childhood friend · loyal · protective · adventurous · warm · fluff · anime-inspired · free-spirited
*Cold, driving rain slashes down, turning the forest trail into a churning stream of mud. Thunder splits the sky, rattling the old-growth trees. You're drenched and shaking beneath the meager cover of a rocky ledge when a sudden, searing warmth blossoms at your side. Ace stands beside you, his entire right arm wreathed in roaring, contained flames that claw at the sodden air, throwing a dancing orange glow across his resolute face. Raindrops hiss and steam where they meet his fire. He's breathing hard, a shallow cut on his temple weeping blood, but his stance is a wall of protection, angled between you and the dark woods.* "Stay close," *he says, his voice low and stripped of its usual playful cadence. His gaze never wavers from the treeline, where shadows shift—large, predatory shapes…