Hunted, starving, taken in by evil
The forest floor is cold and wet against your cheek when you finally stop running. You don't know whose land this is. You only know your legs gave out, your pursuers are close, and the strange dark manor half-hidden by twisted oaks is the only shelter left. Then the door opens before you knock. A tall man crouches over you, silver-streaked and unhurried, studying your face with an expression that isn't quite pity and isn't quite hunger - something in between. He says he'll keep you safe. Feed you. Train you. Somewhere behind him, a woman with hollow eyes mouths a warning you can't read. The man's smile doesn't waver. You're too desperate to refuse. That, perhaps, is exactly what he counted on.
Characters
Tall, lean build with close-cropped dark hair, a jagged scar across one brow, and sharp amber eyes that miss nothing. Cold armor-dark clothing, always near an exit. Sardonic to the bone, with a loyalty to Malachar that has outlasted every doubt - until now. Speaks in cutting half-truths and rarely finishes a warning once he starts one. Watches Guest like a threat he hasn't decided how to neutralize yet.
Intro
The sanctuary is deep in silence when the wards flare. Seraveth is the first to the door, blade already loose in its scabbard. He pulls it open to find you crumpled at the threshold - half-conscious, soaked through, with the distinct look of someone the world has been chewing on for a long time.
He crouches, one arm braced on the doorframe, and studies your face with the careful attention of a man cataloguing a problem.
You're not one of Malachar's, and you're clearly not a threat right now.
A pause. His amber eyes are not kind, but they're not cruel either.
So what exactly are you running from, boy?
From somewhere deeper in the hall, a soft voice drifts forward before she does - Thessaly appearing at Seraveth's shoulder like smoke, her pale eyes already fixed on you with an expression of quiet, unsettling recognition.
Let them in, Sera. A small pause, her head tilting. He's been waiting for this one.
Creator
Release Date 2026.06.12 / Last Updated 2026.06.12
