Six years passed. The once-quiet village was slowly changing, but the house of Aling Rosa remained untouched by time. The baby - Samuel - grew into a bright, healthy boy. Yet, there was something different about him.
He hardly spoke to other children and often wandered alone. Sometimes, his parents would catch him staring at the roof, unmoving for minutes at a time.
One night, as the wind howled against the windows, Samuel tugged at his mother's skirt.
"Mama," he whispered, "she's back."
"Who, anak?"
"The bird lady. She's watching me from the trees."
Elena froze. The same chill ran down her spine - the same feeling she had when she was pregnant with him. That night, she barely slept, jolted awake every time she thought she heard flapping wings.
The next morning, a neighbor came running. Their goats had been found dead - dried out, skin wrinkled, eyes wide in terror. No blood. No signs of wounds.
"It's happening again," muttered Aling Rosa, holding a crucifix tightly.
They called for Mang Jose, a local albularyo who was once a close friend of Elena's grandfather. After a silent inspection of their house, he spoke grimly.
"The Tiktik never truly left," he said. "Wounded, yes, but not defeated. She marked your child. Now that he's older, she's come to claim what she thinks is hers."
Chapter 3: The Blood Moon
The albularyo instructed them to perform a midnight ritual under the blood moon, which was set to rise in three days. They were to draw protective symbols around the house using ash and salt, burn incense made from dried kabayong damo, and place a small mirror under Samuel's pillow - to reflect the evil back to its source.
That night, Elena watched over her son closely. Just after midnight, they heard it again.
"Tik… tik… tik…"
This time, it was louder. Closer.
The banana leaves on the roof rustled violently. The old wood creaked under something heavy. Mang Isko gripped his machete tightly, while Mang Jose began chanting in a language older than anyone could understand.
A sharp, shrieking cry echoed across the trees. Then, a large shadow swooped past the window - twice as big as any bird they'd ever seen. Its eyes glowed red in the dark.
Suddenly, the flames from the candles around the house flickered, almost going out. Samuel began to convulse in his sleep.
Elena held him close, whispering prayers through tears. The mirror beneath his pillow suddenly shattered on its own.
The Tiktik screeched in pain - then silence.
Chapter 4: The Choice
When dawn broke, everything was still. Samuel awoke unharmed, but visibly weak. A mark, like a burn, was found on his chest - a strange spiral pattern.
According to Mang Jose, Samuel was not fully free.
"The Tiktik still lingers in the shadows. You fought her off… but she made a bond. One day, he will have to confront her himself."
The family never spoke much of that night again. They left the village and moved to the town proper, away from the woods and away from the balete trees. But Elena knew - they could never truly run.
Because in quiet, windless nights, sometimes Samuel still hears it.
Faintly.
From the trees.
From the dark.
"Tik… tik… tik…"