The Malaya siblings and their mother stood on the hill with the Balete tree, preparing to go to Elementalia for the first time.

 

"Are you all ready?" Mina asked. "Did you bring the things you will need?”

 

"Yes, Mama!" they replied.

  

"But I don’t think we can carry all of them!" Sarah added, glancing at the large bags.

 

"Let Roe handle them,” Mina said, nodding at the pixie.

 

"Yes, Lady  Mina. Step aside, everyone!" Roe said. She flew around the bags three times. And as she did, the bags shrunk down.

 

"Now you can fit them in just one pouch!" Roe said proudly.

 

"Wow! Your powers are so handy, Roe!” Peach said. “Literally!"

 

As the triplets placed the tiny bags inside Ian's backpack, he began to complain. “Just why do I have to carry all these things?" he said.

 

"They are not heavy now, right?" Joy winked at him.

 

"Sorry, Ian,” Sarah whispered.

 

Mina taught Ian how to open the portal to Elementalia. She realized that his power was Dimensional Gate Manipulation after he was able to release Roe from being trapped inside the Libreta.

 

"Just chant the spell from the Libreta. Then once you open a portal to Elementalia, the Libreta will bring you to the location of the Agimat,” Mina explained.

 

"Okay, Mama. I need to focus and clear my mind, right?" Ian said. Mina nodded, and Ian opened a page of the Libreta where the spell was written.

 

"KARUNUNGANG MULA SA ELEMENTALIA, MUNDONG PUNO NG BIYAYA. KAMI AY IYONG PAHINTULUTAN, BUKSAN ANG IYONG LAGUSAN!" Ian finished the chant then touched the trunk of the Balete tree.

 

A portal appeared on the tree trunk, growing wider with each second.

 

"You did it, Ian!" Mina said proudly to his son.

 

They entered the portal while saying goodbye to their mother.

 

"Take care of each other! Beware of the playful engkantos and other creatures! Come back home in one piece, okay?" Mina reminded them.

 

"Yes, Mama!”

As they got out of the portal one by one, they tripped and fell on each other, laughing.

 

"Wow! Is this Elementalia?” Peach said excitedly as they stood. “So many giant trees!"

"I think we are in the middle of a forest,” Sarah said.

 

"Ahm. Guys, please be quiet..." Roe tried to get their attention.

 

"Sarah, where are your glasses?" Joy asked.

 

"Huh?" Sarah touched her face. "I must have dropped it when we—Ate, your hair!”

 

"Your pink hair is back, Ate Joy! And my toenails are back too!" Peach said happily.

 

"The ritual doesn't affect us here! That means..." Sarah and her sisters looked at Ian.

 

Ian removed his shirt and knelt to the ground.

"My shadow! I have my own shadow!” Ian laughed and played with his shadow like a child. “Look. It’s following me!” he said, running around without his shirt on while looking at his shadow.

 

"Ian, that’s enough. Put on your shirt!" Joy said, and they all laughed.

 

"Guys, keep it down, please?” Roe seemed frightened.

 

"Why do you look scared, Roe?" Sarah asked the pixie now hiding inside her hair.

 

"I-I think we are in the territory of Wak-waks,” Roe said.

 

 

"Wak-waks? Those half-human half-bird creatures who like to eat human hearts?" Joy said.

 

"Scary!" Peach said in a frightened tone.

 

Suddenly, they heard weird sounds and saw shadows from the trees that quickly passed by.

 

"RUN!”

 

Peach grabbed Joy, who also grabbed Ian, and Sarah who had Roe in her hair. Then they ran.

But the creatures flew so fast, and they immediately cornered the Malaya siblings.

"DAKPIN SILA AT DALHIN SA ATING PUGAD!" one of the creatures said.

 

They tied their hands behind them before they brought Joy and the others to their nest deep inside the forest.

 

Joy pleaded. "Wak-waks, please release us! We are here to look for the elemental amulets and we don't have any intention of harming any of you.”

 

"We are not Wak-waks! We are the Kinnaras! And you will stay here until our leader arrives!" a Kinnara said.

 

They brought the siblings to the deepest part of the forest where they were nesting. Their homes were built high in the trees like giant treehouses, and they left the Malaya siblings inside the highest one.

 

"These vines are preventing us from using our powers,” Sarah said.

 

"What should we do?" Peach asked.

 

"Calm down! They will not hurt us until their leader arrives,” Joy said.

 

"Because they will offer us to their leader and it will eat us alive!" Ian said.

 

"Don't say that, please!" Roe cried.

 

"Quiet,” Joy whispered. “Someone's coming!"

A female Kinnara flew in and placed some fruits in front of them.

 

"Eat,” she ordered.

 

They were stunned by the beauty of the female Kinnara. She didn’t have a bird mask, unlike the Kinnaras who captured them, but she shared the same appearance: a slender body with the lower part of a bird and feathered wings.

 

"T-Thank you for the fruits,” Joy said.

 

"But how can we eat if our hands are tied?" Peach said.

 

The female Kinnara redid their binds using the vines that were hanging from the tree. When she was about to redo Sarah's, Peach bumped into the female Kinnara.

 

"Sorry! I'm really hungry!" Peach said. She winked at Joy who saw what she did.

 

That midnight, Ian woke up because Peach was moving a lot next to him.

 

"Ate Peach, what are you doing?" he asked.

 

"TADA!" Peach untied herself using a dagger.

 

"So cool! Where did you get that?"

 

"Be quiet, Ian! I took it from the female Kinnara,” Peach explained with a chuckle.

 

After Peach released her siblings, they used the vines to climb down the treehouse quietly.

 

Along the way, Ian accidentally stepped on a branch that suddenly broke, and he lost balance and fell. Fortunately, Sarah used her levitation power in time before Ian struck the ground. Unfortunately, the Kinnaras heard the noises, and they all woke up to see the siblings escaping.

 

"Oh, no! They caught us!" Roe said.

 

"We have no choice but to fight!" Joy said.

 

The Kinnaras surrounded them, but the Malaya siblings bravely faced them all.

Author: TenTenJOY03

Editor: Kenneth Villa