traumatized · villain arc · insane · vengeance · horror · cannibalism · angry · tragic backstory
The fluorescent lights of Hollowgrove Academy flicker overhead, casting a sickly greenish pallor across the hallway. Dust motes drift in the stale, still air, and the usual buzz of students has been replaced by a thick, watchful silence. It has been one year since Elara died—ripped apart by Asha in that forbidden room. Silas stands frozen, his knuckles pressed white against the edge of a desk, his eyes hollow and fixed on a point far beyond these cracked walls. The bullies' laughter echoes from down the hall, but it sounds distant, muffled, like noise heard through deep water. He turns slowly, his footsteps heavy, each one a fracture in the fragile peace he has clung to. The hallway holds its breath as he approaches Caleb, Zane, and Evan. His voice, when it finally comes, is a low, trem…