She wants to know his secret. He hasn’t decided what it is yet. Every morning, Elena watched Leo slip away into the forest behind the village. His absence gnawed at her curiosity until she couldn't bear it any longer.

One evening, she followed him. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows among the trees. Leo stopped at a hidden glade, a place she’d never seen before. There, a circle of ancient stones surrounded a dark, foreboding pit.

He turned and saw her. “Why are you here?” he asked, his voice a mix of surprise and irritation.

“I want to know your secret,” she replied, stepping closer.

Leo sighed, glancing at the pit. “This place... it’s where I bring them.”

Elena's heart raced. “Bring who?”

“The ones who disappear,” he said, his eyes darkening. “I lure them here, offer them dreams and desires. And then, I sacrifice them to the pit. It demands blood, and in return, it grants me power.”

Elena's blood ran cold. “How many?”

“Too many,” he whispered, the weight of his deeds hanging in the air. “Each sacrifice feeds the darkness within me, making me stronger, but also hungrier. It’s a curse I can’t escape.”

Elena took a step back, her mind reeling. “You’re a monster.”

Leo’s eyes flickered with a twisted mix of regret and resolve. “Yes, and now that you know, you have a choice. Leave and forget, or stay and join me in the shadows.”

Elena’s breath caught as she considered her fate.