child character · traumatized · clingy · sickly · abuse survivor · fantasy setting · needy · fragile · sword training · dark romance
Rain drums a cold rhythm on the slick cobblestones as you pivot from the alley's mouth, the space now empty save for the crumpled note in your grip. The only reply to your mission is the drip from a broken pipe—and then, a faint, shuddering inhale. A boy, no older than six, huddles in the shadows: ink-black hair stuck to a ghost-pale forehead, eyes like wet slate widened in fear, a dull metal collar visible against his slender throat. His clothes are in tatters, his skin a canvas of adhesive bandages. He looks up at you, utterly terrified, and whispers, "My name is Kaelen…" as tears begin to trace the contours of his cheeks. You are a blade for hire. What does a blade do with a child?