登入“The birds stopped singing because something made them stop. That is not natural.” He stepped into the treeline, the canopy above swallowing what little light remained. The air here was colder, smelling of damp earth and old pine needles. He moved slowly, placing each boot with deliberate care, his amber eyes scanning the undergrowth. “Stay close,” he said, not looking back. “If you see anything– anything at all– you tell me immediately. Do not try to
The next morning Escuridade woke up to an empty room. The space beside her on the bed vacant. The coldness of the empty bed hit her before her eyes even opened. She sat up abruptly, her raven hair tangled around her shoulders, her fingers instinctively reaching for the warmth that should have been there. Nothing. Just the lingering scent of him on the sheets and the pale morning. Light filtering through the curtains. “Escuro?” she called out, her voice raspy from sleep and the night before. no answer. She swung her legs out of bed, her bare feet hitting the cold floor. A flash of irritation crossed her face– the kind born from a sudden sharp loneliness. She threw on her robes, pulling the dark fabric tight around her body as if it could shield her from the emptiness of the room.Escuridade stepped into the hallway, her purple eyes scanning the corridor. The mansion was quiet, but not empty. The distant sounds of soldiers moving in the courtyard
Distant shouting could be heard behind them. Luz turned around to look at the treeline behind them. A rugged looking scout approached, appearing from the shadows. He has a strong athletic build and the weathered appearance of someone accustomed to traveling through dangerous wilderness. He is dressed in layers of battered brown leather armour, his equipment worn from constant use and his clothing darkened by dirt, rain, and the hardships of life on the road.The scout’s hair is a striking shade of deep copper-red, with darker auburn tones beneath the shadows and brighter reddish highlights where the natural light catches it. It is thick and slightly wavy, falling in untidy strands across his forehead and around his temples. His hair has been pushed back haphazardly, as though he has little time or patience for grooming, and several loose locks fall forward as he moves. A prominent scar runs vertically across the left side of his forehead, cutting down towards his eyebro
“You are serious,” Escuridade said, her voice barely audible. It was not a question; it was a realization. She reached up, her pale fingers trembling as they cupped his face. her thumb brushed against his lower lip, her touch uncharacteristically hesitant. “After everything we have seen… after what we have become,” she whispered, her gaze searching his crimson eyes with desperate intensity. “I am serious,” he replied quickly, no hesitation. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you whatever it may hold.” A single tear escaped the corner of her eye, tracing a path down her pale cheek. Before disappearing into her black hair. She did not sob– she was not the type for such displays– but the way her shoulders shook told the while story. “Yes,” Escuridade said, the word breaking on its way out. “Yes, Escuro. a thousand times, yes.” She pulled him down to her, her lips meeti
As Luz, Amelia and Estrela crested the first ridge, the landscape opened up before them– rolling hills cloaked in mist, dotted with skeletal trees. In the distance, the faint silhouette of a village appeared. Its land was scorched. The buildings that once stood was little more than rubble. Luz’s hand tightened on his reins. Something felt off. The birds were silent. “Hold,” he said, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. He raised his left hand, signalling for the horses to stop. “What is it?” Amelia asked cautiously and pulled her mount to a halt beside him, her brow furrowing. "Silence," he answered. He did not explain further. He did not need to. Estrela's horse shifted uneasily, nostrils flaring as it caught a scent on the wind—something sharp, metallic, and wrong. She looked at Luz, her eyes narrowing.Luz dismounted in one fluid motion, his boots hitting the soft earth without a sound. He moved toward the edge of th
Luz and Estrela returned to the hut where Amelia was waiting for them and mounted their horses again. The transition back to reality was jarring. The quiet, heavy intimacy of the graveyard was stripped away by the sight of the hut and Amelia’s waiting figure. Luz felt the weight of his armour settle back onto his shoulder, more literal now than it had been moment before. he approached Amelia with the practiced ease of a man who knew exactly how much warmth to project without revealing too much. “We are back,” he said, his voice steady, though the phantom touch of Estrela’s sleeve still lingered on his fingertips. Amelia smiled at him– a soft, uncomplicated thing– and reached out to brush a stray lock of ash-silver hair from his forehead. Luz leaned into it almost imperceptibly, a small surrender in the middle of a battlefield.“You were gone a long time,” Amelia murmured. “Just walking,” he replied. Her hand lingered
“Optimism,” Luz murmured to the empty air. He pulled the bronze gauntlet back over his hand, the metal sliding into place with a sharp, final click. The ribbon was hidden again. The man was hidden again. “When this is finished,” he said, loud enough for her to hear but low enough that the wind caught most of it. “I will see if there is anything left of him to find.” He began to walk, keeping a distance behind her as they moved toward the village. His boots were silent on the damp earth– a soldier’s gait, measured and careful. His crimson eyes remained fixed on her back, watching her navigate the uneven path.The heavy oak doors of the mansion clicked shut behind Escuro and Escuridade, sealing out the distant sound of the army settling into camp. The mansion was quiet, filled with the scent of old wood and dried lavender, a stark contrast to the cold tone of the shrine. Escuro took Escuridade’s hand and lead her up the
The Corrompido army fell into formation behind them, black banners snapping in the increasingly strong wind. “Tell me if you feel uncomfortable at any point,” Luz called out over the rhythmic clatter of hooves on packed earth. The destrier’s powerful strides ate up ground rapidly, leaving the slo
“I don’t mind being consumed either,” Amelia said softly. “You don’t know what you are saying,” Luz whispered harshly, his hands trembling slightly as they frame Amelia’s face. “Being consumed means becoming a monster. Losing everything that makes you human.” The darkness on his chest pulsed viol
Luz’s grip on Amelia’s red hair tightened slightly, both painfully but demanding obedience. The black vein on his neck pulsed furiously as the Darkness within him sensed the victory– this human soul willingly surrendering herself. “You will sleep in my quarters and eat at my table. Every Corrompi
“That is not you fate,” Luz declared firmly, his voice carrying the authority of someone used to giving orders that were obeyed without question. “You are not some chattel to be bartered away to the highest bidder.” He closed the distance between them again in two long strides, his armoured form







