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The man held the baby in his arms, looking a little mortified as the beast, the monster that had been chasing them throughout their journey was slowly disappearing before their eyes.
He watched in horror as the beast was consumed by the darkness, fading away completely.
It was all over, they were finally safe.
A breath of icy cold air came from inside the forest, a shadow began to emerge from the darkness itself; It wasn't the beast, he just knew it, even if he had no idea how he was able to elucidate such a thought.
That thing between the trees was something different.
And he had been able to notice it.
The shadow emerged from the grove, raising its tall, thin figure in the middle of a tree-free area; but even with the little light still existing in the sky, this entity was still a humanoid figure surrounded by a thick dark mist.
It was impossible for him to say what it was that now towered overwhelmingly over them both.
"Congratulations, you defeated the corrupted guardian," a voice spoke, one with an unearthly tone to its newly spoken words.
The man shivered at the freezing air coming from the entity; as it moved, the closer it was to them, the colder it became.
He hugged his son, his precious boy, protecting him from the cold draft with his own coat.
"I wasn't trying to be a hero," he said firmly, trying not to take his attention away from a possible threat.
"No, you weren't," the mist-shrouded creature agreed, "But you have created a power vacuum in the unknown, a new guardian is needed"
Approaching them both, a ghostly, shadowy hand reached out to the baby, pointing at him and trying to touch the child's cheek.
"He would be an excellent guardian, a pure and young soul, just what is needed to occupy such an honor..."
The man held the baby closer to himself, moving him away from the shadowy entity, preventing it from even touching him, and he looked at the creature with a horrified expression at such a possibility.
His firm gaze was an absolute no.
"Oh, that could be you," he suggested as a second option.
"Why does it have to be one of us?", the man questioned disdainfully.
The creature was not intimidated by his threat, finding it quite entertaining and a good trait to possess for the new guardian, the man would be a suitable replacement.
"They are both newcomers to the unknown, they are not corrupted, they have not been manipulated or influenced as severely as the rest of those who reside here...", said the creature, extending their arm and pointing at everything around them.
The creature watched as the man's eyes shone darkly at the realization of the implications mentioned.
"Pure souls...", the man muttered in a defeated manner.
"Pure souls...", the entity confirmed.
A hand held the man's face, forcing him to look into bright white eyes, forcing him to look, and as much as he wanted to, he couldn't stop looking.
"You are a broken man, , but you are able to take the position, in order to protect what you love most", they said while looking intently at the little baby in the man's arms.
The man's eyes filled with tears.
"Sacrifice is a courageous and valuable trait, dear..."
The man remained silent, looking conflictedly at the shadow moving around him, without losing sight of it.
The silence lasted a long moment.
"If I accept...", the man gulped, trying to find his words, "What will happen to me?"
The response he received was immediate and sudden.
"You'll have to stay here"
His attention turned to the baby resting comfortably in his lap, his face filled with sadness and fear.
"He can't go home on his own," the man complained.
"I could take him home...", the creature suggested.
The look full of distrust came from the man, indicating that he would not hand over the child, the entity did not take it personally; that distrust made him quite suitable to take the position.
The man was not a fool, he could not trust or believe that anyone would bring his son back home safely.
"I want to take him home...", he demanded coldly.
Only in this way would he be sure that his son would be safe.
"You will have to come back...", the entity stated.
A chance to bring his son back home.
It wasn't the best choice, but one was better than none.
His gaze filled with determination looked towards the dark entity that stood above them.
"I'll be back", he said.
Then everything went completely dark.