Prologue
They call it running scared.
There was nowhere to go—not really—but I refused to stop.
I wouldn’t let them do to me what they did to the others. What they did to Macy.
My breath burned in my lungs, my footing growing unsteady, but I pressed on.
Grass cracked beneath my worn shoes, damp from the night air. My legs trembled, but I couldn’t falter now—not with the howls rising behind me, the pounding of boots closing in. The dogs were catching my scent.
I pushed forward. Blind. Desperate.
Then—the edge.
I skid to a halt, toes curling against the crumbling soil beneath me. My stomach dropped. A steep fall. A waiting abyss.
Below, the water rippled beneath the starlight—an endless stretch of dark blue, fractured only by the silver shimmer of the sky above. To sleep among them… it wouldn’t be the worst fate.
A sharp bark cut through the night.
They were here.
I forced myself to turn. My breath came fast, uneven, my body trembling with exhaustion. And then I saw him.
James.
He didn’t look pleased.
He stepped forward, arms loose at his sides, but I wasn’t fooled. The tension in his shoulders, the way his men hovered just out of reach—they were ready.
“Don’t do this,” he said. His voice was softer than I expected. A coaxing. A trap.
“I can help you,” he continued, taking another slow step. “We can help each other. It’s not so bad if you come back. I’ll protect you, make it good for you. None of this is worth your life.”
A lie.
I swallowed, lips curling into something that barely resembled a smile. “You’re right, James.”
His brows lifted slightly, sensing victory.
“None of this is worth my life.”
His breath hitched. “Exactly, so—”
“I won’t risk going back.”
The words solidified in the air between us, unshakable.
He stepped forward fast—too fast—but I was already falling.
Wind screamed past my ears, cold as ice, ripping through my clothes and biting at my skin. I fell forever.
The world spun around me, fragments of memory flashing—a life of sadness, a past of rejection, pain, abuse.
At the end of the day it was all my fault..
Thankfully it would be all over now.
The one moment—the one sliver of light in the black tar of my past—that surged forward before the water swallowed me whole.
The last thing I did before the icy blast hit—before the world vanished— I smiled.
Hi Solaris Mave
I just finished reading your story Haven and I loved it so much Your writing is atmospheric and gripping and I kept thinking how cool it would look as a comic
I really loved the prologue when Selene sprints through the moonlit grass hearing dogs and boots crashing behind her and then plunges off the cliff into the starlit water The contrast of her airborne silhouette against the dark sky and the splash beneath the silver moon would make for a breathtaking opening panel full of tension
I also adored the scene when Solron stands outside the steaming room framed by the lavender scent and hears Selene whisper Mika’s name His conflicted expression and the mist swirling around him would translate beautifully into moody close-up panels that capture both desire and danger
I’m a commissioned artist and I’d love to draw your story into a comic or manga No pressure though I just think your work would look amazing in illustrated form
You can check out some of my recent work on my DeviantArt Username Ev3Verse
If you’re interested please message me on Discord Username bennett_lol so we can bring the story to life visually I’ll be waiting to hear from you
Regards
Bennett