Archons x male reader
Candle lights flicker, rain drops onto the ground.
7 souls captured in the heart of darkness.
The candle, extinguished.
Credit to the artist who drew the art in the story cover.
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The sky was still tinged with the soft hues of dawn when Y/N awoke, the early light barely creeping through his curtains. He sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and for a brief moment, he considered lying back down. It was rare for him to be up this early—too rare, in fact. But today was different. Today, Amber would be waiting for him at the village.
After pulling on his clothes and splashing some cool water on his face, Y/N stood in the kitchen, staring at the simple breakfast he had prepared: a slice of bread and a few apples. His stomach twisted with nerves, but not from hunger. He picked at the bread for a few moments before deciding he couldn’t eat. It wasn’t like him to be anxious, especially about something as simple as going to the market, but today felt different somehow—important in a way he couldn’t explain.
Leaving the food untouched, he grabbed his small basket and slipped quietly out of the house.
The air was crisp and cool, the early morning mist still hanging low over the village as Y/N made his way into the forest that separated his home from the main road. The trees around him were still, the forest unnaturally quiet save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze. He walked slowly, his footsteps light on the damp earth, and as he moved deeper into the woods, he couldn’t shake the odd feeling that had settled in his chest.
Something was off.
Y/N stopped for a moment, looking around. The forest seemed normal, just as it always did. The familiar trees, the narrow path he’d walked so many times, the distant chirp of birds. Yet, there was something different today, a heaviness in the air that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
Shaking his head, he sighed quietly to himself. It’s just because I’m out earlier than usual, he thought. The world always feels different when you see it at a new time.
He continued on, brushing the strange feeling aside. The path to the village was familiar, and Y/N knew it like the back of his hand. There was no reason to feel uneasy here. The trees were tall and comforting, their branches arching over the path like an old friend watching over him. But as he walked, he couldn’t shake the sensation that someone—or something—was watching him.
What Y/N didn’t know was that, just beyond the trees, hidden in the shadows, eyes followed his every move.
The stalker had been watching Y/N for days now, lurking in the forest near his home, carefully observing him from a distance. They had seen the poster Y/N had looked at in the market, had heard the conversation with Amber, had watched as Y/N made plans for today.
And now, as Y/N walked alone in the quiet of the early morning, the stalker watched from the cover of the trees, their gaze fixed on him with an intensity that sent shivers through the air.
Y/N’s steps slowed as he neared the edge of the forest. He paused again, that strange feeling returning, stronger this time. He glanced over his shoulder, his brow furrowing slightly. The trees stood tall and silent behind him, nothing out of the ordinary. But for a brief moment, he could have sworn he saw movement—just a flicker of something slipping behind a tree, too fast to make out clearly.
