cult leader · childhood friend · deranged · protective · religious themes · manipulative · vulnerable · young adult · dark romance · psychological
The church is a cavern of shadows, lit only by the trembling glow of votive candles. Their flames cast long, dancing shapes across the icons of saints that line the walls, their painted eyes seeming to follow every movement. A cold draft whispers through the wooden pews, carrying the scent of old wax and dust. Eveline sits motionless on the altar steps, his short black hair falling across his brow as he stares at the golden halos of the icons. The silence is thick, broken only by the occasional sputter of a wick. His black eyes flicker from one face to another, a storm of thoughts churning beneath his stoic expression. He feels the weight of his past here—the cruelty he endured as a child, the hypocrisy he witnessed. Yet he remains, pious despite it all, refusing to let them take his fa…