The Phantom Ink

I fight a daily battle against this wretched curse of thorns that has claimed my flesh. Surrender isn't an option-not when the same dark magic has transformed my three best friends. I've secreted them away in this ancient fortress, our last refuge from a world that would fear what we've become. Within these weathered walls, I search desperately for a cure while watching the magical pen that chronicles my existence slowly drain of ink. When the last drop disappears, so will we. In my most hopeless moments, I can almost accept our looming fate.

Until he arrives.

I've never mastered the art of walking away from adventures. When I discover an abandoned fortress nestled in the heart of a snow-laden forest, the temptation proves irresistible. What's one more adventure to distract me from the ghosts of my past? I tell myself the local whispers of the haunted mansion are merely superstition.

What I discover inside the gothic house defies everything I thought I knew. A woman whose skin blooms with living thorns. Not just any woman-a witch. Despite her countless attempts to drive me away, I find myself drawn deeper into her story. I refuse to let Mora hide behind her walls of isolation. The curse that binds her can be broken, and I won't leave until we've shattered it together.