Elisa is a young woman who grew up in poverty. In their small village, most of their neighbors lived simply, but in their family, life seemed hopeless. She grew up learning various household chores, attending the old village school, and helping her parents to at least put something on the table.
One night, as the rain fell on their small hut, her parents talked about their desperate situation.
“Elisa, child…” her mother, Aling Nena, began, her voice trembling with anxiety. “There is something you need to know.”
“Why, mother?” Elisa asked, knowing that what they were about to say was not good. Her mother confessed, tears in her eyes, “We have already sold you to Don Gregorio, a wealthy businessman in town.”

Elisa stood up from her seat, shocked by what she had heard. “Mom, how could you sell me? I am not something that can be traded!”
“Son, there is nothing we can do. Your father is sick, we are in big debt, and we have nothing to eat,” Aling Nena replied tearfully. “He offered us ten million pesos. In exchange for this, you must marry his daughter.”
Elisa could not believe what she was hearing. Ten million pesos. For them, it was an amount she could not imagine, but in exchange for it was her freedom, her life. She knew her parents loved her very much, but this decision was suffocating her feelings.
A few days later, Don Gregorio’s men arrived and took Elisa. She left her village, her family, and all her dreams behind.
When Elisa arrived at Don Gregorio’s mansion, she was amazed by its size and luxury. The large stone pillars, the vast garden, and the elegant curtains seemed like another world to her. She felt like she was lost in a huge prison, far from her home. But despite the luxury of the place, there was a cold and heavy energy surrounding her.
When she entered, she was greeted by a man about her age. He was Adrian, a strong man who had always been with Elisa since she arrived at the mansion. Adrian was kind, and in their daily interactions, he seemed to be the only one who made Elisa feel comfortable in that huge house.
“How are you, Elisa? It must be hard to feel so far away from your family,” Adrian asked one evening as they walked through the garden.
“Yes, Adrian,” Elisa replied, her voice low. “I still can’t quite accept that I’m here. And why, I’ve been here for so many days and I haven’t seen the man I’m going to marry yet?”
Adrian let out a deep sigh, seeming to struggle with the question. “Don’t worry, the time will come when you’ll meet him. For now, you need to rest and enjoy yourself here.”

But despite Adrian’s words, Elisa was restless. Every night, she felt the cold wind and felt as if someone was watching her. Every midnight, there were always shadows passing by her room, but when she looked, she couldn’t see anyone.
One night, while Elisa was lying down, she felt the weight of a presence she couldn’t explain. She was forced to get up from her bed and go to the window. When she opened the curtain, there was a large shadow that quickly disappeared into the darkness.
“Adrian, I have a strange feeling about this mansion,” Elisa said as they had breakfast at the large dining table the next day.
“I see the shadows every night, and I feel like someone is watching me. Didn’t you say I was safe here?” she continued, her tone very serious.
Adrian stared at her, seemingly hesitant. “Elisa, don’t worry. Don Gregorio won’t leave you. You’re safe here. But…,” Adrian paused for a moment before continuing, “there are things you’d rather not know right now.”
“What do you mean?” Elisa asked in surprise. “I want to know the truth. Why haven’t I seen the man I’m going to marry? Who is he really?”
Adrian looked away, as if gathering the courage to speak. “All your questions can be answered, Elisa, but not yet. Just trust me. The right time will come.”
From then on, she didn’t ask anymore questions, but Elisa’s nervousness didn’t go away. With each passing night, her hunch grew stronger that everyone in the mansion was hiding something from her. One night, as she walked through the halls of the mansion, she noticed large footprints on the floor. Like the footprints of a large, fierce creature.
One night came when the situation got even worse. While Elisa was lying down, she suddenly heard a loud noise coming fromoutside the mansion. Even the laughter of creatures she couldn’t understand.
She immediately got up from the bed, put on a robe, and hurried out of the room. Adrian greeted her, panting, and a look of fear on his face.
“Elisa, you need to get out of here!” Adrian ordered, holding her arm.
“What’s going on?” Elisa asked, shaking with fear.
“There are ghosts attacking the mansion! You don’t have time to ask, we need to leave now!” Adrian quickly replied as he pulled her away.
Elisa saw ghosts flying outside from the window—large, winged, and with sharp teeth. When they entered the mansion’s hall, Elisa was surprised to see several maids fighting the ghosts with swords and spears. The other maids also looked strange—they seemed to be non-human creatures.
“T-are these real ghosts?” Elisa asked Adrian in a trembling voice.
“Yes, Elisa, these are ghosts. So we have to leave now!” Adrian replied, even more hurriedly.
But before they could leave the mansion, the large door suddenly burst open and the leader of the ghosts entered—a large, fierce creature. He raised his hands, and in an instant, all the servants backed away.
When the leader of the ghosts raised his hand to rush at Elisa, Adrian’s appearance suddenly changed. His eyes turned red, sharp claws appeared, and he suddenly faced the leader of the ghosts.
“Adrian?! What’s happening to you?!” Elisa asked in shock, unable to believe what she was seeing.
“You’re the leader of the ghosts?!” she shouted.
Adrian turned around, now a full-fledged ghost. “Yes, Elisa. I’m the man you were promised. I’m the leader of the ghosts.”
“Adrian… how?!” Elisa asked, confused and almost out of breath. She could see Adrian’s form, now no longer human. His skin seemed darker, his nails were long and sharp, and his eyes were glowing under the dim moonlight.
“I don’t want you to know this way,” Adrian replied as he repelled the attacking ghosts with his hands and strange powers. “The truth is, I am the leader of the ghosts, and my father has long decided that I will marry you.”
Elisa was speechless. She was almost going crazy over the events. Adrian, the only person she trusted in the mansion, was the man she was going to marry—and he was another ghost.
“I didn’t hurt you, Elisa,” Adrian said as he approached her, although his appearance was still frightening. “Everything I did was to protect you. Now, you need to believe me. We need to survive this.”
Elisa didn’t know how to act. Her hands were shaking and her legs seemed to not know where to run. She wanted to run away, but her body seemed to be frozen in fear and confusion.
“No! I can’t accept this!” Elisa cried. She ran away from Adrian, rushing towards the outside of the mansion, into the middle of the forest.
Elisa ran without any definite direction. Her mind was in a mess, and the only thing on her mind was to escape from that place. She couldn’t accept that everything she knew—the person she believed in—was just a strange creature.
In the middle of the forest, Elisa stopped to breathe. She was still shaking and didn’t know where to go. The darkness of the forest gave her even greater fear, but she wanted to hide here more than return to the mansion. She could still feel the cold night air and the weight of the truth she had learned.
“Why did this happen to my life?” she whispered to herself in tears. “I didn’t want this. I didn’t choose this.”
Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She immediately turned around, but she couldn’t see anyone or anything. The surroundings seemed to have become quieter, as if waiting for what would happen next.
But before she could get far, she heard Adrian’s voice again from afar.
“Elisa! Don’t go! Listen to me first!” Adrian shouted, almost desperately.
But Elisa kept running. She couldn’t believe Adrian’s words—she couldn’t accept them. A ghost? She would never be able to live a normal life if this was her fate.
She hid in the forest for hours, looking for a place to stay and avoiding any noise. But she knew she couldn’t hide forever.
A few days later, the chaos in the mansion had subsided. Elisa returned to the village, quiet and alone. She knew she couldn’t return to her family empty-handed, so she decided to hide in a hut in the middle of nowhere.it in the forest. But despite her fear and hiding, she still couldn’t keep quiet. She always thought about Adrian, and what she had discovered.

One night, as she sat outside the hut and stared at the stars, Adrian reappeared. Now, his form had returned to being human, but his eyes reflected the weight of the past days.
“Elisa…” Adrian called softly, approaching her.
“What are you doing here?” Elisa asked, feeling scared but not running anymore. She was tired of running from reality.
“I need to see you. I won’t stop until you listen to me,” Adrian replied, stopping in front of her, seemingly ready to accept whatever the girl’s answer might be.
“Why did you chase me? Why are you still looking for me, Adrian? You are ruled by ghosts! I can’t do this!” Elisa cried, forcing herself to fight her feelings.
“You are the only reason I fight, Elisa,” Adrian replied. “Yes, I am a ghost. I am a creature that you cannot understand. But I love you.”
Elisa was surprised by what she heard. She had not expected Adrian to speak about her feelings so quickly.
“Don’t you understand? We are not alike! I don’t know how I can live with you. All of this is new to me. I can’t accept this right away!” Elisa said, tears streaming down her cheeks.
But Adrian knelt in front of her, holding her hands. “I know this is hard for you. But I am a creature with a heart, and I love you very much. If I have to wait forever, I will. I will not give up.”
Elisa fell silent. For the first time, she felt Adrian was honest. Despite her fear and anger, she couldn’t deny that she also had feelings for the young man. Since they had been together in the mansion, she had gradually learned how kind and caring Adrian was. Now, despite her doubts, she knew he had feelings for her too.
“Adrian…” Elisa whispered, her voice trembling. “What if I accept you? How can we live normally?”
Adrian smiled, though his eyes were filled with sadness. “Our life will not be normal, Elisa. But I will do everything to protect you, love you, and treat you as my queen, no matter how hard it is.”
Elisa was speechless. She hugged Adrian, finally accepting the strange fate they faced.
After a few months, Elisa and Adrian’s life became quiet. They finally learned to live together, despite their differences. Elisa gradually learned how to live among the ghosts. She learned to respect their world, and she also discovered that not all ghosts are bad.
Adrian, on the other hand, became more loving and caring. He protected Elisa from any danger, especially from other beings who wanted to destroy their union. With each passing day, their love grew stronger.
Days passed, and finally, they were married under the moon, in front of the aswangs and close friends. Their wedding was not traditional, but it was full of love and acceptance.
A few years later, Elisa and Adrian had a child. A boy with the beauty of a human but with a unique strength inherited from his aswang father. They named him Elias, a symbol of a new beginning and their strong union.
Their life was happy, and Elisa, finally, learned to embrace the strange world of the aswangs. She accepted Adrian, not out of fear or debt, but because of the love she felt for him.
Not everything was easy, but in the end, their story is proof that despite any differences—be it aswang or human—true love can overcome everything.