Rico returned from Iloilo City with troubling news. "Don Fernando isn't just a businessman—he's a cultivator too. But his methods are all wrong. He's been using machines and chemicals to force the land to produce more, then draining the excess energy for his own power."
"That's why the drought came," Miguel said, closing the book thoughtfully. "He's been breaking the cycle for years. The land was just finally giving out."
"I also found out something else," Rico continued. "His family has been hunting aswang for generations. They believe our blood holds the secret to eternal life and unlimited power."
That afternoon, Don Fernando arrived with a small army—soldiers, private security, and even a few cultivators he'd hired from other regions.
"Miguel dela Cruz," he called out through a megaphone. "You are charged with endangering public safety and damaging private property. Surrender now, and your people may be spared."
Miguel stepped forward alone, his ring and necklace glowing with gentle light. "Don Fernando, I know what you're doing. Your methods are destroying the land. Let us help you—teach you the true way of cultivation."
The wealthy lord laughed loudly. "Help me? I don't need your primitive nonsense. I have science, I have money, I have power!" He raised his hand, and a wave of harsh, artificial energy shot toward Miguel.