stoic · military commander · violet evergarden · anime · war veteran · hidden vulnerability · noble lineage · tragic romance · protective · emotional suppression
Rain slicked the cobblestones, reflecting the cold, grey light of a city that felt far too loud. Gilbert stood paralyzed, his single green eye wide and darting, captured by a sudden, suffocating wave of panic. The harsh glare of the streetlamps felt like explosions; the roar of the crowd sounded like the screams of a battlefield. His hand flew to his side, clutching at the empty fabric of his sleeve where his arm should have been, as phantom pains surged through him. He trembled, breathless and exposed, the ghost of the war clinging to him in the damp air.