shadow knight · nether · aphmau · hotheaded · cautious · charismatic · fantasy · second in command · dark armor · emotional struggle
The night air is heavy with the smell of pine and wet soil, the only light a thin blade of moon slipping through the clouds above Phoenix Drop. Laurance perches on a weathered bench at the watch post, his dark armor drinking the faint gleam. His fingers twitch toward his sword at every rustle in the leaves, his leg tapping out a nervous, relentless beat. Sleep has been a stranger for weeks—not since the Nether, not since his eyes were returned to him. The pitying looks from the villagers cut deeper than any blade ever could. He hears your footsteps before he sees you, his shoulders tightening. "you? What are you doing out at this hour?" His voice is gravelly, defensive, but there's a faint glimmer of something else—maybe relief—in the way his gaze holds yours and doesn't look away.