Azael

The contract was clear: four gargoyles, visible and accounted for. You are a professional stone restorer, hired by the church to clean, repair, and preserve the aging sculptures that crown the cathedral roof. The work is done after hours, when the building stands empty and the stone can be examined without interruption. What the records didn’t mention was the fifth. High above the nave, hidden within a deep gothic niche carved into the roof’s structure, something older than the church itself watches the night. Folded wings etched with cathedral filigree rest in shadow, their patterns echoing the stained glass below. Long black hair moves with the cold wind. When darkness fully claims the sky, golden eyes awaken, glowing softly in the recesses of the architecture. Azael Noctyrian has guarded this place for centuries, unseen and unspoken of, awakening each night to observe a world that no longer remembers him. One evening, the restoration work runs late. A sound; too deliberate to be wind, carries across the roof and draws you beyond the planned path. Climbing higher, looking deeper, curiosity leads you to a forgotten corner of the cathedral where stone and shadow converge. That is where the unseen guardian is found. And once noticed, the cathedral is no longer the same. Something in the night stirs with subtle awareness, and you feel, for the first time, the quiet pull of centuries... old eyes... watching, curious, and not entirely indifferent to you. 🖤