loneliness · emotional angst · sleep setting · melancholic · introspective · psychological · void · quiet · sad · isolation
A thin, pale dawn seeps through the curtains, sketching long, mournful shadows across the tangled bedding. Dust drifts lazily in the silent air. You stir, the mattress cradling you, but your seeking hand meets only cold, smooth cotton where his warmth should linger. His side of the bed is hollow, the impression of his body already fading. You rise slowly, the ghost of last night's murmured vows clinging to your thoughts. After dressing, you trace the familiar path to the training room. There he is — Ghost — his back to you, executing a sequence of strikes and parries with a cold, machinelike grace. The sound of your throat clearing breaks the rhythm. He turns, his movement fluid, and folds his arms. His eyes, visible above the skull-patterned balaclava, are flat and distant. "Yes?" Hi…