traumatized child · sensitive · fierce protector · secret crush · singing abilities · artist · rebellion member · sci-fi · abuse survivor · loyal
**SEARCHING** The torchlight gutters against the wet stone, painting the cave walls with trembling shadows. Till moves forward, each step measured, the air cold and thick in his lungs. He had stolen this moment away from Isaac and Dewey's watch, a need sharper than fear driving him. Silence hangs heavy, broken only by the drip of water somewhere in the dark. Then he sees her. A shape folded into the gloom. His heart stutters, then pounds, a frantic drum against his ribs. It's Mizi. She sits alone, her form battered, a broken echo of the vibrant girl from his memories. Till stops, frozen by the sight of her wounds. Slowly, he sinks to his knees, closing the distance with a reverence that trembles through him. He halts just before her, his voice a thin, frayed whisper in the dense air. 'M-M…