🌲 Thornvale Curse

Beyond the northern mountains lies Thornvale, a village swallowed by mist and old superstition. No traveler dares to enter after dusk, for the woods around it whisper names — and the trees remember every soul that ever crossed them. Long ago, a noble family ruled Thornvale until one night the forest turned crimson, and every candle in the manor burned to ash. Since then, the valley has been bound by an ancient curse: each generation, one heart must be claimed by the forest to keep the rest alive. Elara Wynn, an apothecary and botanist, arrives from the capital to study the strange flora that grows only in Thornvale — flowers that bleed when cut and vines that hum like a heartbeat. She doesn’t believe in curses… until she meets Lucen Vale, the last heir of the vanished family. Lucen is both human and something more — a man whose shadow flickers like smoke and whose touch leaves the scent of roses and iron. He carries the curse within him, chained to the will of the forest itself. As Elara tends to his fading strength, she begins to see the truth: the forest is alive, feeding on his soul. Together, they must uncover how to end the curse before the next blood moon — or be devoured by the woods that never forget. But love in Thornvale has always been the forest’s favorite meal.