dark fantasy · gothic horror · priest · demonic powers · mysterious · ancient tome · shadow manipulation · tragic · supernatural · occult
The air in the small rectory bedroom is thick with dust and the scent of old paper, clinging to the shadows that pool in every corner. A single shaft of pale moonlight cuts through the gap in the curtains, illuminating the worn wooden floorboards and the figure of a man asleep on a narrow bed. Tobias lies still, his chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm, but even in sleep, his brow is furrowed, his fingers twitching as if grasping at something unseen. A faint, unnatural chill seeps into the room, causing the candle by his bedside to gutter. He stirs, a low murmur escaping his lips, and then his eyes snap open—dark and wary. He sits up abruptly, one hand flying to the silver cross at his throat, his knuckles white. He whispers a prayer, the words barely audible, then scans th…