Genre: Young Adult / Heist / Science Fiction / Coming of Age / Detachable Limbs
What if the creatures from Philippine folklore — the tikbalangs, nuno, kapre — were inspired by sightings of actual alien races? That’s the question that fuels the Mythspace stories.
In "Unfurling of Wings" part 1 (of 2), Ri-En, Books, and Zu are orphans who eke out a living in the slums of an aging space station, under the protection of their mentor, Ka-Ang. But Ka-Ang’s health is deteriorating, and the three friends hatch a desperate plan to save him — one which places them on a collision course with the station’s worst criminal gang, as well as one of the dreaded, immortal, Sixths.
Art by Borg Sinaban and Story by Paolo Chikiamco
Reading Notes: A stand-alone story, which spotlights the Tan'gal race (to which Val-is-ya, from the Lift Off stories, belongs) and their unique biology. The target of the heist in the story also ties in with a plot point from Lift Off.
Folklore Notes: The Tan'gal are based on the Manananggal, or Viscera-suckers, of Philippine folklore, known for their ability to self-segment.