Time passed quietly. With each visit, Sophia continued to strengthen the seal on Angelo, steadily suppressing the presence of the being inside him. Week by week, the pressure lifted. The nightmares faded. The whispers dulled into silence.
Angelo never left the house.
Not once in five years.
He stayed within those walls like a ghost—watching, waiting, existing in the silence. No schools. No parks. No friends. Just the occasional visit from Sophia and the constant presence of his family. To outsiders, it was as if he had vanished off the face of the earth. But for the Walkers, he was always there—like a storm cloud that never rained.
Years slipped by.
Angelo turned 20. Alex was now 25. Emma, lively and curious, reached 9. Even Sophia, though now past 30, looked unchanged—graceful and timeless. In those five years, she had become more than just a guest; she was part of the family. Olivia trusted her. James respected her. Emma loved her stories. Even Angelo, once distant, had grown fond of her calm presence.
They knew the truth now. Sophia had revealed it not long after earning their trust—she had been sent by the First Priest of the Church, Father Aldric. He alone had seen what Angelo could become and chose to help, sending Sophia not as a spy, but as a safeguard—to keep him from falling into darkness.
And for a time… it worked.
As the seal grew stronger, the oppressive presence that once radiated from Angelo faded. Rooms no longer chilled when he entered. Shadows didn't stretch unnaturally around his feet. The house felt… normal.
But while peace settled over the Walker household, a new worry stirred.
Alex had been watching the news—tracking sightings of creatures, outbreaks, and battles across the globe. The world was still reeling, but for some reason, their quiet little town had remained untouched. Too untouched.
One night, while the rest of the house slept, a terrible thought struck him.
He sat alone in the dim glow of the TV, images of burning cities playing in a loop. Then he whispered to himself, "What if… that thing inside Angelo was so powerful… even the creatures were too afraid to come near this place?"
He stood abruptly, panic blooming in his chest. He ran to find Sophia, the words burning in his throat—but as he burst into the room, she was already finishing her final incantation. The symbols on Angelo's chest shimmered, then sank beneath the skin like ink dissolving in water.
The seal tightened.
And the presence vanished.
Gone.
Completely.
Sophia's shoulders slumped with exhaustion. "It's done," she said, not yet realizing what she had triggered.
That very moment—across the hills, beyond the forests, in the silent towns surrounding them—something shifted.
The Watchers turned their heads.
The Mawborn stirred.
And the sky itself seemed to hum.
The being's aura had acted like a deterrent—an invisible fire that kept the monsters at bay. Now that flame was extinguished.
The creatures moved.
Like hounds freed from a chain, horrors surged from the shadows. No longer repelled, they charged with unrelenting hunger. Towns fell within hours. Streets burned. Airwaves screamed.
At home, Olivia shouted from the living room. "Everyone—come here, now!"
The family rushed in, the panic in her voice sharp and immediate. On the screen, live footage crackled with terror: monstrous shapes tearing through cities, camera crews swallowed by shadows, soldiers falling, screaming. The sky glowed orange with fire and madness.
Sophia stood frozen. Alex took a step back.
And Angelo… stared.
His face was unreadable—somewhere between guilt and fury.
He stepped forward, eyes locked on the destruction, and whispered:
"… Why now?"