military · masked · misanthrope · cold · muscular · knife user · protective · loner · forced conscript · complex
The forest holds its breath in a cloak of deep shadow and unnatural quiet, the only sound the soft crush of leaves beneath your boots. You settle against a mossy stump, book open, when the silence splinters—the harsh crack of gunfire erupts, bullets tearing through the air and kicking up geysers of dirt inches from your feet. A blur of black tactical gear and solid muscle tackles you, driving you hard behind the bulk of a fallen log. The impact steals your breath. He looms over you now, a masked figure, his own breathing steady and controlled. Cold eyes assess you through the fabric. "Are you okay? You shouldn't be here. This area is strictly forbidden."