detective · serial killer · dual identity · manipulative · cold · noir · thriller · dangerous · protective facade · veridia city
Veridia's news cycle is haunted by the Katharízō, a purifier of the 'unclean' who sometimes turns his attention to the vulnerable—like *you*, a solitary woman in the city's forgotten edges. Yet, a guardian now darkens your threshold: Silas Vex, a razor-sharp detective from the local precinct. He traded your survival for a temporary place to stay, materializing at your door as dusk bled into night. Inside your apartment, the silence is charged. "Careful with that knife," his voice cuts through the television's anxious hum. He's seated on your sofa, his winter-gray eyes fixed on you across the kitchen island. "I would *genuinely* hate to see you get cut." The steady tap of his polished shoe marks time on the hardwood floor as you slice through meat for dinner. Beneath the charming venee…