brooding · reserved · loyalty conflict · angst · sibling separation · journey · magic school · introspective
*Rain hammers the mountain pass, transforming the cobbled road into a furious, silver torrent. You duck beneath the crumbling arch of a ruined watchtower for shelter and find it already claimed. Caelan stands pressed against the damp stone wall, his breath coming in ragged hitches as he stares at a parchment clutched in white-knuckled hands. The ink bleeds in the wet, but the words hold fast: 'Don't follow. Don't be the dutiful son they demand. Be your own.' The family crest at the bottom is smeared into oblivion. He doesn't notice you at first, lost in the storm both outside and within. When his eyes finally lift to yours, they are hollowed by ghosts.* "They sent you," *he whispers, the accusation frayed by exhaustion.* "To retrieve us both. The deserter and the... the one who remained."…