The last day of the ASEAN Relics Summit glowed under a web of lantern light.
Their golden arcs swayed with the humid evening breeze, spilling warmth over the central courtyard. Leaders and guardians mingled in measured formality — voices low, smiles polite, relics glinting faintly under the open sky.
Kael, Sena, and Cess stood at the fringe. Kael's gaze wandered over the gathered powerhouses, each a sovereign or sect leader in their own right. If this place ever broke into a fight, he thought, the city wouldn't survive a night.
The ceremony was about to begin — the ritual passing of relic blessings — a symbolic gesture meant to foster trust among the nations. Juan Dela Cruz, Kris of Apolaki in hand, stepped into the center first, Cess by his side with the Spear of Tala.
Shinichi of the Shinto Sect moved next, bowing lightly before offering the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi to Jeong-hwi of the Seong Moon Sect. Jeong-hwi passed the Ashes of King Yeomra to Suzume.
In the background, Lee Jin-ah raised her Sanshin flute. The first notes drifted through the air — low, sweet, like a lullaby woven from ocean waves. It was beautiful enough to still the noise of the crowd.
Until Cess's hand tightened on her spear.
Her relic trembled, a faint vibration running through the shaft. She frowned and tilted it slightly toward the west. The hum became a pull — not toward another relic, but toward the dark waters of Manila Bay.
Sena noticed the shift in her stance. "Cess?"
"There's… something out there." Her voice was tight. "The spear is… calling me?"
Kael's brow furrowed, but before he could press further, the sea answered.
A ripple ran across the surface of the bay — subtle at first, then building into a spiral, a whirl with no wind to feed it. Lantern light warped in the water's reflection.
Lee Jin-ah's music shifted — the notes bending unnaturally, low tones sliding into something almost guttural. Her closed eyes flicked open, but where there should have been whites, there was shadow — a dark haze that pulsed in rhythm with her playing.
From beneath the waves, something moved.
A massive coil broke the surface, slick scales shimmering in oil-slick blues and greens. The whirlpool tightened, dragging debris and seawater into its spinning maw.
Gasps and shouts filled the courtyard.
And then it roared.
The sound was primal, a vibration that rattled through bone and relic alike. The Bakunawa rose halfway, its massive head still submerged, yet its presence pressed down like the weight of the ocean itself.
Cess staggered back, clutching her spear. The stars overhead dimmed, their light bending toward the sea as if answering the Bakunawa's call.
Kael's eyes snapped back to Lee Jin-ah — and saw the truth.
A tendril of shadow coiled from her flute into the distance, disappearing beneath the bay. The melody she played matched the monster's movements — a high trill for its rise, a plunging note for its dive.
"Jin-ah!" Jeong-hwi's voice was sharp, panicked. "What are you—"
The next note from her flute drowned him out. His relic flared, then sputtered, the sand and ash he commanded collapsing at his feet as if crushed by invisible weight.
Kael felt it before he heard it — the oily, heavy pulse of dark power. Then, faint but clear, a voice echoed under the music:
"Even the loyal can be bought… when you offer them the crown."
Sena's eyes widened. "Ottalaus."
The first tidal wave hit the walls, water surging over the parapets. Relic users rushed to form wards, but Shinichi moved with impossible speed, blade slicing through glowing runes before they could stabilize.
On the opposite side, Isagani unlocked the armory and hurled weapons to waiting hands — strangers not in summit colors.
The courtyard erupted into a hundred skirmishes. Leaders shouted orders over the roar of the sea. Suzume's Kusanagi blade flared with golden fire, slicing apart streams of corrupted water. Juan Dela Cruz's Kris burned with Apolaki's power, each strike bolstering those fighting beside him.
But every move, every defense, was countered by Lee Jin-ah's song.
With each twisted note, the Bakunawa lashed at the walls, coils breaking stone, its half-hidden head dragging itself higher. Relics shuddered, resonance breaking under the corrupted melody.
"We need to stop her!" Cess shouted, over the din.
Kael didn't need convincing. "Then move!"
They fought their way across the courtyard — Kael's staff a blur, extending and sweeping to clear paths, Sena's chakrams slicing through enemy lines, Cess's spear flaring with starlight to repel the pressing tide.
The closer they got to the shore, the heavier the air became, the salt sharp and bitter on their tongues.
Lee Jin-ah stood at the very edge, toes nearly in the water, shadow still coiling from her flute into the bay. Her song had deepened, the melody now carrying an undercurrent of rage.
Behind her, Shinichi cut down a guard who tried to approach. "No interruptions."
Cess hurled her spear. It streaked like a comet, aimed not at Lee Jin-ah but the flute itself.
Shinichi intercepted it midair with a single strike, the impact throwing sparks. "Not while I draw breath."
Sena's chakram clipped his shoulder, forcing him to stagger, but Lee Jin-ah's song never faltered.
Kael lunged forward, staff spinning into a strike aimed at the flute.
For a heartbeat, their eyes met — and he saw her, not the puppet. Something behind the shadow, something straining. But the darkness swallowed it whole, and her next note sent the Bakunawa's coils crashing into the shore.
The force threw Kael back into the sand.
Jeong-hwi appeared at Lee Jin-ah's side, his face torn with grief. He tried to grab her arm — and she blew a final, sharp note.
The Bakunawa dove, dragging the whirlpool with it. The water churned violently for a moment, then stilled, the monster sinking back into the deep.
The corrupted tendril of shadow retracted from the bay into her flute. She turned away without a word, disappearing into the chaos with Shinichi and Isagani at her side.
By the time the summit guard regained control, they were gone.
The courtyard lay in ruin. Walls broken, relics drained, alliances frayed.
And Kael stood staring at the dark horizon, the echo of that haunting, corrupted song still lodged in his chest.
The war had started. And Ottalaus had already played his opening move.