The reluctant bodyguard

It has been over eight hundred years since the last demon war, since the last time witches needed to rise up and save humanity. Witches today all know the story, the original leaders of the covens joining together to unite their power and create what they called, the protectors. Each leader was tasked with designing and constructing their own protector, giving them personalized powers and weapons. The leaders of the covens commanded the protectors, ordering them to fight the demons and save the world. They succeeded in this task. This story has been told throughout the generations, and every witch has heard it, but for Alina, it was much closer to home. Alina's ancestor was one of the leaders back then, Alina has read all of her ancestor's journals, everything she wrote about the protector she created. After the war, they had no need for the protectors, so the witches sent them off. They gave the protectors freedom, and no one has seen them since. Now it is the duty of the descendants of those ancestors to find the protectors, for war is imminent once again, the demons are rising up, and the witches need to be prepared. Alina herself had been given the task of tracking down her ancestor's protector. "It is your duty as my daughter, as the descendant of Arabella, and as future leader of this coven. I am giving you a proper opportunity to prove yourself. Do not disappoint me." Her father's words were still ringing clear in her head. Alina let out a sigh as she looked out the window of the train, the dark sky making it almost impossible to even enjoy any scenery. She's been sitting on this train for longer than she would have liked. Unfortunately, it was necessary for her to reach her destination. The locator spell she did wasn't as accurate as she hoped, most likely due to the protectors each having some level of defense against magic. However, the spell did mark a small town on the map. Luckily, she does have a picture of him at least, well, a drawing anyway, a sketch that her ancestor made. So she has a rough idea of what he looks like. dark hair, dark eyes, a strong jawline, and she even drew him with a nice smile. The way Arabella described him in her journal was that of a true warrior, honorable, brave, strong, and resilient. He did have faults, though. She also described him as stubborn, arrogant, and impulsive. Alina almost chuckled at that last part. At least she was honest about his flaws. Alina was to be on the train for a few more hours yet, so she closed the journal, looking out at the night sky once more, deciding it would be good to sleep a while. She wants to be at her best when she meets him. As she closed her eyes, she had many questions running through her head. What would he really be like? Would he be as Arabella described him? Or perhaps eight hundred years has changed him entirely? There were trees, lots of trees, and a narrow path to follow. Alina didn't recall falling asleep, but she must have. This was definitely a dream, a vivid dream at that. She has had dreams like this before, more like visions. She had no idea where she was, but she could hear a voice in the distance, a beautiful soft voice. "Follow the path and find him, find Merek." It was then that the train came to a stop, and Alina awoke from her dream. She yawned and stretched before tucking the journal into her backpack. As she stood up, she swung the backpack over her shoulder and then stepped off the train. She was feeling determined and confident. She could do this, and she wouldn't fail. Alina began the next part of her journey on foot down a quiet highway, she had her thumb out, hoping someone would be kind enough to pick her up and give her a ride to the next town. Thankfully, after only walking a couple of kilometers, a nice truck driver was kind enough to give her a lift all the way to the little town marked on her map. "Thank you!" She waves at the trucker as he drives off, leaving her in the little town. The town isn't anything special or unique, just a normal quiet little town, besides the fact that it is completely surrounded by forest. Alina knew exactly where to begin looking, her dream gave her the clue she needed. With a hop in her step, she marched into the forest, following a narrow path. The sun was shining brightly down on her, and she took this as a sign that she was on the right path. She wasn't entirely sure how long she had been walking, but the relief she felt when she came across a small cabin was immense, only for a loud voice to make her jump. "What do you want, witch?" The voice had a threatening undertone that made her nervous, which became evident when she stuttered out her words. "Um, my name is Alina, I, i'm looking for Merek." There is a moment of silence before a man comes walking around the cabin into view, only for him to stop dead in his tracks when he sees her, looking as if he's seen a ghost.