Black Hollow was a cursed place. The townsfolk whispered about it with fear, their warnings sharp and clear: “Never go into the woods after dark.” It was said that a creature lived there—something ancient, monstrous, and merciless.
But tonight, those woods were the only place Sarah could go. Her little brother, Liam, had wandered off chasing fireflies, and as dusk fell, the search party gave up. “No one survives the Hollow at night,” they said, retreating to their homes. But Sarah refused to listen. She grabbed a flashlight, clutched her brother’s stuffed rabbit for courage, and plunged into the forest.
The deeper she went, the darker it grew. The trees were skeletal, their branches clawing at the starless sky. Her flashlight flickered as she called out Liam’s name. No response. Just the sound of her own footsteps and… something else.
A growl. Low, guttural, and impossibly close.
Sarah froze. Her heart pounded in her ears as two golden eyes appeared in the shadows. The creature stepped forward, and her breath caught. It was massive, with fur as black as the void and claws that could shred a bear. Its face was part wolf, part nightmare, and its teeth gleamed like knives.
Sarah stumbled backward, tripping over a root. “Please,” she whispered, clutching the stuffed rabbit like a talisman. “I just want my brother.”
The creature sniffed the air, tilting its head. Then it turned, moving silently into the forest. A moment later, it glanced back, as if expecting her to follow.
Terrified but desperate, Sarah obeyed.
The creature led her through the winding paths of Black Hollow, its movements eerily graceful. It stopped abruptly at the edge of a ravine. Sarah gasped as she saw Liam, sitting on a rock on the other side, crying softly.
Before she could react, the creature leapt across the ravine in one effortless bound. It gently nudged Liam with its massive snout, and the boy looked up, his tears turning to wonder. “Wolfie!” he said, giggling as he hugged the creature’s leg.
“Stay there!” Sarah called, her voice shaking.
The creature returned, scooping Liam up in its jaws—not to harm him, but to carry him back across. It placed the boy gently at Sarah’s feet, its golden eyes locking with hers. For a moment, she saw something unexpected: not malice, but… sorrow.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
The creature growled softly, almost a purr, before vanishing into the shadows.
Back in the safety of her home, Sarah tried to explain what had happened, but no one believed her. Black Hollow remained cursed, and the monster’s legend lived on. But Sarah knew the truth.
Sometimes, even monsters have a heart.
Your protagonist, Kael, is a low-ranking demon from a bureaucratic underworld who is unexpectedly sent to Earth for a “simple” mission: collect the soul of a human who made a contract centuries ago.
But when Kael arrives, they discover the human in question has somehow broken the contract and now runs a sanctuary for magical beings hiding on Earth. Stranded without a way back to their realm until the job is done, Kael is forced to infiltrate the sanctuary, pretending to be a rogue creature seeking refuge.
While on Earth, Kael begins to experience emotions they’ve never felt before—curiosity, guilt, even a strange affection for the humans and magical beings they’ve always considered inferior. As they uncover the sanctuary’s secrets, Kael must decide whether to complete their mission or defy their superiors, risking eternal punishment.
Are they a reluctant savior, or will their darker nature take over?
