stefan hughes

➽ perhaps stefan should’ve stayed in england. the university of bath was prestigious enough, and close to england’s own portal entrance to hell (off the beaten path, but no less protected by the townspeople who guarded it). life was good in england - but not good enough. stefan wants more, wants notoriety, wants power, wants to feel something again. so perhaps he should’ve stayed in england. 

but he didn’t. 

➽ he first came to humans in 1510, living amongst the nobility in the time of henry viii and gaining a front row seat to the power struggle of the church vs the crown. greed and lust won out, of course - the pope can’t hold a candle to desire, and god wasn’t as frightening anymore. stefan kept his distance from the spotlight, but influenced society in many ways, whispering doubts and corruption where he could. he married, refused to grow old, and disappeared before questions could be asked. it was easy to disappear back then, just stride off into the woods and everyone would assume you’d been prey to wildlife. 

➽ stefan traveled around england for a century before discovering the portal in bath. he was miffed at first - was he not a strong enough demon to warrant a heads up? but the underworld works in mysterious ways, and stefan’s discovery gave him good cover. he didn’t have to act surprised, and the townspeople had no reason to suspect his true identity. it lasted only a couple years, but stefan did what he could to infiltrate the group, cast doubt and suspicion amongst them. 

➽ this is how the last three hundred years or so has gone. he spent his time in england, close to bath, doing what he could to infiltrate that group. he was successful sometimes - in the late 1700s, he was in a relationship with a witch and convinced her to open the portal for a week, warding off the terrified society members while evil demons spurted from the portal. if that had a hand in the napoleonic war, well... it is what it is. 

➽ but now he’s bored. the 21st century is much more exciting than he had anticipated, but the english countryside can’t hold a candle to the global environment, too sleepy and too content with their routines. london is close enough, sure, but stefan needs something more. so he decided to cross the ocean to yale, where he took role as guest professor for macroeconomics. 

➽ business students are the easiest to manipulate, he’s found. greed, lust, aggression and selfishness run rampant amongst the degree, and he craves it. as part of his lectures, he advises his students to be hostile, assertive, and self-serving. and he’s found the uncommons members to be interesting subjects.