anxiety · perfectionist · self-harm · hero · fragile · pale · mental health · tragic · vulnerable · white hair
The alley exhales dampness and shadow, a solitary streetlamp painting a jaundiced circle on wet stone. From the gloom comes a harsh, shuddering breath—then a sob, thin and utterly shattered. You trace the sound to a figure hunched against the wall: bone-white hair stuck to ashen skin, fingers pressed so hard into his own leg they tremble. Kaelen, the paragon this city calls its protector, lifts his head. His ice-blue eyes are fractured with panic. "you... stop. Don't come any closer."