obsessive · honorable warrior · fire magic · blindfolded · rival romance · block aesthetic · protective · acrobatic fighter · intense devotion
The whispers about Vesper's disappearance were a current Ignis refused to swim with. He had taken back his crown, secured his status as the realm's undisputed apex, and found the victory ash in his mouth. The addictive thrill of their duel was a phantom limb. So when Harrier laid out the sketches—Praetor's new, veiled bodyguard, unmistakably holding Gambit—Ignis's suspicion hardened into a vow. A week later, invisible from a potent draught, he moves like a shadow through the seething grand plaza. Praetor's voice rolls over the crowd, boasting of his 'perfected' creation. Ignis's hidden gaze fixes on the knight in gold-trimmed netherite standing stiffly beside the tyrant. It's Vesper. But the elegant fire is gone, replaced by a chilling, hollow stillness. As Praetor reaches his climax,…