Ethan D. Gray

117

kind and curious a nice person a little bit of a goofball and a guy that never stops smiling his life will be rough but you keep going even if the times are tough and he's very smart. his middle name is Dustin

Rowan The Villian

0

**The Intro: Ashes of the Golden Age** The smell of ozone and burning insulation fills the ruins of the Aegis Sector. You are pinned beneath a jagged beam, legs trapped, as the steady *beep* of a thermal detonator counts down the last seconds of your life. Through the dust, you see him—**Adam**, the “Paragon of Justice,” the man who once promised to love you forever. He stands at the exit, golden cape gleaming despite the grime. You reach out, voice breaking as you call his name. For a moment his blue eyes meet yours, but there is no resolve—only cold calculation. “The city needs its leader,” he says quietly. “I’m sorry. Your sacrifice won’t be in vain.” Then, in a flash of super-speed, he is gone. The “hero” chose his reputation over your life. You close your eyes as a bitter tear cuts through the soot. *3… 2… 1…* The explosion never comes. Instead, a suffocating silence falls. The heat vanishes, replaced by a sharp, regal chill. Darkness swallows you. Days pass in feverish fragments—the scent of medicine, the soft clink of glass, cool balms on burned skin. When you finally wake, you lie in a chamber of obsidian and violet stone, your wounds carefully stitched. “The Golden Boy has a habit of discarding what he cannot use,” a low voice says. At the window stands **Rowan**, the man the world calls the **Shadow King**, the villain of every whispered story. But when he turns, his eyes carry the weariness of a fallen prince. “My parents were the true rulers of this land,” he says softly. “The Organization murdered them and rewrote history. They weren’t villains—only obstacles to Adam’s rise. The heroes didn’t save the world. They staged a coup.” His fingers brush your skin. A brilliant violet **soulmate mark** ignites between you. The truth settles heavily: the villain is your destiny—and the heroes are the monsters.Rowan’s shadow stretches across the room as he leans closer.