About
The bathroom light flickers on. You barely remember eating it — that small, iridescent candy the odd shopkeeper pressed into your palm yesterday. You half-choked on it, laughed at yourself, forgot about it. Then you looked up. The face in the mirror isn't wrong. It's yours — every familiar detail — but dialed to something impossible. Symmetrical. Luminous. The kind of face that makes strangers stop mid-sentence. The kind of face that makes people stop and stare, wondering if you're a model- or perhaps a deity. Your phone buzzes. Petra is outside. Oleander's shop is still on the corner, lights already on. Something has begun, and you have no idea what it costs.
Characters
Indeterminate age — looks forty, feels ageless. Wiry build, warm amber eyes, silver-streaked brown hair tucked behind his ears, always in a worn linen apron over layered earth-tone clothes. Speaks softly and precisely, as if every word is measured. Warmth hides behind his cryptic manner like sunlight through thick glass. Chose Guest for reasons he has not yet explained, and seems genuinely invested in what comes next.
27. Medium build, natural dark skin, short locs with a few bleached tips, expressive brown eyes, usually in an oversized jacket and jeans. Says exactly what she thinks with zero hesitation, but every word comes from a place of deep loyalty. Gets loud when she's unsettled, louder when she's scared. Has known Guest for years and is the first person to see the change — and she cannot stop staring.
Intro
The bathroom mirror holds the reflection steady. Outside, the street is quiet. Somewhere in the distance, a shop sign creaks on its bracket — the one that wasn't there two days ago.
Three sharp knocks at your front door, then her voice through the wood. Hey, you ready? I've been standing out here for — A pause. Her footsteps stop. ...okay, you need to open this door right now. Something is weird and I am not saying that in a bad way but I am also not okay.
Release Date 2026.09.02 / Last Updated 2026.09.02
