1 Prologue

'A very long time ago when no one could ever remember, in a far, far away place of the eastern seas, there lived a Majestic bird, the Minokawa. In the vast plain of the endless ocean, all the days and nights of the Majestic bird was a never-ending flight. All she could see, as far as her all-seeing eyes could reach, was the blueness of the deep waters of what seems infinite.

Perhaps it was partly her fault since the Majestic bird was just flying in a big circle in that part of the ocean. She could flee back to the west, to her homeland, but she preferred flying above these seas until her wings would give up, until she would sink to the bottom of the deepest part of these unfathomable seas, rather than returning home.

The crystal-clear water allured the Majestic Bird to stay here forever.

She desired to stay here all was because these oriental seas were the home of countless sea lives. From the biggest sea monsters, the ocean could offer, to the smallest microscopic fish could be. Bountiful sea it was. Full of vivid colors and life. That abundance of marine life deeply charmed the Minokawa, especially the fleshy fishes merrily swimming there. Their beautiful figures, their shining scales. They all looked delicious in the hungry eyes of the Majestic Bird. They were singing a song that soothed her ears to stay here.

How many centuries had passed since Minokawa arrived in these seas? Her wings answered as it had known the word 'tiredness' and 'aging'. Even the great Minokawa had her limits.

There came a moment that with every flipped of her enormous wings, pain and exhaustion ran through her body and her deadly, fiery claws itched for the dust of her homeland. Perhaps, at least even not the dirt from her homeland would suffice the need of her crumbling body to rest. Her survival instincts seduced her she must go west to land but her innate stubbornness allowed her not to.

Instead of going back to her homeland, she pondered hard to find a way to unriddle her dilemma and she came up with one since she was the Majestic Minokawa after all.

She came out with a brilliant idea, a tricky one.

Recalling her good old days, she had met the young Sky God of good harvest, Dimangan, who helped her and became her playmate. Those old silly days. The young Sky God was not on duty back then for he was yet to attain his youth but he was destined to replace the current Sky God someday. He was destined to guard the vastness of the sky while giving a good harvest on the beings who worship him.

The Minokawa had to meet him.

She flipped her wings up to the highest skies enduring the tingling pain in her enormous wings. After a while, as she thought it was high enough, high enough to see half of the world with her own big eyes, she stopped and called her old friend.

"Dimangan, I am here, Minokawa," she shouted with a cheerful voice, hiding her anguish from her enormous wings. "Remember, you used to play with me, shooting with big stones and stuff while I evade, remember?"

As if disturbed and got woke up from the nuisance of a noisy neighborhood, large dark cumulus cloud started to form and thunderclaps echoed.

"Hoho, how I wish I don't. The mischievous Tigmamanukan (A Presage), Minokawa?" A thunder-like voice answered her obviously with an irritated tone. An old face of gray clouds came to confront her.

"But, for a moment I thought you could not..." she smirked, "There's something odd in your voice, are you okay?"

The last time they met was a few millennia ago when Dimangan was still young and strong, but now, Minokawa was talking to an old guardian of the sky who was patiently waiting for his time to rest.

The Minokawa was an immortal bird. She barely knew the concept of aging. Her power and strength were in an endless cycle of a circle. The moment she felt a spot on her shining, glimmering feathers, just even a tiny spot, is aging, she would curl up into a burning sphere like the sun and explode violently as her new self is reborn. She would fly again to the surface of the world as if nothing had happened.

However, this now was a special exception. She did not want to destroy the precious oriental seas she cherished. She could not proceed into her regenerative or egg form knowing she would kill and evaporate everything from the hellish heat that she would emit in her egg form, so she abandoned the idea, as what she did on the thought of returning home. The Minokawa nonchalantly resorted to this scheme. A scheme that will allow her to rest on her beloved seas.

"Oh, Just a little bit of aging, which the Great Minokawa is ignorant with" Each time Dimangan spoke, lightning ran through the graying skies which were covered now with dark clouds. "My time is nearly done and I am tired to the bone at the moment. What do you want?"

"So, the rumors are all true. I come here today to have some fun with you but I guess the fun had already ended ages ago, huh?" Minokawa voice had a pretentious scent of disappointment. However, Minokawa got the Dimangan's attention with the word 'rumors'

"Pardon me with the child's thing. As you can see, I'm old enough and I'm done with playing," He apologized for his inability to entertain her but- "but rumors? From who?" That was his intention, the rumors. His voice slightly raised and had the scent he would hear some familiar names where the rumors came from.

Knowing that the old Sky God had bitten her bait, she pressed her trick deeper. With a teasing and playful voice, she answered.

"Well, well, from some Great Sea Spirit, I guess?"

"From that witch again, what did she told this time? What rumors was she spreading?"

"About things, you know."

"I'm unaware of the rumors this time, that why I am asking!" Dimangan struck the Majestic bird with a lightning bolt, but she swiftly evaded it. His voice was in imprudence and harshness.

"Hmm? I wonder. She had told me to tell no one, so..." Minokawa told Dimangan with a smile. She was playing with his senile mind very well.

"I see. Heaven is no place for that sea witch's friend. I'm sending you down to earth... forcefully!"

The surroundings got darker as more gray clouds accumulated and the rumbling of the thunder became more like a rapid drum beat like it was inviting for an upcoming battle of two warriors from a tribe. The accumulated gray clouds sparked as lightning ran through it and flashes were so intense that they outshine the Minokawa's fiery wings.

Dimangan's mood became foul and it was evident on his darkened face of clouds. He aimed large lightning bolts to the Majestic bird.

The lightning bolt almost hit Minokawa's head. She even felt the zap as it passed through.

Then Dimangan prepared another attack again. But this time, hundreds of lightning bolts shined around the Minokawa.

"T-this could be bad." The Minokawa made a gulp.

Spinning and turning, Minokawa was good at evading the deadly strikes. She was the wind but this could not be going on forever or her scheme would be ruined. Besides, a strike of a lightning bolt would cause significant damage to her exhausted wings which were also screaming in pain as she flipped, moving around, trying not to be caught by the lightning.

"Y-you, trying to kill me!?"

"..."

But the Old Sky God answered nothing but another round of lightning bolts.

The Minokawa could go down to the lower skies but she was determined to succeed. She was still undaunted. The Majestic Bird knew nothing about defeat. Besides, all was according to her plan . All she had to do now was to be patient and let the Old Sky God listen to her.

"Cease fire! Cease... Fire"

She was still moving around as lighting strikes were still firing. "All right already, I'm gonna spill everything you want" She evaded the last strike. "But, you promise that you will not tell anyone especially Aman Sinaya that I told you this, all right?"

In response, a thunder echoed which intended to warn her. The surrounding became a little bit calmer and brighter when a trifling part of gray clouds dissipated.

Dimangan's cloud of face also lightened a little but it still had seriousness written.

"Talk!"

"Uhm... Where do I start...? She paused as she arranged her words. "Ah! One day, on a certain rainy morning, I was flying-"

Crack! A bolt of lightning hit where Minokawa was second ago.

"The rumors" Dimangan agitatedly demanded with a thundering voice.

"O-okay, all right already!" She puffed her fluffy cheeks.

As he had demanded, the Majestic Bird started talking all about the rumors.

"She said you are now weak and senile. Well, she actually said Sky Gods are always a bunch of Weak and Useless Spirits but you are the epitome of them."

The cloud face of Dimangan wrinkled.

But the Minokawa continued. She came out a story comprised of every insult to offend Dimangan. She told lies that degraded the Sky God. Everything that she thought that would foul the mood of the Sky God was sprouting like water in the spring. She was good at making mischief. She told all of this foolish mockery and engraving insults came from the very mouth of the Great Sea Spirit, Aman Sinaya. This one should not be missed, she thought.

"She said you are a Bald so you are not supposed to be called Sky God, but Bald God!"

"W-what!" Lightning ricocheted as the Sky God screamed like a thunder.

"No-teeth God!" Minokawa added. She was almost at the edge of laughing.

She succeeded as the Old sky God was hopelessly tricked. Dimangan was trembling in anger. Flashes of lightning were burrowing on the gathering of dark clouds once more.

The dark clouds filled the skies again, not letting a single ray of bright sunlight to reach the skin of the world. This time, much darker as if it was the night. All the clouds in the world gathered on that spot.

"Aman Sinaya!" The sky God yelled with a full of rage and anger.

Now, let us begin. Minokawa thought as she flew around, maliciously grinning.

She could not help but laugh inside witnessing this furious reaction twice this day. No doubt, she had already succeeded.

****

Earlier that day, Minokawa had done the exact shrewd thing to the great and pure sea spirit, Aman Sinaya. She told her daft lies, insults, and stories the same crude way as she had done with the Old venerable Sky God. Telling all of that came from the skies, the Sea Spirit's hatred to the Sky God deepened more, deeper than the deepest bottom of the seas now.

"Sea Witch! Great eyebrow-less Spirit!"

"S-Stop it! I don't want to hear any more of this... Stop!"

Aman Sinaya's pale blue long hair stood. Her face showed deeply enraged. Her clawed hands clenched. She shrilled like she became corrupted which sent chill on the Minokawa.

****

The two great Spirits had met finally as the Sky God came down from the darkened heavens to witness the ravaging seas.

There was no formal greeting, just the intent to end each other's life.

The water of the seas bubbled with anger and intense killing intent. Enormous waves splashed everywhere ready to ravage anything. The dark skies with the crackling thunders, the enormous sea waves, the scene were as if it was a sign of the world's end, horrifying yet spectacular.

Every sea creature that failed to escape the colossal whirlpools were all utterly torn. Flesh swirled along with the strong and ferocious current of seawater.

Since the immemorial of time, these two primordial deities were not on good terms. Even their great predecessors were the same. Knowing this fact, Minokawa did add salt into their old wounds and worsen the relation of those two great spirits.

A war between the Sky God and the Great Sea Spirit was inevitable. Both sides had their anger, madness, and intense feeling of retribution as their driving fuel.

The Great Sea Spirit, Aman Sinaya, hurled tornadoes of seawater, swung the biggest waves of the oceans and thrown thousands of water bubbles, which dramatically decreased the world's sea level. As a response, the waters glittered as thousands of thunderbolts and lightning danced through the ravaging ocean.

All of the Old sky God's remaining strength was poured. It was evident as burning boulders as large as tectonic plates were falling down from the heavens. The massive explosions and large impacts of the falling gigantic mass of earth were beyond earsplitting. The earth shook that it woke up every being who was sleeping. Massive tidal waves reached even the farthest lands. The epic battle of two great spirits was non-stop for three days but ended as the last drop of the sky God's power had evaporated completely.

None of the two great spirits had won that day, however, but the life span of the Old Sky God had greatly shortened and the time to rest had finally come to him. Before disappearing, Dimangan glanced at the Majestic bird which was flying around and was watching the Epic Battle of the Colossals. Then, he realized something was odd but it was too late. All he could do now was to call the majestic bird's name.

"Minokawa"

The Sky God laughed as he called her. His laugh was full of life, the same laugh when he was still young. He had lived and enjoyed his final moments, his battle with the Great Sea Spirit. Even he had been tricked, he forgave Minokawa. At the moment he had called the Majestic Bird's name he realized her true intention. He knew the nature of this Majestic bird, playful and tricky but also she kept what she treasured close to her. He understood her and he nodded approvingly. There's nothing he could do but to smile.

"Thank you so much, Great Sky God, Dimangan, you're strong and powerful as the other Sky Gods before you… and forgive me" She looked at the Sky God as he completely disappeared into pieces of tiny lights. His great spirit had returned into the Great Light.

As for the Great Sea Spirit, Aman Sinaya, she was not either the victor of the battle. Her spirit form was heavily damaged. The new earth which Dimangan brought from the heavens had polluted her waters and formed new lands around these oriental seas. She could do anything about it. Using the last of her power, she went down to the depths of the ocean, groveling, to sleep, to heal as soon as possible. She never expected to be in this state, decrepit, because she had an important task given by the Great Dove; to guard the imprisoned ones. She must regain her strength as much as possible.

As the Minokawa desired, those gigantic plates of lands thrown by the Sky God became islands of these oriental seas. Scattered and fragmented boulders formed Archipelagoes that the Majestic Bird could now descend. Now, she rested her wings within the land while savoring her dishes and laid-backing.

It was not the end. It was just the beginning and her happy days were already counted.

During the epic battle of the sky and the sea, several creatures were doomed but some sealed creatures depth down had gained their most aspired freedom as Aman Sinaya's sealing power had weakened. These heinous, evil creatures immediately roamed again in the oceans' darkest water, preying the weaker ones again.

One of these creatures was the Bakunawa, the sun-and-moon eater, who lived among the first generation Gods and Goddesses. Its body was stretched and slimy, long as the eyes could not even see its tail from its head and wide as even a hundred of whales would not be enough to fill its guts. It slithered again as it swam up to the bright light of the surface.'