The Marks of the Engkanto

⋆༒⋆*༺༽ 𝟛 ༼༻*⋆༒⋆

The grass beneath Akali was soft, cradling her as she sat to eat in the garden outside the acacia tree. Other workers of Pinta sat around her, talking amongst themselves. Now and then, Akali would hear the words human and hate, so she kept to herself and her meal, avoiding the conversations.

A diwata like her--a woman with white hair, bright brown eyes, and beautiful porcelain skin--tended the garden. All diwata had a certain charm. Akali's honey-brown skin and deep black hair were her own. But this diwata had more, and Akali watched in amusement as the woman waved her hand, making the flowers bloom and the grass grow.

Akali smiled. It was nice to see a diwata working. Tending to nature was what they were meant to do, but not Akali. She was meant to be something else--the best tattoo artist, her ink mesmerizing all the Realm of the Engkanto.

She sighed and came back to reality. She wasn't that, not yet.

She looked down at the bowl of stew in her hand and scooped out a bark, then popped it in her mouth. The bark crunched against her teeth, and the taste of sprinkled moonlight came sweet on her tongue. Moonlight was the food of most Engkanto as it gave them immediate strength and health, and the effect on her as she swallowed was as expected, making her light, happy, and smiling.

Something soared above the garden, and Akali looked up. A bakunawa flew above the treetops, its scaled wings widely shadowed the land beneath, its snake-like body trailing in the air.

"Oh!" Akali exclaimed, craning her neck to see the majestic white beast as it landed at the top of the acacia tree and disappeared within the branches. "A bakunawa!" Within her lifetime, she'd only seen a bakunawa thrice, only during eclipses, for they were responsible for eating the sun and the moon at those times--a habit that the creatures need satisfied every few years. She only saw their silhouette then, but now one flew right above her head so that she could make out the details of its midnight scales that glittered like the evening sky.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes." Makka had sat down on the grass beside Akali, holding her bowl of stew. "That is one of the richest creatures in the realm. Owner of many shops in the Central Forest."

"Owner?" Akali whispered, her eyes lingering on the branches, hoping to glimpse the bakunawa again. "What's up there?" Akali jerked her chin to the top of Pinta, where the creature landed.

"The owner's business office. Yes, yes, yes. That's where business is made, but workers aren't allowed there. No, no, no," Makka answered, nodding and then shaking her head.

Akali continued to stare at the branches and leaves of the acacia tree. She never knew that the owner of Pinta was a bakunawa. It made sense to her now. Bakunawa were creatures who hoarded gold, moonlight, and sunlight--the richest, most powerful, and most majestic among the Engkanto.

"I want to meet him," Akali said, excited. This could be her chance to prove herself. If Ma'am Nyan wouldn't allow her to show her artwork, then the owner of Pinta might.

"Meet who? Who, who, who?" Makka asked as she raised the bowl of stew to her mouth, moonlight reflecting on her dark cheeks.

"The bakunawa. The owner of Pinta," Akali pointed to the tree top.

Makka coughed out some of the stew she'd drunk, spilling the glowing liquid on her chin and bark bits on her red sarong. She used the back of her arm to wipe her mouth before saying, "The owner is very busy, busy, busy with business." She nodded as she spoke, dusting the bits of bark from her clothes. "Workers are not allowed to disturb the owner."

Akali sighed her disappointment and looked down at her bowl. Is the bakunawa worse than ma'am Nyan? Would she be thrown out of the shop if she tried to talk to him?