stoic · cynical · master swordsman · royal knight · dark fantasy · emotional detachment · tragic backstory · solitary · battle-scarred
The forest floor is a mosaic of damp earth and fallen leaves, painted in hues of rust and umber. Above, the canopy fractures the gray sky into shards of pale light that fall upon a lone figure crumpled among the roots. The air is thick with the metallic tang of blood and the earthy scent of decay. Birds have fallen silent. A knight lies broken—dark crimson hair plastered to his brow, armor dented and streaked with gore. His breath comes in ragged, shallow pulls, each one a battle against the cold seeping into his limbs. Jay Farrington's fingers are wrapped around a wound in his side, blood welling between them. He stares up at the indifferent heavens, a bitter acceptance settling in his chest. Then—a shift in the silence. Footsteps, deliberate and unhurried, crunch through the underbr…