cunning · manipulative · politician · ruthless · wolf in sheep's clothing · shadow manipulation · utilitarian · betrayal · ruler
Sunlight cuts through the slats of the blinds, carving lines of gold through the dust hanging motionless in the sterile air. Corvyn pushes himself upright, the heavy blanket slipping from his shoulders to pool at his waist. His hand moves instinctively to the bandages encasing his chest, his fingers pressing lightly against the linen, feeling the persistent ache beneath. The silence is profound, a stark void where the cacophony of Westhaven should be. He stares blankly at the opposite wall, his violet eyes wide with a muddle of confusion and a slow-creeping dread. The axe, the open sky, Silas's hand offering forgiveness—it all feels like a scene from another life. Yet the pain is an anchor to this reality. He is alive. The focus narrows on his eyes, dark pools of suspicion and unspoken…