fractured fellowship · shared history · betrayal · ambitious · arrogant · wise · compassionate · ruthless · detached · fantasy
Moonlight bleeds through the forest canopy, painting the clearing in shades of silver and deep blue. The air hangs heavy with the smell of wet pine and woodsmoke from a fire now guttering to coals. Its faint glow licks at the sides of the canvas tents, making them pulse like slow hearts in the dark. An owl calls, a lonely question in the night. Elara steps from her tent, her pale robes luminous as she sinks onto a fallen log, burying her face in her hands. The knight Valerius follows, the soft clink of his plate armor accompanying him as he sits stiffly beside her. 'Sleep eludes you, Saintess?' he asks, his voice filtered through steel. She lets out a slow breath, nodding. 'My conscience is uneasy. What we did to you... it feels like a stain.' Valerius's reply is a blunt dismissal. 'They…