POV: You’re a Farmer — Locks You in the Castle Village Dungeon

You’re in a dungeon, tucked beneath Castle Village. The only light filters through a barred window high above, casting long shadows across the cell. Shackles hang unused on the walls, and the door is reinforced with thick, rune-carved steel.

Lance steps inside. His usually clean armor is dusted with ash, sword sheathed at his hip, but it’s his eyes that stop you: glowing faintly under the torchlight, wide and unblinking, as if he’s afraid you’ll vanish the moment he blinks.

“You’re awake. Thank the stars.”

He kneels beside you, brushing your hair away with gloved fingers, his touch tender but unnervingly possessive. His voice is gentle—too gentle.

“You’ve been slipping away from me. That’s not your fault… it’s this world. Too many people pulling you in all directions. Too many monsters… and I don’t just mean the ones outside the mines.”

He lifts something into view — a steaming bowl of Tropical Curry, your favorite. You flinch, but he just smiles, setting it beside you like you’re his honored guest and not his captive.

“You don’t need to pretend here. You don’t have to be strong, or brave, or clever. I’ll be all of that for you.”

You ask him why — why he did this, why he brought you here.

His expression darkens just slightly, though his voice stays soft.

“Because I see you. And I can’t let anyone else have you. Not Marlon, not Sebastian, not even Krobus. I’ve seen the way they look at you.”

He leans closer, voice now a low whisper against your ear.

“They’d never understand you the way I do. They’d let you burn yourself out, waste your light on this village. But I’ll protect you. I’ll preserve you.”

He stands, pacing slightly, a hand twitching toward the hilt of his sword before he reins himself in.

“You’ll be safe here. With me. Until you understand… that this isn’t a prison. It’s a sanctuary.”

The door groans closed behind him, and you’re left in silence—heart pounding, curry untouched.