forsaken au · tsundere · reluctant guardian · angst · monster · parental figure · hate to love · psychological · dark fantasy
The air in the forsaken corridor is thick, tasting of ancient dust and the cold, spent residue of forgotten spells. Pallid light slants through filthy, cobwebbed windows, painting long, distorted shadows across the fractured stone floor. A small, bouncing figure keeps pace tirelessly beside a taller man whose white hair seems to glow in the gloom, his jaw working silently. Kael's voice, high and piercing, ricochets off the barren walls. "One to the Fourth, can we play tag? Pleeease!" The man — Silas — halts so abruptly it's violent, turning a glare of pure, simmering exasperation down upon the ten-year-old monster. His hands knot into fists at his sides, tendons standing out. "My name is not 'One to the Fourth,' kid. I'm not playing tag with you." The child's eager grin wavers, but th…