Chapter Text
The once-sacred building breathes with nature. Cracks in the stone let in streaks of sunlight, vines crawl up broken pews, and birds chirp in the rafters. In the center stands Stell’s statue, cloaked in moss and soft light.
Four boys are scattered around—sweaty and uneasy.
“Okay, sino sa inyo 'yung stalker? Like, what even is this place?! I was just following an insect, not joining a cult, okay?” Sinimulan ng maputing lalaki na may matangos na ilong, chinito ba ‘to?
“Teka, teka! Wala akong alam sa inyo ha. Nandito lang ako para kumuha ng damo—herbal ‘to, hindi ‘yung iniisip mo.” He looks around warily. Yung nunal niya sa labi sumasabay sa paggalaw ng labi niya, then he changed the subject:
“Sinong nauna dito?”
“Kalma, kalma! Ako… hindi ako yung nauna, pero nakita ko ‘to, nakatayo lang.” Pagamin niya, sabay turo sa moreno na lalaki, eto na ba si TDH?? Charut.
“Hoy, wag ka nga manuro, baka manuno ka.” Banta ni TDH.
Napaisip si chinito “Uhm… manuno? That’s real?”
“Oo, at ikaw ang susunod.” Tinarayan naman ni baby face.
“Hey! Don’t say stuff like that!! Baka mangyari nga..!”
“Hoy, ‘wag na kayong magtakutan… Aba’y bakit ba kayo nandito?” Tanong ni TDH.
“Same question! Gusto ko lang namang mag-take pictures ng insects!”
Inilabas naman ni Chinito yung kamera mula sa bag at ipinakita ang mga litrato na puno ng insekto. Na-curious si baby face, at nilapitan si chinito ng makita ng maayos yung mga litrato.
“Wow, maging Ethnology ka ba?” Bulong niya.
“Ethnology?? Entomology kasi ‘yun.”
“Gagi, rinig mo ‘ko diyan??” Lumingon siya kay TDH dahil sa pagko-correct sa mali niya.
“’Di ka kasi nakikinig sa mga lesson.”
“Do you guys know each other? Your away-ing is so natural.”
“Yes, po, baby!”
Gasp “OMG, KADIRI!!”
“Ano ba ‘yan, tama na, mukhang pare-parehas lang tayong naliligaw.”
They all go quiet for a moment. A breeze moves through the broken window, making the vines rustle gently.
“...except me. Tambayan ko ‘to eh.” Pagdugtong ni TDH.
“...So like..are we not gonna mention the elephant in the room?”
Now that chinito mentioned it, a massive statue has been towering over them this whole time, but rather than an intimidating aura, it expresses such a serene and fulfilling vibe.
“Wow, gaano na kaya kaluma ‘to…”
“A few centuries, actually..” Sabay-sabay silang lumingon kay TDH.
“’Nu ba, kuwento ’yun ng lola ko.”
“That’s freaky. Pero like… how can this just be forgotten? Sobrang ganda niya oh!!”
“Teka nga, ano ba pangalan niyo? Naiirita na ko sa pag-iingles nitong chinito eh”
“Thank you, it’s all natural. Jahni nga pala.”
“Ahh, Joris, ‘tas ayan si Kali.”
Hinanap naman ng tatlong ulo yung pang-apat. Iniikot-ikot na niya yung estatwa.
“Huy ikaw! Ango ngalan mo ya?”
“Ponlo!” Sinigaw niya pabalik.
“Ano daw?”
“Polo.”
“POLO?! Who names their child like that!”
Coming to Ponlo’s place, he can’t seem to take his eyes from the statue.
“Woah, grabe no? Sino kaya nag-carve nito..”
The other three nodded in agreement
“Malay mo, dating diyos-diyosan”
“Siguro..”
A comfortable silence sat between them, the wind ruffling the vines, the leaves gliding above the statue, gracefully landing and somehow…avoiding its face?
The statue stood half-hidden beneath creeping vines and delicate moss, nestled against the cracked wall of the old church. It was carved with such detail that it could easily be mistaken for a woman caught mid-breath—each strand of hair flowing naturally down to his shoulders, every vein on his arms and neck carefully chiseled, each eyelash delicately etched in marble.
His expression was calm, almost serene, as though he were still watching over something unseen. A finely carved silk cloth was draped over his lower half, modestly covering him, but his upper body was bare, luminous in the faint sunlight that broke through the church’s crumbled roof. The years had not been kind—green moss clung to his torso, and vines crept along his limbs—but his face remained untouched, as if the forest itself had decided to protect it.
His eyes, though just stone, carried an uncanny gentleness, and if you stood there long enough, you could almost feel the warmth of a real presence—quiet, ancient, and full of love.
“Okay, enough with the aura farming…bakit halos parang sabay-sabay yung pagpunta natin dito??” Pagputol ni Jahni sa katahimikan
“There’s no way this is all just a coincidence..right..?”
The question sat eerily in the silence, finally processing the sudden meeting of not two, but 4 people in one isolated location.