A Serpent's Revenge: Bakunawa's Bloodline

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

[MAYA]

For Maya, trying to overcome gym class feels like trying to change who her birth mother is. During the day, she's always out of energy, but at night, that's when she feels like she's the strongest. Unfortunately, lessons are only held in the morning, it's a no brainer that she becomes a punching bag for the other kids.

Maya tries to leap back when one of the kids throws a punch at her. She tries to take a side step, but the abrupt action causes her to wobble when she stops herself from doing a round kick that would have hit the side of her opponent's head.

Her brief hesitation made her opponent go for the attack by launching a kick right to her stomach. Maya stumbles back and ends up on the ground, her pants now covered in dirt.

"Anton!" Oscar, their coach, heads over to the son of Lakapati, a deity of fertility and cultivated fields. "I told you to pull your punches!"

Anton may be a guy, but he is not the bulkiest one out there, which is why the coach has him as Maya's partner. Still, with the power of the god's blood, he can still pack a punch that Maya feels like throwing up.

"I did not even hit her too hard! She's just faking it." Anton defends himself.

Maya can't tell if he is lying or she really is that weak that she can't even stand up to the son of a lower deity. Either way, she figures that she might as well clear things up before Anton gets into trouble and would vent it his anger to her later.

"It's my bad, coach. I trip on my footing. I guess I forgot to maintain a wider stance." Maya alibis, getting back on her feet so she can carry on with the training.

Coach Oscar looks at her in suspicion, already guessing what really happened. Despite Maya's lies, the fact that she can correct her stance like it is a natural thing for her to do is already something that the coach picked up on a long time ago.

In the legends, Mayari is a beautiful, one-eyed goddess who is also the ruler of the moon. Not only that, but Mayari is also the goddess of other things in some lore. Oscar is pretty certain that the girl does not know about that fact. Fighting is in the girl's blood, and yet it seems like she is afraid to follow her instincts. He knows that Maya is weak during the day, but managing to hit back should not be a problem for her. If anyone asks him, he will say that it is Maya who is the one holding back.

The training continues, and Maya feels like her body is about to retire from getting too much beating. Coach Oscar has been constantly switching her partners, who all beat her up without hesitation.

Thankfully, the next class doesn't involve any physical activities but relies more on lore knowledge to understand their powers and where their ancestors come from.

"Maya," Maya wonders why the coach suddenly calls for her at the end of the class. Looking at the man staring down at her, she can only guess that he was not pleased that she was the only one who didn't manage to grasp the concept of fighting.

"Sorry, coach." The words automatically flew from her mouth.

"Sorry? I have not even said anything." Oscar crosses his arms, looking at Maya. "You're the direct daughter of Mayari, the first daughter of the mighty Bathala, and yet why do you cower before the other demigods?"

Maya gives Coach Oscar a tiny smile while rubbing her arm. "It's because I am the daughter of Mayari that I cannot fight. She's a moon goddess. I can control a little bit of water and tame a few night creatures, but that's it."

It would seem like Oscar's suspicions were right. Maya does not know that her mother is not just the goddess of the moon.

"Maya, your mother is not just the goddess of the moon. In other lore, she's also–"