In the middle of the flowery field courtyard was a tabernacle, which the followers of Bulan called the ‘Temple Shrine’.

From the bird’s eye view, the tabernacle was round, with its dimensions almost the same as that of the Water Sphere in Panee’s Domain.

Arriving at the place, Triggs and the others laid their eyes on every detail of the building.

The flooring was made of polished volcanic rocks, added with the touch of marble that gave its silvery effect. No walls were protecting the tabernacle, allowing air to flow in and out of the building freely.

Connecting the floor to the ceiling, towering pillars were built around the edges of the building. These pillars were made of refined hardwood stylized to fit the placid theme of the temple.

Nipa leaves were clustered and stacked together to form the ceiling. The roof was a flat cone, with the middle part carved out to allow the moonbeam to shine below.

At the center of the tabernacle was a circular pristine pool, directly aligned to the hole in the ceiling above, reflecting the Full Moon in the sky.

The place was so serene; only the howling mountain breeze could be heard.

“Woah! This place is so beautiful,” Calla uttered in awe. “Now, I miss home…” she murmured.

Around the pool were 4 people sitting in a lotus position. All of them were wearing robes, and it could be assumed that they were the ‘elders’ that Toby was referring to.

On the south side of the pool was a bald old man wearing a white mask. Unlike those encountered before, this mask covered the person's entire face, and the jade on his mask was a complete white circle.

The person on the east side was an old woman wearing the same white mask as the previous one. Her hair was wavy, layered with grey strands, signifying her age.

The west person was also an old woman. Like the other 2, she was also wearing a complete white mask. She had thick white hair, falling up to her waist. With that, it could be seen that she was older than the previous woman.

The last elder, in the north, was wearing a mask different from the rest. His mask was matte black, and the circle gem on the forehead was crimson. But like the rest, the mask also completely covered his face. His hair was ashen by oldness, but it was still dense for his age.

“They have arrived, Tatang*,” Toby announced to the elders.

“So, are these the children Bulan was talking about?” the south elder uttered after seeing Triggs and the others.

“Is it really wise to accommodate them? What if they were just spies sent by the other Giyas?” the elder in the west said in a slightly hostile manner.

“Well, they look like harmless little children to me,” the east elder stated with a comforting voice.

“And they also look weak. I can just kill them if they try to do something funny. Hoho,” the south elder humored.

“Tch! Why wait for that to happen? Prevention is always better than cure. Make them leave before we regret it,” the west replied.

“Come on, now. Why don’t give them a chance,” the east responded.

“Okay, that’s enough,” the north elder said with a dominant voice.

The other elders went silent instantly; it seemed like the black mask held the highest authority among them.

“Line them up,” the north elder ordered Toby.

Toby guided Triggs and the others, directing them to line up horizontally in front of the elders. After they settled in their places, the elders suddenly raised their hands, as if they were reaching for the moon.

After a minute of full tranquility, the north elder voiced again, “Bulan has spoken!”

Simultaneously, the 3 elders with the white masks put their hands down. Altogether, they removed their masks and their robes.

Triggs and the others were surprised; they didn’t expect what was beneath the masks and underneath the robes.

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Calla had to look away in shock, while Lae and Triggs had to move their heads down in pity.

Even Monty couldn’t help but comment, “Shit. This is hardcore.”

“Hello there!!!!” the south elder greeted again. His cheeks and eyes wrinkled as he smiled while waving his amputated right hand. Not only that, it appeared to be that he was also missing one ear, and his nose was broken.

“I’m still watching you,” muttered the west elder. She was a woman in her 70’s. Though in her old age, her skin still sparked glamour. However, her beautiful face was tainted by a big scar that ran from her forehead, across her nose and cheeks, up to her right shoulder.

“Hey now… There’s no need to be suspicious, Bulan had spoken already,” the east elder replied. Amongst the elders, she was the only one whose age was not obvious; it was because half her face and body were not recognizable - tarnished by burn scars. But despite that, her voice remained sweet and motherly.

Lastly, the elder in the north removed his black mask, revealing his half-closed blood red blind eyes. The skin around his eyes has traces of burn marks, making Triggs wonder what could’ve happened to him in the past. The man was the youngest of the elders, but he was the one they respected as their leader.

“I’ve heard you’re also investigating the Sigbins,” the north elder spoke.

“Yes po. Our leader, Lola Vega, sent us to investigate the mysterious incidents in this area,” Lae answered in a composed manner.

“I believe you’re already aware that we, the Children of the Moon, are also facing the same crisis. This Temple is situated at the peak of Mt. Iriga, just a few miles from the Barangay where you came from. In that regard, we’re also affected by the sudden surge of these foul creatures.

These Sigbins seemed to appear out of nowhere, destroying the tranquility of the mountains and wreaking havoc on this area. I suppose we share the same goal of investigating what’s behind all of this. But just like you, we’re still piecing together the puzzle.”

“We understand po,” Lae replied politely.

“However…” the north elder followed. “With this happening to us for months now, we’re far ahead with the investigation than you are. We have some pieces that, I believe, you still haven’t looked into yet.”

Triggs and Lae glanced at each other. After that, Lae asked a request from the elder, “Anything you can share with us would be very helpful. We'd truly appreciate any information you can provide.”

The north elder replied with a chuckle. He then asked, “Who among you is Panee’s Favored One?”

Shy and a bit anxious, Calla answered, “I - I am!”

“Hmm…” The north elder mumbled as he turned his face to Calla. He stated, “‘You’re as gorgeous as the Primordial Water Herself’ - these are the words that came from Bulan Himself.”

Calla was caught off guard; she blushed with the sudden compliment.

“This Temple serves as a haven and a refuge for all of us. We swore to protect this place with all our lives. With the continuous threat of the Sigbins and other monsters, we can’t go anywhere beyond the boundaries of Mt. Iriga.

With Bulan already confirming that your Giyas were once His colleagues, we can now entrust you to continue the investigation for us.”

Monty whispered to Triggs, “This man talks like a pastor or something - so much unnecessary blabbering! Could you ask him to get to the point? Does he want to share the information or not?”

“Uhm… Okay,” Triggs whispered back. Then he asked the elder, “Does that mean you’ll share the information with us?”

With a smile, the elder nodded his head.

Triggs and Lae were happy with the reply. “Thanks for trusting us,” Lae said.

The north elder turned to Toby, “You know what to do, kid.”

“Sure, Tatang,” Toby replied.

“Now, if you’ll excuse us, we will just have our tea party ritual,” the elder said. “Toby will assist you from here on out.”

“Sure po. Thanks again!” Triggs responded.

After that, Toby assisted them back to the courtyard.

…

…

…

As they walked through the garden, Toby chatted with Triggs and the others.

“Hey, I’m sorry you had to go through that. With all this hate and discrimination that regular folks throw our way, we had to ask Bulan Himself if you really aren't hostile,” Toby apologized.

“Don’t worry, it’s not just you who's receiving that kind of treatment. So we really understand you, Man,” Otto replied.

Meanwhile, Triggs still couldn’t get over the elders’ distressing appearances. “Uhm… would you mind if I ask something about the elders?” he questioned Toby.

“Sure What is it?”

“Is it okay to know their stories? I mean, what happened to them? Or-or are you even allowed to know that?”

“No, don’t worry. The elders are very much open about their past. So, I guess it’s fine if you’ll know it too.”

“Sorry. I just can’t get it out of my head. Those injuries were so horrible…”

“It’s okay,” Toby said. “Well, how do I start?...

“Tatang Ardo, the bald old man with severed arm - he was tortured when he was young by the very same people he grew up with. All of that because they thought he kept saying ‘scary things’.

Lola Lhorrie was once a model. But after finding out that she came from a family line of mangkukulams, her boyfriend tried to kill her by hacking her with a machete.

I don’t know much about Tita Grace, but I heard that the people in her hometown lynched her entire family. She was the only one who survived when their house was burned down.

Lastly, Tatang Polo - people were afraid of him because he could see things normal people can’t. His eyes were burned by a hot rod, blinding him completely.”

Triggs didn’t know how to react. After hearing everything, he was just left staring at the floor, walking with a distraught face.

“I'm sure by now you understand why we need to hide, Triggs,” Lae said.

“Y... Yeah…” Triggs mumbled.

“As Tatang Polo said, this place is our sanctuary. All of us here share the same fate - hated by people because of what we know and what we have.” Toby sighed. “It's a sobering thought, you know. It feels like we'll be stuck hiding forever.” He then looked up to the starry sky. "I wonder if there would come a time when they finally accept us..."

“Don’t worry, it will surely happen someday,” Triggs uttered with optimism.

“Oh, here we go again,” Monty muttered, irate and irked.

On the other hand, Toby chuckled. “Wow, you sound pretty confident about that. I wish I had that kind of positivity in me.”

“I mean… there’s Michael…” Triggs said.

A short silence happened after Triggs uttered the statement. Now, it was Toby who was staring at the floor, contemplating.

“When I heard his conversation with Gwyn, I felt his sincerity. As long as there are people like him - people who can see past differences and love beyond boundaries - everything will turn out fine in the end.”

Slowly, a hopeful smile formed on Toby’s face. “Magdilang anghel ka sana*.”

Triggs smiled at Toby as he tapped his shoulder.

“Speaking of Gwyn and Michael… Why don’t we get to the quarters before I show you what we got? I’m sure the others are also awake,” Toby suggested.

“Oh, I almost forgot about them,” Lae said.

“Just lead the way,” Triggs answered Toby.