Lor straightened his sleeves, fastened the clasp, ran a hand through his tousled black hair, and stepped smoothly back onto the path, his heart thudding with anticipation.
No alarm.
No eyes lingered.
The music inside was soft and strange, a haunting melody of strings and low drums, the air thick with rosewater, amber, and the undercurrent of lust.
The Marble Sanctuary waited, its golden glow beckoning.
And he was no longer Lor.
He was no one.
And everyone.
_____
Inside.
The world changed.
The Marble Sanctuary, a realm where enchantment and flesh wove together in a primal dance.
The marble walls pulsed with low, humming enchantments, their veins not of stone but of shimmering gold and crimson, throbbing in sync with an unseen melody that seemed to vibrate through the bones.
