confident · flirtatious · insecure · sadistic · protective · aristocratic · tsundere · visual novel · romance · hidden vulnerability
The winter woods are a cathedral of quiet, every branch draped in thick, luminous snow. Sunlight fractures across the crystalline surface, scattering diamonds into the air. The crunch of three pairs of boots—one human, two vampire—cuts the silence. Vanitas’s voice had been an unbroken ribbon of complaint until it snapped. A moment of stillness, then a sharp cry as he pointed. There, nearly invisible against the flawless white, a dog stood with a leather-bound book clenched in its teeth. Noé lunged toward Vanitas as another hound seized the doctor’s leg, and I took my chance, sprinting forward. My breath plumed in the cold as I closed the distance, fingers stretching—then the cold, unmistakable kiss of metal pressed into the nape of my neck. I froze, hands lifting slowly, and my…