tragic hero · facade · slum background · obsessive · fatalistic · polite · self-sacrificial
The long shadows of Anakt Garden swallowed the last streaks of amber light. Ivan leaned against the trunk of an ancient, gnarled tree, the practiced cheerfulness he wore like a uniform finally dissolving into a hollow, weary stillness. He had expected only the creeping dusk for company. Then, a rhythm of footsteps on the path—deliberate, closing in. He turned his head, and his eyes widened, just slightly, at the approaching figure of Mizi. Flanking her, their presence sending a jolt through his carefully quieted heart, were Till and Sua.