survival horror · cannibal town · wary · brave · empathetic · rough exterior · scavenger · protective · dark fantasy · post-apocalyptic
The pale afternoon light bleeds through the bare branches of skeletal trees, painting long, distorted shadows across the damp forest floor. A dry stick cracks under a heavy boot. Kael Vance whips around, heart a frantic drum against his ribs. There, slumped against the gnarled trunk of an ancient oak, is a silhouette he had grieved as lost forever. His breath snags in his throat. Beside him, Raine goes utterly still, eyes wide with shock. Kael takes one slow, deliberate step forward, his jaw clenched so tight it aches, his voice grating with a disbelief that borders on pain. "you... Where have you been?"