𝐒𝐚𝐝 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧, 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐨 | 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧 | 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥

[@Tenebrarum-Manuss]

The Unspoken Promise of Autumn
The rain came gently at first, falling like whispers on the stone bridge that led to the castle. Each drop merged with the amber leaves scattered across the path, soaking them in a dark, earthy hue. Autumn had come to the valley, embracing the ancient mansion in its golden arms. The trees that flanked the castle, once ablaze with vibrant reds and oranges, now stood bowed beneath the weight of the rain, their branches trailing like memories of a forgotten summer.
The castle itself stood as a monument to time-its towering spires stretching into the misty sky, sharp and regal against the muted backdrop of the mountains. Its stone walls, though worn with age, held an untold dignity, ivy creeping up its surface as if to reclaim what once was. In the soft drizzle, the mansion appeared both welcoming and forlorn, a place where the past lingered in every shadowed corner and where silence spoke louder than any voice.
A solitary figure walked across the bridge, their footsteps quieted by the rain. Cloaked in a long, dark coat, they moved slowly, as though each step carried the weight of a thousand yesterdays. The rain slicked their hair, their face obscured in the misty air, but there was a sense of belonging in their presence-this was not a visitor but someone returning. Someone drawn back by an unspoken promise, by something that the castle itself remembered.
As they neared the entrance, the wind picked up, rustling the leaves into a swirling dance. The air smelled of damp stone and moss, a scent that carried with it the heavy pull of nostalgia. The castle's grand doors, tall and dark, stood closed but not locked, as though waiting. And the figure, without hesitation, pushed them open with a slow creak that echoed like a sigh through the halls.
Inside, the mansion was hushed, the rain drumming softly against the high windows. Candles flickered in the long-abandoned sconces, casting faint, warm glows against the stone walls. The air within was cool, touched by the passing of seasons, and yet it held a strange warmth-a warmth woven from memories, from all that had passed here.
The figure wandered through the rooms, tracing fingers along dust-covered furniture and faded tapestries, each step stirring the air with ancient stories. There were portraits hung on the walls, faces of those who had lived here long ago. Some looked down with serene expressions, others seemed almost alive, their eyes following the visitor with quiet curiosity. But one portrait, at the end of the grand hall, stood apart. It was of a woman, her gaze distant, her face framed by dark curls, a melancholy smile upon her lips.
The figure stopped in front of it, gazing up as if seeing her for the first time, though they had looked upon her a thousand times before. She had been the heart of this place once, long before the rain had come, before the leaves had turned to gold and begun to fall. And in that moment, standing before her likeness, it was as though the years fell away. The castle remembered her; the rain remembered her. And so did they.
Time flowed differently within these walls. Outside, the rain continued to fall in a steady rhythm, the world outside turning ever grayer. But here, in this quiet, forgotten castle, the past and present met and mingled. The figure stood, eyes locked with the portrait, as if waiting for her to speak, for her to step out of the frame and join them once more.
But the only sound was the rain, soft and unrelenting, drumming its steady lullaby, as the castle kept its secrets, and the figure remained, tethered to a memory that would never let go.

[@anejahos]

Love never remains orphaned, it always remains in souls, forever.🤍♥️