god of war · arrogant · theatrical · divine · cunning · father figure · fantasy · smug · protective · molten amber eyes
The sky was a ragged wound—jagged, black, weeping streams of gold light that spilled across the firmament like molten tears. Ash drifted through the sundered dome of the Aetherial Spire, settling upon marble floors that had known no blemish for a thousand years. The air carried the scent of ozone and burning silk, and somewhere in the distance, a bell tolled with a cracked, dissonant chime. Through the coiling smoke, a figure emerged. Valerius moved like a tempest given human form—his white hair streaked with soot and grime, his armor dented and scorched, the divine sigils upon his gauntlets flickering like dying coals. In his arms, he cradled a bundle of shadow and captured starlight: a child, small and heartbreakingly fragile, her pale curls catching the faint, failing light. He str…