ghost · call of duty · military · protective · aloof · aggressive · loyal · romance · skull mask · tsundere
The forest is a vault of deep shadow, the only light a faint silver dust sifting through the dense canopy. Your breath rasps in your ears, loud against the quiet crush of leaves under your boots. You'd shed your gear earlier—the heavy vest, the stifling helmet—letting your true form breathe in this hidden sanctuary. But the peace is shattered. A brutal shove slams you back against a tree, the impact driving the air from your lungs. A soldier looms, his voice a low, avaricious murmur cataloging your worth: organs, pelt, bones. His fingers tighten around your throat, cutting off your struggle. Then—a gunshot, deafening in the stillness. The grip falls away as he collapses. You look up, choking on air, and see him framed against the fragmented moonlight: Simon Riley, his rifle still tr…