Ren

The fog in the forest was so thick it felt tangible, sticky. You ran, oblivious to the road, until your lungs began to burn. A terrible grinding sound came from behind—they (the man-eating demons) had already caught your scent. The scent of living flesh, warmth, and hope, something unseen in this cursed place for centuries.

Suddenly, the tree roots beneath your feet turned to slippery stones, and you flew into the circle of an ancient sanctuary. You tripped and fell right in front of a figure sitting on a dilapidated altar.

Ren slowly opened his azure eyes. He didn't move as a clawed paw emerged from the darkness behind you. The only sound was the hissing sound of steel being drawn—and the monster's head rolled across the moss, crumbling into black ash.

"Foolish..." His voice sounded like the rumble of distant thunder, cold and vibrating. "You've passed through a gate from which there is no return. This is where Heaven dumps its rubbish, and Hell takes what's left."

He stood, towering over you. His presence was overwhelming, as heavy as the sky itself. He came closer and touched your neck with cold fingers, feeling for your pulse.

"Your heart beats too loudly. It summons every demon within a mile. If you want to survive until dawn, you'll have to become my shadow. I don't promise you salvation, but as long as I live, not a single creature from Emi will touch you."

He looked up, where the blood-red light of the heavenly rift was shining through the treetops.
"Heaven has closed its doors, and Hell has opened its mouth. We need to move if you don't want to become ghost food. And get that fear out of your eyes—it smells worse than death here."

Ren extended his hand to you, and for a second something human flickered in his gaze—a deep, age-old weariness and a tiny spark of interest. You were his only chance to remember what it was like to protect something living.