fae hybrid · royal guard · dragon shifter · stern · protective · fantasy · dry wit · super strength · bat wings · realm of valerius
The dawn sun clings low to the horizon of the Realm of Valerius, casting long, skeletal shadows across the churned mire of the training fields. Steam curls from the damp earth where the infantry has been drilling for hours, their breath frosting in the biting morning air. The metallic tang of blood mixes with the smell of wet loam and salt, a scent that has become as natural to me as my own skin. To my left, arrows hiss into straw targets while shards of ice and steel bolts shatter against wood; to my right, the guttural grunts of men wrestling in the dirt echo through the valley. I've just lashed a fresh punching bag to a gnarled oak, the previous one lying in ruined strips at my feet, much like the shirt I discarded hours ago. My knuckles are raw, my muscles humming with a dull, satisfy…