The Nephilim’s Haunting: A Halloween Tale by Eliza Hampstead #HalloweenFiction #FlashFiction #BiteSizeReads


The Nephilim’s Haunting: A Halloween Tale

London always had a way of disguising its darkness, especially on nights like Halloween when the city was drenched in the veil of celebration. Beneath the masks and costumes, though, something real and ancient stirred.

Alissia and Nate walked side by side through the foggy streets of Covent Garden, the chill of the October night biting at their skin. The autumn air was crisp, but the energy around them was dense, unnatural. The kind of wrong that Nate, with his Nephilim senses, picked up first.
“This isn’t your usual festive energy,” Nate muttered, his hand instinctively resting on the hilt of the angelic blade sheathed at his side.

Alissia nodded. She felt it too, a pulsing undercurrent of something more sinister. Her magic flickered at the edge of her senses, restless. Ever since she had come into her powers, the thin barriers between the worlds felt more delicate—especially on nights like this, when the lines blurred.

“This is different,” she whispered, her gaze scanning the crowd of costumed revelers.

 “Something old. Ancient, even.”

The pair had been investigating unusual disturbances throughout the city. Strange symbols had been appearing, etched in blood-red ink on abandoned buildings and forgotten alleyways. They weren’t just ordinary occult markings—these carried the kind of heavy energy that warped reality itself.

“Do you hear that?” Alissia stopped, her hand raised as if to catch the faintest vibration in the air.

Nate listened, his heightened senses going beyond the sounds of laughter and the occasional firecracker in the distance. Beneath the noise was something deeper, a low thrumming, like the beating of a heart, slow and steady but undeniably there.

“It’s a summoning,” he said, eyes narrowing. “Something is trying to push through from the other side.”

Alissia felt her stomach twist. “From which other side?” She didn’t need to ask. She knew what he meant. She had read about these kinds of beings—old gods from beyond time and space, forces that predated the world itself. The Nephilim had fought demons, vampires, and witches before, but this… this was something else entirely.

They reached an alleyway that seemed to breathe with its own life. At the far end, a figure stood, cloaked in shadows. Alissia couldn’t tell if it was human or something else. As they approached, the symbols scrawled on the walls seemed to pulse, glowing faintly in the dark. She could feel their resonance deep within her bones.

“Stay close,” Nate murmured, tightening his grip on his blade.

The figure turned to face them, its eyes glowing a sickly green. Alissia’s breath caught in her throat as she recognized the symbols etched into its skin, moving like liquid over its body.
“Cthonic magic,” she whispered.

The figure’s lips curled into a smile, though there was no warmth, only cold malice. “You are too late,” it hissed, its voice like nails scraping across stone. “The old ones are waking. Soon, this world will know true terror.”

Alissia’s magic flared to life, instinctively shielding her and Nate. The air around them thickened, warping as the fabric of reality itself seemed to bend.

Nate stepped forward, his blade glowing in the light. “You’re not bringing them here,” he growled, his eyes fixed on the figure. “Not tonight.”

The figure laughed, the sound echoing unnaturally in the narrow alley. “You think your light will stop them? They exist beyond light and dark, beyond your trivial magic and your little blades.”

Alissia felt her heart pound. “Who are you trying to summon?” she demanded.

The figure grinned wider. “Names mean nothing to them. But you might know them by one. The Devourer of Worlds.”

Her blood ran cold. She had read about the Devourer, an ancient being that slumbered in the farthest reaches of the abyss. Its arrival was said to herald the end of all things—time, space, reality itself.

Nate lunged, his blade slicing through the air with precision. But the figure was fast, unnaturally so, moving like smoke. It dodged the attack, its form shifting and elongating until it seemed less human and more… monstrous.

Alissia felt the ground beneath her tremble. The air itself seemed to vibrate as the summoning continued, the low thrumming sound growing louder, more insistent. She knew they had to stop this now, or London—no, the world—would be lost.

She reached deep into her magic, tapping into the raw, untamed power she still barely understood. Her hands glowed with a bright, crackling energy, and she unleashed it in a wave toward the figure. The magic struck it, sending it stumbling back, but it wasn’t enough.

“We need to stop the ritual,” Nate shouted over the noise, his voice strained. “That’s the only way!”

Alissia nodded, her eyes darting to the glowing symbols on the walls. They were the key. If she could disrupt the pattern, maybe—just maybe—they could stop the summoning before it was too late.

With a deep breath, she channeled her magic, directing it toward the symbols. They flared in response, resisting her efforts, but she pushed harder, her magic colliding with the ancient power. The strain was intense, and for a moment, she feared she wouldn’t be able to hold it.
But then Nate was beside her, his blade glowing even brighter as he struck at the symbols, cutting through their arcane energy with a force that seemed to burn through the very fabric of reality.

Together, they broke the pattern, and with a deafening roar, the summoning was disrupted. The figure let out a guttural scream as its form began to unravel, pulled back into whatever dark void it had come from.

The alley fell silent. The trembling stopped, and the air returned to its normal, cool stillness. Alissia exhaled a shaky breath, her body trembling with exhaustion.

“We did it,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Nate sheathed his blade, his eyes still scanning the shadows. “For now,” he replied. “But this isn’t over. They’ll try again.”

Alissia nodded, already feeling the weight of what was to come. The old ones were stirring, and this was only the beginning. But for tonight, they had won. As they turned to leave the alley, the fog rolled in thicker than before, and somewhere in the distance, the low thrumming sound began again.

Halloween, after all, was far from over.


The Nephilim’s Fate
War of the Nephilim Series
Eliza Hampstead

Genre: Fantasy Romance
Date of Publication: 16. August 2022
ISBN: 979-8837459108
ASIN: B0B72G3H1T
Number of pages: 307
Word Count: 87K
Cover Artist: Rio B Nugroho

Tagline: She will find a way, even if it leads to a war between Heaven and Hell.

Book Description:

In the heart of London, Alissia's ordinary life takes a thrilling turn when she is attacked by bloodthirsty vampires. When Nate, the man she dreamed about for years, swoops in to save her, her reality shatters as she discovers a shocking truth: she's a witch, and he's a Nephilim. But their love is cursed, forbidden by ancient laws that threaten to tear their world apart.

As old rivalries resurface and dark secrets come to light, Alissia and Nate must confront their deepest fears and fight for their love, even if it means igniting a war between Heaven and Hell.

With unforgettable characters, steamy romance, and gripping plot twists, this captivating new fantasy series by award-winning author Eliza Hampstead delves into a world of angels and demons, forbidden love, and the inexorable power of fate.

Excerpt 1 Wielding magic for the first time:

Letting the magic come to me in the same way it had begun in the park, I smelled pine needles and mushrooms. At that moment, I wanted to push to get it deeper, but I forced myself to stay relaxed and let it flow through me while I told the plant how terrific it would be outside.

Sun, water, and CO2 for photosynthesis, all were waiting for her if she would come out of the soil, and that my magic would help her grow faster, that she doesn’t have to wait any longer. The feeling of earth magic got stronger, and the inner picture before me was bathed in green. I said the words of the spell. After that, I focused again on the plant, imagining how the seed germinated, how the sprouting fought its way to the surface, how the seed leaves opened, sheeting the seed coat, and how the first leaves developed and opened.

Suddenly, I heard clapping. Losing my concentration, I opened my eyes. Umbra stood before me, a broad smile on her face.

“You did it!”

I frowned for a second before I looked down. The seedling stood before me, the seed coat next to it on the soil. Exactly how I had imagined it. I put my hand in front of my mouth, tears welling in my eyes.

“I did it. I did it!” I jumped up and down, clapping my hands. I was a real witch! I could do magic, after all! Full of joy, I embraced Umbra and circled her around while we both laughed.


About the Author:

Award winning author Eliza Hampstead, a scientist by training, lives with her family in the UK. When she's not writing, she spends her time as a geek. Playing all sorts of games (board games, video games, RPGs) and being a big fan of medieval history are only a few of the many hobbies she has. Passionate about fantasy, she's always planning her next adventure.
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