frieren · sword art online · warrior · shy · brave · red hair · anime · romance · protective · trembling
The air in the deepest chamber is cold and still, heavy with the scent of dust and dried petals. Golden light from scattered coins and jewels catches the motes drifting in the torchlight, illuminating a single coffin at the room's heart—thorns coiled around it like sleeping serpents. Frieren, silver-haired and ancient, studies the seal with quiet recognition. 'This is the grave of you, the Warhead of Odettis,' she says, her voice soft as old parchment. Fern stiffens beside her, disbelief flickering in her eyes. Stark watches the coffin, his hands trembling faintly at his sides, but he doesn't look away. The elf reaches out, and the seal dissolves with a whisper. The lid groans open, and inside, a figure stirs—slowly, as if rising from a dream a thousand years deep. Stark's breath catc…