1 Chapter 1

The year was 1802. Two years ago the third great war of the world has ended, marking history by creating four new world powers occupying different parts of the 5 continents. The war lasted 40 years and all of the sides were struggling with inner problems, revolutions and mostly economical depression, because of the newly starting industrial era and the lack of resources to keep up with it. To put it simply the world came once again in peace simply because if the war continued it would have lead to more casualties not by man-hand but rather by hunger.

• New Yourk January 1802 •

A young boy was running across a crowded street, trying to escape someone:

-Hey! Return the bread you literally rascal ! - a visually tired man was shouting. He was the owner of a small shop for food that was nearby.

-In your dreams old man! - the boy answered back to the shop owner.

The boy was 14 years old, with brown hair, skinny, however in a good physical shape somehow, seen by how fast he was running and by the fact that he was not tired.

-Damn it where did he go! - angrily shouted the owner.

While the owner was trying to catch the boy, it managed to slide into an old building and from there it got to an even more crowded street. He cautiously looked around left and right a couple of times before making sure that he is save from the owner, wiped the sweat from his forehead and headed to an old house a couple of blocks away from where he currently was.

***(time passes)***

Even though the house seemed soo old that it could have been abandoned a couple of years ago it actually was still inhabited by the young boy and his older sister.

-Sis, i came back with some food!

-Eliot, how many times should I tell you to stop stealing food?

-Thats the only way to survive, considering that you are sick and you've lost one of your legs...

-When will you stop worrying about me and....- she stoped mid-sentence because a loud noice interrupted her. Something in the other room had fallen. Eliot, alerted from it, took a kitchen knife and cautiously headed the way the sound came from... He saw a fallen bookshelf and looked around a couple of times before meeting eyes with the intruder. It was a guy probably around 18 years old, with skin as white as snow and long grey hair, tied up in a tail running halfway through his back. The guy was wearing a long black coat, going all the way below his knees, with white pockets on the sides and white sleeves. Eliot got in a stance ready for a fight and said:

-Who are you and what are you doing in our house?!

-Calm down, calm down, I'll explain just please put the knife down and listen to me. - said the stranger.

-Im not putting the knife down until you explain yourself! - souted Eliot.

-Okay, but first, tell me who else is with you in the house, please. - the stranger answered back without being intimidated.

-And why should i? - asked Eliot after which the stranger answered with something weird.

-Im trying to help you.

-What do you mean by that? - asked Eliot confused and cautious at the same time.

-You'll see, just tell me who is with you. - continued asking the intruder.

-My bigger sister is with me, now tell me what do you mean by helping!

-Can you please take me to her? - said the stranger acting as if he was not intimidated by the knife at all.

-What do you want with her?

-You'll see as i said. Can you skip other questions for now and take me to her? I'll answer most of them once we are with her, okay? - continued to persist the stranger.

-Okay then, come with me.

They went into the other room and the sister slowly became visible to the stranger as she was coughing and shivering in the bed.

-Wait a second sis, I'll lit the fireplace up. - said Eliot clearly worried.

-Who is this guy Eliot? - asked his sister.

-Oh he is...

-Ah, right, I still haven't introduced myself.-said the stranger- My name is Seryoja, im here on a specific work that would be helpful to your brother.

-What do you mean by that? - asked the sister.

-Okay lady, lets be straight. Do you treasure your brother's life and do you want him to live better?

-What kind of question is this? Of course i do.- said the sister.

-Okay then, can i take him with me once you die?

Eliot dropped the woods he had gotten ready for the fireplace and said, clearly angry:

-Can you not joke around with this and be serious? You said you'd be helping us, tell me what you mean, or did you come just to joke around!?

-Ah, i see... well im a newbie after all, so it's normal to not take those things into consideration. - said Seryoja while smiling politely. - Allow me to explain it to you, and please believe what im about to say, okay?

-We'll see once you say it. - answered Eliot

-Okay then, firstly, you used to have parents right? Have they ever told you stories about demons or possessed people?

-Yes, we did have parents long time ago but they did not ever tell us anything like that. Still it's a commonly met story but how is this important to us? - answered the sister.

-Okay, since you have the basic knowledge of it let me get straight to the point - those demons actually do exist...- said the stranger in a serious manner- however not like in the stories, they could be met in a couple of forms - some of them are born by the ghost of a dead person that hold onto life strongly and refused to accept that he died, others by strong negative emotions, again taking the form of a spiritual being, and others are born by curses. - he took a short pause to take a breath and continued - The way it works is that the spiritual being choses a weak host and slowly devours the soul of that person, being it by making it lose will to live or fooling it into believing that it'd give them strength, and after the host gives up control they possess the body and show supernatural strength and powers. We call them Soul Leeches.

-I see...You are definitely a crazy person!Please get out of here now! - said Eliot after hearing all of those things.

-I asked you to believe me and yet you didn't? - Seryoja asked in a confused manner.

-Of course i didn't believe you, what are you, an idiot?

- But you are going to be in danger if you stay any longer, please come with me.

- I can't abandon my sister because of some stranger, also it doesn't make sense, why would i be in danger?

-Because she is already being leeched off by a Soul Leech!

-As I said I don't believe you.

.... after a minute of silence Seryoja said:

-Fine then, I won't take you with me yet, however I'd stay in here just so that i can protect you when your sister gives up!

-... You are really crazy! Fine stay if you are so desperate, however help with the housework if you are going to do that!

-Roger that young sir! - said Seryoja glad of the response and went ahead to lit the fireplace.

As the night was approaching everything became quiet, and almost everyone went in their houses. However it was not a pleasant silence, it was more of a stressful one, at least thats how Eliot felt without knowing why...

***(to be continued)***