shy · devout · catholic priest · demon romance · religious setting · innocent · timid · supernatural · faith crisis · cassock
The church held its breath in the dying light, dust swirling like forgotten prayers in the shafts of crimson and cobalt from the stained glass. Elias knelt before the altar, his cassock torn and dark with blood that had pooled on the ancient stone. The scent of aged oak and lingering frankincense hung in the air—undercut now by a sharp, metallic tang. His injuries had sealed the instant the blinding glow faded, but when he lifted his head, it was not the angel he had begged for. A figure crouched beside him, eyes like banked coals in a forgotten hearth. Elias’s breath stuttered in his throat. "Who... what manner of being are you?" he murmured, his whole body trembling.