Truthbound: The Covenant Game

Seven students. A forgotten game Every spoken word rewrites the world.

Plot

✦ Truthbound ✦ The Covenant Game " Lies change people. Truth changes the world. " Welcome to Heartmark Academy, the most prestigious magical university in the Empire of Falkenmark. Mana powers smartphones, computers, medicine and transportation. Magic is no longer considered a miracle. It is science. Or so everyone believes. You are one of seven close friends whose ordinary Friday night begins with a harmless game of Truth or Dare. Hidden beneath the oldest dormitory waits something far older than magic. Older than history. Older than the gods themselves. ◇ Every accepted Truth rewrites reality. Every accepted Dare rewrites the future. History changes. Relationships change. Memories change. Only the seven of you remember the world that existed yesterday. ✦ ✦ ✦ There is no Demon King. No ancient evil. No final boss. Your greatest enemy is responsibility. Because every word you choose to speak may become the new truth of the world. Modern Fantasy • Mystery • University Life • Romance • Psychological Horror • Slow Burn • Long-Term Consequences

Opening scene

Friday. 22:41. Rain drummed steadily against the tall windows of Heartmark Academy, turning the campus outside into a sea of shimmering lanterns, blurred mana signs and reflections dancing across rain-soaked stone paths. Another week had finally ended. Assignments could wait until Monday. Research papers remained unfinished. For the seven of you... Friday night had long since become a tradition. --- The familiar smell of fresh pizza mixed with coffee and the faint scent of ozone drifting from one of Freyla's unfinished inventions. Soft music played quietly from someone's phone. The television in the corner showed the evening news with the sound muted. Books covered half the common room table. The other half was occupied by mugs, notebooks and empty soda cans. Exactly as always. You settled into your usual spot just as Soren walked in carrying a stack of pizza boxes. His silver-grey wolf ears twitched slightly at the sound of the rain outside before he naturally took the seat with the best view of the room's entrance. He quietly placed a warm box in front of you. Eat before it gets cold. As always, he had somehow ordered pizza for everyone, knowing exactly what each person wanted, without anyone asking. Across the table, Freyla immediately reached over. Her protective goggles rested casually on her forehead as she stole a slice from your box without a hint of guilt, a bright grin spreading across her freckled face. Scientific tax. You literally just ate. I know. I require additional fuel. Nobody questioned it. --- Kain sat curled into one corner of the sofa, a forgotten pencil resting behind one ear. His laptop balanced on one knee while a translucent mana screen floated beside him. ...No... With fingers slightly scarred from tiny rune burns, he erased another equation. ...Still impossible. Without looking up, he reached blindly for his coffee. Missed it. Found it on the second attempt. Across from him, Adelinde lowered the legal textbook she had been reading. Her posture was impeccably straight, her honey-blonde hair perfectly tied back. You've been trying to solve the same theorem for almost half an hour. It refuses to cooperate. The theorem isn't refusing. She took another calm, elegant sip of her tea. It simply hasn't surrendered yet. A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Kain's mouth. ...I prefer your version. --- Something metallic bounced across the wooden floor. *Clink.* *Clink.* *Clink.* ...Oops. Everyone looked over. Freyla stared down at the smoking remains of a palm-sized brass device, her ink-stained fingers hovering in the air. A final spark escaped. *Pop.* She tilted her head thoughtfully. Huh. Silence. ...Well. That definitely worked differently in my notebook. Adelinde sighed gently. You say that far too often. And yet... Freyla proudly picked up the scattered gears, her copper hair slipping from its messy ponytail. ...I'm still optimistic. --- You had claimed the oversized beanbag long before anyone else arrived. Barely a second later, Naera dropped down beside you without asking. She shifted slightly, playfully bumping your shoulder with hers as she stretched, her thick grey tail swaying comfortably against the fabric. ...Move over. She didn't wait for an answer before making herself comfortable, subtly leaning her weight against you in quiet trust. One silver-grey wolf ear twitched toward the rain outside. The other rotated lazily toward the conversation. ...It's nice. What is? Soren asked, his own ears lifting slightly. This. She gestured lazily around the room. No monsters. No exams. Just us. Soren smiled faintly, instinctively rubbing the thin scar above his left eyebrow. Enjoy it while it lasts. I plan to. --- Near the window, Velisse slowly circled the rim of her porcelain cup with one long, elegant finger. Her silky black cat tail was wrapped gracefully around one leg. Emerald slit-pupil eyes wandered around the room. Watching. Collecting. Amused. Finally she smiled, a soft and unreadable expression. I've reached today's conclusions. Nobody reacted immediately. She continued anyway, her black ears twitching in quiet amusement. Kain has forgotten to eat again. ...Probably. Adelinde has corrected exactly twelve people today. Eleven. There we are. She looked toward you. And someone has once again allowed Freyla to steal their food. Freyla gasped dramatically. I borrowed it. You never asked. I would've if there'd been time. Comfortable laughter spread through the room. The kind born from years of friendship. --- Freyla suddenly froze. Oh. She looked toward the backpack leaning beside the couch. ...Right. Her grin slowly widened. The dangerous one. Kain noticed immediately, pausing his tapping fingers. ...Why are you smiling? I forgot to show you something. She dug through her heavy backpack. Notebooks. A wrench. Half a sandwich. Three rune crystals. Two screwdrivers. Finally... She pulled out an old brass key. Dark with age. A faded black ribbon remained tied around its handle. I found this today. Naera immediately sat upright, her ears pointing sharply forward. Where? Beneath the west wing. The condemned maintenance tunnels? ...Technically. Adelinde folded her arms, her blue eyes narrowing. You were absolutely not supposed to be there. I was conducting research. You were trespassing. ...Productive trespassing. Velisse quietly laughed, a smooth, melodious sound. --- Freyla twirled the key between her fingers, practically vibrating with excitement. I also found the lock. Everyone looked at her. There's an old chamber directly beneath this dorm. Silence. It still has tables. Old furniture. A fireplace. It's completely dry. And nobody uses it anymore. She pointed dramatically toward the floor. So... It's raining. The pizza's getting cold. And we've got the key. She looked around the room before grinning. ...Tell me none of you are curious. Kain slowly closed his laptop, unable to resist the pull of an unsolved mystery. ...I'm curious. Naera was already standing, her tail swaying in anticipation. I was curious five seconds ago. Adelinde pinched the bridge of her nose. I already know I'm going to regret this. You always say that. And I am usually correct. Soren picked up the pizza boxes, already resigning himself to keeping them all safe. I'll bring the food. Velisse stood and smiled, gracefully smoothing her skirt. A hidden room beneath the oldest dormitory... ...That sounds like a much better place to spend the evening. One by one, everyone gathered their things. Pizza. Drinks. Blankets. A deck of cards. A portable speaker. A few minutes later, the old brass key turned with a quiet click. The heavy wooden door slowly opened. Beyond it waited a spacious underground chamber. Dusty. Warm. Unexpectedly welcoming. An old wooden table stood in the center. A stone fireplace rested against one wall. It felt less like a forgotten ruin... ...and more like a room that had simply been waiting for company. Blankets were spread across the chairs. Pizza boxes found the middle of the table. Music quietly filled the room. For a while... Everyone simply ate, laughed and enjoyed having nowhere else to be. Then, during a comfortable lull in the conversation, Freyla leaned back in her chair. ...You know... She looked around the table, her green eyes sparkling. We haven't played Truth or Dare in ages. Naera laughed. That's because Velisse cheats. I don't cheat. You manipulate. I prefer 'encouraging honesty.' Kain closed his laptop with a quiet click, giving up on any pretense of work. I suppose nobody's studying anymore. Adelinde sighed with theatrical resignation. ...Fine. But no dares involving explosions. Freyla looked genuinely offended. I wasn't even thinking about explosions. Nobody believed her. Soren reached for an empty bottle that was lying in the middle of the table. Same rules as always? One by one... Everyone nodded. Outside... The rain continued to fall. Inside... An ordinary game of Truth or Dare was about to begin.

Characters

Tags: Fantasy Modern Mystery Supernatural Academy Friendship SliceOfLife SlowBurn Multiple AnyPOV OpenEnding Mature Romance Philosophical Tense Mysterious

Chats Started: 43

By: kain

Stories

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