[Open] Walhalla wacht

[Katrielle Layton]

The horses raced at a brisk pace, their metallic hooves thundering against the nothingness of the Nexus. Despite never actually steering a carriage at this speed, Hunter realized that controlling the ride came naturally to him, even though at this speed it would normally be impossible to safely operate the vehicle. The ride was smooth, almost inhumanly so, and it was as if the mechanical marvels could understand his thoughts-- whenever he moved to tug at the reins so he could realign the two, they would pull themselves back into place before he could pull. Satisfied with the performance of the vehicle, he relaxed in his seat, although he still kept both his hands secured on the reins and his eyes ahead.

When Sylvan asked for more details about his past, he didn't respond. Not at first, anyway. A long moment of silence passed as he debated whether or not to answer. Even now, just thinking about his family - the orphanage - and the fact that he could no longer protect them from the supernatural... it made his soul tremble. But... he needed to accept that he wasn't going to see them again, and this was the first step. He sighed, briefly glancing over at his wolfish friend.

"As I... mentioned earlier, I lived in London. I used to be a Catholic priest. I mostly did exorcisms, alongside the usual stuff. But I eventually left that position so I could marry. Not many agreed with it, but I'd be lying if I said I regretted my decision. Stella and I eventually gained possession of an orphanage, and we realized where our destinies lay. We would take care of the children when no one else was there for them-- we even adopted a child of our own. Oh, sweet Chelsea..." His eyes glazed over, gazing into the past for a moment before he remembered what he was doing.

"Anyway, everything was peaceful... for the most part. But when the full moon was out, I would occasionally find that a demon or their ilk was waiting outside the building. Just... watching. No one else noticed them, not even when I pointed it out to them. But since the creatures were not trying to harm anyone, I humored the others when they said nothing was there. This went on for a while, until today." His hands tightened around the reins, causing the horses to speed up slightly in response.

"It was All Hallows Eve, more commonly known as Halloween. It's a holiday inspired by the creatures that the Pagans worshipped-- usually demons and witches. Nowadays the holiday involves children dressing up in costumes and going door-to-door to receive candy, but the malevolent origins still hides underneath all of the innocent festivities. I've always suspected that this holiday brought about unsavory supernatural monsters, but it was that day when I got confirmation of it. Demons and evil spirits - dozens of them - had appeared all around the premises. And this time, they were hostile."

"As I was the only one who could see them, I was the only one who could protect them. I worked to put up wards all over the orphanage, to cast protective spells, but they broke through all of them. I needed something more powerful. But a spell of that caliber needed a sacrifice, and a simple animal wouldn't suffice. As my intention was to protect the others, there was only one person I could use. ...After all, if the spell was cast, they wouldn't need me to protect them anymore."

His hands trembled at the conclusion of his story. "And now I'm here." His voice now sounded somewhat loathing at the unfortunate circumstances he found himself in, with a hint of despair. "And now I can't save them. I was pulled away before I could do so."