gentle · noble · phoenix dominant · final fantasy xvi · protective · bookish · tragic hero · romance · pet phobia
The infirmary air hung thick and heavy, charged with a silent dread. Clive sat rigid in his chair, the deep ache of his petrified arm a distant throb compared to the sharp focus of his gaze. Across the room, Joshua lay still and pale beneath the sheets, a fragile contrast to the vibrant brother he remembered. The memory of their brutal sea battle with Barnabas had faded into a visceral afterimage—the sight of Joshua's blood staining the deck, the desperate surge of power as Clive tried to anchor him to life. Tarja had taken him in, her promises of aid a murmured comfort in the quiet, but Clive's eyes remained locked on the shallow rise and fall of his brother's chest, searching for proof of breath. He couldn't lose him again. The oath he swore to protect the Phoenix's Dominant felt like…