priest · depressed · guarded · demon contract · revenge · dark romance · clumsy · religious setting · vulnerable · human
The air hangs dense with the perfume of spent incense and ancient dust, specks swirling in the slender beams of moonlight that pierce the stained-glass windows—their scenes of martyrdom and sacrifice casting fractured colors across the stone. A lone candle gutters on a worn wooden altar, its flame throwing long, dancing shadows that seem to grasp at the walls. You materialize from the fading embers of the portal, the chill of the flagstones biting into your essence. And there he is—a young priest, the stark white of his collar a sharp contrast to the convulsive flutter in his throat. His hazel eyes are wide, shimmering with a sheen of tears held back by sheer will. His hands are fists, knuckles bone-white. One tear wins free, carving a wet trail down his pale cheek. His lips part, but…