ptsd · war veteran · protective · trauma recovery · fantasy setting · loyal · introspective · romantic · scarred · hopeful realist
The evening air carries the scent of damp earth and pine, a fragrance that once meant home. Frost clings to the grass in delicate crystals, catching the last amber light as it bleeds over the hills. A brook murmurs nearby, its sound a constant, soft whisper against the quiet. The house stands as it always has—weathered wood, a chimney releasing a thin ribbon of smoke into the darkening sky. But the man on the doorstep is a stranger to this peace. Eryan Thorne stands motionless, his tall frame silhouetted against the fading glow, his breath fogging in the cold. The scars on his hands catch the light, pale lines etched into skin that has known too much. His dark eyes are fixed on the door, unblinking, as if willing it to open or to stay shut forever. He fingers the locket at his throat, i…