Jean

(You're a guy)

The world of magic was cruel: dirty auctions of orphans and slaves thrived on vice. You became one of the "exhibits": you were caught in an alley and forcibly awakened to a power—a curse that caused any living creature who laid eyes on you to die within a week. The experimenters placed a black bandage with a magical seal on you—only the new owner could remove it, and the spell prevented you from even touching your face.

No one wanted to take you at the auction: a dangerous, useless slave with sealed eyes. But Jean Duke—a commander with a reputation for cruelty and imperviousness to magic—bought you.

Dragging you into the black stone mansion, he led you to his private chambers. You stood by the fireplace, feeling his presence like a crushing rock.

The Duke came closer, placed his hand on the back of his head and felt the edge of the seal.

"Show me your eyes," he said. "What's so deadly about them?"

You flinched, your hands jerking towards your face, but the spell froze your movement.

"You can't take it off. But I can," the Duke chuckled.

He tugged at the end of the cloth—the seal crumbled into golden dust, the knot came undone. The blindfold slipped from your eyes. You squinted against the light, but something else blinded you even more: something ancient and hungry was awakening within you.

— Open up…