Shadows Of Secrets

The darkness consumed me, swallowing everything—sight, sound, touch. It was a void where my senses were stripped away, leaving only the oppressive weight of silence. The quiet wasn't peaceful; it clawed at my mind, deafening in its sheer emptiness. But then, a crimson light pierced the black, faint at first, a flicker in the abyss. Slowly, it grew, searing into my vision until my eyes adjusted to its hellish glow.

The source was revealed: a throne, massive and grotesque, pulsating with an otherworldly radiance. Its red hue wasn't paint or metal—it was blood, thick and glistening, oozing and congealing over its jagged surface. The liquid seemed alive, writhing and dripping, forming small crimson pools that rippled unnaturally on the ground.

And seated atop this macabre throne was it.

The creature loomed, an incarnation of dread itself, matching the statue I had seen before—but this time, it breathed, it moved, it devoured. A Batibat, its six monstrous horns twisting skyward like jagged spears. Its skin was a sickly, ashen gray, cracked and veined with fiery streaks that pulsed like molten lava. But it was the eyes that trapped me—two glowing orbs of crimson hatred, piercing through the shadows, locking onto me with a hunger that chilled my very soul.

Then, the screams began.

It was a symphony of torment, a cacophony of agony that reverberated through the void. Ghosts and spirits surrounded the throne, their translucent forms writhing in despair. I watched in horror as they were dragged, clawed, and pulled into the Batibat's maw, their cries of pain mingling with wails of anger and sorrow. My stomach churned as I witnessed a child's spirit—fragile, barely formed—torn in two by the creature's claws before it devoured the pieces, swallowing them with grotesque relish.

The air thickened with despair, each scream tearing into my psyche, threatening to shatter my sanity. My chest tightened as though the weight of all their suffering pressed down on me. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I felt a strange, unfamiliar weakness seep into my bones. My knees buckled, but before I could collapse, the creature's malevolent gaze fixed on me.

I felt it then—a force, invisible but unrelenting, yanking me forward. My body resisted, but it was futile. It wasn't my body being dragged—it was my soul.

Helpless, I was pulled closer to the throne, closer to the monstrosity. Its mouth opened, jagged rows of teeth glinting like razors. A searing pain erupted in my right arm, as if it were being torn from my body. I screamed, but the sound was swallowed by the void, lost among the spirits' cries. The agony was like nothing I'd ever known, searing through every fiber of my being. It felt as though my very essence was being ripped apart, and a chilling emptiness began to spread through me, replacing the pain.

Tears streamed down my face as my vision blurred. The creature devoured my arm, a spectral limb now, savoring each bite as its eyes burned brighter, more sinister. My mind fractured. I was slipping away, madness a welcome reprieve.

And then, its maw widened impossibly, its jaws descending upon me. I knew there was no escape. I gave up, surrendering to the inevitable.

The last thing I felt was my head being crushed between its teeth. The world went black.

"Your only purpose is to become the vessel that will seal all the demons in this world."

The words echoed in the darkness, distant yet distinct. The voice was neither mine nor familiar, resonating with an ancient authority.

"But, Punong Babaylan, I don't want to be just a jar to trap evil! I want to eliminate it! I want to rid this world of all its darkness!"

The second voice was different—a man's voice, trembling with desperation, choked by sobs. His anguish bled into every word, a raw plea against fate.

I tried to open my eyes, to see the speakers, but nothing appeared. The world remained dark, shapeless. Am I dreaming? Am I dead?

I didn't know. All I could do was listen, caught in this liminal space, unable to tell if it was a memory, a prophecy, or something far worse.

The darkness enveloped me, stripping away all sensation until I felt like I was drifting in nothingness. There was no up or down, no sound or touch—just a disorienting void. And then, from the depths of that emptiness, a voice resonated—a deep, guttural sound that reverberated through my very core.

"I am reborn! Amaritaklob, terror of slumber!"

The voice echoed with malevolent triumph, each word sending shivers down my spine. It was a voice that spoke not just with sound, but with a presence that pressed against my mind, commanding attention and instilling fear.

Amidst the echoing proclamation, I discerned other voices—familiar voices. Alyssa's and the man's, their tones reverent, almost worshipful.

"Master, your return heralds a new age of darkness."

"We are yours to command, O Amaritaklob."

Their words echoed with a twisted loyalty, pledging themselves to a being whose presence felt suffocatingly ancient and malevolent. The air around me felt heavy, charged with dark energy that threatened to crush my spirit.

I strained to move, to scream, to resist, but I was trapped within my own body, powerless against the scene unfolding before me. The darkness pressed in, closing off any escape, any hope.

"You, Misham," the Amaritaklob's voice boomed suddenly, cutting through the submissive declarations. "You will be my vessel, the conduit through which I shall reign."

I felt a cold grip tighten around my soul, pulling me closer to the throne where the creature sat enthroned in blood-red splendor. Fear clawed at my insides, a primal terror that threatened to overwhelm my sanity.

"No," I managed to choke out, my voice barely audible against the overwhelming presence of the Amaritaklob. "I won't..."

But my protests were drowned out by the chilling laughter that filled the chamber, a sound that resonated with centuries of malice and hunger.

"You have no choice, mortal," the creature's voice hissed in my mind, searing with icy clarity. "You are the key. You will unlock the gates, and chaos will reign."

Panic surged through me, desperation clawing at my thoughts. I struggled against the invisible force pulling me closer, but it was futile. The Amaritaklob's power was absolute, its will inexorable.

Just as darkness began to swallow me whole once more, I clung to a sliver of defiance. A sudden, unexpected surge of energy pulsed within me, a spark of resistance against the encroaching void.

"I won't let you," I whispered, my voice gaining an unnatural strength. "I won't..."

And with that, a blinding white light erupted from within me, shattering the suffocating darkness.

The void trembled as the sound of chains rattled, accompanied by the eerie flapping of fabric, as if a great seal had been disturbed. The oppressive void transformed, replaced by a surreal, otherworldly realm. Everything around me shimmered in shades of purple: trees with luminous lavender leaves and trunks as dark as midnight, grass in a gradient of violet hues, rivers coursing with liquid amethyst, and mountains cloaked in indigo mist. Above, the sky resembled a cosmic tapestry, a swirling galaxy of purples and pinks that seemed impossibly close, as though I could reach out and touch it. It was both breathtaking and unsettling—a dream world that felt alive, pulsating with its own rhythm.

And there, bound by pulsating purple chains and strips of shimmering fabric, was the monstrous Amaritaklob. Its grotesque form writhed in fury, its six horns glowing faintly, while Alyssa and the criminal stood beside it, similarly restrained. The sight froze me in place, a storm of emotions raging inside—confusion, terror, and an inexplicable flicker of relief.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Amaritaklob roared, his voice shaking the very foundation of this strange world. "Who dares bind me?"

Alyssa and the criminal echoed his confusion, their voices laced with panic. "What are these chains? What is this place?"

"It's you! You did this, Misham!" The Amaritaklob's voice sliced through my thoughts, dripping with malice and accusation.

"I… I don't know what you're talking about!" I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper. My body trembled, my mind struggling to process what was happening. Wasn't I already dead? How was I here? How had I done this?

The creature's laughter echoed like a death knell, filled with venomous rage. "You don't even understand your own power, do you? When I devoured your soul, I glimpsed your memories—your pathetic ignorance. But ignorance will not save you, little Babaylan Pampalit."

The words struck me like a physical blow. Babaylan Pampalit? The term was unfamiliar, yet it resonated deep within me, stirring something buried, something ancient. A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I felt that strange weakness again, as if my energy was being drained.

Alyssa's eyes widened, her expression shifting from shock to terror. "A Babaylan Pampalit… in this generation? Impossible!"

"This is your fault!" the criminal spat at her, his voice a venomous snarl. "You said he was just a vessel!"

"I… I didn't know!" Alyssa's voice cracked with desperation. "If I had known he was one, I would've never let him be the vessel! He was supposed to be weak, easily controlled!"

Amaritaklob let out a deafening roar, his fury shaking the very air. "Silence, fools! This changes nothing! I will break free from these paltry bonds and devour your souls!"

He strained against the chains, his muscles bulging, his eyes burning with rage. The ground beneath him cracked and splintered, but the chains held firm, their purple glow intensifying. As he struggled, I felt a flicker of understanding, a glimpse into the truth. We can't fight on our own. We need help. The thought echoed in my mind, a fragment of a forgotten memory.

Just as Amaritaklob seemed poised to break free, a wave of pure white energy surged through the Mind World. Alyssa and the criminal screamed, their bodies contorting in agony as the energy ripped through them. Their screams were cut short as their heads exploded in unison, a violent eruption of blood and gore. Their lifeless bodies collapsed, leaving behind an eerie silence.

I staggered back, my legs weak beneath me, my breath coming in shallow gasps. The Amaritaklob turned its burning gaze on me, its rage palpable.

"You dare trap me in this wretched mindscape?" it bellowed, its voice triggering tremors that rippled through the ground. "I swear, once I escape, I will rip you apart! I will feast on your soul and bathe in your blood!"

The ground beneath the creature cracked, and more chains and fabric strips erupted, entwining its grotesque form like a cocoon. They constricted tightly, rendering it immobile, its power suffocated by the strange bindings.

Just as despair threatened to overwhelm me, a soft, soothing voice called out. "You are safe now, child. You need not fear any longer."

I turned toward the source and saw a woman materialize out of the shimmering air. She radiated an ethereal beauty, clad in a flowing white robe reminiscent of ancient Babaylan attire. Her entire being exuded a soft, white glow, her presence calming yet commanding.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice trembling as I took an instinctive step back. Despite her serene appearance, the horrors I'd witnessed made it impossible to trust anything.

"I am Dayang Kaluwalhatian," she said gently, her voice like the chime of distant bells. "Or rather, I am an echo of her, a fragment of her soul left to guard this place." She smiled sadly. "I have waited a long time for you, Misham."

"You know my name?"

"Of course, child. I have watched over your bloodline for centuries, waiting for the day a new Babaylan Pampalit would awaken." She gestured to the trapped demon. "It seems your arrival was... timely."

"But how? Why am I here? What is this place?"

"This is the Mind World, a realm between dreams and reality," she explained, stepping closer. "It is a place where spirits can be bound without the need for a physical vessel." Her touch was featherlight as she placed a finger on my forehead. Warmth spread through me, a sensation both comforting and overwhelming, chasing away the strange weakness that had plagued me. Images flashed through my mind—a lineage of men and women, their faces both familiar and strange, each battling shadowy figures, each sealing them away with a touch. I saw them growing weaker, wearier, their eyes losing their light. A shared heritage, a shared burden.

"Your ancestors were Babaylan Pampalit," Dayang Kaluwalhatian continued, her voice pulling me back to the present. "A rare line of shamans with the power to seal evil within themselves. But it was a power that came with a terrible price. Each sealing weakened them, made them vulnerable." I saw a vision of a younger Dayang Kaluwalhatian, her face etched with sorrow, watching another Babaylan fade away, the light leaving their eyes. "We learned too late that we could not do it alone. We needed a community to support us, to share the burden."

"But I... I don't understand. How did I do this?" I gestured to the bound Amaritaklob, the strange, purple landscape.

Dayang Kaluwalhatian smiled. "You didn't do it alone. You awakened a dormant power, the power of our ancestors, the power of the Mind World. I was able to guide you, to help you create this prison." She paused, her expression turning grave. "But this is only a temporary solution. Amaritaklob is powerful, and he will eventually break free unless you learn to control your abilities."

"But how can I do that?" I asked, my voice trembling. "I don't even know where to begin."

Dayang Kaluwalhatian smiled. "You will find your way, Misham. The spirits of your ancestors will guide you." She paused, her expression turning grave. "But be warned, child. The path of the Babaylan Pampalit is a dangerous one. You will face many challenges, many trials. But you are not alone. Remember that."

With that, a surge of white energy burst from her touch, flooding my senses. The world around me dissolved into blinding light, her final words echoing in my mind:

"Survive."

I slowly blinked my eyes open, the familiar sight of the cracked ceiling above me greeting me. I was back—the abandoned hospital where everything had spiraled into madness. For a moment, I stared at my arms, running my hands over them, expecting to find evidence of the attack—the scratches, the wounds—but there was nothing. Not a single mark. As if everything that happened was nothing but a vivid dream.

Weakness still clung to my body, a lingering weight in my limbs, but slowly, I pushed myself up into a sitting position on the cold floor. My surroundings came into focus. The entire area was empty. The altar sat at the center, flanked by candles, casting eerie flickers of light. The security guard—gone. The bodies of Alyssa and the criminal—also vanished. Even the statue of Amaritaklob had disappeared. The bloodstains, however, remained, soaked into the cracked tiles and walls, dark and chilling against the purple hue of everything else.

Relief washed over me, washing away the sheer terror that had consumed me just moments ago. I was safe—for now.

But before I could fully comprehend what had happened, a sudden flash of information crashed into my mind—hundreds, thousands of memories and pieces of knowledge flooding in all at once. It was overwhelming, disorienting. My head throbbed, sharp and painful, and dizziness threatened to pull me back under.

Yet, amidst the chaos, clarity began to form. I understood. I finally knew what had been left hanging in the air during that haunting encounter.

My ancestors—long forgotten—came from a lineage of Babaylan Pampalit. There had only been six Babaylan Pampalit in the history of the Philippines, and all of them traced back to my bloodline. I was the seventh. What set us apart wasn't our power to simply perform exorcisms, but our unique ability to seal evil beings—something no other Babaylan could do quite like us.

It wasn't a mere exorcism. No, our ability required something more. Unlike others, we didn't simply drive out the evil. We absorbed it, letting the malevolent force possess us—only to seal it inside our own bodies. The drawback was immense. Every time we performed this act, we became weaker. Without others to assist us—without a community of shamans to support the process—we were helpless.

But even within this fragile line, one of us stood out—Dayang Kaluwalhatian. She was unlike any of the others. While every Babaylan Pampalit could seal using their bodies, she had discovered another method—a sealing done through the mind.

The key was a Spiritual Crown—an ancient relic that connected one's consciousness to the spiritual realm. Dayang Kaluwalhatian had learned of this from a mysterious figure—someone from Huaxia, a traveler who guarded the trade routes between the southern sea and the distant lands.

The traveler practiced Buddhism, and through them, Dayang Kaluwalhatian learned to create a Mind World, a dreamscape where evil beings could be sealed without physically possessing someone. She could summon them, but it required physical contact—something tangible to complete the ritual, like the bracelet.

Yet, the Mind World sealing wasn't fully explored before she was killed. She'd died before she could unlock all its possibilities. The knowledge, however, had been passed down—to me, fragmented and incomplete.

But there was a tragic reality. Every Babaylan Pampalit who had ever sealed more than ten or twenty evil beings... had died. The fear was that if they didn't die, those sealed evil spirits might somehow escape, wreaking havoc upon the world once more. The only way to ensure they were forever bound was to let their souls pass into the afterlife, where the Goddess Magwayen would guide them to Sulad, the sacred place where spirits were meant to find peace. However, any spirit that tried to resist would be banished—drowned in the depths of Sulad's waters, lost to the endless void.

Before Dayang Kaluwalhatian herself was slain, she had used a fragment of her own soul to trap all the evil spirits she had sealed into the Mind World. Her soul—divided—remained within the dreamscape, unable to fully join the afterlife. Only if someone from her bloodline could awaken their Babaylan Pampalit ability would they be able to unlock this Mind World and speak to her trapped essence.

I was that person.

The weight of this knowledge crashed over me in waves. I wasn't just another ordinary shaman—I was the last living descendant of a bloodline long forgotten. My ancestors were more than healers or exorcists; we were the keepers of something ancient and dangerous. My power—the power to seal evil—was unique, but it came with a curse. I would need help to fully harness it, to survive the forces that had been unleashed, and escape the fate of my predecessors.

But how could I possibly do this alone? Where would I even begin? The questions swirled in my mind, a whirlwind of confusion and fear. A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me, a consequence of the immense strain on my newly awakened powers. My limbs felt heavy, my eyelids drooping.

Just then, the piercing wail of sirens sliced through the stillness—urgent, insistent, signaling the arrival of law enforcement. Panic surged through me. I needed to leave, and fast.

I scrambled to my feet, dizziness threatening to pull me back down. My eyes darted around, searching for my bag—the one thing that had to be untouched. My heart pounded as I stumbled back to the room where I had been tied. And there it was—my bag, lying on the floor where I had left it.

With a wave of relief, I grabbed it, slinging it over my shoulder. Then, without a moment's hesitation, I bolted toward the back exit of the hospital. The door creaked open, and I slipped out into the night, my heart pounding in my chest. Tall grass swayed around me, concealing my form. I moved low, crawling through the terrain until I reached the outskirts of the building.

The cool night air hit my face, and I finally allowed myself to take a deep breath. I was free—for now.

But the knowledge I carried, the weight of my heritage, and the terrifying encounter with the Amaritaklob… it was a burden I couldn't shake off. I had awakened something ancient within me, something that had been dormant for centuries.

And with it came a destiny I couldn't escape.

As I made my way through the deserted streets, my mind raced. Where could I go? Who could I trust? The police would be swarming the hospital soon, and I couldn't risk being caught. They would never believe my story, and I couldn't explain the bloodstains without implicating myself.

I needed to find someone who could help me understand what had happened, someone who knew about the Babaylan Pampalit and the Mind World. But who? The albularyo who had given me the bracelet was long gone, vanished without a trace years ago.

Then, a name surfaced in my memory, a whisper from the past. Lola Tala.

Lola Tala was a distant relative on my mother's side, a woman rumored to be a powerful healer and seer. My mother had spoken of her in hushed tones, hinting at abilities that bordered on the mystical. I hadn't seen Lola Tala since I was a child, and I didn't even know if she was still alive.

But she was my only hope.

With renewed determination, I hailed a taxi and gave the driver Lola Tala's address, a remote village nestled deep in the mountains of Rizal. As the city lights faded behind me, I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. The encounter with Amaritaklob, the revelation of my heritage, the deaths of Alyssa and the criminal—it all felt like a prelude to something far greater, something that would change my life forever.

And as the taxi climbed higher into the mountains, I clutched the strap of my bag, my fingers tracing the outline of a small, wooden carving inside—a gift from my mother, a symbol of protection. It was a carving of a Tikbalang, a creature of Filipino folklore, half-human, half-horse, a guardian of the forests and mountains. I remembered my mother's words when she gave it to me: "This will protect you, anak. It will guide you when you are lost."

I closed my eyes, whispering a silent prayer for guidance and protection—to my mother, to Dayang Kaluwalhatian, to any benevolent spirit that might be listening. The road ahead was uncertain, filled with shadows and dangers I couldn't even begin to comprehend. But I knew one thing for sure: I wasn't alone. The spirits of my ancestors were with me, and somewhere, deep within the Mind World, Dayang Kaluwalhatian awaited my return. And somewhere, in a remote village nestled in the mountains, Lola Tala held the key to understanding my destiny. I had a long journey ahead, but for the first time since this nightmare began, a flicker of hope sparked within me—a fragile ember in the darkness, but a start nonetheless. I had to survive. I had to learn. And I had to find a way to stop Amaritaklob before it could break free from its prison and unleash chaos upon the world. My journey as a Babaylan Pampalit had begun.