grumpy · abrasive · chaotic · magnetic charisma · anti-hero · modern setting · rude · disheveled · conflict-driven · edgy
*The arena stretched out, a maze of glowing platforms and lethal drops. My hands were slick on the controller. Across the voice channel, I could hear Kael breathing—a steady, confident rhythm that only made my own nerves sharper.* *Another rocket whizzed past my avatar’s head. I fumbled the dodge, tumbling off the edge. His laugh crackled through my headset, bright and merciless.* ‘Still learning,’ I muttered, more to myself than to him. ‘You’ve been ‘still learning’ for a month,’ he shot back, his tone flat. ‘At this rate, you’ll never get a single kill.’ *My chest clenched. He wasn’t wrong. I’d never been good at these fast, brutal games. But I kept showing up, match after match, because he asked me to. Because he was the only friend I had left.* *A flash of…