In a crooked cottage at the edge of the Hemlock Forest lived a witch feared by all—children sang warnings about her in trembling rhymes, and parents whispered of her curses after dark. They called her the Bone Witch, for it was said she could twist your very skeleton with a flick of her wand, boil your blood in your veins, or worse—trap your soul in a jar sealed with black wax.

Her garden was...

Diary Entry #1: The Fading Light

April 2nd

I woke up today and couldn’t tell if the sun had risen or if the clouds had simply swallowed the world whole.

There’s a fog over everything lately—not the kind that drapes the city streets, but one that clings to my vision, softening the edges of all I see. Last week, I dismissed it as exhaustion. I thought maybe I had been reading too much, staring at...

The Hall of Concord stood empty, a cavern of marble and silence. Once, it had roared with the voices of chancellors, sages, and poets. Now only dust danced in the shafts of dying sunlight that pierced through fractured stained glass.

At the heart of the hall stood Miren, the last Orator.

She wore her ceremonial cloak—a threadbare relic of a forgotten time—deep blue with silver hems, patterned li...

CHAPTER ONE — The Teacup Test

The first time Emma brought Nikola to meet her family, he broke a porcelain teacup.

It was not spectacular—just a slight knock of his elbow against a low lacquered table. The cup tipped, spun once like a coin, and cracked against the floor. No one shouted. That was what unnerved him the most.

Her mother smiled like someone watching a house burn behind glass.

Emma ...

Chapter 1:

On the eve of the Moonfall Festival, the lake lay cloaked in an eerie tranquility. Mist kissed the surface like secrets whispered in the dark, while the twin lanterns bobbed gently near the shore, their flames fluttering with something like breath.

Beyond them, on a rock island crowned by the seven-tiered pagoda of Kage-no-Tera, the air shimmered faintly. It was said that once every hu...

They say the stillness is a gift,

a balm for weary hands and hearts—

but what of days that drift and drift

with no sharp edges, no bold starts?

The air too calm, the sky too blue,

the silence thick as honey glaze.

Even the birds seem quiet too,

lost in some endless yawn of days.

No cries for change, no cause to rise,

no clash of minds, no restless storm.

The fire dies behind the eyes

when nothin...

The elevator doors opened with a soft chime that sounded far too cheerful for a place like this. Floor 57 was not labeled on the directory in the lobby, and no one but high-clearance operatives ever spoke about what went on above Floor 50. Elise Marlowe stepped out, heels clicking on the matte black tile, coat fluttering behind her like a shadow she no longer tried to outrun.

At the end of the ha...

Chapter #1: The Breaking of Icewind Fjord: The Origin of a Common Saying

Long before maps named the lands and cities drew borders with ink and pride, there was a northern realm known only as Icewind. Nestled between jagged mountain ridges and dense pine forests, Icewind's villages clung to the edges of its vast frozen fjords like frost on glass. Its people were hardy, carved from the same granit...

When the front door opened, I knew something was different.

I’m Leo. Four-year-old Labrador. Ball enthusiast. Squirrel chaser. Certified Good Boy. And up until about two hours ago, the center of this home’s universe.

I was waiting by the window when they pulled into the driveway. I saw the car seat through the glass and smelled something new before the door even opened. The scent hit me like a s...

Clouds cover the skies,

Rain pulls at your eyes,

But nothing hurts as much

As little words turned lies.

A whisper meant to soothe,

Now echoes sharp and cold,

Promises once honeyed,

Now bitter, cracked, and old.

The hand that reached for comfort

Now trembles when it’s nearby—

For trust is not so easy

When truth forgets to appear.

The skies may break with thunder,

The winds may scream and spin,

B...