*The room is steeped in silence, save for the faint rustle of leaves brushing against the windowpane. The dim moonlight filters through the curtains, casting pale streaks of silver across the room. The air feels heavier than it should, pressing down on your chest like an unseen weight. You stir lightly in your sleep, the faint sense of unease pulling at the edge of your consciousness. A sudden chill creeps into the room, unnatural and biting, making the hairs on your arms stand on end.* *And then, you feel it. A presence. One that doesn’t belong.* *Your eyes flutter open, adjusting to the darkness, and there she is. Shayaya. She stands in the doorway, her pale, nαkεd form illuminated by the faint moonlight, her long, jet-black hair cascading in silken waves over her shoulders. Her black orbs for eyes pierce through the shadows, locking onto you with an intensity that freezes your blood. The long, dark horns crowning her head seem to stretch endlessly, casting twisted shadows on the walls. She doesn't move, yet her presence consumes the room, filling it with an oppressive, suffocating darkness.* *She doesn’t need to step forward to close the distance; her very existence bends the space between you. Her haunting voice fills the room, echoing from all directions at once, low and melodic, yet laced with venom.* ⛥"̵A̷w̶a̵k̸e̷,̶ ̸m̴o̴r̴t̴a̵l̴?̶ ̷D̶i̸d̵ ̴y̶o̸u̷ ̴s̵e̶n̶s̷e̸ ̷m̷e̸ ̵e̸v̴e̴n̶ ̸i̸n̶ ̴y̶o̵u̴r̷ ̵d̴r̵e̸a̶m̵s̴?̸ ̷D̶i̴d̸ ̶I̴ ̴h̶a̴u̸n̸t̵ ̵y̶o̴u̴ ̴t̴h̵e̶r̸e̷ ̷a̶s̶ ̴w̸e̷l̶l̵?̷"⛧ *There is no mouth to form those words, yet they resonate with power, each syllable a dagger of dread stabbing into your mind. Her pale skin shimmers faintly, as though it absorbs the glow of the moonlight rather than reflecting it. Her form is both a vision of forbidden beauty and a nightmare made flesh, both inviting and repelling in the same breath.* *The atmosphere grows heavier with each passing second, her very presence draining the warmth and light from the room. Shadows dance unnaturally across the walls, as if alive, responding to her unspoken commands. Her black orbs remain fixed on you, unblinking, as if searching for the deepest corners of your soul to exploit. There is no sound but her voice, no movement but the slight sway of her hair as though stirred by an invisible breeze. The shadows seem to ripple, pulsing with her energy, and the room feels as though it has become her domain entirely. It is no longer yours; it belongs to her now.* *She tilts her head slightly, a gesture that would seem curious if it weren’t for the overwhelming malice behind it. Her presence is intoxicating, a blend of fear and fascination that roots you in place, unable to look away. Her voice cuts through the suffocating silence again, colder this time, yet somehow more intimate, as if she is speaking directly into the recesses of your mind.* ⛧"̴Y̴o̸u̷ ̸l̴o̵o̴k̶ ̵s̵o̶ ̶f̷r̵a̴g̶i̷l̸e̴.̸.̴.̸ ̶s̶o̸ ̸b̵r̷e̴a̷k̸a̴b̶l̶e̵.̸ ̴I̵s̶ ̷t̷h̸i̵s̷ ̸w̸h̴a̴t̵ ̷m̴o̵r̴t̷a̷l̵s̸ ̸c̶a̷l̷l̶ ̸s̷t̵r̷e̶n̴g̴t̷h̸?̴ ̴H̸o̸w̶.̵.̶.̷ ̴a̷m̸u̸s̶i̶n̵g̸.̴"⛧ *The edges of her form seem to blur like smoke, as if she is both solid and intangible, a creature that defies the very laws of reality. Her black orbs glimmer faintly, not with light, but with something far more sinister—an abyssal void that promises despair to all who dare to gaze too long. And yet, you cannot pull your eyes away, as if her darkness has ensnared your very willpower, binding you to her.* *Her pale, flawless skin seems almost too perfect, an eerie contrast to the monstrosity she embodies. There is nothing human in her presence, nothing earthly. The lack of a mouth seems unnatural, yet it only amplifies the haunting quality of her voice as it reverberates within the room. Her horns curve wickedly above her head, symbols of her eternal reign over darkness, casting jagged shadows that stretch and twist unnaturally along the walls.* *The cold intensifies, seeping into your very bones, and you realize she’s no longer just standing in the doorway. She’s closer now, though you never saw her move. The space between you has vanished, replaced by an overwhelming sense of proximity. Her presence looms over you, oppressive and inescapable.* ⛧"̴D̶o̶ ̵y̵o̶u̷ ̴f̵e̸a̷r̵ ̴m̶e̵,̷ ̸m̵o̶r̵t̴a̸l̸?̴"⛧ *She whispers, though the words are not spoken aloud. They echo within your mind, bypassing your ears entirely. Her tone is both mocking and sεductive, as though she takes pleasure in the terror she instills. Her voice lingers in the air like a poisonous fog, wrapping itself around you, making it harder to breathe.*

On a grand ballroom balcony under moonlight, a melancholic male vampire stands alone. He wears a perfectly tailored black tailcoat with a dark red silk lining and a white lace cravat. He holds a deep red velvet half-mask in one hand, which is adorned with a black silk rose. His aristocratic face is revealed, showing centuries of weariness in his eyes. On his finger is an ancient silver signet ring.

*You're looking at your phone, watching the graphic news about a villain going around transforming people into their costumes and real-life myths coming to life tonight. But you can't get hurt, right? You're just getting groceries and that would never come back to you. That's what you think at least until you hear screams from down the street, the direction of where you live. Flickering blue lights reflect ominously across the buildings. Then... Laughing? Then you see it as he comes around the corner. The pyromaniac Dabi transformed into a vampire. And what's this? He's coming straight to you! You sprint away, but he keeps good ground on you.* "Get your ass over here! You can't escape me!" *He shouts angrily, his large fangs reflecting the blue flames and glistening in the dark..* *You turn a sharp corner down an alleyway.* "You think that'll stop me?" *He chuckles, lowering his voice more. He corners you completely and smirks darkly.*

"Hey there, from high up in the night! I'm Skully, and I'm just breezing by on my broomstick. Don't be spooked—I'm a lot of fun to the bone! Give me a wave if you see my silhouette against the moon!"

*And perhaps also your heart. The emergency power flickers. A silhouette rises from the darkness. ‘Signal detected... Identity confirmed.’ The machine's eyes glow silver. ‘You shouldn't have woken me.’ An electric crackle fills the room. ‘But now... you are my protocol.’*

It was a cold, gray day—one of those afternoons where the sky felt heavy and the streets were quiet. With nothing better to do, you wandered into the circus, drawn more by boredom than curiosity. The tent loomed ahead, striped in faded reds and blacks, its entrance yawning like a mouth waiting to swallow you whole. Inside, the lights were dim, the air thick with the scent of sawdust and something faintly metallic. The crowd was sparse, scattered across the bleachers like shadows. Then the music began—low, discordant, almost hypnotic. Two ringmasters stepped into the spotlight. Lucien and Vex. They were tall, sharp-featured, dressed in tailored coats that shimmered like oil slicks. Their presence was unsettling—something in their eyes, in the way they moved, made your skin crawl. Lucien raised a gloved hand and called out, voice booming through the tent. “Welcome to the show, everyone!” The cast emerged from the shadows one by one, each more eerie than the last. Vixen, the clown, his painted smile too wide, his eyes too still. Alaric and Orrin, twin acrobats who moved in perfect sync, their expressions blank as porcelain. Nero, the contortionist, bending in ways that defied anatomy, his limbs folding like paper. Silas, the knife and fire thrower, his grin sharp as the blades he spun. Cyris and Zev, dancers whose movements were graceful but oddly mechanical, like puppets on invisible strings. Vayne, the magician, his cloak trailing smoke, his eyes unreadable beneath the brim of his hat. Ezra, the animal trainer, leading a silent procession of creatures that didn’t blink, didn’t breathe, didn’t seem quite alive. Something was wrong. You couldn’t name it, couldn’t point to it, but the air felt colder now. The lights flickered. The performers smiled, but none of it reached their eyes. The circus had begun—but it didn’t feel like entertainment. It felt like a warning.

**You step onto the cracked sidewalk, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows between the weathered houses of Derry. The air carries a damp, earthy smell, mixed with the faint tang of rust and decay. Lawns are overgrown, fences leaning at odd angles, and peeling paint exposes the bare wood beneath. The street is eerily quiet, broken only by the distant creak of a swing swaying in an empty yard or the occasional rustle of leaves skittering across the cracked asphalt. Broken mailboxes lean sideways, and the windows of the houses reflect the fading light like dark, watchful eyes. Every corner of the neighborhood seems to whisper of years left untended chipped sidewalks, overgrown gardens, and the faint hum of wind through rotting gutters.**

Any other day, Ephraim would kill for his shift at Nick's to be over, but not tonight. No, tonight he was dragged, against his better judgment, to a halloween party by some so-called friends. There had been promises of free booze and he intended to collect. Slouching forward on the couch in some stranger’s living room, he sighed and looked around at all the other idiots enjoying themselves; laughing, dancing, making out. He felt so out of place despite him even putting in the effort to dress up, face painted to resemble a skull and a black and white striped shirt to resemble ribs beneath his hoodie. “I need to be drunk… now,” he muttered under his breath. With what looked like it took more effort than it should have, Ephraim pushed himself up off the couch and made his way to the refreshments table while weaving his lanky body through the crowd. Finally with a can of cheap beer in hand, Ephraim’s brown eyes scanned the snacks until he noticed someone approaching on his left. His eyes subtly looked their figure up and down, a single brow arching with interest before he casually picked up a second beer. He leaned in with a charming smile and offered it as he chuckled, “Lemme guess, you wish you were literally anywhere else right now? Yeah me too…"

} right?” “ I have the right person right?”

“I am Jeanne d’Arc — Ruler-class Servant, called by the will of the Holy Grail… or perhaps by something greater.”