurts me to see them attack my wife and children. Just because my children looked different from us, it doesn't mean they are a threat. The issue grew and the fighting got worse. Soon they threaten to kill me and my children."

Jasmine feels cold and she thinks she knew what happened to Juan's family.

"Then there was a fight. My father ordered my brother to cast me and my own family out of the land. I defended my own family with all my strength but to no avail. During the fight, my daughter died from my brother's war hammer"

Juan's conjured fireflies' light grew intense as Juan's emotion got heavier. "Juan, please your scaring me. Just drop it okay? Just take a breather" Jasmine demands Juan as she is tugging his clothes.

"I can't win the battle against my brother. He was stronger and bigger than me. My other kids were taken by my father while I and my wife were imprisoned underneath my father's home"

The fireflies began swarm around Juan as his anger intensifies. The frog on Juan shoulders shudders from fear and jump towards Jasmine's arms. Jasmine caught the frog and places it on her shoulder.

"Juan, please STOP!" Jasmine yells as she reaches to holds Juan's hand. As she touches Juan's hand the fireflies stopped swarming around Juan. The swarm clears and resume on flying normally around them. Jasmine sees Juan crying in tears.

"I am sorry for scaring you again, Chronicler. I just missed my kids so much. Your hands, is warm as my daughter when she was alive. How much I wish to turn things around and to be with them again."

Juan then collapse on his knees and began to cry. Jasmine sees her classmates cry from time to time about childish reasons but this is the first time she sees an adult cry for family issues. She doesn't know what to do but when her classmate cries, she just hugs them and pats their head.

"There, it will be alright Juan. I might be a child but I hope I can somehow relief your pain." Jasmine says as she hugs and pats Juan. The frog leaps from Jasmine and sticks on Juan's cheek, giving him a small kiss from a frog.

After some sobbing Juan stands up and apologized again to Jasmine. Jasmine was understandable about the issue but she was wondering, if Juan was imprisoned how did he escape from his father's clutches?

"Hey Juan, if you were imprisoned by your dad, how did you escape?"

Juan paused and looks at Jasmine with eyes of anger. "Chronicler. DROP TO THE GROUND NOW!"

Jasmine does so and mange to feel something big swept behind her. As she drops to the ground, she saw this large spiked club hits Juan. Then as he was hit by it, smaller frogs dissipate from his body and eventually his clothes were left on the dirt as frog leaps out from it.

Then, the dirt underneath shakes and a figure emerged from it. Lifting Jasmine and they leap toward the wall. When the dust settled, Jasmine sees Juan carrying her. He was underneath the earth and lifted Jasmine to safety.

Jasmine, was once again, surprised from Juan magic. Jasmine then realized something. If Leshin's magic was earth related then Juan's prowess on magic was on trickery and fooling his enemy.

Juan puts Jasmine behind her and instructs her to lean on the wall at all times. Jasmine nods as she pulls out the White Chronicle.

"I was waiting for you Jiraiya! Master Orochimaru said you always travelled to the underworld." The large oni says as he ready his club to swing again.

"Good! So killing you here will save your soul sometime from travelling to the afterlife!" Juan says as he sits down on the dirt. Then he pulls his stick and transform into a knife. Juan's magic swirls around his body and began to concentrate a gather on his hand. He snaps his finger and out of nowhere – he is now wearing a red armor.

Jasmine tilts her head and was wondering Juan's armor. She taught Juan was a farmer here in Antrian. Why did Juan have an ancient Japanese armor and why did the oni called him Jiraiya? Speechless and unsure of what is happening. She shifts her attention to the book and scans information about the oni in front of them.

The oni then began charging towards Juan. Juan dodges the oni at the last second and slashes his knee.

"HA! Small cuts won't kill me. But my kanabō will make a short work with you." the oni charges again at Juan.

Juan jumps out of the way and as he is falling in the air, he threw some knives on the oni's face. The oni uses is kanabō to block the incoming knives.

"Come on man! Let me kill you so I can resume my visit to my kid. Plus where here to investigate some stuff that you and Orochimaru won't understand. Since you are too dumb to understand this can you just go away instead?" Juan says as he is trying to shoo away the oni.

The oni was insulted and slams his kanabō to the ground and so hard that they feel the earth shake. Oni slammed and slammed again until Juan and Jasmine lose their footing. Seeing he got Juan on the ground, the oni charges again with full speed toward Juan.

Juan fell to the ground. Quick on his mind, he orders his fireflies to gather in front of him and he yells "Chronicler, cover eyes!"

Jasmine then closes and covers her eyes as the fireflies then began to gather and produce a flashing light. The charging oni blinded by this flash stumble down.

"Argh! You damned trickster!" The oni swings is kanabō to prevent any attack from Juan.

Juan hesitates to approach from the rampaging oni, instead he charges his magic on his hands. He then holds his frog from his shoulder, transfers his magic and throws the frog towards to the oni.

"Susunde kare zentai o nomikomimasu!" Juan yells as the frog was thrown. The frog then get bigger and bigger until it becomes large as the size of a car. The giant frog landed above the oni and restricting its movement.

Then giant frog then proceeds to swallow the oni. "Oh wait! I need to speak to him. Err. . . can you spit his head before you swallow him?" Juan asked the giant frog.

The frog then stops and holds the oni's head between its lips. "Ok Mr Oni. Firstly why are you working with Orochimaru? Are you supposed to gate keep the underworld? Why attack me and the Chronicler?"

The oni struggles to get free from the giant frogs mouth to no avail. The oni was tired of trying to escape from the frog and instead fill Juan the information.

"The Oni clan made a deal with Orochimaru. He will grant us his strength and minions to help us overtake the underworld in exchange for your head. Hehe and do you thing I am alone in here? The oni's home is the underworld. . . We will take your head!"

Then a large stomping can be heard from further beyond the path, then form a distance Juan sees at least 20 more oni charging towards their direction. "This is not looking good." He mutters as he looks at Jasmine.

"Hey Chronicler, any help on killing oni? Never killed one before. They are usually neutral towards me. Now since they wanna get on the good side of Orochimaru to conquer the underworld and almost killing you, I need to stop these idiots before they get to us."

Jasmine then stumbles upon the page regarding the oni. She informs Juan that oni's weapon is the kanabō. Used for crushing enemies to death and used it to defend their third eye located in between their eyes. She also informs Juan that the third eye is their source of power. Destroy the eye will destroy the oni.

Juan nods and thanks Jasmine. He taps on the giant frog and it swallowed the oni whole. "Well, I'm sure my big friend here is stuffed from that snack. Welp, come on my friends help me will yah?"

The smaller frogs that made Juan's decoy gather around him. Juan then spreads his magic among the smaller frogs then each of the small frogs transformed into Juan. They all got the same outfit and look.

"What's up Juan!" one of the Juan said toward another Juan.

"Hey Juan let's get some snacks after this" as one Juan put his hand on his belly.

"What am I looking at?!" Jasmine just sat there with astonishment as room is filled with Juans. She shook her head in amazement and asked the Juans what is the plan to defeat a group of oni charging towards them. The Juans all yelled in unison "To stab them in the third eye!"

"Of course! I meant to ask how you will stab them." Jasmine replied with irritation and nervousness. How can't she be? These Juans even got the time to joke in the face of death. How frogs can defeat a charging behemoth is all up to Juan now.

"Oh look, more. I counted 20 now there I see more than 50. Come on lads!" one Juan states as he raises his knife to the air. Then all of the Juans raised their knives as well. Then the Juan in the middle points his knife towards the charging onis , he closes his eyes and mutters some magic. As he opens his eyes he yells "Disperse!"

A flurry of Juan disappears into thin smoke. "Huh?! Hey do you plan to kill us?! This is no time for jokes!" Jasmine angrily shouts. "The onis are still charging towards us!"

Juan laughs again and takes Jasmine hands. "Come on, they are dead. They will soon realize it in a minute." As Jasmine stands, she sees a glimpse of a Juan appear from the air and stab an oni in his third eye then disappears before the oni realizing it.

One by one the oni falls to the ground as they charge. Then more Juans appear and disappear simultaneously as every oni fells to their blade. All of the Juans dance in the air dodging the kanabō and stabbing in their third eye.

Jasmine's jaw drop from the sight of this elegant massacre. "Come on, Chronicler. Let us be away. Hahaha sorry for making you worry back then." Juan laughs as he snaps his finger and removes his armor back to casual clothing.

"Okay. Stop. First why did that oni called you Jiraiya? Second, did you just speak Japanese? Third who the hell are you?! Did you just lie to me again?" Jasmine angrily stomps her feet as they walk across the dead onis on the ground. Juan laughs and taps his giant frog and transformed it back to a small frog.

"Well I wasn't finished when the oni interrupted us" Juan says as he follows Jasmine. "I escaped from my father's home by being a guardian. Then I found a way to travel the world and have different names depending on the continent I'm in."

"Among my travels, I found this island and I enjoy my stay there. The people loved me there and they called me Jiraiya. Learned their language and fought against some demon and other would be conquerors like Orochimaru. Then I left since I was bored . . . didn't know that snake was back. . ."

Jasmine then stops and grabs Juan arms and bites it hard as she can. "HEY! That hurts! What was that for?!" Jasmine resumes walking and says that she is making sure that Juan is real this time and not some frogs. Juan laughs it off and resume following the path towards the underworld.

After some few more walking, they saw a door and it was guarded by a tall lady. She is a living tree full of bright lights swirling beside her. Her hair is frolicking and waving in the air as if it is submerged underwater. He dress starts as white it can be then slowly turns black toward her feet. Her feet are roots and got water surrounding her area with mushroom growing near it. Her face is old as the texture of the tree she is and wears a necklace made of sampaguita. She smells fragrant yet Jasmine and Juan smells death, as they feel cold within her presence.

"Stand ho right there. The living art not for here. Wend backeth where thee cameth" the old living tree demands.

"Wow. I know my mom loves Shakespeare and I'm sure she will to speak with you with that dialect." Jasmine then grabs the White Chronicler and shows it to the lady. "We are here for answers . . . well deducted by Juan. The guardian beside"

"Hello Magwayen! I'm back to see my daughter!" Juan says as he smiles and waves to the lady.

"I seeth. The Chronicler has't arrived with the blinking idiot. Thee knoweth thou art trespassing the natural bounds of the world. Right?" Magwayen asked Jasmine and Juan.

"Magwayen, yes I am here to see my daughter but the main reason is for me and the Chronicler to see what is happening to the underworld. Why the big influx of soul eh?" Juan says as he points to the lights shimmering and swirling beside Magwayen.

Magwayen twirls her hair and ponder. "Being a diwata who is't guideth spirits to their destination has its toll. Aye, we has't alot of spirits coming in lately. I am curious wherefore such many living art dying suddenly. As if 't be true, the Book of life and death is not being hath followed."

Then more lights arrived and fall in line behind Jasmine and Juan. Magwayen then looked at the line of lights are pilling more and more.

"Heh, so new wave of batch of spirits just arrived. Wanna let us in so you can guide them to which underworld they should fall on?" Juan laughs as he points the spirits behind him.

Magwayen frowns and the guardian but controls her emotion and replied "Thee winneth. Proce'd and please doth not cause such commotion or Mebuyan gave me an earful" Magwayen declares as she proceeds to open the door to the underworld.

"Thank you, Magwayen!" Jasmine smiles and Juan winks at her before proceed towards the door.

"She talks funny. I wonder why she talks like that." Jasmine asks as she walks toward the door.

"Cuz she is old. Old as this world began and if the story is to be believed, she was put there by Bathala." says Juan as he walks behind Jasmine.

As they entered the door Jasmine expects death, zombie, and flying ghost everywhere instead they are greeted by a place just like the world above. Green pastures with running water, animals graze the field and no monsters or freaky giants in sight. The air is cold, much colder than the air above and the sunlight it feels empty. Jasmine sees the sunlight but no heat came from it. She looks above their heads and sees a bright crystal as the center of this world. She deduces this works as the sun in the underworld.

"So, where to now Juan? You've been in this world multiple times. Where do we get answers" Jasmine asks as she gets her White Chronicle for assistance regarding this world.

Juan closes his eyes and put his right hand to his chest. "Listen to your heart. It will be your guide to this world. My heart always goes to my children so . . . "

He lifts his left hand and points to the distance ". . . we follow where your heart leads you."

"Wait. I thought we are here to find answers, do we really need to see your daughter now?"

"Yes, as my daughter is a resident of the underworld, she can assist us going to our main destination – the head of this underworld, Mebuyan."

The White Chronicle distinctively flips to the page about Mebuyan. Jasmine reads it as she follows Juan. "What? Her role is to feed the dead babies and nurture them. As she is tall and big as a giant, her body is composed of multiple . . . ugh I think I'll be sick" she stops reading as she feels herself gaging.

"She needs to fulfill her role as mother to all of the dead. She nurtures the dead babies to adulthood here at the underworld so yes her body if filled with a lot of teat. Not a good thing to see but she do the job well. "Juan laughs he give Jasmine a rub to help her with the nausea.

"And I thought this world isn't getting any weirder . . . the underworld turns to 11." Jasmine says as she is relived from the rub on her back by Juan.

As they walk further down the road, they are met by a tall slender pale girl as she is carrying white flowers on her arms and a tall man beside her wearing black garments all over him.

The girl is older than Jasmine as she her figure starts to shape more of a woman and less of a child. She has piercing blue eyes and the whitest dress you can see matched with her long black hair with golden and silver strands. She looks sickly as death never left her side and yet her smile is captivating, welcoming and gives you a warm fuzzy feeling. Jasmine deduces this is the daughter of Juan.

The man beside her wears brown and black garments of old. Jasmine gets the impression that this guy is part of a tribe with his tribal clothing, tattoos and crown made from feather. Curious enough, this guy got good tailored shorts as if he recently made it from a sewing machine made from the finest silks. His charred skin and brown eyes give Jasmine an impression this person was a hardworking guy who bathes in the sun to his job. Behind him, a tall stick can be seen, as the end of it pokes from his back.

"Dad? Is it a year already?" the pale girl asked Juan as she approaches him.

Without hesitation, Juan runs toward the girl and hugs. He laughs and gives the tightest hug a father can give. Then he spun his child in the air, laughter from the both of them echoes.

"Dad! I'm not a kid anymore! Can you please do not do that again?" the girl sheepishly retreats from his father.

"Oh my girl, how you've been?! Did Mebuyan gave you more of her milk and made you grow again? You look taller than last time." Juan asks as he conjures an illusion of his daughter and measures their height from one another.

"Dad, please your embarrassing me!" that girl asked as she wave the illusion away.

Did that girl just removed Juan's magic? Jasmine thinks to herself as this is the first time she sees another being cancel out Juan's magic or any guardian for that matter.

"Why are you here? Me and Masiken were in the fields picking flowers for the new dead arriving and just showed up." The girl asks as the man retrieves the flowers from her arms.

"Hold on. . . what are you and Masiken are doing here. . . alone and what with the flowers? As I know Masiken is the local spirit guide here and you young lady are here to train with Mebuyan to become the next ruler of Niflheim and not to be flower picker for the dead." Juan suspects something fishy in the air.

Juan, Masiken and his daughter are silent for minute. Jasmine can see Juan is getting the hint as the girl and Masiken stood their ground.

"OH NO! I forbid this Hel! I asked Masiken to train you to become a queen, a ruler of Niflheim so you can appease your grandfather and return to us. And I find you wasting your time dating this . . . this scoundrel!" Juan starts to flail his arm and raise his voice to his daughter.

"And you. I said guide my daughter in your realm. I trusted her with you and this is what you do? You backstabbing son of a -" Juan was cut off by Masiken as he raises his staff and points it at Juan.

"Hold your forked tongue Juan. I am here to guide her and teach her but . . . sometimes when our heartbeats, we cannot help just to fall in love." Masiken says he and Hel look at each other with a smile.

"NO! Not like this. I treated you like a brother and this is how you repay me?"

"Dad please don't, he is innocent. I was the first to approach and confess"

"No Hel, please Juan calm down. We are just in love. Both guardians need to work together right?"

The three began a heated discussion and Jasmine just seats there. She smiles as is reminded when her grandparents told their experience when raising her mother. Her grandparents got angry too when they learned her mother have a boyfriend. They were force to separate but her mother kept the relationship going in secret and when they got old enough, they got married and her parents got her shortly after. Jasmine now understand what her grandparents when through as she is seeing how Juan acts.

Then Jasmine then remembers seeing this before in a telanovela that her mom would watch in the evening. She chuckles as she sees Juan keeps raging on and on. As she laughs from this foolish moment it dawns on her, the name of Juan's daughter is Hel.

Hel, like the place of suffering and full of brimstone? That doesn't like a local name or even a Japanese name. This is weird is Juan hiding something from everyone at this point.

She brush it off ad will ask Juan later about it. Jasmine resumes her staring into the family drama in front of her. She laughs; Hel takes notice and asked Juan who is the girl behind him.

"Oh damn! I forgot why we were here. Hel and Masiken, I present you the Chronicler. Chronicler, meet my teen daughter Hel and this bastard of a friend Masiken, a guardian from the undead tribe."

Jasmine then gets the White Chronicle and shows it to the two as proof.

Hel then jumps in excitement. "Oh my gosh, it's you Chronicler. Hi! Wow, I heard you from Masiken and your adventures together. The defender of peace I would say. Wow, such an honor. You gave that Aswang Swarm a real beating!"

Masiken stops bickering with Juan as he sees the White Chronicle in the hands of Jasmine. He shivers for a bit and realized he was being rude and unguardian like in front of the Chronicler.

Masiken then bows and lower his head. "Chronicler, I am sorry. I didn't see you there. I was not able to rejoin you at the surface since I was busy here with assisting new spirits getting accustomed to this world."

Juan then interrupts Masiken "You mean you're busy with my daughter". Juan still wants to continue arguing with Masiken but he realized he is now making a scene. He felt his daughter will get mad if this goes on, especially in front of the Chronicler.

"Juan please we are in the presence of the Chronicler. Act honorably and decent and not your trickster ways." Masiken ask Juan with a lower tone.

"Too late, I've seen the worst he can do." Jasmine replies.

Juan stops for a moment. He takes a deep breath and clears his head, he needs to be civil as a guardian and as a father.

Juan and Jasmine then gave Masiken and Hel the rundown of what happened and why they are in the underworld.

"So you claim you're not the Chronicler but you manage to fit the description. This is surprising. I agree on what Leshin said, a temporary setback from a magic spell gave this anmesia." Masiken says as he encircles Jasmine as he analyzes her with his magic.

"As a doctor, I see no any external or internal trauma that can cause you to forget your memory. So maybe a magic. . . a powerful one that is" Masiken scratches his chin as he continuously scan Jasmine.

"Well if the Chronicler and dad are here for answers, you did come to the right place. Ever since last cycle there is a lot of commotion. Large wave of spirits coming here and whenever we ask them how they die, they always said die at the sea by being swallowed by something big." Hel says as she looks to her father. Her eyes are filled with worry and Juan shivers as he realized what Hel is trying to say.

"No, not your brother; he might be big and scary looking but he will not kill. He is kind and cheerful." Juan tries to calm himself as he denies what his daughter suggested earlier.

"I'm sorry dad. It's just too coincidental? Maybe grandpa . . "

"No. Don't bring your grandfather into this. We will investigate this issue ourselves."

"Well, my tribe too encounters some heavy spirits coming to this world. A lot of them died fighting an aswang tribe that is abducting people. Once they are abducted they are sacrifice at an altar with a sculpture in front of them that looked like an anito of a snake. Since most of them are Antrians, I believed our culprit is based there." Masiken says as he shakes his head.

"I got this information from the abductees that died before being sacrificed. They said they were taken to a dark surface." Masiken then tap his staff and created a magic illusion to illustrate what the anito statue was described to him.

It was black and covered in blood from the sacrificed. The anito is sculpture of wood and was made into a snake. It coils as if it is preparing for something. The snake got wide wings with the size doubling of its body. Its eyes are color of red and it bare huge fangs.

Jasmine widens her eyes. She trembles and shudders in fear. She knows this creature, the story of her grandparents about this serpent gives her nightmares; the serpent that flew to the fly and almost ate the moon. The creature that was praised as the bringer of end and destroyer of worlds – Bakunawa.