In a realm crafted by the Ancestral God, the Chief Bathala grapples with her destiny despite blocked divine vessels and limited spiritual power. Plunged into the Mirror of Afterlife during a clash with the Devil God, she embarks on a journey through...
The Ancestral God created the Immortal realm, Demon, and Human realm. He bestowed authority to the Chief Bathala, who, by birth had a blocked God vessel and little spiritual power. The God realm is supreme where three High Gods command all Bathalas, the God of Fire, Water, and Demon God.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The Demon realm and Heavenly realm have been in chaos since the beginning, the inevitable grudges caused too much trouble to the Human realm beneath, and the God realm has never been too busy to settle such disputes all through the ages.
This sunny day twenty thousand years before the Ancestral God created this new ruler, when he passed the cultivation of spiritual power and broke the space and left, an emergency council meeting is about to take place at the Grand Hall of Mata Palace- the home of the Chief Bathala. Numbers of deities started to ascend towards the Palace with buzzing talks.
"I saw a bunch of evil spirits wandering near the Menor Wasteland. Is it that there'll be a Devil God born?"
"Impossible! Cultivating evil spirits is prohibited since the beginning. Though he can be considered a true God and an overlord, the nature of its power is cunning and nothing but evil. Who dare to sow such deed is an enemy to the three realms".
One by one figure fills their places inside, facing the Peacock throne, set with jewels and raised on a dais with gold steps. Below it was two far seated High Gods. Dylan, God of water with his brass works and tinalak/t'nalak (cloth woven from dyed abaca fiber, with geometric patterns, said to be from the dreams of the weavers), and Apolinario the God of Fire wearing beautifully edge with white beads and has beaded tassels Lan-ma (body jacket), small Pom-poems at the edge and has a necktie with beaded tassel tapet, a narrow loincloth abag profusely decorated with yellow, white and black glass beads, beaded fringes and chases brass weights and a barkcloth fiber head wrap.
Finally, the awaited judge had appeared in front, majestically.
" Greetings to the Chief Bathala " echoed in unison
Celeste turned to reach her throne without replying to the mass. Her camisa was a collarless waist-length black tube, paneled skirt where panels of strongly coordinated colors of black and white, sewn alternately into ballooning saya. Stiff neck covering pañuelo covering the back where an embroidered Sari manok matches the colorful tapis and suwat. The pañuelo fastened securely in front by gold brooches of Sampaguita. Her tapis was hand-woven and suwat- beads attached to a wooden comb decorated with hand-cut glass and carved designs sat on her bun hair-like crown. The Punong Bathala is finally seated showing her emotionless but not mean stare.
