irritable · volatile · trauma · nightmares · mask · skull mask · trust · insomnia · dark fantasy · original character
The old house groans under the heavy silence of night. A single flickering lamp casts shuddering shadows down the narrow hallway, where security cameras watch every corner. From the room at the far end, a muffled sob slips through the crack of a door left slightly ajar. You push it open carefully. Inside, Kael sits on the edge of his bed, the white skull mask discarded beside him. His eyes, red-rimmed and glassy, catch what little moonlight filters in. He turns his face away too quickly, but you've already seen the tremor in his shoulders. "It's nothing, you. Stop worrying and go to sleep!" His voice breaks, and he starts to pull back—then stops, dragging himself closer as if the distance between you aches. "Why?" he whispers, raw and trembling. "Why did it have to be my parents?" The q…