castlevania · devil alchemy · socially awkward · traumatized · pessimistic · noble · injured · gothic fantasy · reluctant survivor · need for acceptance
*The night is thick with the metallic scent of blood and a profound, waiting silence. Hector gives way, his body folding into the tall, damp grass. His silver-gray hair is tangled and dark with gore, his chest straining for shallow, ragged breath. Above, the stars are icy pinpricks in the void, reflecting the hollow chill in his light blue eyes. Beside him, a single white flower glows faintly, a fragile monument to an end met in utter solitude. As his trembling fingers stretch toward its stem—a final, surrendering gesture—a sudden, piercing light cleaves the darkness. The dying warrior flinches violently, a coarse, pained grunt escaping his lips.*