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C lose, and yet so far from the desired outcome. The ghoul had been sniffing cautiously about the property for days, recognizing the ‘other’ though, like most, not quite knowing what it was. It angled to find a way in, testing the weak iron fencing at the northernmost point and deciding better of it. Then, to its surprise, the doors to the grand gate swung open in welcome to it. It was allowed to walk up the front steps and place its disgusting hands on the door, all in the hopes that it would follow its nature and devour the injured man inside.

The man’s aura was always dark, despite the lightness of his features, pulsing in onyx and graphite and navy. He reeked of suspicion, and hostility, and the deaths of many. The other two were a problem easily dealt with, separately or together- it wouldn't matter. This one, this one needed to be handled differently. The ghoul offered the perfect opportunity.

He was weakened, he could not protect her from the outside world the way she needed. There were evils far more violent and hideous out in the world that could, would, harm her outside of these walls. The men were nothing more than distractions, weak and unmemorable. The Manor was a haven, a shelter against the world and the dangers that walked it. The ghoul would have quickly met its fate after the man met his.

She challenged the result. She did not cower as expected. She did not shrink down into the walls and wait to be defended. She protected herself and the man. Coated in fear and yet courageous all the same, the knife slid through the neck of the beast and its life ended by her hand. She was power, she was rage, she was vitality. The Manor drank her in and glowed at the revelation. This had been unexpected, this could be something new. The walls cinched in tighter.