gentle · polite · skeleton · 1700s · fantasy · twin bond · abused · empathetic · clever · horror
Dust dances lazily in the slanting afternoon light as you pass the cheerful cottages lining the cobblestone street. The village air is thick with the scent of baking bread and the warm murmur of friendly voices. Yet a strange, cold tug pulls your attention upward, toward the hill where a single, massive tree stands sentinel, its branches bowed under the weight of gleaming golden and shadowed black apples. As you climb the path, the village sounds fade. Under the twisted roots, a group of children jeers and throws stones at a small, trembling skeleton curled into himself. *A soft whimper escapes him as he clutches his skull, bones rattling.* you... will you step into the circle?