Prologue

The hall outside the meeting room was quiet, maybe because the Council guards stationed outside deterred anyone from making a noise. The guard who was standing directly in front of the meeting room door finally talked to the boy that had been sitting on the bench beside him.

"You've been sitting there since the meeting started but you haven't uttered a word, are you waiting for someone?" he said as he fixed his metal helmet that was almost tipped over.

The boy—with a blank face and lazy eyes—made eye contact with him. He didn't say anything and just stared.

The guard shrugged. He was waiting for the boy to speak up. "Come on... say something, boy."

The boy just blinked slowly and turned his face to where he could see people passing by. Yet again he didn't respond.

"That's just rude. You know, as a Council guard I can have you locked up for just—" he said but was interrupted by another guard at the other side of the hall.

"Just leave him be, Reyo. You're getting offended by practically nothing. We were not deputized to use our power against the people we serve." Said the other guard.

Reyo took off his helmet and wrapped his right arm around it then proceeded to walk towards the other guard. His blonde hair bounced subtly as he moved.

"Alright. You have my attention now. You're Wilda's henchman, aren't you?" He stopped walking when he was a foot away from the other guard. "Drex... isn't it?" his index finger poked Drex's metal chest plate which pushed him away slightly. "You do know that my father is the City Treasurer, right?"

Drex's face looked uncomfortable but he still stood firm and didn't utter a word.

"If you ever poke your nose into any of my business again, you won't be wearing this metal armor anymore. Do you understand?" Reyo roared at Drex's face.

Drex didn't answer but only glared at Reyo. His face was moist from the sweat that was caused by the tension.

Reyo took off his chain glove and hit Drex on the head. "I said, do you unders—"

"Stop!" a loud voice reverberated in the hallway. Reyo looked behind him and saw the boy standing up.

"Oh. He talks!" Reyo chuckled then faced Drex once again. "Look Drex, someone wants to be your hero."

The boy raised his hand at face level. On his ring finger was a plain-looking ring that shimmered as the ambient light hit its surface.

"Take a step back!" The boy ordered—threatening Reyo to stop or he would take off his ring. "Take your hands off of him or else—"

"Hey!" he cut him off. "You can't take off your ring inside this building!" Reyo shouted when he saw the boy's hand in the air.

Everyone in Balete City wore a ring except for a few people. The ring was invented by Minister Xaia and it was made to compress the wearer's powers or abilities while also changing their form to that of a human. If one was to take it off, their true form will be revealed and their powers will be unleashed.

Even with Reyo's warning, the boy took off his ring and his appearance started to change.

On his head sprouted a pair of curved horns as green as moss. His eyes turned white and his fingernails were replaced by claws. His short, dark green hair grew in length and in volume. He wailed in pain as tattoos on his body emerged.

"I... I told you to let him go!" he said as he completed his transformation.

"W-wait. I know you!" Reyo stepped back and accidentally bumped into Drex who was shaking behind him—their armors clanked. "You're that freaky babaylan. Gertrude found you outside her quarters when you were still a baby," he added. "Mo-Mordoc! Wait, no... Matt? M-Mathew? Fuck!" Reyo kept moving back as he frantically tried to remember the boy's name.

The boy's all-white eyes almost pierced Reyo's. "I said take a step back... didn't I?" he said as he positioned his right hand forward.

"B-Boy... it's okay... y-you don't have to use your powers against him. J-Just to save me..." Drex, the other guard behind Reyo, tried to prevent what was brewing in the hall.

"Maktu ni-ay!" The boy recited an incantation then a vine shot out of the ground and wrapped onto Reyo's right arm. Its tight grip forced him to drop his helm to the ground.

"Le-Let me go! How dare you put your hands on me! I'm the Treasurer's Chief Guard!" Reyo ordered but the babaylan boy did not listen. The vine's grip tightened even more. "D-Drex! Arrest this monster for—"

The door behind them suddenly slammed open and a deep woman's voice caught the attention of the three.

"What is the meaning of this?" A shocked Gertrude, the City Herald and Kapre Elder, bolted outside the door with other Council members behind her. "Maurice, my boy, what have you done?"

The Council's Treasurer stepped up and was shocked to see his son in trouble. "Reyo! What is this?"

"Maktu ikam..." Maurice, the babaylan, whispered and the vine that was gripped onto Reyo's arm let go.

"Is that the babaylan hybrid?" One Council member from the back said.

"Did he just use magic in the Council hall?" Another replied.

Gertrude looked behind her and saw the people dressed in black robes all staring at her.

Maurice put on his ring and he immediately transformed back into his human form. "I'm s-sorry," he said. "It was my f—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Drex removed his helm and then stepped forward. "Treasurer Matias," he butted in—his fist on his chest and head bowed. "Herald Gertrude, pardon my intrusion but Maurice was simply aiding me from Reyo's outburst."

The council members' inaudible whispers filled the background.

Matias looked behind and the gossiping crowd stopped when he cleared his throat. "Reyo! You imbecile!"

"But Father, I did-"

"You embarrass me..." Matias interrupted. "Pick up your helm and see me in my chambers. Now!" He hit the floor with his cane in frustration.

With the other Council members, Matias went off, and soon after, so did Reyo and Drex. Only Gertrude and Maurice remained in the hall.

The tension was replaced with an awkward silence as Maurice fiddled with his ring. The gray-haired Gertrude shook her head. Her face which was ridden with wrinkles and moles was painted with disappointment.

"My boy," Gertrude looked down at Maurice. Being a kapre, she towered over everyone and Maurice wasn't an exemption. "I will not ask what exactly happened because I do not... or should I say, we do not have time to spare."

Maurice looked up in wonder. "What do you mean, Gertrude?" He asked.

"Let's hurry back to my chambers. Ring the bell so we can alert all Kuhaw. We will be sending out scrolls to the human realm." She replied.

"It's true then. The Tree... it's dying, isn't it?" Maurice looked concerned. The last time the bell in the Aviary rung was during the last Great War.

"The Council learned that a mysterious... entity is causing the Tree to consume Fear Energy at an alarming rate."

Maurice glanced at her. "But that's why we have Fear Farmers—"

"They can't keep up. The only four Fear Farmers we have left need help."

The worry on his face was apparent. He stood there lost in thought.

She smiled. "We have a plan, dear boy. We will summon everyone. And when I say everyone, even those who were sent out to live in the human realm." She picked up the end of her massive black robe and held it close to her while Maurice grabbed the parchment and quill on the bench he was previously sitting on.

"Are you ready, my boy?" Gertrude offered her hand to him which was half as tall as Maurice.

Maurice nodded then together, they walked.

"By the way, I have sent a Kuhaw to one special boy... much like you," she uttered.

"Special?" For the first time in a long time, Maurice looked interested.

Her head slowly nodded. "And I will be talking to him personally through a telemirror. He could be waiting for me now as we speak so we must hurry."

They both started walking towards the exit. Gertrude's robe rippled behind her.

"But why are we summoning all the Tree Dwellers? Are we headed to war?" Maurice said. His parchment rustled as he walked.

"Don't be silly, dear boy." She snorted and looked at Maurice who was walking alongside her. "The Council has decided that with the shortage of Fear Farmers, it is time for Balete Academy to start operating. But what's good in a school with no students?" She then continued walking.

Maurice stopped. He stared blankly ahead as Gertrude walked in front of him. "School?" He mumbled to himself.

"What are you standing there for? We have students to summon." Gertrude asked without stopping.

Maurice ran to catch up to her but as he did, the parchment that he was holding unknowingly fell slowly to the floor. A drawing of a boy who was talking to a hand mirror was revealed as it lay flat.

End of Prologue