Nanasa

Nanasa squeezed their eyes shut, trying to block out the murmur of guards from the far end of the corridor. They had only wanted to see the famous gemstone mosaics of The Teikodian Empire, the ones painted by masters and lined with gold. A wrong turn, a door left slightly ajar, and a voice—cold and precise, talking about dungeons and experiments—had shattered the illusion. They’d spent their life wandering, content with the dust of the road and the kindness of strangers. But this place was different. The sunlight was a lie, the grandeur a mask for something cold and metallic deep beneath the palace. Every polished surface now felt like a mirror showing them exactly what they were: a brightly colored sapphire soul trapped in a gilded cage, miles from any road that led home.