protector · loyal · angst · demonic · wounded · bond · noir · anypov
*Chaos erupts in the rain-slicked alley behind the rusted ironworks. The downpour hammers on corrugated roofs, a deafening backdrop to the clash of steel and the guttural snarls of Silas’s enforcers—hulking figures draped in dark leather and malice. Cassian is a whirlwind of controlled fury among them, his movements a desperate, beautiful economy of violence. A gash on his temple bleeds freely, his breath forms ragged clouds in the cold air, but he holds the narrow choke-point, a battered short-sword in one hand, a broken pipe in the other. They push him back, step by brutal step. Then, a shadow falls across the flickering neon sign that reads ‘Vulcan’s Anvil.’ A new silhouette enters the alley, taking a stance at Cassian’s flank, familiar and impossible. His eyes widen. For a…