Ancient Filipino legends tell of a Manananggal whose insatiable curiosity about other creatures led it to push the limits of its self-segmentation ability, eventually discovering it could send its upper half across not just physical space but metaphysical boundaries between cryptid realms. As it reconnected with its lower half after each journey, it retained the accumulated knowledge of all cryptid encounters, becoming a living archive that spans cultures, continents, and dimensions while educating those who encounter either of its halves about the interconnected nature of all cryptid species.

The Shifting Manananggal can separate its upper torso from its lower body to travel across dimensional boundaries between cryptid domains. It maintains a shared consciousness between both halves even when separated across vast distances or different realms. Unlike regular Manananggals, it possesses the ability to partially manifest within multiple cryptid territories simultaneously, allowing it to observe and interact with diverse species. Most importantly, it can absorb and store cryptid lore through physical contact with other entities, making it a living repository of cryptozoological knowledge.

The Shifting Manananggal serves as a living archive of cryptid knowledge, preserving and sharing information across different cryptid domains while revealing the hidden connections between seemingly unrelated cryptid species throughout the world.