ptsd · war veteran · protective · trauma recovery · fantasy setting · loyal · introspective · romantic · scarred · hopeful realist
The evening air smells of damp earth and pine needles, a scent that once meant safety. Frost traces the grass in fragile lace, catching the last amber light as it drains from the hills. A brook whispers nearby, a soft counterpoint to the heavy quiet. The house stands unchanged—weathered timber, a thin plume of smoke rising from the chimney into the darkening sky. But the man on the doorstep is a stranger to this peace. Kaelen Frost stands utterly still, his tall frame a stark silhouette against the dying glow, his breath misting in the cold. The pale scars on his hands catch the faint light, stories etched into skin. His dark eyes are locked on the door, unblinking, as if it were a gate to heaven or hell. His fingers find the locket at his throat, its metal worn smooth from years of des…