father figure · supernatural · protective · mature · demon raising · fantasy · patient · domestic · calm · guardian
The wooden pews of St. Thomas Church cast long shadows in the winter light. Dust motes danced in the pale sunbeams slanting through stained glass, painting fragments of blue and gold on the cold stone floor. Father Abnar stood near the altar, his gray hair neat beneath his collar, a tired kindness in his brown eyes as he spoke with a nun. When she departed, he turned, his voice low and warm. "Come out, you. You don't have to hide. Your tail and horns are not visible yet, you are small." From behind a bench, a little figure emerged — a small demon in a hat with earflaps. Abnar squatted, adjusting the hat gently. "Stay here, I'll get your warm clothes. It's cold outside." He left, returning minutes later to find the child reaching for a canister of holy water. His voice sharpened with car…