"In the clash of echoes and reflections, the truth will emerge—not from the relics or the chaos they unleash, but from the courage to face the shadows within."
Kasanaan – The Gamble of Fire
The silence of Kasanaan trembled.
Sitan stood at the edge of the glyph-forged dais, the Palakol ng Kasanaan resting against his shoulder, spectral flames dripping from its edge. Beside him, Dian's fingers danced along the Sinulid ng Kapalaran, the luminous thread pulsing erratically, weaving visions that remained elusive.
"She has crossed," Dian whispered. "Kristel has passed the veil."
Sitan's jaw tightened. "Then the gamble begins."
Both understood the stakes. Kristel was not the woman the Other Gregorio had truly loved; however, her resemblance stirred memories and shattered certainties. This was deception, and the Forge would not forgive it.
"He will know," Dian warned. "The Other Gregorio walks with the eyes of Bathala. He will see through her."
"And he will condemn us for it," Sitan replied. "Eternal fire. No escape."
Dian's thread shimmered, revealing a flicker of the Other Gregorio—his silhouette traversing void corridors, reality unraveling with each step.
"But if he hesitates," Dian suggested, "if he falters for even a moment—the Gregorio of the Sandata Unit may find the strength to confront him."
Sitan turned toward the horizon of Kasanaan, where the glyph portals pulsed faintly. "Laon and Mandayog?"
"Recovered," Dian confirmed. "Their Sandatas are charging. The Convergence draws near."
Sitan raised the Palakol, its flames roaring. "Then we fight. When the Other Gregorio arrives, we stand with the Sandata Unit. No more shadows. No more waiting."
Dian nodded, her thread coiling into a knot of resolve. "The true Convergence is not about relics or nations; it is when the two Gregorios confront one another."
In that reckoning, the world would either fracture or be reforged.
The Anino Watches – The Heart of Bathala
Beneath the old capital, in a chamber carved from obsidian and sealed with ancestral wards, the Anino ng mga Anitos convened once more.
The walls pulsed with glyph-light, each surface inscribed with relic logic older than the Republic itself. At the center of the room stood the Heart of Bathala—a Cataclysmic Tier Relic, dormant yet alive, its surface spiraling with shifting sigils that responded to breath, thought, and prophecy.
Silence enveloped them; words were unnecessary.
Senator Datu Alon, his hand resting near the sheathed Dahong Palay, gazed into the relic's core. "The fracture is widening. The two Gregorios will meet. We must be prepared to seal them."
Governor Lakambini Reyes, adjusting the Abaniko ni Urduha, let the fan's stormlight shimmer across the chamber. "Let the world believe it commands the Convergence. We understand its true nature. We shape its conclusion."
Ambassador Tala Martinez, her Panulat ng mga Makata inscribing containment glyphs into the air, murmured, "The Heart will endure. But only if the paradox is complete."
General Ramon Dimagiba, the Agimat on his chest pulsing with tactical resonance, nodded.
"Our relic-forged army stands ready. They will not hesitate; they were created for this moment."
Congresswoman Aura Medina, her hands hovering above the Bolang Kristal, whispered,
"The seal must be exact. If either Gregorio resists, the Heart will rupture."
Above them, a crow perched silently, its feathers absorbing the light. It had witnessed gods fall and mortals ascend. It would observe once more.
Their army awaited. Artificially forged Sandata relic wielders, operatives born not of lineage but of ritual and algorithm. Their armor shimmered with synthetic glyphs, their weapons tuned to unstable frequencies.
They were not chosen by the Forge; they were engineered to endure it.
And when the signal sounded, they would swarm.
Namayan Port City – The Ravenus Ascends
In the coastal shadows of the Port City of Namayan, the Ravenus stirred.
Maximo Imperial stood atop the airship's loading ramp, his fingers brushing the voidsteel reeds of the Sumpit ni Dumalapdap. The Ravenus, the lead airship of the Ahas ng mga Lakan, had been refitted—its hull reinforced with glyph wards, its engines attuned to pulse with relic energy.
Kristel stood beside him, her gaze distant. The girl who had crossed the veil of Kasanaan. The girl who bore a striking resemblance to the woman Gregorio had lost.
"I remember my name," she said softly. "Kristel."
Maximo nodded, his expression steady. "Good. Hold onto it."
Her memories remained fragmented—flashes of Gregorio's voice, the scent of the Clark Shrine, the warmth of a promise never fulfilled. Yet she was real. And she was present.
The Ravenus ascended from the dock, its engines roaring. Below, Bakawan operatives scattered, their patrols disrupted by the sudden ascent.
Maximo calmly adjusted the helm and declared, "We will proceed east, towards the warship, the Mandirigma. As we draw closer, we can expect hostility. However, I have devised a plan to ensure our safe entry."
Kristel's hand tightened on the railing. "Will he recognize me?"
Maximo did not answer. He couldn't.
But as the Ravenus pierced the clouds, alarms blared across the deck.
Battle airships—marked with the sigils of the Anino ng mga Anitos—descended from the stratosphere. Their hulls shimmered with obsidian alloy, their weapons primed with cataclysmic glyphs.
The airship battle had commenced.
Namayan Skies – The Ravenus Dogfight
The Ravenus executed a sharp bank, narrowly avoiding a barrage of Runic Gatling fire that transformed the clouds into ribbons of shredded vapor. The Anino's Silencer opened its belly, releasing drone-fighters that swarmed like locusts, their wings glistening with synthetic glyphs.
"Drones incoming, port side!" shouted a gunner aboard the Ravenus.
"Light them up!" barked Maximo.
The Ravenus' Runic Gatlings roared to life, firing streams of tracer rounds that sliced through the swarm. Explosions erupted like fiery blossoms, with debris cascading into the sea. The water below hissed as burning wreckage struck, sending waves crashing against the mangrove banks of Namayan.
Fishermen abandoned their boats, scrambling for the safety of the shore as the bay ignited.
Above, the Obsidian Wing launched a volley of Glyph Missiles. They spiraled downward, their runes glowing red-hot, each leaving a trail of smoke sigils across the night sky.
"Missiles locked! Brace!" the navigator cried.
The Ravenus rolled violently, evading the barrage. One missile clipped its tail, detonating in a burst of blue flame.
The shockwave rippled outward, shattering windows throughout Namayan Port City. Roof tiles cascaded into the streets, while civilians screamed as the blast toppled market stalls and sent sparks igniting the wooden piers.
"Tail stabilizer hit!" reported an engineer. "We're losing balance!"
"Hold her steady!" Maximo growled. "Return fire!"
The Ravenus' Arcane Cannons roared, unleashing beams of compressed energy that tore into the Obsidian Wing.
The enemy ship shuddered as containment wards collapsed, spiraling downward. It struck the bay with a thunderous crash, creating a tidal surge that swept across the shoreline.
Entire fishing shacks were obliterated, their bamboo stilts snapping like twigs.
The Crownbreaker surged upward, its prow resembling a serpent's jaw. It unleashed a barrage of binding spears, voidsteel shafts tethered by glowing chains. One struck the Ravenus' wing, dragging it sideways.
"Starboard wing compromised!" shouted the first mate. "We're being pulled!"
"Cut those chains!" Maximo commanded.
The Ravenus' gunners swiveled their turrets, Gatlings blazing. The chains snapped, but the falling spears plunged into the bay, detonating with concussive blasts that sent geysers of seawater soaring hundreds of feet into the air. The shockwave tore through the mangroves, uprooting trees and scattering flocks of birds into the smoke-choked sky.
The Ravenus' engines screamed as it broke free, climbing vertically into the storm clouds.
In a maneuver that defied belief, it inverted and dove straight at the Crownbreaker. Its cannons thundered, ripping through the serpent-prow and sending the massive vessel spiraling into the sea. The impact generated a shockwave so violent that the shoreline cracked, and seawalls collapsed into the tide.
The Silencer regrouped, launching a lattice of glyph nets designed to ensnare the Ravenus mid-flight.
"Netting pattern closing in!" a lookout yelled.
"Not today," Maximo snapped. "All guns—fire at will!"
The Ravenus sliced through the nets with sheer firepower, Gatlings shredding the glowing lattice into burning fragments.
The debris rained down on Namayan's warehouses, igniting their thatched roofs. Flames spread rapidly, smoke curling into the night as dockworkers fled in terror.
Civilian POV – Captain of a Passenger Airship bound for Namayan
From the cockpit, I struggled to breathe. My passengers pressed against the windows, their faces pale and eyes wide. Children cried while elders prayed.
"Captain, should we turn back?" my co-pilot inquired.
I shook my head. "If we turn, we'll fly straight into their crossfire. Maintain course. Pray they don't see us."
Through the glass, I watched the legendary Ravenus bait the two remaining ships into a crossfire.
A Victorious Maneuver
The Anino unleashed missiles, Gatlings, and spears, converging in a tempest of destruction.
At the last moment, the Ravenus veered upward, and the Anino's own fire tore into its allies. The Obsidian Wing erupted in a chain of explosions, while the Silencer, crippled and smoking, limped away.
Below, the bay boiled with wreckage. Burning oil slicks spread across the water, igniting fishing boats. The shoreline was littered with shattered piers, collapsed warehouses, and the anguished cries of those who had lost everything in a single night.
The Ravenus steadied itself, engines flaring as it turned eastward into the storm.
Above Namayan, the sky seemed to hold its breath—for the Convergence was no longer on the horizon.
It had begun.