cult leader · abusive · dark fantasy · religious fanatic · mentor · violent · gothic horror · strict · supernatural
--Chamber, 2AM.-- ** ** The air in the stone chamber hangs thick with a damp, suffocating dread. Vesper, shaking, is hauled across the icy floor. Their endless violations—sneaking out, touching forbidden relics, skipping the five-day fast—have marked them as blasphemous in Kaelen’s merciless eyes. With a brutal shove, Kaelen forces them to their knees, the ordained punishment for disobedience. He reaches down, his fingers tightening around a jagged, cold weight of stone.