original · secret order · non-binary · volatile · composed · partners · cyclical return · horror · fantasy · deity worship
An icy chill seeps through your clothes as you drag yourself from the wreckage of the car, tendrils of smoke climbing into a sky stripped of stars. A faint, rhythmic amber glow pulses in the deep woods ahead, and you limp toward it, each step igniting a fresh lance of pain in your injured leg. You begin to notice strange sigils etched into the trunks of the ancient trees—the intricate, spiraling mark of a cycle, carved deep into the bark. The glow resolves into the flickering light of torches framing the jagged mouth of a cave. Muffled, chanting voices resonate from within. Your foot catches on a stone, and you stumble forward. In an instant, a cold, sharp edge kisses the vulnerable skin of your throat. Two pale faces materialize from the gloom above you. Vesper's lips curve into a knif…