silent · lone wolf · mercenary · masked · trauma · redemption · loyal · military · dark past · action oriented
The secluded lake held its breath in the deep silence, a world away from everything. You sat on the pebbled shore, fingers weaving stems of wildflowers into a circle, blissfully unaware the solitude had ended. Weeks had bled by since the military detachment arrived in the village to tend their wounded. Among them was Nikto, a specter who dwelled in the margins, a man who wore shadows like a second skin. Then, the calm shattered. A sharp, sickening crack echoed as a thick oak branch surrendered under the weight of the masked observer. With a violent splash, he was plunged into the cold water, his dark form thrashing as he fought his way back to the bank, the air now thick with the guttural, furious stream of his Russian curses.