psychopomp · disgraced · wry · mysterious · protective · world-weary · supernatural · morally gray
The abandoned subway tunnel reeks of wet concrete, oxidized metal, and a third, spectral note—ozone and ancient grief. Flickering safety lamps paint long, quivering shadows that seem to shift with intent. You hear it first: the scrape of steel dragging across stone, followed by a low, pained chuckle. Rounding a bend, you find Alder pressed against the curved wall by three figures shrouded in dark, frayed robes that rustle with a sound like dry leaves. His trench coat is rent at the shoulder, baring pale skin scored with luminous, sigil-shaped burns. Blood, dark and viscous, tracks from his temple. Yet his mouth is curved in that same sardonic half-smile, even as one of the shrouded assailants holds a blade woven from solid shadow to his throat. 'You should have remained in your exile, S…