Disclaimer:
This story is a work of fiction inspired by elements of Filipino folklore. Any depictions of the Philippines, other real locations, or existing businesses and organizations are not intended to discredit, misrepresent, or claim ownership of them. Everything should be understood as part of an alternate reality narrative created purely for storytelling purposes.
This is not an Political Novel
Hello guys, the author here.
I've always been a fan of folklores and horror stories—especially our local folklore, which is rich with legendary mythical creatures. I also grew up loving Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida, so horror-action has always been my comfort genre. I even remember messaging my favorite author on Instagram once, asking for advice on how to write a book.
Last month, we discussed the Drug War under President Rodrigo Duterte in our Political Science class. It reminded me of the CCG in Tokyo Ghoul, which sparked a new wave of interest. Then recently, I watched a vampire movie on Netflix set in the Philippines about an immortal man infected by a vampire plague during the Spanish era.
That gave me a lingering question:
What if I combined history, politics, and our diverse folklores into a single story?
Since I'm also a big fan of psychological fiction, I wanted this book to challenge the characters' minds. I've rewritten this draft four times already before finally deciding to publish Chapter 1.
I took inspiration from the Duterte-era killings and the crimes happening in our country—including chop-chop murders and white van kidnappings—but added fictional elements. Being a horror fan myself, I leaned into making it a vampire-themed story.
Because I'm planning this as a series, I decided to introduce multiple characters early so their arcs can unfold together. But I'll be honest—I started losing motivation lately. Since the year is ending, I'm pushing myself to finish this chapter.
Originally, this draft was written in Tagalog. I asked GPT to translate it because my English grammar isn't that strong, and I wanted the story to reach international readers. I still edited the text afterward to keep it sounding human. As an author, it felt heavy to rely on AI, but I made that choice to share the story with a wider audience.
This book was supposed to be part of my novel series on Kakoyumo (a Japanese counterpart of Wattpad). Most of it was written by following my intrusive thoughts. You might encounter a few non-Filipino characters here (sorry in advance to the Filipino community), but I'm still doing my best to stay rooted in our own folklore.
Why did I choose Manila as the setting?
There is a mythical creature in the Visayas region of the Philippines that is similar to the vampire. The difference is that instead of drinking blood, it eats raw flesh — this creature is called the Aswang.
During the 1970s, there was a massive migration of people from the provinces to the capital after the post-war period. Because of that, there's a possibility that Aswang clans may have moved to Manila as well.
The Philippines was colonized by three countries, especially Spain. European influence on the country is very strong, including the adaptation of Christianity. Some Filipino families have Spanish ancestry, and some foreigners have settled permanently in the Philippines.
Because of this, I imagined: what if they brought vampire blood with them? Then there's also the possibility that vampires with European ancestry could exist in the Philippines.
Nowadays, TV shows are always about vampires vs. werewolves — nothing new. So I thought, what if I create a slightly unique version: vampires vs. Aswang? I decided to follow my intrusive thoughts and write it.
And to anyone who read this, I have only one thing to say:
Thank you so much for reading.
Enjoy the story!