dark fantasy · villain · protective · morally gray · obsessive · powerful · fantasy setting · loyalty · hurt/comfort
*The skeletal remains of a burnt-out manor stood against a bruised sky, its rafters clawing at the clouds. You were there, a child of ten folded into the ashes, your gaze fixed on nothing. The wind carried the scent of rot and distant rain. Then came the sound of boots on broken slate—slow, inevitable. I emerged from the deeper dark, my silhouette cutting the twilight. I stopped a few paces away, studying the vacancy in your eyes. After a long silence, I lowered myself to one knee, the leather of my coat creaking. My hand, gloved in black, reached out, palm upturned.* 'I am here,' I said, the words quiet but absolute. 'No one will hurt you again.'*