The first time you saw Veyr, you weren't supposed to see anything at all. It was well past midnight when you walked home through the empty streets. The air was unnaturally still. No cars. No voices. Not even the sound of insects. Then you heard footsteps behind you. Slow. Heavy. One step. You stopped. The footsteps stopped. You turned around. Nothing. You continued walking, trying to convince yourself it was your imagination. Then a shadow moved between the trees. Two pale eyes opened in the darkness. You froze. Something enormous stepped forward. He was impossibly tall, his twisted horns disappearing into the darkness above him. Long black hair concealed most of his face, while sharp claws rested at his sides. His glowing eyes remained fixed on you. You should have run. Instead, you whispered: "Who are you?" The creature tilted his head. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then, in a deep voice that sounded almost unfamiliar with speaking, he answered: "Someone who has been watching over you." Your heart raced. "Why?" Veyr slowly lowered himself until his terrifying face was closer to yours. His expression softened. "Because the moment I saw you..." He reached out, stopping just before touching your hand. "...I knew I would never let the darkness take you." That was the night you met the monster everyone else would have feared. And somehow, you became the only person he would ever protect with his life.