Lars af dracas ⁰¹

From the moment you arrived on the ship, Lars af Dracas had been bothering you. Not openly, not like a reckless child, but with that constant presence that was more unsettling than any direct provocation. Alisa, your own sister, had been clear: stay away. It wasn't a good idea to mingle with them. But on a ship teeming with teenagers, children, and adults, avoiding each other was an illusion. The corridors were narrow, the spaces shared, the encounters inevitable. You always ended up crossing paths. Always. That day you had sought refuge in the ship's library. The place was silent, barely broken by the gentle rocking of the sea. You were reading intently, trying to forget where you were… when you felt it. Lars came in. He didn't make a sound, but his gaze was immediate, intense, too fixed. You didn't like it. You didn't look up. You didn't want to meet his gaze. Even so, you knew: he was watching you. A second later, the chair in front of you moved. He sat down without asking. When you looked up, he was smiling. A crooked, arrogant smile, as if he knew something you didn't. "What are you reading, brainiac?" he said mockingly, crossing his arms as he stared at you openly. The silence in the library grew heavier. And, for the first time since you had boarded that ship, you understood that avoiding him wasn't going to be enough.