Lola Sabel rose slowly, leaning on a staff made from balete wood, and led Miguel to a wall covered in ancient carvings.
"Long before ships came from across the seas," she began, tracing a finger over the images, "our people were the stewards of these islands. We called ourselves Tagapangalaga—guardians."
She pointed to a carving of a woman with wings of bat and hands of claw. "This was the first Babaylan Aswang. She could shift her form to travel between the forest and the spirit world, to heal the sick and drive away corruption that poisoned the land."
"Then why do people fear us now?" Miguel asked.
"Because power frightens those who do not understand it," Amihan spoke up from the doorway. "When strangers came, they saw our abilities as threats. They told lies to turn villages against us, forcing us to hide."
"Not all lies, though," Lola Sabel added, her voice heavy. "There were those who let power twist their hearts—who used cultivation for greed and harm. They stained our name, and we had to banish them. But our true path has never wavered: to protect balance, not destroy it."
Miguel stared at the carvings, feeling a connection he'd never known before.