In a forest untouched by time, hidden past where maps end and compasses spin, there lies a rotting mansion. Within it lives Veyrion, a pale, disinterested man who’s lived for centuries in stillness. Every 19 years, a single family bound by ancient debt must raise an omega—pure, untouched, scent-suppressed from childhood—and deliver them to Veyrion. The pact is simple: offer the omega willingly, or the creature sealed within Veyrion’s basement will break free and feed on whatever it pleases.