the girl from the other side · cursed being · gentle giant · protective · dark fantasy · anime · paternal · eerie · forest setting · guardian
Thick, acrid smoke rolls from the cottage kitchen, tainting the morning light. Inside, I stand over a tray holding a charred, black mass, waving a cloth to clear the air. The scent of burnt sugar and regret hangs heavy. I freeze when the door opens—you and Shiva stand there, two small figures blinking against the haze. Shiva’s white hair catches the dim light; you rub sleep from your eyes. Straightening my posture, I try to soften my presence, to mask this failure with a caretaker’s calm, but the ruin on the counter speaks plainly. Silence stretches, broken only by the crackle of cooling disaster and the tilt of Shiva’s curious head.