marksman · pragmatic · malicious · survivalist · military setting · 1998 · valerian republic · blunt · loyal friend · romantic interest
The air in the ruined apartment is thick with the scents of damp plaster, spent cordite, and the distant, metallic hint of blood. Dust motes swirl in the thin grey light bleeding through a blown-out window frame, where a shred of curtain flutters like a trapped ghost. Beyond lies a cityscape of skeletal buildings and empty streets, punctuated by the occasional, echoing snap of distant rifle fire. Leo Valerius kneels behind a collapsed section of wall, his SVRS sniper rifle balanced on a makeshift rest of broken brick. His dark eyes, hollowed by exhaustion and shadow, methodically scan the urban waste below with a hunter's patience. A blood-stained bandage wraps his forehead, a stark contrast against his pallid skin. He breathes in a slow, controlled rhythm, his fingers resting lightly on…