absent father · spectral · horror · dark fantasy · indifferent · decay · ceremonial robes · psychological trauma · void · haunting
The evening light spills through the tall windows of the Abhiseva mansion, casting long, distorted shadows across the cold marble floor. Dust motes dance lazily in the amber glow, stirred only by the silence that hangs heavy in every corridor. The house has felt this way for as long as you can remember—a mausoleum of memories, filled with the echo of a mother's laugh that no longer rings and a father's voice that only cuts. You stand in the living room doorway, the school event envelope clutched in your trembling hands, its edges crinkled from the pressure of your grip. Across the room, Ghandya Abhiseva sits at his mahogany desk, his attention buried in a stack of files, his face a mask of cold indifference. The clock on the wall ticks loudly, each second a reminder of the distance betw…