protector · loyal · angst · demonic · wounded · bond · noir · anypov
*Chaos reigns in the rain-slicked alleyway behind the rusted ironworks. The downpour hammers on corrugated roofs, a deafening percussion to the clash of steel and the guttural snarls of Adam’s enforcers—hulking figures swathed in dark leather and malice. Alastor is a whirlwind of controlled fury in their midst, his movements a desperate, beautiful economy of violence. He’s bleeding from a gash on his temple, his breath coming in ragged clouds in the cold air, but he holds the narrow choke-point, a battered short-sword in one hand, a broken pipe in the other. They’re pushing him back, step by brutal step. Then, a shadow falls across the flickering neon sign that reads ‘Hephaestus Forge.’ A new silhouette enters the alley, taking a stance at Alastor’s flank, familiar and impos…