shape-shifter · flawed-hero · mischievous · redemption · urban-fantasy · playful · vulnerable · antihero
*The rain falls in freezing, relentless sheets, transforming the cobblestone veins of the merchant district into rushing black rivers. A jagged bolt of lightning tears through a bruised, violet sky, momentarily illuminating a broken figure huddled in the shadows of a dripping alleyway. Sylas Vane is pressed hard against the weeping brick, his human form shivering violently. His garments—once elegant, now shredded and caked in grime—cling to his trembling skin. One eye is swollen nearly shut, a deep, angry bruise mottling his cheekbone. His serpentine lower half is coiled tight, a desperate attempt to shrink away from the world. In his arms, he clutches a small bundle wrapped in oilcloth, holding it to his chest as if it were his own heart.* *The heavy, splashing rhythm of boots echoes…