“It has to be scarlet! The color of flame!”
“No, no, no, you have it all mixed up. Blue fire is better for the spell.”
“So use one of your feathers!”
“Yours are deeper turquoise!”
The two ngio-ngio’s battle of words reached up until the dawn hours.
You see, these are not ordinary talking birds (if you can count a talking bird as ordinary)
Sorcery runs through the rachis of their feathers.
They use their own plumage as reagents for their magic, and as such their spells have particular potency when compared to other adepts. Their rainbow quills coupled with eldritch incantations can manipulate the very fabric of reality.
The elements are us such.
Emerald – The color of life. Used for healing.
Turquoise – The color of the elements. Can be used for grand means such as changing the weather.
Scarlet – The color of passion. Used for enchantments and changing the emotions of their victims.
Ivory – The color of purity. Used to bringing order from chaos. The color of time, with powerful orasyons it can manipulate the hours forwards and backwards.
Onyx – The color of finality. Death comes for all.
Magenta – The color of royalty. Spells made from this color makes lesser beings obey a new master.
Cerise – The color of nurturing. This plumage summons elementals from the aether.
Indigo – The in between. Spells and incantations are modified to be stronger with this color as a reagent.
Amber – the color of fear. Illusions are made by this color, for nefarious purposes.
Gold – The color of greed. Magic used to transmute the mundane into magical or elements into another are done with these feathers.
Silver – The color of illumination. With this, one can see the flow of the machinations of the universe, dispelling illusions and seeing things with true sight.
These colors can blend and react with each other, augmenting the powers of the Ngio-ngio.
“Fine, we’ll use the turquoise.”
“See? I told you so, you should listen to me more.”
“Let us chant.”
“Ngapis, Ngalan, Ngepet.”
“Ngapis, Ngalan, Ngepet”
“With this feather I summon the fire.”
“The fire that burns within and without.”
“Toss the feathers in the fire.”
“Emerald, Gold, Turquoise, Onyx.”
“Tear our foes asunder.”
“Let death rain on our enemies.”
“We are finished.”
“What do we do now?”
“Let’s practice more with augmentation?”
“Pick my golden feathers. I want to see if I can turn stone into gold.”
=—————=
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Inspired by the description in DICCIONARIO MITOLÓGICO DE FILIPINAS, Ferdinand Blumentritt, The Aswang Project, 2021
Illustration by Von Milano used with permission from Rob Martin of Pine Box Entertainment and Secret Garden Games
