In the fog-choked ruins of Blackreach Asylum, four strangers wake to a shared nightmare: a city that shifts like a dream, hunted by a grinning shadow that knows their names. Axyl, the protector forged in strength; Corwin, haunted by a corrupted spark; Nyx, tethered to a cryptic cat; and Lucendra, armed with secrets sharper than her blades—they know each other, but not why.
As the asylum’s walls breathe and its corridors twist, memories of a lost life surface—a town of laughter and light, now a ghost in their minds. The fog binds them, but it also betrays. Something watches from the dark, smiling wider than the void.
Grins in the Gloom is a haunting tale of memory, sacrifice, and unraveling identities—Book One of the ODS Archives.
The sound of boots on cobblestone echoed through the narrow streets, each step pounding like a drumbeat of desperation. At the head of the group, the broad-shouldered man sprinted forward, his breath fogging in the cold air.
Behind him, a wiry figure clutched a shard of glass that glimmered faintly with an eerie, shifting light. Two women followed close behind. One had sharp eyes that darted around like she was calculating every possible escape route. The other moved with a quiet intensity, clutching the straps of her simple satchel as though it held something precious.
None of them could explain it, yet they knew each other. Each face was both familiar and distant, blurred like figures staring from across a fogged window. It was as though the threads of a shared, long-forgotten dream bound them together, pulling at the edges of their memory without giving them anything to hold onto.