This is for my kind.
It was thus:
The sorcerers of our kind would call on the spirits of the Laman Lupa, those inside the earth. From there they would give part of their souls to be locked away into the stones, they were called Bato-bato. The remnants of their essence would travel freely in the Encanto realm, enjoying the splendor that only we could produce.
I am but a neophyte binder and this was my first test. The earth spirit was an Idaemonon, a Laman Lupa that was innocuous, but even the most harmless would learn how to fight in their new shell.
Our magic is carried through the winds, our incantations and invocations said out loud through the aether.
To augment the spell we take part in the magsaot, the dance of souls.
The binding requires stones sourced from the earth. For this ritual I have chosen marble. The shades of pink and green reminding me of the spires of my spirit-home. Only the best and most precious materials were used in Biringan, our enchanted realm.
I close my eyes and focus the spirit energies towards the marble.
It goes in parts, first the legs, strong and sturdy. Then the torso, stable enough to carry all the extremities. The arms were next, the form was beautiful, but beauty wasn’t the goal. The Bato-bato were warriors, strength was needed for their cause.
And finally, the head. An eldritch inscription was traditionally etched into the facsimile of the forehead.
In the writing of the beings in the islands I put: Fervor.
The soul of the Idaemonon coalesced into the marble frame and it stood up, looking at the surrounding engkanto.
Another fighter poised at the border between worlds.
The ritual sapped my energy and I crumpled to the ground as I finished.
As was the agreement, the Laman Lupa levitated its being, taking the form of a short engkanto and flying to the spires of Biringan.
The binders were told that many more would be needed, for what purpose we do not know.
In the next weeks I will bind another, then another, then another.
For my kind.
For Biringan.
=———————–=
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Inspired by the Bato-bato and engkanto legends
Illustration by Kian Reglos used with permission from Rob Martin of Pine Box Entertainment and Secret Garden Games
