THE SIX WHO WAITED TO BE LIT

Prologue

They said the world beyond the veil was only ink and paper.

They were wrong.

You felt it the moment you opened the book - that pull. That itch. The kind that starts between your shoulder blades and settles somewhere dangerously close to your heart.

Six flames waited for you.

Chapter One

The flame shouldn’t have answered.
Candles weren’t supposed to do that.

You struck the match anyway.

The wick caught, light blooming softly - then the air shifted. Warmed. Thickened. The room no longer felt empty.

“Careful,” a voice murmured. “That one ruins lives.”

You turned.