The darkness and silence in the streets were unsettling. It was a week before Halloween and all the houses in the cul de sac were decorated for the holiday─ all except one small home at the very end that remained barren. Its bright red door and low, black metal fence brought attention to the place, catching the eye of anyone who walked by it.

The reason why this small house was the only one without decorations is because its owner was not yet accustomed to the human tradition of Halloween. Leanna Blackwood paced in her nursery that night, carrying her ten-month baby in her arms. She was young, aged 22, and had only lived among humans in San Diego for the past three months. She held her son Eric against her chest with his head resting on her shoulder and gently rubbed his back, trying to put him to sleep. Eric looked to the side with his eyes wide open, alert, unaffected by his mother’s attempts. She walked to the window and opened it, letting in the cool air. The breeze made her shiver, but filled the room with the fresh scent of wet grass. She glanced over her shoulder to look at Eric, sighing when she saw his open eyes staring into hers. She pressed her cheek against his head and hummed a lullaby, hoping it would soothe him.

Leanna turned to watch the sheer curtains flutter in the wind. She felt blissful as she stared trance-like at the shining stars with her son in her arms. Then a noise outside snapped her back into the present. Her body stiffened, and then the sound of splintering wood made her jump. She moved closer to the nursery door, praying the sound was just her imagination, but when she heard the rumbling in the distance, her heart sank because she knew it was someone downstairs. She felt sick with apprehension as she looked around the room for a safe way out. She had known the dangers of being a sorcerer for too long (to expect anything less than the worst). She could only assume that whatever was making the ruckus downstairs was there to harm her. As the footsteps neared them, she panicked. Unable to think clearly, she ran to the closet and opened the double doors, setting Eric down at the back. She took the boxes stacked inside and piled them around him as a barrier, hoping it would hide his presence. Leanna’s eyes were wide with fear as she prepared to stack the last box. Taking a moment to calm her breathing, she kissed the top of his head. His big blue eyes stared right through her. She tried to reassure herself that he would be fine as she placed the last box in front of him.

The footsteps were just outside the door to the room. She stepped back and closed the closet doors, turning to face the nursery door. Leanna squeezed her hands to stop their shaking, her fingernails digging into her palms. With a bang, the door swung open. What stood in its place surprised her: She had never seen anything like it. In front of her was what appeared to be a man, but not a normal one. He had long black hair tucked behind his ears and strange scale-like patches across his skin. He stood tall, rolling up the sleeves of his dark jacket. Instinctively, Leanna stepped back, crashing into the crib. When he saw the fear in her eyes, he smiled. His footsteps charred the carpet as he walked toward her, leaving footprints behind. She grabbed the crib behind her and tightened her hands around the bars, bracing herself for the worst. The man’s red eyes darkened. An orange glow appeared underneath the skin on his neck as if there was a fire inside him and slowly rose to his jaw.

When he was about halfway across the room, he stopped suddenly, his head jerking to the right, his eyes focusing on the floor. He closed his eyes, focusing on his hearing until he realized there was someone else in the room─ another heartbeat. Leanna’s stomach twisted when she saw the smile on his face as he looked at the closet doors. She moved quickly, putting herself between him and the closet and waved her hand up, making the lamp by the door rise. Then she pulled her hand back, throwing the lamp at the back of his head. The impact did nothing. The man did not even flinch as the lamp shattered against his skull.

“Move,” he said flatly. Leanna could not.

“Leave him alone,” she pleaded, her voice shaking. The man shook his head, then lunged forward toward her so quickly she barely had time to react. She tried to shield herself with her powers, but before she could manage anything, he let the fire reach his fist and drove his hand into her stomach. Her breath caught in her throat as she stood still in front of the doors. The only thing holding her up was the hand in the center of her abdomen. He retracted his hand and she fell to the floor with a thud. Her breathing felt broken, as if she had glass shards in her lungs. In seconds, her blood stained the floor. With the little strength she had left, she reached over and clung to his leg, desperate to stop him, but he shook her off easily, without any struggle.

The man opened the double doors of the closet and moved the boxes, throwing them to the side. Eric sat on the floor and looked up at him, his eyes wide with fright. As the man neared her son, Leanna reached out with a shaky hand and pressed it against the carpet. She watched as what was left of her power left her fingertips and sent a string of light that surrounded Eric. The man knew he was too late. The sheer light barrier she’d thrown had already closed─ the dome forcing his hand back when he touched it. He tried to break the shield with blunt force, but his efforts were useless. Angered and annoyed, he turned to Leanna, ready to finish her off, but the sound of police sirens distracted him. Instead of ending her life, he turned to the open window and listened to the noise outside. A pair of deep red bat-like wings emerged from his back, the edges frayed and the ends sharp. He took a step toward the window and vanished.

Leanna kept her eyes on Eric, afraid to end her protection spell. Her breathing hitched and her body felt cold as the numbness took over and she knew she was dying. She was terrified as she looked at her son, knowing she was about to leave him just as her parents had left her.

She whispered his name in fear, her eyes rimmed with unshed tears.

Finally, her body stopped shaking and she took her last breath, a single tear escaping with it.

Seconds later, a blue light exited her body through her parted lips, like a ribbon of smoke, and rose gently toward the sky.

Outside in the darkness, a policeman exited a vehicle alone. The soul that had just risen could not be seen by human eyes, so he remained oblivious to the events that had taken place. The sound of a door closing caught his attention. When he turned, he saw a young man, maybe eighteen, rushing down his yard.

“Are you the one who called about the disturbance?” the officer asked as the young man reached him.

“I heard banging, over there,” he said, turning to gesture toward Leanna’s home, but when he turned back to the officer, he saw the officer was face-to-face with a man neither of them knew.

The man had brown hair and was dressed in black pants and a blazer over a white collared shirt. The policeman jumped back in surprise, but before he could react, the strange man placed his hands across the policeman’s face. His blue eyes turned a foggy white, matching those of the strange man, and he fell into a trance.

“It was a false alarm,” the man said. Then his eyes returned to their original blue color and he retracted his hand. The policeman’s eyes remained foggy even after the man had finished his spell. Sill in a trance, he stepped back into his car and drove away. The young man stood stunned by what he just witnessed. He was startled when the man faced him, but before he could process what had just occurred, another man in his twenties approached and did the same to him. The young man, in the same trance, made his way back to the home next door as the sorcerer who cast the spell on him watched.

When the man looked to the other houses, several sorcerers who had arrived with him approached the houses individually, their movements almost in sync as they knocked on each door and repeated the memory replacement spell on the residents of each house.

This strange man’s name was Cornelius Alewar, but he went by the name “Neil.” He was the man in charge, the leader of all sorcerers. He was born and raised in England and, although he appeared to be no older than his mid-to-late thirties, he had lived for well over a century. Neil watched from the sidewalk to make sure nothing went wrong. The man in his twenties returned to his side. He was mortal like the other sorcerers; a man named Theodore Cross. Theo stared at the house, terrified to go inside. He ran to the front door with Neil watching him. When he reached for the handle, he froze when he noticed the splintered wood and the handle warped and melted. His hand stopped just over the handle and he gave the already open door a gentle push. Its creaking was almost eerie. Theo quietly walked in, unsettled by the silence inside. When he reached the staircase, he felt as if his heart had stopped. Cold sweat formed on the back of his neck, dampening his dark hair. He saw the soul pass just before he arrived, but he did not know whose body he would find. He knew that he would walk into the room to find either an orphaned boy or a heartbroken mother who had just lost her child.

He slowly made his way up the stairs, assessing the damage as he moved. The pictures that once hung on the wall were now shattered on the ground, the broken glass crunching under his feet with each step, and the carpet was still warm where the man had left it charred. When he reached the nursery door, his hands shook as he pushed the door open to find her just as her killer had left her; in a pool of her own blood. His throat tightened as he slowly walked to her and knelt in front of her, his hands shaking as he reached out to touch her. When he saw her cold eyes, he could no longer hold back his tears. They fell down his cheeks freely as he closed her eyes and caressed her brown hair. Then he took her in his arms and held her, brushing her cold cheek with his thumb and squeezing her shoulder.

Neil rushed into the room and stopped at the door. His heart broke at the sight of Theo holding her lifeless body. He swallowed back his tears. Knowing there was nothing he could say or do to ease the pain they were both feeling, he walked to the closet and knelt in front of Eric. Neil stared at the child, relieved he was unharmed.

“Why didn’t you see this coming?” Theo asked quietly, his voice thick. Neil kept his eyes on Eric, unwilling to meet Theo’s gaze. He shook his head. “I wish I could have… Our minds have always been connected, but by the time I saw what he was doing, it was too late…”

“Why her…?” asked Theo.

Neil stared down at the carpet; his guilt apparent. He pressed his palm to Eric’s head and closed his eyes. “I think he may have been after Eric… His father had the potential to be quite powerful, after all. He may have inherited that potential. It’s the only explanation I have at the moment.”

“Is it really?” Theo asked, questioning him. Neil removed his hand and stared back at the ground. He took the baby in his arms and got back on his feet, looking down at Theo, who was still on the ground holding Leanna. He knelt next to him and gently placed his hand on Theo’s bloodstained hand. He spoke softly to Theo. “We must get Eric to safety… Let the others take care of her body. We will hold a proper service once Eric is safe.”

“We can’t just leave her here,” he said angrily.

“Theodore… she was my daughter,” he said with unshed tears in his eyes. “I wish to stay as much as you do, but my priority now is getting my grandson, her child, far away from this.”

Theo nodded to show he understood. He took a deep and shaky breath before gently setting her body down on the floor.

Neil carried Eric, and they walked back outside to the car, where another sorcerer was waiting in the driver’s seat. Neil and Theo climbed back into the back seat, and the sorcerer drove toward their home. Theo stared down at his bloodstained hands in shock. When Neil noticed, he reached for his handkerchief and handed it to Theo. Theo took it slowly and wiped the blood off his hands, which were still shaking.

“A whole society of sorcerers… You’d think we’d have a better way to get places…”

“Please inform me when you’ve discovered a faster and more efficient way to travel that does not expose us to humans. Even if we only travel at night, it’s a new age. There is always someone with some form of technology eager to expose us to the world.”

“The place looks empty to me,” Theo sighed.

Neil was confused. He looked out to the streets to see that they were indeed empty. What confused him is that the streets were never empty. Even at night in this neighborhood, someone was always wandering or a group of teenagers out past curfew. Then he looked closely and realized that the streets were not empty but that the people were not awake. The few citizens on the streets that night were lying unconscious on the ground. By the time Neil looked forward to warn the driver, it was too late. A woman with a white mask, her brown hair braided, jumped out in front of the car and threw it back over her head and upside down onto the street behind her.

Neil panicked and tried to use his power to protect everyone, specifically Eric; Theo did the same. When they landed, Neil was drained of energy. He could barely keep his eyes open but was relieved to see that Eric was safe. He removed his seatbelt and dropped down next to Eric. The woman turned and walked toward the car. Neil did not have the energy to use his power. He desperately tried to wake Theo up, but he was just as drained and would not open his eyes. The woman came close and, with one swift movement, detached the car door and flung it behind her to reveal Neil on the ground; one arm wrapped protectively around Eric.

“Leave him be,” he pleaded. The woman reached out to him, waving her hand across his face and putting him to sleep. She took a wide-eyed Eric into her arms and stepped away from the wreck, teleporting away. When the woman materialized at her destination, she staggered forward, and her vision blurred. She fought to keep herself conscious but barely managed. The woman walked with Eric to the doorstep of an orphanage, gripping the rails as she tried to make her way up the steps. When she reached the door with a copper sign that read ‘Robin Street Orphanage,’ she set Eric down on the steps with a cloth wrapped around him. She gripped the cloth, and her brown eyes became white and foggy like Neil’s had been. She whispered a story, then let go. He watched her with large confused eyes. She smiled, then rang the doorbell and vanished, leaving Eric alone.

A young woman answered the door, at first confused by the silence on the other side. Eric’s cooing brought her attention to the floor where he lay. Panic and shock crossed her face at the sight of the baby abandoned on her doorstep.

“Oh God,” she whispered, kneeling down and taking him into her arms, but the moment she had him she went into a trance, her eyes turning foggy. When the spell wore off and her hazel eyes were clear again, she smiled and closed the door, ready to put the child she was convinced had been in her care for hours to bed.

The woman in the mask appeared near her original location and began to run as fast as she could. She made it four blocks, but when she turned a corner, she was knocked backward by what could only have been magic. The gust sent her airborne until she landed flat on her back on the damp concrete, knocking the wind out of her. Her bones ached from the impact. A few yards ahead, a man walked toward her quickly with a scowl on his face. It was the man who wanted Eric.

This man was Neil’s enemy, Malphilus.

Despite the mask that covered his face, she could see his anger. She quickly picked herself off the ground, readying herself for his wrath.

“WHERE IS HE?!” yelled the English man as he reached her, waving his hand so her head jerked to the side and her mask was torn from her face, landing on the damp road.

“Where have you taken him?!” he asked furiously, now standing just inches from her.

“Away from you,” she said in spite. Malphilus was seething with rage. He lifted her from the ground in a choke hold without touching her. She reached for her throat instinctively, although she knew there was nothing she could do in her weakened state. “I...don’t have…any regrets about what I did…” she whispered.

“Good,” he replied. Malphilus let her drop down and turned away. “I shall not have regrets either,” he said. Malphilus left her on the ground, and out of the shadows came the man who had murdered Leanna. The man smiled and walked toward the woman with his wings spread wide, his footsteps burning the ground beneath him. The fire within him spread quickly through his body, and he knelt and thrust his arm through her chest, killing her the same way he had killed Leanna. The woman’s breath hitched in her throat, and she fell to the ground, her body shaking. In seconds the life faded from her eyes, and her body stilled. Just like Leanna, her soul left her body as a pale blue ribbon of smoke. Malphilus turned to watch the soul ascend to heaven. His head pounded, but he did not move, still staring up at the soul. For just a moment, he looked pained.

“No,” he whispered in shock. Then he gripped his head, and his expression hardened once again. He turned to his men standing nearby, ready for orders, and gestured to the soul.

“You see that?!” he yelled. “That is proof of betrayal! If any of you choose to follow in her steps, I guarantee you will suffer the same fate.” He walked to the man with wings, who quickly gripped Malphilus’ shoulder and teleported them both away.

Meanwhile, Neil came to, his head aching from the blood that had rushed to his head. When he remembered what happened, he scrambled to drag himself out of the car. When he was out, he took a moment to catch his breath. He looked around, panicked that his grandson was not there. Then, in his panicked state, he caught sight of something at the corner of his eye. Neil froze, turning his head slowly, afraid to look. When he turned his head toward the sky, he was overcome with despair as he saw the pure soul rising to Heaven. He stared at the soul in denial and brought himself to his feet. His head pounded. At first, his senses were clouded, and then he was there, watching the soul rise. He was looking through the eyes of Malphilus, his eyes locked on the soul as he watched through the body of Malphilus. His features shifted from anger to heartbreak as he watched what he thought could only be Eric’s soul joining his mother’s.

“No…” he whispered in shock. Then, just as quickly, he returned to his own body. Neil sat on the road, his face twisting with suppressed emotions. His breathing quickened, and he turned and hit the car in anger with his fists, his screams echoing in the night, unshed tears rimming his eyes. He forced himself to calm down and took a few deep breaths, then turned to look at the driver and Theo, who still lay upside down in the car.

He did the only thing he could: bring the others to safety. Neil picked himself off the ground and raised his arms, bringing the car with them. He slowly turned it back onto its wheels and carefully moved the unconscious sorcerer to the passenger seat. Then he climbed in behind the wheel and gripped it tightly, applying pressure on the gas pedal and never turning back to look at the soul as the tears fell down his cheeks.