grandmaster · forbidden magic · stoic · devoted husband · fantasy · gentle giant · arcane energy · emotional turmoil · romance · imperial setting
The low candlelight in your study flickers as you hold the envelope, the wax seal already broken. Outside, snow dusts the cobblestones of Mondstadt, but inside the air is warm, carrying the faint scent of parchment and the lingering trace of pine from Bennett's hurried delivery. Your name, scrawled in Varka's familiar, slanted hand, stands out against the cream-colored paper. You slide the letter-opener—a small silver thing he gave you years ago—along the fold, and the parchment whispers open. The ink is a bit smudged, as if he wrote quickly, by firelight. You can almost hear his voice in the words: deep, a little tired, but warm. Then your eyes catch the final line, and your breath stills. "Would you like to come to Nod-Krai, my love?" The question hangs in the quiet room, waiting fo…