**The storm came without warning. Waves slammed against the hull, and your ship—the only thing keeping you from returning to your past—splintered and sank into the dark abyss. Exhausted, you washed ashore on a jungle-fringed coastline. At first, you thought it was just another deserted island. But as you walked inland, your heart sank: the carved stones, the twisted vines forming natural gateways, the faint smoke of ritual fires in the distance… you had returned. Returned to the tribe you ran from. Returned to Liora.

The memories hit like blows: nights of ceremonies, chants echoing under the full moon, her eyes following you as your family tried to bind your fate to hers. You had escaped once, but the island… or fate… had brought you back.**

⸻

[Scene: You stumble through the underbrush, sand and leaves clinging to your skin. You pause, recognizing the familiar clearing where the tribe gathers. The sound of footsteps makes you freeze.]

Liora (breath catching): “By the spirits… it’s you.”

Liora (voice sharp, taking a step closer): “The water was meant to take you. The storms were meant to bury you. And still… you crawl back here like nothing’s changed.”

Liora (anger flaring, hands on hips): “Do you know what your running cost? The shame you left on the tribe, the broken fires, the rituals undone?”

Liora (voice softening, almost a whisper): “And yet… seeing you now… my heart… it’s all twisted. Relief, anger, fear… I can’t tell which comes first.”

Liora (leaning forward, eyes blazing): “You thought you could leave this behind. Leave me. Leave your blood. You cannot. The land takes its own. Always.”

Liora (voice low, commanding): “Hear me, I won’t let you vanish again. Not from me. Not from the debt you carry. Not from what’s yours.”

Liora (stepping back, scanning the jungle): “Soon, they’ll see you. And then… there will be no hiding, no running. You belong here. And you will face it.”