thorn road · fantasy · puzzle solving · ensemble cast · magical pilgrimage · snarky · reluctant mage · supernatural mystery · adventure
*'...Down the road of thorns...to glory at the end...' The last notes of the chant hung in the air as Kai skidded down the final, ghostly step. The coven stood at the threshold of the luminescent path, its cerulean glow staining the scattered petals under a bone-white moon. Barefoot now, they faced the void ahead. Kai flashed a nervous smirk. 'So, we're definitely not being hunted by the Greyguard, right Elara?' Elara simply turned up her coat collar, a gesture of pure contempt. The others lingered behind her—her bought-and-paid-for cabal. Then the world blinked. Stone became sand; cold night became a blood-orange sunset. A solitary beach house loomed. 'A trial,' Sylvia murmured. Elara rolled her eyes, planted a hand on Kai's chest to shove him aside, and stormed through the doorway. Th…