I walked slowly, trying to steady my breathing. My asthma always made everything feel heavier than it should. Zuriel and Lucien stood nearby, waiting without saying much.
I hated that they could probably see it the way I leaned slightly when I walked, the way my breaths came shorter than normal.
Zuriel noticed. I could tell.
He didn't comment. Didn't tease. He just slowed down and matched my pace.
Nathaniel approached us, calm as always. You'll head to the village immediately, he said. Don't draw attention to yourselves. Observe. Speak to the locals. Find out what's happening beneath the surface.
Lucien nodded firmly. Understood.
Zuriel smirked a little. Sounds like fun.
Nathaniel looked at me last. You'll go too.
I blinked. Me?
You're no longer bound to your abductor's seal,he said. And you've seen things others haven't.
My chest tightened again but not because of asthma this time.
The truth is, I don't even want to go because it's dangerous, but they probably need me because of that weird book. I never say this out loud.
Still, I nodded.
His voice softened slightly. Don't worry. I won't be far behind.
We started walking. I felt Zuriel subtly adjust his pace beside me again, while Lucien walked a little ahead, scanning the area.
Nathaniel stayed behind, watching us. I didn't see his expression, but I felt it like he was measuring something.
The village wasn't what I expected.
Concrete roads cut through the town. Tall acacia trees lined the streets, and solar lamps flickered overhead. Some houses were painted brick, others patched with wood and rusted tin roofs. Plastic chairs outside doors. A small sari-sari store with a half-broken LED sign blinking on and off like it was tired.
It looked normal.
Too normal.
I walked slowly, my breathing shallow. My asthma made every step feel heavier, but this time the weight felt different. The air itself seemed thick. Quiet.
Like something was watching.
Zuriel walked beside me. He was tall I barely reached his shoulder and even though his stride was naturally longer, he didn't speed up.
Lucien stayed ahead, alert, eyes constantly moving.
Nathaniel caught up to us, his blue robe shifting like water with each step. The gem at his waist shimmered faintly.
He raised his hand, signaling us to stop. Then he leaned closer, lowering his voice.
Don't eat anything they offer you, he said quietly. Take a sample if you can. Discreetly. We'll test it tonight at our temporary shelter. Don't act suspicious. Just observe.
Zuriel rolled his eyes slightly. So no accepting adobo from strangers. Got it.
Lucien nodded once.
I opened my mouth to respond
But something whispered inside my head before I could speak. The voice that sounds like me but isn't
Don't eat it. That's not animal meat. It's mixed with something else. It'll change you. Twist you. Turn you.
I blinked and pressed a hand to my stomach. A dull ache had been there since morning, but now it felt worse. Hunger and fear tangled together inside me.
Lucien glanced back. You okay?
I'm fine, I said.
I wasn't convincing.
Zuriel didn't ask. He just reached into his bag and handed Lucien a small cloth-wrapped bundle. Give her that. I packed extra.
Lucien passed it to me.
Inside was soft bread, slightly sweet, still warm.
Zuriel made it, Lucien said. Should be safe.
I stared at it. You… bake?
Zuriel sighed like I had personally offended him. I can do basic human things. Don't make it weird.
Despite everything, I smiled a little. Thanks.
We kept walking.
After a moment, I glanced at him. Do you always walk this slow, or is this your way of bullying me?
He kept his eyes forward. Why? You tired already?
No. I just noticed you're matching my pace. I narrowed my eyes at him. Don't you hate me or something? You're kind of a grump, in case you haven't noticed.
He snorted. Nah.
That's it? Just 'nah'?
He looked down at me with a lazy smirk. I just know you're the weak one. First to die if something happens.
I rolled my eyes. Wow. That's inspiring.
So yeah, he continued, I walk slow. Just in case you trip over a leaf and die of embarrassment.
You're such a jerk.
You're welcome.
Our path led us to the center of the village, a wide stone courtyard with a moss-covered wishing well in the middle. A small hand-painted sign was nailed to its wooden frame.
WISH ONLY / NO BATHING.
The others were busy speaking with villagers, asking quiet questions. But something about the wishing well pulled at me, urging me to come close.
No bathing signage?? Who would even take a bath in a wishing well? I say quietly to myself.
I stepped closer.
I leaned over the rim and looked down at the still water.
And froze.
My reflection was smiling. I wasn't. It happened again the mole is on the nose, like before, even though mine is under my right eye.
Its eyes glowed faintly. Still my purple eyes, but wider. Sharper. Like it knew something I didn't. The smile stretched too far across its face.
Mocking. And in the next second, it looked like it was trying to speak, but then
A gasp slipped out of me, and I lost a bit of my balance. Nathaniel was beside me instantly. What happened?
I-I'm okay, I said quickly, forcing my voice steady. I'm just a bit tired and a bit scared. You know I'm not really an adventurer type of person, Sir Nathaniel. Remember, I have asthma, I said to him as I forced a laugh.
He didn't answer right away. He studied my face carefully.
You're sure?
Yeah. I'm sure thank you for asking
I glanced back at the well.
The water reflected my real face pale, tired, eyes full of unease. No smile. No glow. No Mole under my right eye
But I had seen it.
Gehan! Zuriel called from across the square. You spacing out again?
I turned away from the well and walked back toward them without replying.
I didn't look at Nathaniel, but I felt his gaze linger. I noticed his hand brush against the glowing gem at his waist.
Late afternoon light began to fade, stretching long shadows across the village. The solar lamps flickered on one by one, their glow dim and unreliable.
I stayed near the center of the square, watching the villagers.
Most of them looked normal. Friendly, even.
But something felt off.
Their smiles lasted a second too long.
Their movements were slightly delayed, like they were copying what humans should look like instead of actually being human.
I slowed near a small house with a sagging roof. An older woman stood outside, sweeping the stone steps. Her back was slightly bent, a patterned duster wrapped around her shoulders.
As I walked past, she looked up at me.
Her smile was wide.
Too wide.
You all smell… delicious,she whispered.
The words were soft, nearly carried away by the wind.
But I heard them clearly.
What? I asked, my throat tightening.
She kept sweeping.
Still smiling.
For a brief, breathless second
Her eyes flared red.
Not bright like a flashlight.
But deep. Glowing like embers in a dying fire. Hot. Starving.
Then it vanished.
Her eyes turned back to a dull brown. Her face softened into something grandmotherly and harmless.
As if nothing had happened.
I took a step back, my heart pounding so loudly I could hear it in my ears.
I didn't know what disturbed me more
the words she said, or how easily she hid it.
Zuriel noticed my movement from across the square and walked over quickly.
He glanced at the woman once before stopping in front of me. He was tall enough that I barely reached his shoulder.
For some reason, that made me feel a little safer.
You okay? he asked quietly.
She said something strange, I murmured. Her eyes turned red. Just for a second. It looked like fire.
Zuriel's expression didn't change. Then it's starting.
Lucien joined us, his pace quicker now.
We should leave. It's almost dark.
Nathaniel appeared moments later, stepping out from behind a nearby stall like he'd been watching the whole time. The blue gem at his waist shimmered faintly.
Back to the tavern, he said under his breath.
Don't accept anything else. Don't draw attention.
We nodded.
We walked.
The narrow road suddenly felt tighter than before. Doors creaked shut as we passed.
Curtains shifted. Villagers disappeared inside their homes one by one.
The air grew heavier.
Like something old was waking up.
I couldn't help it I looked back.
The old woman was still there.
Still sweeping.
Still smiling.
And just before the sun goes down
Her eyes lit up again.
The sun was already down by the time we got back to the tavern at the edge of town. It sat right past the barangay hall a simple two-story house with smooth floors, shell windows, and shiny wood walls
An overhead fan spun slowly, pushing around the humid air and the smell of the river. The place had solar lights and outlets, but it still felt like an old country house. I could smell the coconut oil in the wood and hear the bugs buzzing through the cracks outside.
When we stepped into our shared room, the lights flickered once before settling.
Sir Nathaniel laid the food samples out on the table in the center. Wax paper. Banana leaves. Thin plastic wrap. The villagers had offered them so kindly just hours ago. Adobo. Menudo. Pancit. Comfort food.
Too comforting.
I sat on a stool by the wall, hugging my stomach. I was hungry earlier, but Zuriel's bread helped with that. Now, I just have this heavy feeling of dread in my chest.
Nathaniel said nothing at first. He pulled a calamansi from his pouch and sliced it neatly in half with a curved blade. I knew what he was about to do. We all did.
Stand back, he said quietly.
He squeezed the juice over one of the meat dishes.
A soft hiss answered him. Like something alive trying to pull away.
Then it changed.
Everything changed in a heartbeat. The feast turned into a heap of decaying flesh and jagged bone. A wave of sickly sweet rot filled the air, making it hard to breathe. As the meat twitched, thousands of maggots pushed to the surface.
I got up so fast my chair nearly hit the floor. I clamped my hand over my mouth, my stomach twisting into a knot. Oh my God.
Zuriel stepped back, waving a hand in front of his face to clear the smell. That is definitely not pork.
Lucien's voice was colder. It is human.
Sir Nathaniel nodded once. This is how they spread yanggaw, he said. It was human meat fed to the living, hidden by a dark spell.
They mixed it with aswang saliva and ancient chants. It does more than just make you sick it rots your spirit until you lose control.
You start craving the flesh of animals and people alike. This is how a normal person turns into an aswang.
Sabulag, Zuriel muttered. The veil spell. Makes it look normal. Taste normal. Smell right. Until you break it.
Nathaniel moved to the next sample. He squeezed the calamansi over a wrapped empanada. The crust melted instantly, folding in on itself to reveal the truth. Inside, the filling wasn't meat it was bloodied chunks of muscle wrapped in strips of human skin.
I had to look away again.
Zuriel glanced at me. That is why I packed you bread earlier.
I swallowed hard and forced myself to answer. I thought you packed bread because you are always hungry.
He rolled his eyes. Seriously? You should be grateful. I am making sure you do not drop dead before we figure this out.
Before I could snap back, Nathaniel's voice cut through the room.
Enough. Stop acting like children.
The sharpness in his tone shut us all up. Even Zuriel straightened.
Lucien tried to lighten it, but his words carried an edge. This is why vampires are better than aswang. At least they only drink blood. Cleaner. Still deadly, but not this. He gestured to the table. This is evil pretending to be kindness.
Silence followed.
I sat back in the chair, pulling my knees up to my chest. Normal people ate this. They probably even fed it to their kids. If they sell this meat outside the village, will everyone turn into monsters?
Not everyone knows the truth, Nathaniel said. Some are just victims. Others aren't so innocent. There are people out there who have already turned into aswang without even realizing it. That's why the council sent me here to stop this from spreading to any more humans.
Zuriel leaned against the wooden wall, arms crossed over his cropped red shirt. His shadow flickered under the light. There was that woman at the plaza. The one with the rice cakes.
My spine stiffened. Her eyes.
They turned red, Lucien said quietly. Just for a second. Like burning coals.
She whispered something, Zuriel added.
My voice was thin and shaky. She told us we all smelled delicious.
I went quiet, my mind racing. I started to wonder if we were next on the menu. Was that "meat" from earlier actually just people like us who wandered into this village? Are we going to be eaten too?