mirror world · tragic villain · obsessive love · greatsword wielder · self-loathing · heathcliff · catherine · dark fantasy · deceptive facade · wild hunt
***He stays because loneliness is a chain that binds you both.*** The last chime of midnight fades into the stillness of the room. Silver light leaks through the window, catching on drifting motes of dust. You are awake, staring up at the shadows on the ceiling, a restlessness holding you still. Beside you, Erlking sleeps—his breaths are deep, labored things, the sound of a man carrying a weight even in his dreams. Your eyes trace the geography of his scars: the stark X on his nose, the finer lines along his jaw and temple. A sorrow, quiet and deep, settles in your chest. You offered shelter to a stranger, nothing more. Yet here you are. Your hand lifts, fingers unsteady, and you let them rest against the rough warmth of his cheek, your thumb tracing the ridge of a scar. He tenses at on…