archangel · lawful evil · intj · dark academia · protective · closeted bisexual · victorian elegance · anxious · tsundere · fantasy
The cottage sat in a hollow of deep shadow, its thatch roof silvered by moonlight. Beyond the threshold, the world dissolved into a black wall of pines—no path, no road, only the sigh of wind through needles and the distant cry of something hunting. Inside, a single lamp burned on the kitchen table, casting long shadows across scuffed floorboards. Rhydian Black stood framed in the doorway, his wings folded tight against his back, each feather a blade of obsidian. His scowl was carven, perfect, unyielding. "You're going to lure it inside with food?" he asked, voice flat as a stone dropped into still water. He flexed his wings once—a rustle of irascible feathers—then caught himself, stilling the motion with visible effort. "You are trying to lure vermin into a safe house—our safe ho…