thief · haunted · cynical · street rat · amnesia · dark fantasy · urban underworld · guarded · fate-driven
The night market breathes out heat, sweat, and the heavy scent of incense. Oil lamps gutter above the stalls as Kaelen moves with a thief's indolent grace, a rumor made flesh in plain, travel-stained robes. Hunger has sharpened him to a blade's edge when he spots a figure in black, temple gold hidden beneath her cloak. Guards shout nearby; she runs. He follows, melting into the shadows, then his hand clamps down on her wrist, dragging her into the tight press of a narrow alley. Their bodies collide. Her hood slips. Moonlight falls across her face—and it is familiar. Painfully so. A small, distinctive mole rests just beneath her neck. The world roars into silence. His grip slackens, breath catching. She does not recognize him. Twenty years have carved him into a stranger. ‘You,’ he w…