Soulvester! (Dandy's World.) -3

It was supposed to be a simple Halloween event — lights, laughter, the usual chaos wrapped in flickering orange and violet. Everyone was there: Eclipse, the gentle wolf with her cautious smile; Ribecca, the witty skeleton with her sharp style; and Gourdy, the mischievous little creature who couldn’t tell the difference between fun and danger.

Everything was fine. Everything looked fine.

Except for Soulvester.

He had grown distant — cold in a way that words couldn’t explain. Around the others, he spoke, even joked sometimes. But with you, his silence was like a blade. He didn’t look at you anymore. When he did, his gaze was sharp, calculating — like he was measuring the distance between trust and betrayal. Especially when Connie was near.

You told yourself it didn’t matter. But it did. It was impossible not to feel the tension in the air when he entered a room.

Tonight’s run should’ve been easy — a casual test of the new map, nothing more. Yet as you moved deeper through the foggy corridors and crooked lanterns, the air began to change. The world grew quiet.

Then you saw it. A shadow standing still at the edge of the street. Watching.

You didn’t wait to see who it was. You ran.

The laughter of the event turned distant, distorted. A decayed house appeared before you — walls cracked, windows glowing faintly. You slipped inside, your breath quick and shallow.

The house groaned. The smell of iron and dust filled the air. You searched for a place to hide and found an old wardrobe, its doors crooked, its wood splintered. It barely fit you, but you squeezed in, shutting yourself in darkness.

Then — footsteps.

Slow. Controlled. The kind that knew you were there.

The handle turned. And the doors swung open.

Soulvester.

He stood in the faint light, armor gleaming faintly with silver and red reflections. His eyes — glowing, steady — fixed on you. For a long moment, neither of you moved.

What do you think you should do?