By the time the first light of morning finally reached us, it didn't feel sudden.
It crept in slowly.
At first it was just a faint shift in the sky, the darkness thinning just enough to tell you the night was ending. The air felt different too, lighter somehow, like everything that had been pressing down on it was beginning to loosen its grip.
We had been awake the whole time.
Talking.
Or at least trying to.
Anything to keep ourselves from focusing too much on the thing still tied up a few meters away from us.
Cynthia had long since fallen asleep on my shoulder, her breathing steady, her weight barely shifting as the hours passed. I didn't move much either, mostly because I didn't want to wake her, but also because my body had already settled into that strange kind of stillness you get when exhaustion and adrenaline cancel each other out.
Alicia had drifted off somewhere nearby, though I could still feel her presence. Millien stayed quiet for once, watching the horizon like he was waiting for something inevitable.
Then it came.
The first ray of sunlight broke through.
It touched the ground just past the manananggal's body.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then...
A sharp, strained screech tore out of it.
Cynthia stirred beside me, her head lifting slightly as her brows furrowed.
"…What's that smell?" she murmured, still half-asleep.
I didn't answer right away.
Because the moment the sunlight fully reached the creature, its entire body reacted.
It started to burn.
Not like fire catching onto something dry.
It was slower at first, like the light itself was eating through it. The skin darkened, cracked, then began to crumble, turning into ash piece by piece while the creature struggled helplessly against the rope that now only tightened further as it resisted.
The sound it made wasn't loud anymore.
Just… drawn out.
Like something being erased.
Cynthia's eyes opened fully now, and she straightened, instinctively pulling away from me as she took in the sight.
"…Oh," she whispered.
Neither of us moved.
We just watched.
There wasn't anything else to do.
Bit by bit, the manananggal lost its form, its movements weakening until it couldn't even struggle anymore. The wings collapsed in on themselves, the torso crumbling, until finally, there was nothing left but ash scattering lightly with the morning breeze.
Then even that was gone.
Silence settled in again.
This time… it felt different.
[TEAM TASK COMPLETED]
[GAINED + 100 POINTS]
[TASK MODE: NORMAL]
I frowned slightly.
"Normal," I muttered under my breath.
After everything that happened, that's what it was labeled as.
Normal.
I exhaled through my nose and shook my head a little.
"…Fine."
Compared to the kapre, it did feel more controlled.
Still didn't make it feel normal.
I pushed myself up to my feet, stretching slightly as the stiffness in my body finally made itself known. Cynthia followed after a second, brushing her hair back as she glanced at where the creature used to be.
"So… it's really gone?" she asked.
"Yeah," I said. "That's it."
No more tension.
No more waiting.
Just… done.
We headed back inside, the house feeling completely different now. The heaviness from last night was gone, replaced with something quiet, almost peaceful.
Leni was still asleep when we entered.
We didn't wake her.
Not right away.
After everything she went through, she deserved that rest.
So we waited.
It didn't take long.
The moment the sunlight fully reached inside her room, she stirred, her breathing shifting before her eyes slowly opened. Confusion was the first thing that showed on her face as she looked around, trying to piece together what happened.
Then she saw us.
"…It's… over?" she asked, her voice still weak.
I nodded.
"It won't come back."
Her shoulders dropped almost instantly, relief washing over her as her hand moved to her stomach, holding it protectively.
She stayed quiet for a moment.
Then slowly, she pushed herself up and reached for something beside her bed.
A small pouch.
Worn.
Carefully kept.
She held it out to me with both hands.
"This is… everything I have," she said softly. "It's not much, but… please take it."
I looked at it.
Didn't even need to open it to know.
It wouldn't cover half of what we used.
Not even close.
For a moment, I just stood there.
Then I shook my head.
"Keep it."
She blinked.
"…What?"
"You'll need that more than we do," I said, keeping my tone even. "Use it for your delivery."
Her grip tightened slightly on the pouch, like she wasn't sure she heard me right.
"But.."
I cut her off with a small wave of my hand.
"Just listen."
I pointed toward her clothes.
"Wear black. Every day if you can. It helps keep things like that from noticing you."
Then I gestured toward the wok still resting nearby.
"And that, keep it close when you sleep. Put it over your stomach. It'll protect you and the baby."
She looked between me and the wok, then back at me, her eyes slowly filling.
"I… I don't know how to thank you…"
"You don't have to," I said simply.
That was enough.
Behind me, I could feel the others watching, but none of them said anything.
No objections.
No complaints.
If anything, the silence felt… supportive.
We didn't stay long after that.
There wasn't anything left to do.
Once we stepped out, the morning had fully settled in, the sky clear, the road slowly coming back to life.
Gino stretched his arms above his head before glancing at us.
"My place is closer from here," he said. "Let's head there. We can eat, shower, then go straight to school."
No one argued.
Honestly, that sounded better than anything else right now.
The ride didn't take long.
But when we arrived...
I didn't get out of the car immediately.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Gino just grinned as he stepped out.
"What?"
I finally got out and looked at the place properly.
Massive.
There wasn't any other word for it.
It wasn't just a big house.
It was a mansion.
Modern, clean, the kind of place you only see in magazines or on TV. The gate alone probably cost more than everything inside my house combined.
I let out a slow breath.
"…Right."
Cynthia stepped out beside me, looking at the place like it was completely normal.
"Well," she said, nodding slightly, "his family's always been like that. Actually, this one's a bit bigger than ours."
I turned to her.
"…Of course it is."
That was said so casually it almost hurt.
Rich kid normalcy.
Sarah stepped out last, but unlike Cynthia, she looked a bit more… restrained. Her hands fidgeted slightly as she glanced around, like she was already familiar with the place but still not entirely comfortable.
I noticed.
Didn't say anything about it.
As for me…
I wasn't envious.
Not really.
But standing there, looking at that kind of gap between us...
Yeah.
I was definitely aware of it.
"…Guess I'm the only one still impressed by this kind of thing," I muttered quietly.
Gino heard it.
"Don't worry," he said with a laugh. "You'll get used to it."
I looked at the house again.
Then back at him.
"…Yeah. Sure."
Somehow, I doubted that.