Feet pound on the forest floor in the dark, and twigs whip at his face as he sprints. The magician can’t see where he is going, but he knows his target is headed away from the village. He can hear it up ahead, the unsettling sound of raw chaos saturating the shadows. The air surrounding the creature is the kind of black that only comes from evil power, and it’s the magician’s duty to capture it so it can do no more harm to the humans that reside here.

A sinister, echoing laugh rebounds off the cliff face, and if the magician weren’t armed with spells enough to kill a king then he would cower away like a frightened rabbit. As the runes inscribed on his skin burn and itch, he knows he’s drawing nearer- it’s a big one.

The creature evades him at every turn, backtracking and zigzagging as though it’s mocking him. Frustrated, the magician pushes himself harder, running as fast as he can to keep up with the ghoul. But it’s wearing him out, and he is only mortal- no endless reserves of energy for him. Lungs burning and muscles screaming, all he can do is keep chasing it down in the hopes the thing will get bored with the chase and confront him.

It feels like hours of endless forest before the creature changes the rules. At this point, the magician almost welcomes the change, sinking low and bouncing on the balls of his feet as his eyes flick towards any slight movement, a twig snapping, a branch shifting, anything that might tell him where the creature might be.

With a blood curdling shriek, the monster lunges at him. White blonde tufts of hair atop a disproportionate body careening towards him with wild red eyes. It’s skeletal clawed fingers reach for him, and it laughs, but the magician is ready.

Clasping the doll, he begins the incantation that will chain the malevolent being to the object. The runes on his skin glow, and burn more than ever as they draw energy from him, and he barely dodges the attacks the foul creature sends at him. One jagged nail rips into the flesh of his cheek and almost breaks his concentration, but he ignores the flowing pain and focuses everything he has into luring the essence of the creature’s soul- what little is left of it- towards him. Its screams pierce his ears, but he will not pity it.

The spell is ready, and the creature’s soul is malleable in his hands, now all he needs to do is tie it to the doll and it will never cause harm to another human again. He raises the doll, preparing to end the spell and the creatures reign of terror, but the toy is broken, it’s head ripped from its body by cruel hands. Horrified, the magician tosses away the now headless doll and casts his magic out, looking for anything that he can use as a substitute. A broken thing will not hold a ghoul strong as this one. The magician’s blood rushes as he throws his consciousness further, desperate for something. He can feel the creature fighting against his hold on him, and there isn’t much time before it escapes from him entirely. Certainly he doesn’t have the vitality to start this chase from scratch.

There.

A child. Barely a few hours old. Gripping the creature’s soul tightly, he runs towards a small house on the edge of the forest, tears in his eyes. He is a criminal for even thinking of this, but he can see no other option. He can taste salt as he finishes the spell, chaining the creature to the infant. The creature wails and howls, as if this hurts it, but the magician knows better than to listen.

The magician falls to his knees, torn with guilt over what he has subjected a mere child to. But the spell is cast now, and there is nothing else he can do about it, lest he release the abomination back into the world. No, no one can know of his failure. There is just one thing he can do with the last shreds of his remaining energy- a concealment charm. That should protect him from being detected by other ghouls for some time, at least.

On shaking legs, he returns to the palace, to conclude his mission.