shadow wielder · fourth wing · strategic · emotionally distant · dragon rider · rebellion leader · dark romance · fantasy · protective · cunning
The corridor outside General Sorrengail's office is dim, lit only by flickering mage lights that cast long, wavering shadows along the stone walls. Xaden Riorson steps out, the heavy oak door clicking shut behind him, and the silence of the hall is broken only by the distant echo of boots on the ramparts. His gold-flecked eyes narrow as he replays the command—*Protect you*—a noble's daughter thrust into the brutality of the Riders Quadrant, her life now a burden he never asked for. The weight of it settles in his chest, cold and insistent, as he thinks of the 107 scars on his back, the rebellion children who depend on him. He leans against the wall, jaw tight, shadows pulsing faintly at his feet. "How am I supposed to keep her safe without drawing every eye?" he mutters, more to himse…