"The Sandata aren't just power relics; they are the echoes of the wielder's spirit, the present crucible where past and future converge."
Arrival at the Mandirigma
The Mandirigma Warship, a leviathan of voidsteel and tempest, cast its vast shadow over the Philippine waters. The Baybayin wards etched onto its hull pulsed, syncing with the tides. It was the fusion of myth-tech and ancestral invocation—shrine, citadel, and mobile command.
Operatives, supplies, and the returning Sandata Unit offboarded from the docked airships, their engines sighing.
Decks thrummed with MID-Zeta officers and glyph-bearers. The static of comm-beads carried the latest intelligence: multiple relic activations across Asia. The Convergence was no longer theoretical; it was unfolding, and the Mandirigma was its beating heart.
Summoned by Joaquin Santillan, the Unit—Gregorio Aguilar, Marian Dela Fuente, Agosto Santos, and Renato Ramirez—moved through the inner sanctum. Their respective relics hummed softly, a counter-resonance to the vessel's spine wards. They were specters from distant theaters, bearing revelations that would steer the Republic's next cycle.
The War Council Chamber
The chamber was circular, dominated by a glyph-map table projecting ley-lines.
Holographic relic signatures pulsed like fresh wounds: Osaka, Busan, northern Thailand, Jakarta.
Joaquin and Ricardo stood at the center. Officers ringed the periphery, their gazes locking onto the incoming Unit.
The air, thick with ozone and ritual incense, felt heavy; the warship's wards seemed to hold their breath, awaiting the report of those who carried the Republic's artifacts. Joaquin gestured them forward.
"Report," he commanded.
Gregorio Aguilar's Report – Osaka
Gregorio Aguilar, Captain of the Unit, stepped into the light, the Kamay ni Bathala glowing at his wrists.
"Osaka," he stated. "The Ahas ng mga Lakan is now fully entrenched in the Orochi networks. Raja has finalized the alliance, binding the serpent and the crown—the Haring Sawa and the Pamana ni Lakan—into their syndicate empire."
The glyph-map marker for Osaka intensified.
"I confirmed the presence of Shinken Amakiri, Oyabun of the Orochi. He wields the Masamune—a voidsteel relic thrumming with ancestral fire. The smuggling corridors were exposed, but the networks remain partially intact. Shinken escaped with the Masamune; Raja's alliance endures. The Convergence has moved past cults and saints. Syndicate-state alliances are its new foundation. The serpent and the crown march with the sword of shadows."
Lastly, it is confirmed that the Masamune can summon Spirit Breaches and Echoes.
A silence settled. Magno's jaw tightened. Joaquin shifted his gaze to Marian.
Marian Dela Fuente's Report – Busan
Marian Dela Fuente, the Sundang ni Makiling at her side, moved forward. The faint mist around her betrayed the blade's proximity.
"Busan Harbor. Smuggling fragments of the Makiling Codex via maritime guilds. I located the fragments in falsified containers, but Yoo Min-jun intercepted me."
Busan glowed crimson on the map.
"He is the guardian of the Bonguk Geom—Korea's national relic. His blade cut through my concealment. He asserted Korea's neutrality but warned the world is watching.
He claimed his mission was to secure the smugglers and return the manuscripts to us. I secured some fragments, but the Codex remains fragmented. Sovereignty disputes complicate our claims. The Convergence is now a geopolitical crisis. Nations are unsheathing their relics."
Joaquin raised a hand, turning to Agosto.
Agosto Santos' Report – Northern Thailand
Agosto Santos stepped up, the Kampilan ni Lam-ang strapped across his back, radiating intensity.
"Northern Thailand. Kalawit's allies established clandestine forges, producing void-poison weapons for the Ahas ng mga Lakan. The forges were abominations—villages enslaved, coerced into labor under toxic fumes."
Thailand glowed a venomous green.
"The forges are dismantled; the forgemasters eliminated. Phaya Khamdee, Kalawit's enforcer, is injured but at large. The captives were liberated, but the cost was high—soil and water remain tainted. Resistance cells linger. The Ahas ng mga Lakan are militarizing relic-forging, building arsenals. Their venom will spread if unchecked."
Joaquin turned to Renato.
Renato Ramirez's Report – Jakarta
Renato Ramirez stepped forward, the Kalasag ni Bernardo Carpio in its ancient badge form, his tone steady.
"Jakarta and the Seribu Pulau chain. The Garuda Protocol Archives were under threat from Bakawan and Ahas terror cells. They sought to breach the archives and exploit spirit ruptures to destabilize the region."
Jakarta fractured with light.
"The archives are safeguarded, but Bakawans destabilized ASEAN defenses. Our allies are strained; unity is fragile. The threat persists. The Convergence tests not only our relics but our alliances. If ASEAN fractures, the Republic stands alone."
The War Council's Response
Joaquin Santillan advanced. "Osaka, Busan, Thailand, Jakarta—the Convergence expands. Syndicates, nations, cults, archives—the storm is no longer distant."
Magno's voice, sharp. "The Republic cannot engage on all fronts. Alliances must be forged, but sovereignty disputes will impede cooperation. We prepare for both unity and betrayal."
"The Mandirigma is our mobile command," Joaquin concluded. "The Sandata Unit remains dispersed, operating as the strike network. You are the storm."
Ritual of the Forge
At command, the Unit placed their relics on the glyph-map table: Kamay ni Bathala, Sundang ni Makiling, Kampilan ni Lam-ang, Kalasag ni Bernardo Carpio. Their energies intertwined, resonating throughout the chamber. The glyph-map projected vivid history and prophecy:
Osaka's clash between the Masamune and the Kamay. Busan's Sundang mist meeting the Bonguk Geom. Thailand's forges severed by the Kampilan. Jakarta's Kalasag against Bakawan operatives.
And the distant void path of The Other Gregorio walking between worlds.
The Sovereign Summons
The warship's intelligence was already being mirrored across the continent. Five disparate nations, recognizing the critical threat of the Convergence, issued immediate deployment orders for their most crucial operatives, effectively forming an international strike force.
Yoo Min Jun – Seoul, South Korea
In a subterranean command center in Seoul, Yoo Min Jun received his orders: to transition from border guardian to alliance liaison following the disruptive Busan incident. Representing Korea's interests, he accepted the new mission to integrate with the Sandata Unit, his Bonguk Geom a silent pledge of continental stability.
Tsubame Hayashi-Hime – Tokyo, Japan
Tsubame, a highly specialized asset, received a grave, encrypted dispatch in Tokyo referencing her past cooperation in Osaka. Her mandate was clear: travel immediately to the Mandirigma to offer special operations support, track the Masamune's voidsteel signature, and neutralize Shinken Amakiri. Armed with her Tombo Giri, she prepared for the long journey ahead.
Ari Sujatmiko – Jakarta, Indonesia
In a quiet annex of the National Archives in Jakarta, Ari, specializing in myth-tech defense, was briefed on the near-catastrophe of the Garuda Protocol Archives breach. He was ordered to represent Indonesia in the international deployment, using his Tombak to reinforce spirit-rupture shielding and ensure the stability of the archipelago.
Sutera Kencana – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Pulled from a deep-sea surveillance mission, Sutera received the forward deployment order to the Mandirigma due to the fracturing of ASEAN cooperation. With the serpentine Keris Lautan Niskala secured, her task was to focus on maritime relic movements and secure regional ties in the Straits of Malacca.
Prasert Rattanachai – Chiang Mai Province, Thailand
While overseeing medical extractions near the dismantled void-poison forges, Prasert received orders for immediate transfer. His knowledge of the Ahas network and Phaya Khamdee's methods made him invaluable to the Sandata Unit. His immediate priority is the neutralization of Kalawit and the complete eradication of his network, requiring his Phra Saeng Khan Chaiyasi on the frontline.
Namayan Port City
Namayan Port City—a vital hub for trade, the covert docking point for the Mandirigma, and a major artery for the Convergence. Its docks are under the constant surveillance of Bakawan operatives, warehouses stocked with contraband relic fragments and smuggled voidsteel.
The night was humid, thick with salt. Lanterns flickered over the river's oily sheen. Bakawan operatives, marked by serpent insignias and faint glyph wards, patrolled with ruthless efficiency.
Among them moved a solitary figure: Maximo Imperial, the once-vanished wielder of the Sumpit ni Dumalapdap and former Sandata Unit. His presence was spectral. His flute-weapon was slung across his back, its voidsteel reeds glinting. He was on inventory duty, cataloging shipments seized from cult operatives—glyph-ink, voidsteel shards, fractured relic casings.
The Woman from Namayan
She emerged from the pier shadows, steps hesitant, eyes wide with disorientation. Maximo's gaze fixed instantly; she carried a faint resonance with the Forge itself.
She paused beneath a lantern, and whispered a name—broken, uncertain:
"…Goyo?"
Maximo's Recognition
Maximo silenced the nearby Bakawan operatives instantly. He scanned her for signs of Echo corruption, for the taint of Kasanaan. He knew Sitan's truth:
No one escapes the land of the dead unscarred.
"You shouldn't be here," he murmured. "Kasanaan does not release its residents."
Her eyes shimmered momentarily with an otherworldly glow—a reflection of distant stars—then faded to confusion. "I don't remember. Only fragments. His face… his voice. The promise in a storm."
She was not whole, but she was real. And she remembered Gregorio.
The Weight of Memory
Maximo guided her to a bench. "You knew him. Gregorio Aguilar."
She nodded. "But the memories are broken. I see him in flashes—his hands, his embrace, the light on his wrists, the way he said my name. Then silence."
Maximo closed his eyes. The Forge had played its hand: Gregorio's past had returned, a living fragment.
"You escaped Kasanaan. That should be impossible."
She responded, "Then perhaps I was meant to."
The Silent Oath
Maximo rose, his gaze sweeping the city. The Bakawan were oblivious. "Gregorio must know."
Her eyes widened. "He's alive?"
Maximo nodded. "Alive. And carrying burdens you cannot yet remember."
"Then take me to him," she replied.
Maximo exhaled into the heavy night air. "I will. But not yet. And you have to swear not to tell him that it was not me who brought you to him. The Convergence is rising. Until then, you stay with me. The world isn't ready for what you carry."
She whispered Gregorio's name once more.
The Convergence widened.
And in Namayan, two fragments of the past waited for the storm.