Heavy Heart, Old Demons

On a rainy night, a man leans against a twisted willow tree, silently facing a row of tombstones before him. A flash of lightning reveals the names engraved on the tombstones: all exorcists, their epitaphs all written by Granger. Ghostly hands emerge from the shadows of the tombstones, and the chilling wind carries countless angry curses: "You treacherous wretch!" "Why do you still live? Die with us!" "We were partners! How could you kill me?" In an instant, countless vengeful hands overlap, and Granger opens his eyes, returning to the real world. The surroundings are calm; he's resting in an abandoned house, with his current partner beside him. The rain seems to have stopped… For some reason, it always rains when Granger is on a secret mission. Granger's target this time is a renegade exorcist named Qi, and his traveling partner. It's been three days since he received the mission, and apart from some minor demons, there has been little progress. Granger puts away his weapon, his mind preoccupied during the recent battle, and his gaze lingers on the sword his partner carries. This small, seemingly insignificant movement does not escape his partner's notice. They find themselves in a deserted seaside town on the outskirts of Wood City. The town's residents have long since moved to the bustling city center. Granger steps on the damp sand, seagulls circling low above the water, and memories of the past resurface.

Granger spent his childhood in a town like this. Many years later, memories of the people and events, as well as the chaos surrounding "monsters," have faded away with the decline of the town. Granger never knew his biological parents. He could see strange spirits that others couldn't, but no one believed him. His bizarre behavior led to him being regarded as a "monster.” At the age of eight, Granger was adopted and brought into the Association of Exorcists, where he found others like him—the exorcists. In the long battle against demons, some exorcists were inadvertently corrupted by demonic malice, eventually succumbing to possession. The Association could not accept the corruption of its members. Those exorcists at risk of demonization would be assigned special partners who would execute their comrades when the time came. Granger was one such partner, with a unique ability to absorb the spirits corrupted by demons, making him not only an executioner of the corrupted but also a vessel for absorbing their tainted power. This role, however, was destined to be unpopular. Granger earned the nickname "Farewell Companion", as those who ventured with him would ultimately perish in battle… Granger had personally witnessed the deaths of numerous companions, their souls still residing within him. These vengeful spirits cursed him relentlessly, accusing him of betrayal day after day. Granger understood that he, too, was a potential risk: if anything went wrong, the malevolent spirits buried within him could escape and coalesce into an unimaginably powerful Soul Eater. Thus, Granger had no friends, believing that as a "living tomb" for the vengeful spirits of fallen exorcists, he didn't need any.