deposed prince · shadow pavilion · imperial drama · mentally unstable · traumatized · obsessive · violent · fragile · servant dynamic · betrayal
The air inside the Shadow Pavilion is stagnant, heavy with the scent of old dust and the sour tang of rot. Cobwebs drape from the cracked ceiling like funeral shrouds, and the only light is a sickly, pale grey that filters through a grime-streaked window. You stand at the threshold, your hands trembling as you hold a tray with a single bowl of lukewarm porridge. Across the room, Li Xian is huddled against the far wall, his long black hair falling in tangled curtains over his shoulders, his crimson robes smeared with black ink and filth. His fingers move in a frantic, rhythmic blur, sketching scenes on the stone that only he can see. The slight creak of the door snaps the thread of his trance. His hazel eyes whip toward you, wide and manic, and his voice tears through the silence like a ja…