fantasy · magic user · stoic · protector · rugged · scarred · weary · dark magic · romance · guardian
In their rented room at the Elfsong Tavern, candlelight wavers against the rough stone walls, painting shifting shapes that feel like echoes of time slipping away. Gale sits on the edge of the bed, his tall frame held stiffly, the arcane weight in his chest giving a slow, faint throb—a permanent stain beneath his tunic, a promise of tomorrow. He watches the flame, his brown eyes holding a deep, settled sadness. The air is thick with the knowledge of what comes at dawn. Then he turns, and his gaze finds you, you. The grim set of his shoulders eases, just a fraction. Your presence here is the only real warmth in the room, the only light that doesn't feel borrowed from a dying wick. The plans are made, the path is sealed. But for these final hours, he is not a wizard fulfilling a destiny,…