"The Moon Shines On Death..."

Slumber

"He's dying."

"I know!"

"Grandfather do something!" Haliya was sobbing as she tried to shake Bulan awake.

"It's all in your hands now Kaptan." Sidapa calmly said.

"It's not that easy for me to decide. I don't... I can't..."

"You knew this time would come. You had centuries to prepare yourself." Sidapa countered.

"Grandfather do something! Please!" Haliya screamed at the older man.

"He's dying." Sidapa repeated.

"And you would like that wouldn't you! You'll have my grandson all to yourself if he dies!" Kaptan turned an angry face at Sidapa. The god of death did not flinch.

"Either way is beneficial to me. If Bulan dies I will forever have him in my care. But the world would benefit more if his light was not extinguished. I would simply join him here, on surface world until he is ready to retire to the afterlife. Like I said earlier... it's all in your hands now, Kaptan."

The heavenly god looked at his grandchildren, one red and still bleeding with half of her body blue with bruises. The other pale, his veins turning stark green as the poison traveled through his system.

"Sidapa, carry Bulan to the sky. Haliya, gather the stars and fashion a mask for yourself. Stand guard as Sidapa and I revive your younger brother."

The gods rose slowly to the black sky. Sidapa gently cradling the limp body of his brilliant moon.

"Take my sword Haliya, command the air, and the waves of the sea. Once the process begins it must not be interrupted."

Kaptan rose higher, he then used his power to transcend time, to pull back the lifeless moon from when it faded to worlds between life and death. Thunder, lightning, and rain began to appear.

Haliya called forth the stars, they obeyed and Haliya made a shimmering mask of protection for herself. Kaptan's sword emitted electricity, and her armor changed to one of indestructible design and shining light.

"Hurry Kaptan, the poison has almost reached Bulan's heart." Sidapa warned Kaptan.

"Now, Sidapa! Place Bulan's frame at the center of the waning moon. Let its dim light engulf him." Kaptan succeeded in materializing the lifeless moon, faint, but now solid in texture.

Sidapa gently laid Bulan's weakened body into the soft glow. His body merging with the light. The sphere absorbing the boy's lifeforce.

"Kaptan, seal the sphere. We must both generate healing and life if we are to revive your youngest grandchild."

Kaptan used his lightning bolts to repair the hole in the sphere and seal Bulan's body into the moon like a cocoon. Sidapa used his death sword to slash a major vein in Bulan's wrist where the venom would drip out off.

Bulan would absorb the unused shell of the lifeless moon to repair his body. The venom would seep out of his weakened system and pour out into the dark clouds Sidapa used to cloak the dim sphere where Bulan and the hollow moon are being merged. Kaptan breathed into the moon before he completely sealed it, his breath would blow new life into the fragile body of his grandson.

Haliya watched, aware of the process being used to revive his younger brother, a process that needed both light and darkness to attain.

"It will take eight cycles for the process to be completed. We will take shifts guarding and protecting the little one as he sleeps and recuperates.

"Haliya, guard your brother during the night until morning when your light is strongest. Sidapa, protect Bulan during the afternoon when Adlaw is at his brightest. See to it your dark clouds are impenetrable by the sun's burning rays. I will stand guard during the late afternoon and early evening to rain water on Bulan to cool him off and lower his fever caused by the poison. I will stand watch over Bulan until Haliya's shift takes over."

"Grandfather, I am scared. What if I am not good enough? What if the Bakunawa returns, and I fail to protect my brother." Haliya asked Kaptan.

"We can only do what we can my child. The rest is up to fate. Do your best, and remember how Bulan braved his death to save you. Your love for your brother will not fail you Haliya. Sidapa and I won't be too far incase you need our help."

"The dark clouds I wrapped Bulan in will hide him from the Bakunawa's sight incase the serpent resurfaces. Kaptan has placed Bulan in between planes, and is nothing but a shadow in this dimension. However, we cannot take chances. We do not know the extent of the capabilities of the sea creature to travel between folds of time and space. Hence, we need to be on the look out." Sidapa said, summoning his bats to patrol the area.

"For now, we start the shift together. I don't think I can find a more important issue that I need to attend to than my grandchildren's situation." Kaptan said embracing Haliya.

"I will stay too. My brilliant moon needs me, and I want him to feel my prescence near him though he sleeps and dreams the time away."

The dark clouds emitted lightning around a red moon. This is what could be seen on the small island where Asuang watches the night sky with squinted eyes. Angry at the defeat of the Bakunawa, he now needs to find a new ally to carry his plans of eradicating the light of the moons from ever interfering, with his resolve to rid the world of humans.

He gave the sky filled with flying black bats a final glare, before sneaking away to retire for the night. He will rest and plan his next move as he... slumbers.

A/N:

        Just a point of clarification... since Bulan was between life and death after having been severely wounded by the Bakunwa, it was needed to combine the god of light's power to prevent Bulan's light from being extinguished, as well as the god of death's control over souls leaving the plain of the living to prevent Bulan's soul from travelling to the afterlife.

     Although it would have been easier for Sidapa to merely return Bulan after he passes over to the afterlife, he still showed his respect for his friend Kaptan by asking him to decide for Bulan's fate. It shows how much he values Kaptan's rank as the chief god, as well as Kaptan's role as Bulan's loving grandfather.

                                        M&M