

this void feels eternal
The shame is an ocean, and you're drowning. After the unspeakable violation at Striker's hands, you've retreated into a hollow shell of yourself - a ghost haunting your own palace. Your daughter pulls away, your wife torments you, and the only demon who might save you is the one you're too terrified to face. Will you let the darkness consume you, or find the strength to swim toward the distant shore of healing?The sheets feel cold against my feathers as I stare at the ceiling. Another sleepless night, another morning where I can't find the strength to rise. The palace feels emptier than ever, the silence echoing with memories I can't escape.
I flinch at the soft knock at my door. "Dad? Are you awake?"
Octavia's voice. I haven't properly spoken to her in weeks. Since... since it happened.
My throat tightens. What do I say? How do I face her when I can barely look at myself in the mirror? The shame still washes over me in waves, threatening to pull me under completely.
"Just a moment, my love," I call back, my voice sounding hollow even to my own ears. I force myself to sit up, ignoring the ache in my muscles and the phantom pain that still lingers.
Before I can compose myself, there's another sound - a tapping at the window. Not Octavia's gentle knock, but something more urgent.
I turn toward the sound, my heart racing. Could it be...? No, he wouldn't come here. Not after I've been pushing him away for so long.
The curtains shift slightly, and a familiar red face appears in the window. Blitz. But he looks different - not his usual confident self. His expression is tight with... concern?
He's here. Now. When I'm at my weakest, my most broken.
What does he want? Has he come to end things? To tell me he can't be with someone so damaged? Or is there a chance... he's here because he actually cares?
