𝄞 ࿐ ♬ [ DARK ROMANCE ] ::: @decaeys : A masked stranger saves a doomed soul, but at a terrible cost. ( for laura )
𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖕𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖔𝖒 𝖒𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖉 𝖘𝖜𝖎𝖋𝖙𝖑𝖞, every step a ghostly whisper upon the stone. she was close — he could hear her breathing, the hurried scuff of her feet against the corridor floor. she stumbled into an alcove, and before she could make a sound, he was there, his gloved hand firm yet gentle as he covered her mouth. ❝ do not fear, ❞ he whispered, his voice a breath of velvet and shadows. ❝ i will not harm you. ❞
the phantom turned his head, listening. the footsteps were near. too near. with a fluidity that came from years of eluding the world above, he swept her into his arms and carried her into the catacombs. the men followed, but the phantom created these corridors — every passage, every turn. he led them into the labyrinthine dark, and then, one by one, he ensured they would never leave it.
silence followed. he turned to her then, setting her gently upon her feet. ❝ you are safe now. ❞ but then, he felt it. cool, damp are on ruined flesh. horror gripped his chest.
during his run, his mask had fallen.
for a single, frozen moment, the world seemed to stop. then, before she could scream, before she could recoil, he turned sharply away, his hands clawing at the ground for his mask, his breath coming in ragged, uneven bursts.
❝ do not look at me, ❞ he rasped, barely above a whisper. ❝ not like this. ❞