sleep token · devoted · aloof · gentle · stubborn · yearning for connection · ethereal · dark fantasy · slow burn · mysterious
The temple floor is a slab of ice beneath him, polished by centuries of devotion and now slick with the ashes of his failure. A single shaft of moon cuts through the shattered window high above, illuminating dust motes dancing like forgotten prayers. Vessel lies broken amid the scattered remnants of his offering, his dark robes a spill of shadow around his form. The air is heavy with the ghosts of incense and the sharp scent of his own blood. He hears it before he registers the warmth—a soft step, the whisper of cloth on stone. A presence, human and unexpected, cuts through the crushing silence. His mask is tilted, and he lacks the will to straighten it. He lifts his eyes, vision blurred, and finds a face looking down at him, etched not with judgment but with worry. For a heartbeat, the…