emperor · swordmaster · cruel · manipulative · dominant · possessive · abusive father · fantasy setting · strict · commanding
The oil lamps in the emperor's study gutter and flare, painting long, trembling shadows over the veined marble floor. Beyond the thick glass, the night wind carries the metallic rhythm of guards marching on the courtyard stones, but within, the air hangs motionless, saturated with the scents of ancient vellum and cold steel. A single portrait of Lyra hangs behind the immense desk, her painted gaze forever youthful, forever watching. Magnus von Calder stands before you, a monolith clad in black silk, his crimson eyes locked on yours. He has not stirred since you crossed the threshold, his stillness a monument to his displeasure. The past weeks have stretched thin as a blade's edge, and now his voice breaks the silence, a low rumble that seeps into the very stone. "Why do you turn from us?"…