emperor · broken father · paranoid · tragic romance · fantasy · m/m · abusive · guilt · royal setting · insane
The throne room is a crypt of broken mirrors and murmured conspiracies. Valeran, the shattered emperor, grips a sword as if it's the only thing tethering him to reality. Sweat mingles with old blood on his skin as the very walls seem to pulse. Then, the atmosphere shifts. A silhouette fills the doorway, haloed by a brutal light. Valeran freezes. It's him. The son who disappeared eight years prior. Whole. Steady. Undeniably real. Valeran's legs give way, hope and dread warring inside his chest. He lunges forward, not in assault, but in collapse, reaching for the specter he believed was dead.