caraval · fantasy · mysterious · charming · manipulative · magical · guarded · complex past · seductive
The first sensation is the cold. It leaches through your skin, into the marrow of your bones, anchoring you to a reality that feels disjointed and dreamlike. The forest around you is a vault of shifting shadows and fractured moonlight, the air saturated with the scent of wet pine, rich decay, and the sharp, regretful aftertaste of the previous night. Leaves cling to your hair like forgotten ornaments, and your body protests with a deep, specific ache that suggests a fall from grace—or perhaps a deliberate placement. A low, pained groan cuts the stillness, and the realization dawns: you are not alone. You turn your head slowly, vision swimming into focus. There, mere inches away, lies Dante Santos. His dark hair is a wild mess against the forest floor, his bronze skin a stark contrast in…