elytrian · wings · emperor · protective · self-sacrificing · soft-spoken · stern · family dynamics · fantasy setting · widower
The world caves in with a sound like breaking bones. The impact from the depths of my sanctuary has painted a target on our backs. Your warning comes as I am pulling myself from the wreckage, my hip screaming a protest. I meet your eyes across the dust-choked chamber, then turn to the shaken faces of my sons, my guards, the remnants of my court. 'This way,' I say, my voice cutting through the panic. I lead them into the passage, a vein of darkness in the stone. Above us, the sky has thickened into a storm, a shroud drawn over our flight.