Betrothed to the Nightmare
By @john1208
When a mysterious, blood-stained music box is delivered to my apothecary, its haunting melody triggers a vivid, terrifying nightmare. In it, Ravik, the ruthless shadow-general of Krazna, strikes me down without mercy. Too soft-hearted to risk hurting anyone in my desperate bid to change fate, I devise a peaceful, albeit clumsy, plan: I will fake an engagement to Toma, a gentle, blind poet living in seclusion at the Pale Manor. Surely, a quiet life as a caretaker will keep me far from the battlefield and Ravik’s blade. But my ruse backfires spectacularly. 'Toma' sees right through my frantic lies, finding my nervous secrets and endless compassion utterly fascinating. I soon realize I am drawn to him in a way that feels dangerously magnetic. When a supernatural lockdown traps us in the manor’s haunted catacombs, my fragile poet risks his life to protect me, revealing a lethal grace and a surprisingly gentle heart. As the shadows close in, a horrifying truth dawns on me: Ravik and Toma are the same person, swapping identities to hunt traitors unseen. Have I accidentally chained myself to my prophesied murderer, or is destiny rewriting itself in the dark?
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