“The Enchanted Burden” is an interactive fiction novel that begins with the discovery of an infant in the heart of an ancient forest. This child’s arrival in the life of Granny Willow, the village healer, transforms both their destinies — and sets in motion a story neither of them could have anticipated.
As the child grows, they are drawn into a world of magic and mystery far larger than the quiet village that raised them. Five realms exist beyond the forest. Each one has a core — a living heart of power that holds the realm together. Someone has been breaking them. And the child Willow found in the ferns turns out to be the only one who can heal what has been broken.
But healing comes at a cost. Every core restored deepens a connection the protagonist does not yet understand. Their choices will determine not only their own fate, but the fate of all five realms — and the fate of something ancient and patient that has been waiting in the dark beneath them all.
This is a journey of self-discovery, of uncovering the truth of a birth shrouded in mystery, of heartwarming reunions and heart-wrenching choices. And at the centre of it: a question even the entity did not expect.
What happens when the trap chooses to fight back?
Romantic Options
Augustus / Aelia —
A childhood companion from Willowbrook, known to you since before you were old enough to hold a training sword. Quiet, attentive, steady — the kind of person who always makes room without being asked and notices the things you think no one sees. They have been beside you your whole life. The question was never whether they would stay. The question was whether you would finally let yourself look.
Harrison / Hadley —
The heir of Solenne — ocean-blue eyes, effortless charm, and a talent for appearing exactly where they’re needed. Playful until the playfulness drops and the honest thing shows through. They said they’d write. Then the Mirror showed Solenne what was moving toward Errath, and they crossed a realm without being asked. Their motives are no longer uncertain. The only question left is whether you’re ready to believe someone who moves that fast.
Tristan / Talia —
An ancient fae who has existed for a thousand years and spent most of them watching over you from behind the Mirror. Deliberate, certain, quietly overwhelming — they do not ask permission, they do not explain themselves, and they have never once looked at you like you were too much to hold. What does it mean to be loved by something older than language? You are still working that out.
Marcellus / Minerva —
The heir of the Hollowed — sent to find you, map you, and facilitate your destruction. Cold-bright eyes and an aggression that turns out to be a door rather than a wall. They came to break what you are. They didn’t. They are still working out what that means, and so are you. The darkness in them is real. So is everything else.
Four routes. One locked heart. An entity that was certain it had already won.
It was wrong.
Rated 17+ — violence, emotional difficulty, mature themes.
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"The Enchanted Burden" by Enchanted_burden
