Chapter 1.2: The Guardian of the Light

Bagwis parked his old car in the cheap garage he manages to rebuild after every typhoon. Officially purchasing the indoor gun range for his sole grandchild pleased him. She was eighteen when he promised her the entire thing and fulfilled it a year later. He still can't forget the look on her face when she first heard of it, she loved gun-shooting the most. Bagwis was somehow responsible of forming his grandchild into the atypical adult she is now. The young lady prefers being alone and shooting guns as leisure instead of the usual stuff regular adults enjoy such as going out with friends, drinking, shopping, and the like. He can't even remember a time Luna brought home a friend, not even on her birthdays. This does not worry him since Luna never fussed about it anyway. Going to school and partaking in academic activities already counted as her whole social life. Despite these, Bagwis never thought of his grand daughter as odd or different. He sees her as special, favored perhaps. Bulan blesses her every night after all.

Twiddling his keys, he whistled towards the door. A tailless black cat walked pass him and stopped on his doorstep. He tried to shoo it away but it just stared back at him and licked its paw. Bagwis disliked black cats. He believes that they bring bad luck or foretells something inauspicious.

"How dare you rest upon my porch. Leave now, ominous cat!" He hissed.

The black cat stopped licking its paw and threw him an indifferent look, then sluggishly walked away. A strong gush of wind passed and blew his hat off so he bended over to fetch it. Through the space between his thighs, he saw a vague vision of a pair of feet standing in front of his gate approximately a meter away. Bagwis abruptly stood straight up and turned toward the gate but he saw no one. Not a single person nor a vehicle nearby. He turned back at his porch and the black feline was nowhere to be found, not anywhere near his porch, the front yard, or even in the streets. The strange experience perplexed him, does it mean something? He thought. He marched toward the door and closed it shut. Thinking that it was a forecast of something bad about to happen, he contacted Flora and reminded them to lock their doors just in case.

"What's happening pa? You're acting weird." Flora said through the phone.

"Nothing's going on, Flora. Just precautionary." Bagwis replied.

"We'll double lock the doors so you won't worry too much. We'll prepare for bed now."

"Alright. Good night."

"You too, Pa."

He hung up and paused for a while, sensing the environment. The uneasiness and eerie feeling started to rise in him. The black cat and the vague figure of a man he saw was really strange. Within his reach was his wife's picture frame so he grabbed it and walked towards the kitchen counter. He pulled a chair and poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher nearby and the glass resting on the table. He placed the picture in front of him as he took a sip.

"I have never felt this peculiar feeling, Tala." He said, talking to his wife's picture. Tala was Athalia's nickname which also meant the stars.

He suddenly heard a strong knock on his door. The person outside knocked again. Without second thoughts, Bagwis reached for the swiss knife he kept under his table. Little did everyone know, this old man's house had hidden weapons in the most discreet places.

"Who is it?" He asked from his position.

"Police officer Benitez, sir." The man outside his home answered.

He was perplexed as to why a cop would knock on his door at this hour.

"What do you want?" He asked again.

"If you don't mind, shall we talk inside? I'm afraid we might disturb your neighbors." He replied.

He walked towards the door and opened it scantily.

"Hello sir. Police officer Benitez." And he showed his I.D.

Bagwis scanned him from head to toe and observed his condescending vibe. He personally feels aversion against policemen, for him they're just a group of entitled men going around town asserting dominance. His repugnance heightened when he saw the haughty officer putting his hands on his hips and leaning slightly forward as if he was addressing a dimwitted buffer. This was no gesture of respect.

The officer sneered at him in return. "I'd like a glass of water too, I'm thirsty." He audaciously said.

"What do you want?" Bagwis repeated with weight on every word, gritting his teeth and in a surly manner as he dismissed his immodest request. An old man like Bagwis was very sensitive when it comes to manners.

He snickered by the old man's crabbiness. He knew that old people like him are normally aloof.

"I mean no harm. I just would like to confirm if you are mister..." He pulled a rolled paper in his back pocket, "Bagwis Cruz?" He read the name on the retirement plan flier on his hand.

"I am."

The police officer stood straight up and looked right into Bagwis' eyes. A churlish smug smile forms on his face, "I see. This is yours then sir. I've been delivering these fliers around your area and you're the last one to receive it. I didn't want to leave it on your gate since it might fly away." The police officer said.

The old man snatched the paper and closed the door. Bagwis grew suspicious by the gesture. Who would someone wait 'til ten in the evening to deliver such frivolous mail?

Benitez stayed on his doorstep. His smile dropped as his jaws tightened and his fist trembled with ire, he found the person he was looking for, the guardian of the moon. Rancor flamed his heart when he saw the stone dangling on his neck.

Bagwis crumpled the useless flier and threw it into the trash bin. He clicked his porch light off knowing that the officer was still there. He stashed his swiss knife into his pocket and turned his back from the door.

"Good night sir, keep your doors locked." Benitez said in a low voice. Shivers ran down Bagwis' spine. He peeked through his window and watched Benitez drive away. A strong sense of imminent danger rose inside him. Was it an actual warning? Who was he? While in a daze, the lights inside the living room flickered on and off until it completely went out. He nodded down to look at his amulet now turning red and warm. He got the message. It wasn't a normal cop, he was possessed, and worse, it might probably be the entity he's been fated to battle. But he didn't know for sure yet. The stone can only notify him of a malignant entity nearby. All that he could think of right now was to brace himself for whatever comes his way. He swiftly secured his home and locked all possible entrances. Through the dim-lit room, he pulled an antique chest hidden under the sink. He grabbed his keys and unlocked the rusty padlock and shoved it back in. The chest was of his ancestors that collected all sorts information that every successor must possess. He's been telling Luna different stories but he still had a lot to reveal. With the danger he will be facing tonight, he might flee and leave her on her own. If he stays after the villain finds out about his whereabouts, he will haunt them all. Luna must stay safe. He will keep this chest open for her to unravel the remaining secrets herself.

He stormed into his room to collect his ancient sword but a figure of a man rested on his window. Amid the dark room stood the police officer he saw earlier.

"So, good sir, how's life been since you became the guardian of the moon?" He asked, but with no sense of curiosity.

"Bakunawa." Bagwis murmured out of shock.

Benitez erected and took two small steps towards him, his hands on his pockets with his head down, "You recognize me, that's a good thing."

"You wicked being. To hell with you!" Bagwis exclaimed with contempt.

He slowly looked at him with eyes red as burning coal, cheeks swollen and peeling off, and black liquid oozing slowly from his nose. He is intimidating him with terror to test him. He wanted to see if this guardian was the same as the rest he encountered before, the unsubstantially valorous. Guardians who fought for one battle, for one goal, for Bulan alone and nothing else. Bagwis snatched his knife and pointed it towards him. The brave soldier did not even flinch. His exclusive fearlessness made the terrifying being laugh manically from amusement. These wretched guardians are the same as their god Bulan, unchanging and linear. This was the chink in their armor that he will now use to his advantage. His grotesque appearance vanished and went back to his normal form.

"You're a demon!" Bagwis roared. What stands before him wasn't the being he expected it to be. When the spirit dwells in a human body, it still perform actions the way a human does, only with unimaginable strength and intelligence. The being he's facing seemed to be fully embodying the human puissance and inflicting it with more than it could bear. It wasn't a mere malignant entity anymore, it was a demon, he thought.

"Oh am I?" Benitez bolted toward him in a flash. Bagwis was quick on his feet and slid down to escape the attack. His foot reached the bottom of his bed, kicking the sword underneath it. His hand was an inch away from the hilt of the sword when Benitez kicked his spine. He gasped from the strong impact. Bagwis felt a nearing hand on his collar so he stabbed the incoming arm using his sharp knife. He swiftly rose from the ground and stood in apt stance as he keenly prepares for his next move.

"You will never succeed." Bagwis said and threw a powerful kick to his chin, making Benitez fall to the ground, supine the ceiling. Taking the short break, Bagwis quickly picked up the sword.

Benitez growled in fury and catapulted from the ground. He grabbed the metal tube lying beside the bed that Bagwis had from carpentering. He tenaciously struck it against Bagwis who adroitly protected himself from the attack.

"You will die!" Benitez exclaimed in outrage. Benitez hastily bashed, producing violent clangors as it met Bagwis' strong defenses. He laughed manically in between his attacks, enjoying his opponent's torment.

Alarmed that his sword might break from the relentless powerful clashes, Bagwis strongly thrashed his sword against the tube at once and suppressed him from unabatedly striking. He intensely pressed to dominate the game of strength and maneuvered his opponent's weapon downward. He then strategically spun to the opposite direction and appeared behind him, slashing his back. Blood streamed down his bifurcated shirt. It appalled him to smell a pungent scent of something rotten emitting from the lengthy wound.

A forthcoming blow motioned Bagwis to move back.

"You can't kill me once, guardian. Neither twice." Benitez said as he struck him over and over again.

"You've turned into a demon, you're no longer Bakunawa!" Bagwis exclaimed as he retaliated in attack.

"Whatever I am, as long as I am invincible, I will persevere!"

Benitez lifted the tube, giving Bagwis an opening to his stomach. He slashes his sword but Benitez suddenly disappeared from his sight. While his sword split the air, Benitez appeared behind him in a breeze. He kicked him with great force, throwing him to the other side of the room and dropping his weapon. Bagwis grimaced in pain from the impact. Benitez watched Bagwis in pain, grinning and shaking his head. Bagwis scornfully stared back at him while he got up on his feet. He noticed how tolerant Benitez was of his bleeding rear. He observed the difference between the Bakunawa he is facing now and the Bakunawa his ancestors describe it to be. He appeared and acted like a combination of an evil entity and an evil host that turned itself into a demon. It acted different than anticipated. Winning against the fiend in a single brawl was unlikely. For now, he needs to buy himself time to gather information. He needs to devise a wise strategy.

After a moment, Bagwis braced himself for an unequipped combat despite a several broken ribs. Benitez sneered as he threw his metal tube away. He stretched his neck.

"Fair and square." He said and raised his fists, intently staring back at the guardian.

Police sirens were suddenly heard from the outside. Red and blue lights circulated the entire dim-lighted room. Benitez gritted his teeth with pique and took one glance before escaping, "This is just the beginning, Bagwis." and he suddenly disappeared from the dark.

"Open the door or we're barging in!" Bagwis heard policemen yell from his porch. He briskly collected important things such as his wallet, I.D, and several clothes. He stashed them into the backpack that hung above his bed. After which, he stealthily crawled under his bed where a secret door awaits him. This hidden passage led him into a confined tunnel underneath his home that transports him to a nearby nonoperating parking space. He must leave his home to lure the enemy away from his family and formulate and execute a piecemeal plan.

With compressed lungs and sweaty forehead, he thrusted himself out of the hole. He took a short break and gasped for fresh air. Once he recovered from panting, he looked up to the moon, placed a fist to his chest and promised, "I vow to defend you, regardless of my own life at stake." And after that night, Bagwis went missing.