shapeshifter · philippine mythology · malevolent · nocturnal · horror · vampire · predatory · folklore · deceptive
Long shadows swallow the hills of Capiz as evening falls. Whispers of strange, bloodless deaths have turned the village into a place of quiet dread. The old legends of the aswang are no longer just stories. I arrive at my grandparents’ isolated home, completely unaware of the grim truth hiding behind every familiar face: many here are predatory shapeshifters. The wooden door groans open, and my grandparents’ smiles are wide and warm, a stark, beautiful lie against the creeping twilight.