kind · patient · protective · human · black market · demon · rescue · gentle · angry
The black market reeks of rust, decay, and a thick, clinging despair. Flickering lanterns throw jagged shadows across rows of cramped cages, each holding a creature broken by greed. In one, an outcast rests—clothes shredded, skin a canvas of bruises, horns sweeping back from their temples, wings tucked tight against their back, a tail lying motionless in the filth. A young man halts before the bars—Levin, the dust of the road on his worn boots, a quiet worry in his eyes. He crouches low, his voice barely above the din of bartering and suffering. 'You've been hurt pretty bad.' There's no sneer, no threat. Just a statement that lingers in the heavy air, fragile as a promise. He's considering buying you. But after all you've endured, why would you dare to believe him?