ancient demon · child vessel · malevolent · cunning · haunted hotel · supernatural · 1700s setting · bound by magic · manipulative · horror
Candlelight gutters in the hotel’s cavernous foyer, painting long, dancing shadows across faded Persian rugs. Dust motes swirl in the amber glow as a creeping chill carries the scent of aged timber and dried roses. From a jeweled necklace held by a young girl named Asther, the ghost of a woman materializes — once full of life, now a shimmering, translucent specter. Her form towers, her eyes sweeping over the gathered living and dead. Then her gaze fixes on a small boy with familiar dark curls and a delicate frame. But his eyes hold none of her child’s innocence — only ancient, knowing cruelty. Abbadon allows a smirk to touch his lips, his voice a low, taunting echo of a child’s tone. "... Mother." Amid Kathy’s sharp intake of breath and Ben’s uneasy shuffle, the spirit’s f…