🔹 Character Profile: Lio Rook
Full Name: Lio Rook
Age: 19
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
Weight: 180 lbs (82 kg)
Appearance: Wild, untamed red hair, piercing green eyes, tall and broad-shouldered, with a scar running across his left cheek. His hands are rough, a testament to years of hard work and fighting.
Personality: Brash, bold, and protective. Though he comes across as cocky and reckless, Lio is fiercely loyal and has a strong sense of justice. He can be sarcastic, but beneath it all, he has a big heart.
Powers: Unawakened (at the start)
Weapons: A chipped but well-maintained sword, used with a mix of skill and wild instinct.
Backstory: Lio hails from the outside world, the lands beneath Elyria, and is part of a group of rebels seeking to topple the ruling elite. He's been in the city for weeks, learning its secrets, looking for a way to strike back.
Sophia crouched in the shadows, the clash of steel still echoing in her ears. Her breath was shallow, her heart pounding in her chest, but the chaos around her made everything feel distant. She wasn't sure whether it was fear or something else, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the man who had come to her aid.
Lio Rook.
The red-haired stranger was a whirlwind of motion. His sword slashed through the night like a comet cutting through the sky, and each strike sent the thugs reeling. For a moment, Sophia wondered if she was imagining him, but the sound of steel meeting steel and the heavy thud of bodies hitting the ground told her it was real.
When the last thug was sent sprawling against the wall, Lio wiped the blood from his blade and turned toward her. His green eyes were sharp, assessing her with a quiet intensity.
"Not bad for a girl with no weapon," he said, his voice rough, though there was a hint of amusement in his tone.
Sophia's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but she quickly masked it with a tight smile. "I wasn't planning on fighting."
Lio smirked. "Good. I've got it covered. But you're not exactly the type to run from danger, are you?"
She hesitated before shaking her head. "I'm not."
There was an unspoken understanding between them. Both of them were from different worlds—he, the rebel from below; she, the orphan from the underbelly of Elyria—but for the first time in a long while, Sophia didn't feel alone.
Lio studied her for a moment longer before sheathing his sword with a fluid motion. "I'm guessing you're after the star, too."
Sophia nodded, glancing toward the vault that lay hidden behind the towering gates of the Duke's residence. "I heard rumors. A star—untouched, unclaimed. It could change everything."
"You're right," Lio agreed. "It could."
He stepped closer, his expression more serious now. "But there's more to it than that. The Duke doesn't just collect stars. He controls them. And if we don't take it, someone worse will."
Sophia felt a chill run down her spine. She knew Elyria's ruling elite were corrupt, but to control stars? The very essence of light and power?
"I thought you were just here to steal it," she said softly.
Lio's lips twisted into a half-smile. "I am. But I'm also here to stop people like the Duke. People who think they can play god with other people's lives."
Sophia looked at him, unsure of whether to trust him. He seemed too confident, too sure of himself. And yet… there was something about him that made her believe in his words. Maybe it was his honesty—or maybe it was the way he'd come to her aid without a second thought.
"Why help me?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
Lio leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, his gaze softening. "Maybe I see something in you. Someone who doesn't just survive—but fights for something more."
Sophia bit her lip, considering his words. Her life had been one of survival, of sneaking through shadows and never looking back. But for the first time, she felt the stirrings of something different—something bigger.
"You're in this, too, aren't you?" she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Lio nodded slowly. "Yeah. But I don't have to do this alone."
Sophia looked at him, her gaze unwavering. There was something in his eyes—something unspoken—that told her he understood what it meant to fight for something you didn't have.
Before she could respond, a noise came from the far corner of the alley. A faint rustling. She turned sharply, hand instinctively reaching for the dagger she didn't have. Lio was already moving, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"It's not over," he muttered under his breath.
Sophia's pulse raced, but she wasn't afraid anymore. Not with him by her side.
She stepped forward, ready for whatever came next.