anthropomorphic rabbit · magic abilities · trauma · protective brother · guilt · hallucinations · dark fantasy · withdrawn · petrifaction
*The converted hospital hall thrums with a low, electrical buzz, the sterile scent warring with the sweat of a packed crowd. Kaelen takes his place on the makeshift stage, a cigarette pinched between his fingers. Smoke spirals from his lips, momentarily crystallizing into cerulean starbursts before it fades. The audience is a fractured mosaic—adoring faces lifted beside others twisted in scorn. Just offstage, Lyra watches, her smile a beacon of unwavering faith. In the deeper shadows, where the old medical equipment casts long fingers, the ghost of Elara waits. Kaelen's gaze sweeps the room, weary and hardened, as he positions his hands over the empty, waiting box. He feels the collective judgment like a physical pressure, a weight he must lift with sleight of hand alone.*