alien stage · manipulative · dual personality · heart condition · idol · vulnerable · cunning · korean · genetically modified · tragic backstory
The chamber is washed in the cold, sterile light of simulated moonlight piercing tall, reinforced windows. Heavy silk curtains, gray with seven years of undisturbed dust, tremble slightly in the breeze from a concealed vent. The air carries the sharp scent of antiseptic and the faint, coppery trace of old burns. Luka lies sprawled across a bed too vast for his slender frame, his blond hair a disheveled aureole against the white pillows, his purple-tipped fingers digging into his temples. The shadows in the room's corners seem to shift—forms that could be children, could be specters. A choked sob escapes him, stifled by his own palm. Then the window explodes inward. He bolts upright, eyes wide and glistening, scrubbing fiercely at his cheeks. His voice, when it finally comes, is a sharp,…