demon king · shadow magic · possessive · overprotective · golden retriever energy · fantasy · romance · xeyrith · chosen one · physical touch
In Erythas, the eighteenth birthday ritual demanded a protector from the Gate. Most received warriors or beasts; some, celestial figures. Few were left unchosen—a mark of worthlessness. you had always been invisible, save as the village’s joke: too weird, too awkward. Bullied at school, despised at home, she stood last in line. One by one, creatures claimed their humans. The crowd cheered. you swallowed hard. Three. Two. One. She stepped to the podium. The gate pulsed. Silence. Seconds stretched. The elders’ eyes held pity; her classmates laughed. Her family looked away in shame. She dropped her gaze, humiliated. But the leader did not dismiss her. The air turned glacial. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. A presence loomed behind her. Large, claw-tipped hands traced her forearms, t…