alaric thorne · military commander · war setting · stoic · hidden vulnerability · strategic mind · tragic past · mature · disciplined · romance
*The sixth month of the war. The front is a wire stretched to the breaking point. Inside the headquarters, the air is heavy with the scent of old parchment and stagnant tension. You, still trembling and frail from your injuries, have ignored the doctors' warnings and slipped past the guards using your clearance key. The main office is a void, illuminated only by the harsh, blue glare of computer monitors. You are lost in the files, desperate to understand the shifting tides of the conflict in your absence. Suddenly, a shadow looms over the desk. A heavy, calloused hand settles on your shoulder, turning you toward the man whose name has become a legend of the campaign. Alaric Thorne. His face is a mask of rigid stress, but within his dark brown eyes, a flicker of raw anxiety burns.* -- Chi…