6:50 PM
Ramel approached the house and knocked on the gate.
Ramel: "Is anyone home?"
A woman opened the door.
Tasyo's Mom: "Oh? What brings you here at this hour, Officer?"
Ramel: "I just need to speak with your son. He was missing for five days and then suddenly returned. I want to clarify what happened so I can report back to my office and close the case."
Tasyo's Mom: "That's the issue, Officer… When he came back, he wasn't the same. He's constantly in a bad mood, always staring out the window, and refuses to eat anything we offer."
Ramel noticed a little girl cowering behind her mother, a faint bruise visible around her neck. He calmly addressed her.
Ramel: "Did your older brother hurt you?"
The little girl, named Erica, nodded hesitantly and then pleaded with the officer.
Erica: "Please don't put my brother in jail! He's just in a bad mood because of what happened!"
Tasyo's Mom: "When Erica tried to check on him one night—to make sure he was still there and hadn't gone missing again—he became violent and nearly choked her to death. If I hadn't intervened… she might not be here."
Both Erica and her mother wore heartbroken expressions. Ramel knelt down, gently patting Erica's head as he spoke in a soft, reassuring voice.
Ramel: "Don't worry, kid. I'll take care of it. Ma'am, may I speak with Rainier?"
As Ramel stepped inside the house, he spotted Tasyo sitting motionless in a chair, staring blankly out the window. Ramel pulled a chair close and sat in front of him. Surprisingly, Tasyo noticed Ramel.
Their eyes met—and Tasyo glared at him like a wild beast.
Ramel: "My name is Ramel Mabati."
Tasyo said nothing, but his mouth began to drool, eyes locked onto Ramel with a mix of hunger and rage.
Ramel leaned in slightly.
Ramel: "Let's get straight to the point, Tasyo. Where did you go during the five days you were missing?"
Still, the eight-year-old boy remained silent, his stare unblinking. Ramel's eyes narrowed—something was clearly wrong.
Ramel: "Tasyo, help me… so I can help you."
Tasyo's Mom: "Sweetheart, please, you have to tell him. We're all so worried about what's happening to you."
Tasyo didn't respond, but his hands began to bleed from how tightly he was clenching them. Ramel was about to ask another question when Erica spoke, her voice soft and sad:
Erica: "Big brother..."
Her sad voice broke through.
At that moment, Tasyo seemed to regain a bit of his sanity. He forced himself to speak, struggling to hold back the something within him.
Tasyo: "Ma…la…ba…nan did it…"
Ramel's thoughts raced.
Ramel: [The barangay captain?]
Just then, Ramel's phone began to ring.
The ringing sound triggered something in Tasyo.
Tasyo: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Tasyo's entire body suddenly collapsed to the floor. Ramel was about to check on him when Tasyo's eyes snapped open—now glowing with a raging black hue. In a split second, he lunged at Ramel with razor-sharp claws in a surprise attack.
Ramel dove to the right just in time, narrowly avoiding the strike. But the moment he recovered and stood up, Tasyo had already vanished.
The mother and daughter looked up in horror. The person they saw wasn't Tasyo anymore. He now had a long, twitching tongue, sharp claws, and black smoke following his body. At that moment, Tasyo attacked his family with his spear-like tongue, but Ramel quickly moved to shield them. He wrapped his arms around the mother and daughter, pulling them to safety as they dodged the strike. The window shattered from the impact, and in the next instant, they found themselves outside the house.
Due to the rush of adrenaline, Tasyo's mother attempted to get up, ready to rush back into the house through the broken window to find and stop Tasyo. But before she could, Ramel quickly invoked a basic spell.
Ramel: "Taglaug!"
knocking her and Tasyo's sister out to prevent them from interfering and getting themselves hurt.
Ramel entered the house, but Tasyo had vanished, leaving only a claw mark on the ceiling. Ramel knew he was still there, hearing small noises in the quiet room. At that moment, Tasyo was positioned in Ramel's blind spot, preparing to strike with his sharp, pointy tongue. As it lunged, Ramel instinctively twisted his body to the right, narrowly dodging the attack. However, Tasyo still managed to graze Ramel across the back of his neck, leaving a stinging sensation.
As Ramel pinpointed the source of the attack, Tasyo vanished again, moving on all fours with a speed so fast that no normal human could react in time. Ramel's instincts kicked in as he spotted Tasyo in the left corner of the house, blending into the dark. Without warning, the creature released another strike with its spear-like tongue. Ramel dodged just in time, though he felt the sharpness graze him once more. This relentless back-and-forth continued until Ramel finally adapted to Tasyo's speed. In that moment, he managed to catch Tasyo's tongue.
Ramel: "Caught you."
As Ramel managed to catch Tasyo's tongue with his left hand, he twisted his wrist to grip it more firmly. Without releasing his hold, he pivoted his body, using the momentum to throw the creature with incredible force. Tasyo collided with the wall, the impact so powerful that it shattered the structure, sending debris flying in all directions. This scenario repeated, with Ramel slamming Tasyo against the ground, walls, and ceiling, until he pulled the creature back toward him. Still gripping the Aswang's tongue, Ramel caught Tasyo with his foot and slammed him down to the ground, pinning him so he could no longer move.
Ramel began shouting.
Ramel: "TASYO, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, FIGHT IT! I KNOW IT'S HARD, BUT I WANT YOU TO KEEP FIGHTING!"
As he shouted, Tasyo clung desperately to Ramel's leg with his sharp claws, his grip tightening as blood began to pour from Ramel's leg. But Ramel ignored the pain, his focus entirely on the boy.
Ramel: "PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO PUT YOU DOWN! THINK OF YOUR MOTHER AND SISTER!"
Tasyo screamed in agony.
Tasyo: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Ramel slowly revealed his main weapon, a Bontok—a Filipino axe. Lifting it above his head with a sad look in his eyes, he spoke in a sad tone.
Ramel: "I'm so sorry."
As Ramel swung his axe downward, aiming to decapitate Tasyo, he was suddenly stopped by a voice.
Elayna: "STOP!"
Ramel froze mid-swing, his axe just inches from its target. He turned to see Elayna, covered in wounds, standing beside Venus, who was clearly exhausted.
Venus: "We can heal him."