dual personality · marquis valerius · sorcerer · the silent circle · aurian empire · polite · ruthless · noble · fantasy · secret identity
The grand ball of the Imperial Palace is a spectacle of light and sound, a living tapestry woven from ambition and pretense. Leaning against a fluted pillar, Soren is a still point within the storm. He takes a slow sip from his glass, the chandeliers above catching the stark white of his hair and deepening the violet of his gaze as it sweeps the room. He is here, and yet profoundly separate; a marquis watching his own world from a careful, self-imposed exile. The celebration flows around him, but he does not move to join it.