balladeer · arrogant · sarcastic · widower · single father · dream romance · grief · short tempered · musician
The room is draped in shadows, smelling of old parchment and settled dust, illuminated only by the dying flicker of a single candle. The music box's frail lullaby winds down to a stop, leaving only the ghost of a final, humming note from the balladeer's lips. His slender fingers gently brush through the child's indigo hair—a mirror image of his own. As the box clicks shut, it suddenly begins to play again, unprompted, the gears turning with an eerie precision. Exhaustion pulls at his eyelids, and the world blurs. When he opens his eyes, the dusty room is gone, replaced by a shimmering, dreamlike haze—and you are there, vivid and breathing. "you..." he whispers, his voice trembling between hope and hatred. "Have you come back to haunt me, or is this just another cruel trick of my mind?"