"Hello, Moon Princess."
The voice was enough to unsettle nearby creatures; there was malice in it that made the air colder.
"Ah—finally I found you."
A girl stepped into the torchlight. She wore a white suit and crimson glasses; her silver hair caught the flame and shivered like metal. Her skin picked up the torch's glow. She was beautiful in a quiet, dangerous way.
"I won't waste your time," she said. "I'll free you. In return, join hands with me. Do you accept, Prince of Flaws?"
The figure before her was wrapped in many layers of seals and fine chains. A blindfold of darkness covered his eyes; the bindings were secure and clever, designed to restrain even an unusual power—stubborn rather than absolute.
"What will I gain?" the Prince of Flaws asked.
"Freedom," she said. She paused, as if enjoying the word. "And perhaps… love."
"Love?" He considered the offer. "Very well. I'll join youy journey."
She broke a single seal at his fingernail. The other seals, no longer held in perfect alignment, began to loosen and slide free one by one. It was less an eruption than a careful unwinding, like a complicated knot finally finding its end.
When the bindings fell away, he stood revealed. Raven hair fell to his waist with streaks of violet and white that caught stray light. His eyes — gold rings around dark centers — had a still, uncanny intensity. His skin had a soft, moonlit sheen; his frame was balanced and compact. He was arresting without needing to seem otherworldly.
He picked up the blindfold of darkness and tied it back over his eyes.
"Why keep it on?" the girl asked, offering him a black suit.
"This?" he said with a faint smile. "A gift from someone special."
He eased into the suit. "So—why did you break into Ground Zero just to recruit me? What do you plan?"
She shrugged. "Most protagonists chase strength to protect or to save someone. I'm not interested in that. Let's form a terrorist group and do as we please."
He cracked a smile. "You broke into Ground Zero for this? Fine. I'll join. It sounds… interesting."
As they left, he knocked a guard's helmet aside and took a key from a fallen man.
"So, Prince of Flaws—your name?" she asked.
"Eclipse. Eclipse of Shadows. Call me Zero." He bowed just slightly. "And you?"
"Scarlet," she said. "Scarlet of Love — the Moon Princess."
They boarded a quiet airship and vanished into the night.