Chapter 5: The Eclipse Map

The wind howled across the floating towers of Langit-Lungsod as Felicita stood at the edge of the balcony, her cloak snapping in the breeze. The sky above was unusually clear, the stars bright as silver nails hammered into the velvet dark.

Her fingers absentmindedly touched the Tongue of Reason hanging around her neck. Two relics acquired. One more to go.

But the third was the most elusive: the Heart of Dayang Kalinaw, the ancient jewel said to be hidden in a place called the Island That Sleeps Beneath the Moon—a name that was equal parts poetic and frustrating.

“Do you think it's real?” Felicita asked Amihan as he studied a scroll by the lantern light. “An island that appears only during an eclipse?”

Amihan nodded without looking up. “Not only real. Dangerous. Some believe it was cursed by an angry diwata. Others say it sank to hide from the eyes of men.”

Felicita sighed. “Why is everything in this world so dramatic?”

He smirked. “You’ve met your enemies, right?”

The monks of Langit-Lungsod granted them access to the Sky Archive, a vast chamber filled with floating books, glowing star maps, and scrolls written in both ancient baybayin and forgotten glyphs. Felicita marveled at how some of the texts reshaped themselves in midair, rewriting their knowledge as if they were alive.

It was in this chamber that they met Wika, the Keeper of Celestial Records—a tall woman with hair like woven clouds and iridescent eyes that shimmered like moonlight on water.

“You seek the Island That Sleeps,” Wika said, voice both melodic and unsettling. “Then you must first find the Eclipse Map, carved by the sky-mappers of long ago.”

“Where is it?” Felicita asked.

Wika didn’t answer. Instead, she raised her hand.

One of the glowing books floated down between them, slowly unfolding like a lotus flower.

It showed not words—but moving images: scenes from history. A fiery war, an underwater city, a blood-red moon.

In the time of the Fifth Eclipse, a voice whispered from the pages,

the Heart was taken to the island sanctuary. It sank beneath the ocean, reappearing only during celestial alignments…

Wika turned to Felicita. “The map was last seen in the possession of the Bakunawa Cult—a secretive group that believes the moon must be devoured for balance to return to the land.”

Felicita frowned. “Let me guess—they’re not friendly.”

“They are fanatics,” Wika said. “And they are preparing for the next eclipse. It occurs in eight days.”

Amihan straightened. “We don’t have much time.”

Their next destination was carved into the Market’s Delivery App like a shopping route:

> Next Location: Isla Matanglawin, Bicol Region

➤ Estimated Travel: 5 hours (Sky Jeepney)

➤ Threat Level: Moderate to High

➤ Warning: Eclipse proximity may affect delivery accuracy

Felicita loaded up supplies—enchanted rice packs, anti-curse spray, and something called a “Bakunawa Repellent” (which she bought mostly out of curiosity).

> Credits deducted: 6.2 Gold

Remaining balance: 4.3 Gold

With the Sky Jeepney fueled by a fresh batch of enchanted feathers and moonroot oil, they soared southward into the rolling gray clouds.

Isla Matanglawin was not on any modern map.

Hidden behind thick sea fog and protected by cliffs shaped like the fangs of a serpent, the island had once been home to a monastery, long since overtaken by nature—and something else.

The moment they landed, Felicita felt it: a hum beneath her skin, like a low-frequency vibration. The air was too still, the trees too silent.

“This place feels… watched,” she whispered.

Amihan tightened his grip on his spear. “Because it is.”

They crept through the jungle, following a moss-covered path toward what appeared to be a ruined stone temple. Glyphs of moons and serpents lined the archways. In the center was a large obsidian altar, and behind it—a mural carved deep into the rock.

It was the Eclipse Map.

Felicita stepped forward. The mural pulsed faintly, reacting to her presence. A voice echoed in her mind—not spoken aloud but transmitted through the Tongue of Reason.

“Three shapes guide the eye: the sun, the moon, and the eye of the sea.”

“Only when all align will the heart rise.”

She reached forward and pressed her hand against the center glyph—a red gem painted into a solar eclipse.

Suddenly, a rumble. The ground trembled. And from the forest behind them came the rustle of movement—boots on leaves, metal scraping stone.

“They’ve found us,” Amihan hissed.

Figures emerged from the trees, cloaked in black with serpent masks covering their faces. One of them, taller than the rest, pulled off his hood to reveal a tattooed face and eyes like molten gold.

“I am Alakdan, Seer of the Bakunawa,” he said. “And that relic does not belong to you.”

Felicita raised her chin. “I’m not here to steal. I’m here to restore balance.”

Alakdan’s eyes narrowed. “Balance comes only through consumption. The moon must be swallowed. The sky must bleed.”

Amihan stepped in front of her. “I don’t care what your myths say. Step aside.”

But Alakdan raised his arm, and the temple behind him shuddered. Stones cracked apart as a massive creature slithered out—serpentine, with scales like glass and eyes made of glowing moonlight.

“The Bakunawa,” Felicita gasped.

“No,” Alakdan whispered, reverent. “A fraction of its spirit. A projection. But deadly nonetheless.”

They ran.

Felicita tapped the Wondrous Market mid-sprint, searching frantically for anything tagged “beast defense” or “serpent bane.”

> Item found: Lightning Bolas – 2 Gold

Item found: Bakunawa Lure (Screaming Moonstone) – 1.5 Gold

She bought both without hesitation.

The bolas appeared in her hand, crackling with arcane energy. As the serpent crashed through the trees, fangs gleaming, she hurled the weapon.

It wrapped around the beast’s neck, exploding in a burst of light.

The Bakunawa howled, momentarily stunned.

“Now!” Amihan shouted. “To the altar!”

They reached the obsidian slab. Felicita held up the Tongue of Reason and the Compass Amihan had gifted her before. The symbols on the mural began to glow—aligning, shifting. A hidden compartment opened, revealing a scroll sealed with silver wax.

> ECLIPSE MAP ACQUIRED

A magical navigational scroll that reveals the location of the Sleeping Island during a lunar eclipse. Can only be activated under moonlight.

They barely escaped aboard the Sky Jeepney, bruised and out of breath.

From above, Isla Matanglawin looked deceptively calm—its fanged cliffs hiding the chaos beneath.

Inside the cabin, Felicita unsealed the scroll. As she held it beneath the moonlight, glowing lines expanded across the parchment like a breathing map.

A blinking dot appeared in the middle of the ocean, east of Samar.

A crescent moon sigil hovered over it, pulsing in time with her heartbeat.

“That’s it,” she whispered. “The Sleeping Island.”

Amihan rested a hand on her shoulder. “We’re almost there.”

She nodded, determination in her eyes. “And we have eight days before the eclipse. Let’s not waste a second.”

End of Chapter 5

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