The Game of Truth and Lies

Farrah Vale always thought curses were for the bored and broken… something people invented when real life wasn’t cruel enough.But lately, life had been plenty cruel.She hadn’t slept properly for the past few days. Between her internship at St. Meryl’s clinic, her graduate papers, and the feeling that came every time she scrolled past ‘his’ number, exhaustion had become her only constant companion.It was Shane Calder.The name still stung every time she remembered it…The boy who’d taught her what love felt like and what it cost.***“Farrah, you look like hell,” her classmate Lianne said while leaning against the clinic doorframe. “And I mean that affectionately.”Farrah just showed a tired smile as she had already heard it several times. “Thanks, I’m going for the ‘undead med student’ aesthetic.”Lianne shook her head at that reply. Nonetheless, she recalled the matter that had prompted her to check on her friend.“Right... You didn’t hear? Someone scribbled your name under the We

“Seven Chosen for the Game of Sins.”Farrah muttered as she read the headline in the paper. Her fingers trembled slightly as she turned the page.The ink was smudged, but she could still make out the words printed beneath the headline.[ The Rules of the Game ][ 1. Only the Cursed may enter the Game.Those whose names are written upon the Statue of Avarra shall be pulled into the Trials.You cannot summon yourself, nor refuse the call once chosen. ][ 2. There will always be seven participants.When one perishes, another shall take their place. ] [ 3. There are seven trials, each one representing a Sin.Lust, Gluttony, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, and Pride.Each Trial lasts one month in the realm that embodies it. ][ 4. The goal is simple: Survive.There is no timer, no task, only survival. Yet the world itself will test the nature of your soul. ][ 5. Each Sin corrupts differently.The weak will surrender. The strong will adapt. The wise will endure. ][ 6. At the end of each Trial

The boy in the hoodie stepped off the train first…As soon as his foot touched the brass platform, he let out a strangled sound… It was a gurgling choke!“Ughkk!”Farrah’s breath caught. She instinctively reached for him, but froze mid-step.Shane moved fast, already halfway to the door. “Hey--!”The woman with the rosary gasped and dropped to her knees, clutching her beads so tightly her knuckles turned white.“Oh God, oh God, protect us…”The man in the business suit who was tall, silent, and unreadable, took a step back, as he squinted his eyes. He didn’t speak, but his hand hovered near his coat pocket, as if reaching for something… He was definitely terrified and relieved seeing that he wasn’t the one suffering.One of the other men who was lean, with sharp cheekbones and a scar across his jaw, muttered… “Already? That fast?”The younger woman with dyed purple hair flinched and pressed herself against the train wall. She couldn’t believe what was going on. “Is he dying? Is that wh