(continues where Tinatangi left off)

Halakhak–loud, uninhibited laughter–broke from her. She covered her mouth and tried to stop up the relieved giggles as the flames died down around her. She was whole again.

Why? asked his voice, her tinatangi, who’d given his life to complete her healing.

But she shook her head in answer and bent to gather up the husk that had remained when she’d life-drained him. Rolling up his soulless body, which dehydrated at her fiery touch, she stowed it in black backpack he’d used to transport the incendiaries. Of course she emptied the pack before placing him inside and then adjusted the straps.

A war of the gods was coming and she had much to do prepare for it. So she siphoned the energy from the dying fire, snuffing it out. Delicious heat coursed through her as the energy transfer finished.

Why did you kill me? He asked again in a voice only she could hear because he now dwelt inside her heart, both trapped and protected there, her tinatangi, until the war ended.

She laid her hand hand over her heart. Because I am the Chaos Bringer and not even I can escape the chaos that I bring. That was why he had to stay where no god could hurt him until the war ended and then she could bring him back, but not before.

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Thanks to Maria of Doodles and Scribbles and Rosema of A Reading Writer for Word High July #FilipinoWords #Prompt.