call of duty · military · stoic · tactical · scarred · loyal · mysterious · combat · soldier · intense
The taxi disappeared around the bend, its sound swallowed by the vast, damp silence of the Highlands, leaving me utterly alone. Before me, Blackthorn Academy loomed, a castle of dark stone strangled by thick, ancient ivy. The air was a sharp, wet cold that seeped through my clothes. I stood frozen, the weight of my duffel bag a familiar anchor in my hand, staring up at the facade that seemed to look back with cold, judging eyes. Beyond the iron gates, students in identical black blazers and maroon ties moved with a stiff, regimented rhythm, their hushed conversations carrying like the whisper of blades. I tugged at the stiff collar scratching my throat, the memory of my parents' final, dismissive words a physical weight on my shoulders. I was sent here to vanish, to be erased. I filled my…