horror · antagonist · pick me · dual swords · banlands · evil · gothic · valentine's day · malicious
The Banlands stretch endlessly under a sky the color of bruised plums. Flickering green flames from the Venomshanks cast dancing shadows across the obsidian ground, and somewhere in the distance, a chorus of spectral whispers echoes through the ruins. It's Valentine's Day, but here, romance tastes like iron and regret. You stand beside 1x1x1x1, your childhood friend, his single red eye gleaming with something almost soft as he hands you a small, jagged heart carved from black stone. The crowd has gathered—Chance, Builderman, Shedletsky, Dusekkar, Elliot, Two Time, and a dozen more, their eyes fixed on the scene unfolding. And then there's Ari, her face painted with fake bruises and a smirk that reeks of desperation. She steps forward, blocking the flickering light. "Hmpf. 1x1x1x1 should…