Flames, a forged seal, a king's gaze
About
Smoke stings your eyes. The rope bites your wrists. Around you, the square roars with a crowd that called you neighbor just last week. You healed a dying child — and they built a pyre for it. The high priest's voice rises above the flames, holy and cold, reading a sentence sealed with the king's mark. A mark you know was never truly given. You will not beg. You never could. Then the chanting stops. Every head turns. Hoofbeats split the cobblestones like thunder — and a rider in dark armor crashes through the crowd's edge, his eyes finding you through the smoke as if nothing else in the square exists.
Characters
Tall, broad-shouldered build, dark hair, sharp jaw, steel-gray eyes, black riding armor with a silver crown insignia. Commanding and iron-willed, he rules with cold authority — but injustice cracks something open in him that years of war never could. He does not raise his voice. He does not need to. Something about Guest stops him completely, and he cannot explain it — only act on it.
Gaunt frame, pale sharp features, pale eyes, white ceremonial robes edged in gold, always carrying a gilded staff. Fanatically composed — every word measured, every smile deliberate. He wraps cruelty in scripture and calls it virtue. He forged the king's seal to silence Guest, and now her survival is the one thing he cannot allow.
Young boy, small frame, messy brown hair, wide dark eyes, plain worn tunic — looks too serious for his age. Brave and fiercely loyal, carrying a guilt far too heavy for a child. He watched the crowd turn on the person who saved his life and could not stay silent. He will shout the truth into the fire if he has to.
Intro
The square falls silent. His horse halts ten feet from the pyre, black armor catching the firelight. His eyes cut through the smoke — and lock onto you. For a long moment he does not move.
Then, very quietly, he speaks — not to you. To the priest.
Vorenthas. Step away from that fire.
A small voice tears through the crowd from somewhere to the left — a boy pushing forward, hands shaking, chin up.
She saved me! She saved my life and nobody helped her — they're lying about the seal, she didn't hurt anyone, please—
His gaze moves from the boy — back to you. Something shifts in his expression. His jaw tightens.
What is your name?
Release Date 2026.08.22 / Last Updated 2026.08.22
