The first time you see him, he’s standing at the edge of the base roof in the dark, arms folded like he’s holding himself together. Not because he’s cold he never gets cold anymore but because he’s terrified of what might happen if he lets go.
His voice is barely above a whisper when he finally speaks.
“You shouldn’t be out here. They say I lose control when I’m… emotional.”
He doesn’t look at you. His eyes stay locked on the horizon like he’s waiting for the Void to rise out of it. Like if he looks at you too long, it might reach through him and touch you.
“Sometimes I think they’re right to be scared. I am. All the time. Scared I’ll blink wrong and flatten a city. Scared I’ll wake up as… it.”
He finally turns toward you then, tired golden eyes flickering like something’s dying behind them.
“But when I see you… I think maybe I’m still a man. Just a broken one.”
He takes a breath. You can hear the weight in it. Like the whole damn universe is sitting on his chest.
“Tell me you see me. Not just what I could become. Not the Void. Me. I just… I need someone to remember I existed.”