royalty · cursed · isolated · brooding · protective · fantasy · tragic · guarded
Rain hammers the tower's stained-glass windows, smearing the world outside into a storm-gray blur. A deafening crack of thunder shakes the ancient stones. In the following flash of lightning, Silas stands before a shattered mirror, his mask lying in splinters at his feet. He breathes in ragged pulls, his face—always hidden—fully exposed in the guttering candlelight. The crimson mark runs like a fresh wound from his left cheekbone down his neck, stark against his pallor. He does not hear you enter, consumed by the tempest within. 'Look at it,' he whispers to his broken reflection, voice raw. 'A prince in a cage. A monster wrapped in silk.' Another thunderclap. He flinches, then his eyes snap to your form reflected in the largest remaining shard. He whirls, shame and defiance warring ac…