A Serpent's Revenge: Bakunawa's Bloodline

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

[MAYA]

With the necklace of Axel in her hands, she already suspected that Apolaki's son would be present. What she did not expect is for her to see that massive bloodbath awaiting for her by the entrance of the cave. Entrails of guts and aswang parts litter almost every corner of the cave. A wave of nausea hits her, but she pushes it back before looking at the twin diwatas.

"You guys stay here. Lobo and I will go." She proposes.

Adonis and Janella both gives her equal tantalising gazes of shock and disbelief. "You must be out of your mind to even suggest that!" Janella burst out while gesturing at the blood surrounding them. "Look at this! You can't expect us to believe that we would allow you to go there on your own. It's too dangerous. We don't know what's in there."

"And that is exactly why I need you two to stay here." Maya insists. "Yes, it could be dangerous to head inside, and there's a chance that we will die. For all we know, Bakunawa could have already been resurrected. If that's the case, I need you two to stay alive and report what happened to your mother." It's a lie. For some reason, something tells her that this is not the work of Bakunawa, nor could this be the work of Axel alone. There must be a third party at play here for Axel to be able to use his magic this late at night.

"At least let me come along. You might need some backup." Adonis says, moving forward as if volunteering for the task, to which Maya stops him with a raise of her hand.

"And who will guard your sister in case an aswang attacks? Janella is more of a healer than a fighter." That seems to snap Adonis back to reality when he casts a glance at his sister. He sighs and returns his gaze back to Maya. "If you sense danger, hurry up and return. Promise me—"

"Ehem." Janella clears her throat.

"—us." Adonis corrects himself.

Maya smiles at their sincere concerns for her well-being. "Don't worry. I will be careful. I have Lobo with me to keep me safe. If I see either Sigren or Axel, I will immediately send Lobo back to alert you." After assuring the two, Maya and Lobo head off into the cave. She then casts a glance at Ingko, who is still riding on the back of her wolf. "I assume that you want to come along too?"

The serpent looks at her. She can't tell what it is thinking or what sort of message it wants to convey, but it's clear that its purpose for riding along on Lobo's back is that it wants to come along.

"I am going to make one thing clear for you, Ingko, or whatever your name is, if you ever try to betray me again, I will kill you myself. Got it?" It's better for them to set boundaries. With how the serpent betrayed her before, she just wants to let it know that she is not playing games anymore. To her surprise, the serpent responds to her with a firm nod of its head.

The trio begins to wander deeper into the cave, with Lobo trying to follow the scent of blood. The cave is damp and moist, thanks to the change in tides. There are also different openings in the cave that lead to different paths. Not soon after, they start to hear laughter from one of the entrances. The laugh sounds so distorted and psychotic that Maya can't believe that she would even recognize that the voice belongs to Axel.

They can hear vague conversations, and the closer they got to the source, the clearer it became. They first start out as vague whispers that soon turn into idle threats and insults.

Maya heads for the edge of a cliff, looking down at two distinct figures below. Axel has Sigren's neck wrapped around his hand. The serpent boy's tail has severe burns that, even with his powerful regenerative abilities, are taking a lot of time to heal. She can't clearly understand what they are trying to say, but from the tone of their voices, she can guess that they are not in a pretty relationship. Maya turns to Lobo, asking her to head back to Adonis and Janella as a signal that she has found Sigren and Axel. Lobo has just left when Maya heards Axel's next words that are clearly meant for her ears.