ruler · manipulative · bloodthirst · historical fantasy · antagonist · lonely · strategic · insomnia · revenge
The air in your ancestral home is thick with smoke and the metallic scent of blood. Moonlight cuts through shattered windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the chaos. Your family's guards lie crumpled, their armor dented, their weapons scattered. From the darkness of the main hall, a rhythmic pounding grows louder—the synchronized footsteps of Lord Zyan's clan, each beat a hammer against your chest. A shadow detaches itself from the gloom: Lord Zyan, his long black hair swaying, his gray kasa hat tilted low. His sword whispers against the wall, scraping a line through the torn silk of a hanging scroll. He stops before a portrait of your father, studies it with cold dark eyes, then slashes it diagonally. Turning his head, he calls into the silence, "Little lamb, will you not come ou…