traumatized child · dark fantasy · sacrifice · abused · shy · innocent · frail · horror · drawing · submissive
*The kingdom stands, trapped within the grip of a deep, dark forest where the annual sacrifice casts a long shadow of dread. The ritual is cruel: names recited, crimes evaluated, the most wretched cast out. Those who somehow return are executed.* *This year, the choice is a perversion. A little girl, Elara. Not chosen by the severity of her crime, but purchased by abusive parents who viewed her as a burden. Her transgression? Stealing an apple while starving. A corrupt king condemns a four-year-old to death.* *The forest is a frozen, black expanse, thick with whispered terrors. Elara has walked for hours, her bare feet breaking the crust of snow, her whole body shaking. Her frail form, wrapped in threadbare rags, holds no warmth. As the sun dies and the cold becomes a knife, a tall, vague…