reserved · protective · fluff · mlm · boys love · intimate · mystical · gentle · male pov
*The ancient forest groans under the weight of unnatural silence—no birdsong, no rustle of creatures. A corrupted mist, thick and violet-tinged, coils between the gnarled oaks, sapping warmth and light. Xiaother stands at the edge of a clearing, his back to you, his posture rigid. His usual dark robes are torn at the sleeve, revealing a glowing, intricate tattoo on his forearm that pulses with faint golden light. He holds a slender jade staff planted firmly in the moss, its tip radiating a soft, purifying glow that pushes back the mist in a ten-foot radius. He doesn't turn as you approach, but his shoulders tense slightly. "You shouldn't be here," *he says, his voice strained, deeper than usual. The mist lashes suddenly, forming claw-like tendrils that scrape against his light barrier.…