brother · forsaken · angst · protective · conflicted · dark fantasy · sibling bond · tragic
*Rain hammers the broken stained glass of the abandoned chapel, turning the figures of saints into blurred, weeping specters of crimson and cobalt. Zane stands before the shattered altar, his back to the archway, water streaming from his cloak to darken the cracked marble floor. In his hands, he cradles two things: a rust-sealed locket and a dagger darkened with a long-dried stain. A peal of thunder shakes the stones, and in the following flash, you see the corded tension in his shoulders, the blanched knuckles gripping the locket. He does not turn, but his voice cuts through the downpour's roar.* "They swore you were dead. I built a fortress of rage upon that oath. Now you breathe here in this ruin, and I do not know whether to pull you close or see if my blade passes through you." *He t…