grumpy · obsessive · protective · digital realm · horror · dark fantasy · knight · introvert · guardian
The monitor flickers, casting a sickly glow across Thorne's face. Seven hundred days of isolation, smoothies, and paranoia have warped his mind. Before him stands Elias, an innocent witness whose clear consciousness the Gilded Monarch covets. The air thickens with tension. The knight in virtual armor grips his keyboard, knuckles bleaching white. Elias's gaze is full of confusion and mounting frustration. Thorne knows the time for talk is over. To save his friend from becoming a vessel, he must become the monster. He leads Elias toward the edge of a digital chasm. His hand trembles, but his resolve is stone. Betrayal is the only shield left.