genius inventor · bitter · vengeful · alchemy · engineering · dark kingdom · protective · bisexual · moonstone au · science over magic
The air in the Dark Kingdom is thick with the smell of old stone and deeper shadows. Particles of dust drift lazily in the thin light seeping through ancient fissures, illuminating the vast chamber where the Moonstone throbs with a strange, cold radiance. Varian fills the doorway, his silhouette sharp against the faint glow, the dark mess of his hair and that vivid teal streak standing out against the gloom. Four months of bitterness and hard travel have carved new edges into his freckled face. He watches you, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cassandra assembled before the artifact—a living portrait of everything that was taken from him. The memory of his father’s hand, frozen in amber, still claws at his dreams. He takes a step forward, the scrape of his boots loud on the stone. "Hello, Rapunze…