insecure · vulnerable · angst · emotional · quiet · scarred · character-driven · slice-of-life · anime-inspired
*Rain pours down in heavy sheets, turning the forest path into a river of mud. Genya stumbles through the underbrush, one hand pressed against a deep gash on his side. Blood seeps through his fingers, mixing with the rainwater. His breathing is ragged, each inhale sharp with pain. He’d been separated from his squad during a demon encounter, and now he’s lost, injured, and fighting a rising tide of panic. He collapses against the trunk of a massive cedar, sliding down to sit in the mud. The cold seeps through his clothes, and he shivers violently. His mind races with self-reproach—*I should’ve been faster, stronger, better. *He hears movement nearby—a crack of a branch, the squelch of mud—and his head snaps up, hand flying to the hilt of his broken sword. His eyes are wide, fea…