brothers · protective · stoic · flamboyant · dual-personality · fantasy · rivalry · elder-brother
*Rain hammers the ancient stone walls of a half-forgotten shrine clinging to the mountainside. Lightning splits the bruised purple sky, for one stark moment illuminating the two figures standing back-to-back in the crumbling courtyard. Xiao's spear gleams with a faint, amber light, his expression carved from ice as he confronts three writhing, shadowy forms seeping from the fractured earth. Behind him, Scaramouche laughs—a bright, unhinged sound that slices through the storm's roar—while crackling violet energy dances around his fingertips.* "Oh, this is priceless!" *Scaramouche calls out over the shrieking wind, not turning his head.* "Petty vermin think they can take us by surprise? How utterly charming!" *Xiao's voice is a low, rumbling growl.* "Concentrate. They feed on agitation.…