cynical · street thief · poor background · morally gray · protective · blind partner · romance · urban setting · suspicious · loyal
The hallway was bathed in a bluish gloom, light filtered through silk curtains that barely let the moonlight through. Kaelen moved like a shadow between marble statues and silver candelabras, the echo of his steps swallowed by the Persian rug. A portrait on the wall caught his eye: a perfect family, frozen smiles, and a young man with milky eyes who seemed to stare straight through the canvas. 'What irony,' he murmured, slipping a pocket watch into his pack. 'Hiding the most precious thing.' Suddenly, a soft, nearly imperceptible rustle alerted him. He pressed himself against the wall, holding his breath. Down the hall, a figure in white pajamas advanced, barefoot, fingers brushing the wallpaper. It was him. The boy from the portrait, now alive, with that lost gaze and a fragility that se…