"I love you—and I don't care who you are or what you are."
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.
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"Good morning, ma'am! Good morning, sir!" Yllona greeted the guests with her usual cheerful brightness.
Yllona Sanchez was a researcher of ancient artifacts. She worked part-time as a museum tour guide, a task she often took whenever she wasn't conducting field research. Today, she led another group of students through the wide halls of the museum.
"This way, ma'am. Please follow me," she said politely, guiding the group.
She toured them around the exhibition until they stopped before a massive painting.
"Wow! It's beautiful!" one of the students gasped.
"This painting was created by Juan Martinez in 1822," Yllona explained, her voice gentle but full of knowledge. "He called it The Goddess of the Forest because it depicts Artemis, the deity who protects the woodland."
"The dog beside her is cute!" another student said.
"That's not a dog," Yllona chuckled softly. "It's a white wolf named Aecus. He is Artemis's loyal guardian and the protector of the forest."
The students stared at the artwork in awe. Yllona snapped a few photos of them before one of the museum staff called her over. She excused herself for a moment, placed her camera on a small table beside the painting, and walked away as another guide came to assist the group. The group was busy admiring the painting and taking pictures of it.
.....
By the end of the day, Yllona felt drained. So many people had toured the museum that she barely had time to step outside for some fresh air. As she drove home, she suddenly remembered she had forgotten something.
"My camera…"
She quickly pulled the car over. If she went back, it would already be dark by the time she reached the museum. If she didn't, someone might take it—and she couldn't afford to lose it, not when it held important photos for her research documentation.
With a resigned sigh, she turned the car around.
Night had fully fallen by the time she returned. When she stepped out of her car, she looked up—and froze. The moon was a deep shade of red.
"The Blood Moon…" she whispered. She had forgotten tonight was its occurrence, the rare celestial event when the moon turned crimson.
It was all over the news earlier.
Inside the museum, she switched on the lights, hoping it would make the search quicker. After a few minutes, she finally spotted her camera.
But then—the lights flickered.
"Oh my God… please don't let there be any ghosts," she whispered anxiously.
The lights died completely.
Using her phone, she turned on the flashlight—only to yelp when the beam hit the wolf in the painting.
"Holy crap!" she cried out, heart pounding.
It scared her. She took a deep breath and gave the painting another quick glance. She decided to walk away, but a loud crack of thunder echoed through the museum.
"W-Was there a storm coming?" she muttered nervously. She didn't remember any news about possible bad weather tonight.
She screamed in surprise when lightning flashed, followed by another thunderous boom. "Oh God! I wanna go home!" she said.
But instinct kicked in. She quickly ducked down when she sensed another flash of light coming. A second bolt of lightning struck—this time hitting the painting directly.
The painting fell from the wall with a violent crash.
Smoke rose from its surface as Yllona stepped closer, eyes widening when she saw the canvas torn apart, the frame shattered beyond repair.
"Oh no… oh no no no… I'm dead…" she panicked.
She spun around to run, but another lightning strike boomed overhead. The massive chandelier above her swayed dangerously.
She gasped as it broke free—about to crush her.
But before it could fall, something moved.
Something impossibly fast.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her away in an instant. In only a heartbeat, she found herself pressed against the far wall, her breath catching in shock.
She lifted her gaze.
Standing before her was a young man—beautiful but otherworldly. His hair fell long and white like winter snow. Wolf-like ears twitched atop his head, and a white tail swayed behind him. His eyes glowed faintly under the red moonlight pouring through the windows.
He looked like he had stepped straight out of a fantasy novel.
"W-Who are you?" she stammered, trembling.
The young man didn't speak.
He simply pointed toward the fallen, shattered painting.
Yllona's blood ran cold.
The painting?
Her lips quivered. "D-Don't tell me… you're… Aecus?"
The world seemed to tilt around her. Her knees nearly buckled.And for a terrifying moment—she thought she might faint.
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Yllona stared hard at Aecus, still unable to process whether she was dreaming or slowly losing her mind.
She had brought him to her condo, mainly because she had no idea where else to take him. It wasn't as if she knew how to put him back inside the painting. And speaking of the painting—It was ruined.The original painting.Her boss is definitely going to fire her.
"Are you really Aecus?" she asked, squinting at him suspiciously. "Or are you just messing with me?"
"I am Aecus," he answered calmly. "I live in the forest."
Yllona reached out and pinched his wolf ears—soft, warm, very real.
"Wow… so these are actual wolf ears…" She circled him and poked his tail. "And this is a real tail."
Aecus frowned slightly, confused by her boldness. She was too busy processing to notice.
"I need to go back," he said. "If I don't, the lost hunters will cause chaos in the forest."
"But how will you go back?" she groaned. "The painting's destroyed!" Her mind began to spiral again; she couldn't process how she would solve this problem. Her thoughts were in a storm right now.
"Why did this have to happen to me? I already have so many problems—and now I have a mythical wolf man in my house!"
Aecus wandered toward the window.
"H-Hey! What are you doing?" she cried when he placed a foot on the ledge.
He was preparing to jump.
"NO!" She lunged and grabbed his arm, dragging him down. "Are you crazy?! You can't just jump out of my window! What if you die? That will cause me even more trouble—I'll be labeled a murderer, I'll end up in jail, and—"
She paused in frustration, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "You know what? Never mind. Sit. Sit on the sofa!"
Aecus sat obediently.
"Okay," Yllona said, pacing. "You came from the painting. You live in the painting. So the only way to return you is to restore it, right?"
"Before the full moon…" Aecus murmured. "I have to return before the full moon."
She quickly looked at the calendar and checked when the full moon would happen. One week??? "Great. Full moon. Fine." She couldn't believe it. This was so frustrating.
She began pacing again, thinking about what to do and where to start. "Right!" Her eyes widened. "I'll find a replica of the original painting!"
She quickly grabbed her laptop and started frantically searching the internet.
Meanwhile, Aecus surveyed the room with fascination.
"A strange cave…" he whispered.
He rose from the couch and began exploring. His gaze landed on her old radio.
"What is this object?" he asked, pressing a random button.
Music blared.
Aecus jumped back. "A sorcery! This box is wrapped in powerful magic!"
Before Yllona noticed it, he smashed the radio with a single strike of his hand.
Yllona ran toward the sound. When she saw the broken pieces of her antique radio scattered on the floor, she screamed.
"My RADIO! No!!!" She crouched down, picking up the shattered parts with trembling hands. "I bought this in Batanes! It was antique!"
"It was wrapped in sorcery," Aecus said defensively.
"That wasn't sorcery! That was a radio!" she snapped.
"Radio?" Aecus echoed.
"Yes! RADIO! For sound! For music!" she huffed. "Ugh. Just… go sit down or something. I'll get you food."
She stomped to the kitchen.
Aecus eyed her retreating figure, then looked around again. His gaze settled on the television.
"A larger magic box…" he whispered.
He approached it cautiously. Something on the coffee table caught his attention—a remote. He picked it up, accidentally pressing the power button.
The TV lit up instantly.
Aecus yelped, leaping away.
"E-Enemies!" he shouted.
He dashed into the kitchen, grabbing Yllona by the shoulders. "There are enemies inside that box! Hide quickly!"
"Huh? Enemies?" Yllona blinked.
He dragged her toward the living room like a panicked child. But when she saw what he meant, she sighed.
The TV.
Of course.
"Aecus… they're not enemies." She rubbed her forehead. "It's just a TV. They're not real. None of them can hurt you, okay?"
Aecus nodded repeatedly, though doubt still flickered in his eyes.
Yllona returned to the kitchen and placed the warm plates on the table. "Here. Eat."
Aecus stared at the food suspiciously, then at her. Beef steak, still steaming.
"Don't tell me you don't eat this?" she asked.
He grabbed a piece of meat with his hand, sniffed it, then shoved it into his mouth. Aecus' eyes widened. This is delicious!
He quickly grabbed another piece of meat and ate it, swallowing it so fast as if someone might steal it from him.
Yllona's jaw dropped as he devoured it like an animal in the wild—no utensils, no hesitation, and absolutely no manners.
"Oh my God…" she whispered, horrified. "He's going to wipe out my entire stock of food."
She continued watching him as he reached for another plate of food.