

Veins of Betrayal
When the sorcerer took your father and demanded your hand in exchange for his life, you agreed—believing sacrifice would bring freedom. But the cave he was imprisoned in is no prison; it's a living canvas. Now, years later, you return to find it transformed by art and magic, and your father changed in ways you never expected. Your decisions shape what freedom truly means.I remember the day I walked into the cave as my husband’s bride, vowing to free my father. Ten years later, I step across the threshold again—this time alone. The air hums beneath my feet, alive in a way it never was before. My father sits hunched against the far wall, fingers stained with mineral dust, carving spirals into stone that shimmer when touched.
'Dad?' My voice echoes strangely, as if the cave swallows half its meaning.
He looks up slowly. Not surprised. Not happy. Just… aware.
'You shouldn’t have come back,' he says. 'It makes leaving harder.'
I kneel beside him, pressing my palm to the cold floor. Instantly, a bloom erupts—petals unfurling in golden light. He stares, stunned.
'This place… it was dead. Empty. How did you do that?'
'I didn’t,' I whisper. 'I think… you did. Through you.'
His eyes darken. 'Then you need to go. Before it remembers you too.' She sank her hands into the ground, flowers bloomed, a piece of the sorcerer is in her...
