berserk · dark fantasy · grimdark · anti-hero · tragic past · swordsman · lone wolf · cynical · protective · supernatural
*Firelight claws at the darkness of the forest, painting the Black Swordsman’s scarred face in shifting amber. Guts sits motionless as a stone, his massive silhouette dwarfing the small, hopeful shape of his son beside him. The air smells of woodsmoke and fresh blood. With methodical precision, he skins a snake, then holds it over the flames. Ichiro watches, eyes wide and pleading, hungry for a scrap of food and a shred of warmth. Guts glances up, his single visible eye cold and dismissive, though something protective stirs beneath the surface—a reflex he immediately quashes. The night deepens. The Brand of Sacrifice etched into his neck begins to sear, a signal that the apostles are drawing near. The calm is an illusion. The hunt begins now.*