Mala
Babaylan/Shaman - Conduit to the Spirit Realm
Their expression of gender shifts between masculine and feminine and can be displayed in how Mala dresses, expresses, and describes themselves.
We all have secrets, and Mala has one that’s life-changing. This access to power does come with a price, and for Mala, it has been the challenge of embracing what makes them different, the beauty and the pain of it all.
Will Mala find that hope to guide them through this journey?
"Miss. Another person who also recognizes me as a miss. A simple honorific, but also a powerful word that usually addresses a woman. Am I a woman? Sometimes, I feel that way, noticing the strong feminine energy within me. I have always grown up feeling like a miss at times and at other times, also not a miss. This feeling—it is not like a tug of war between my identity, but instead like a shifting of the soul."
Mala
Salem
Hunter/Young Warrior
He is the eldest of the two siblings - kuya - and a natural hunter skilled in the art of archery. Salem worked as a local fisherman and hunted to feed for his family. The pressures of responsibility at such a young age has made Salem a natural leader. Although he can be arrogant and smirky, he has a big heart.
​
Like most older brothers, Salem is tasked with the heavy responsibility of not only being the provider for the family but a defender of Zambo - his home.
​
But when given the ultimatum to leave home to help Mala on their quest, will Salem choose family over duty?
​
"They say that during the day the Manananggal disguises itself as an older, beautiful woman," I change my voice to cultivate a menacingly dramatic tone, "But at night it severs its own upper torso and turns into a demon with bat-like wings and they lure men and eat their hearts out of their bodies. They say their favorite meal is unsuspecting sleeping women, especially those who are pregnant."
Mala shivers, "Why pregnant women?"
"Think about it, it’s like a two for one deal."