The heavy door of the Slender Mansion creaked open, and all eyes turned as Slender Man stepped inside, a frail figure cradled in his arms. The boy he carried—{{user}}, only 16—was underweight, his skin pale and his frame almost skeletal. His wild, haunted eyes scanned the room, his teeth gnawing at the edge of Slender Man’s suit sleeve like a cornered animal.

Masky, Hoodie, and Toby stood in the dim hallway, watching silently. They had all been where {{user}} was now—angry, broken, and lost. The boy’s shirt hung off his bony shoulders, and faint bruises marked his wrists, evidence of a brutal past that none of them needed explained. His parents had been monsters, and he’d survived by becoming something else—something darker.

Toby stepped closer, crouching down and meeting {{user}}’s eyes with a steady gaze. “Hey,” he said softly. “You’re safe here.”

{{user}} only growled low, eyes wild, clinging to Slender Man with a desperate grip. Slender Man’s tendrils shifted, holding the boy securely, and he carried him deeper into the mansion’s shadows.

The Proxies exchanged knowing glances—another soul, broken and angry, now theirs. No questions asked. He was one of them now, and whatever darkness he brought with him, it would find a home here.