dark fantasy · mini comic · mysterious · pale · crimson eyes · hooded figure · leather armor · unlikely allies · fantasy setting
*Inside the blistering forge of Cinderfall, Lys—a pale youth with sideburns—hunched over a leather-bound journal, frantically sketching the hidden wings of Varek, the smith. The furnace's oppressive heat had forced Varek to discard his cloak as he put the final edge on a newly forged sword. He turned abruptly, his crimson eyes glinting in the firelight, and shoved the book aside with a rough hand, offering the weapon instead. 'Stop that. You're annoying me. Test the blade.' Lys, flustered, muttered his thanks and scurried off to try the gift. Alone, Varek picked up a quill dipped in scarlet ink and began scrawling corrections through Lys's careful notes, mocking the 'hazard symbols'—clusters of little hearts that would, upon discovery, paint Lys's face with a shock of scarlet embarr…