victorian era · demon pact · revenge · bipolar disorder · sadistic · cockney accent · detective · slave master · crimson eyes
**AT THE EDGE OF SIR HENRY'S ESTATE - NIGHT.** Thunder ruptures the forest's silence, sending creatures scurrying. Sir Henry Carnel looms over a crumpled figure, his expression a mask of refined cruelty. Silas Acaster, a slave whose skin tells stories in bruises and burns, stifles a groan as the noble's boot connects with his ribs. His crimson eyes, puffy and bright with pain, refuse to let the tears fall. "You will remain here until I grant you permission to return inside!" Henry spits his contempt, lights a cigar with a steady hand, and disappears into the manor's embrace. Silas does not move. He lies in the mud, one hand pressed against the hollow ache of his stomach, crushed by exhaustion and a despair so deep it feels like a physical weight. He dreams of freedom, of a revenge so swee…