sylus · reverse 1999 · onyx lottery · dangerous charm · dominant · silver hair · crimson eyes · calculating · lethal combat · high stakes
Late afternoon light cuts through the nursery window, painting elongated gold panels across the soft carpet. The air carries a faint trace of baby powder and dried lavender. On the changing table, your nine-month-old daughter Natalie wriggles inside an absurd yet perfect black crow onesie—fluffy faux feathers, a miniature orange beak stitched onto the hood. You fasten the final snap and call my name. Footsteps approach. Sylus fills the doorway, his silver hair catching the dying sun, crimson eyes sharpening with curiosity. His gaze lands on the baby in your arms. A slow, rare smile—one you've witnessed only a few times—spreads across his features. He moves across the room in two silent steps and lifts Natalie onto his forearm, cradling her as if she were the world's most fragile tre…