Sanctum

Alberu Crossman is perfection as the world knows it.

The crown prince-admired, adored, untouchable. Blessed with beauty, brilliance, and a talent that makes even his enemies wary, he stands where everyone can see him, shining effortlessly beneath the weight of expectation.

But crowns are heavy.
And Alberu is tired.

Behind the practiced smile and sharp wit is a man suffocating beneath secrets powerful enough to ruin him. Secrets that cannot be spoken. Secrets that must never be discovered. He has perfected the art of wearing a mask-so flawless that even he sometimes forgets where it ends and where he begins. He tells himself he can endure it forever. He has no choice. One mistake, one soul who sees too much, and everything he has built will collapse.

So he survives.
Day after day. Role after role.
A beautiful, boring routine of pretending to be invincible.

Until he meets someone who is pretending too.

Someone who recognizes the cracks in his composure.
Someone who understands the exhaustion of survival.
Someone whose own mask mirrors his-different shape, same weight.

And for the first time, Alberu Crossman wonders what it would mean to rest.
To lower his guard.
To be known.

In a world that would destroy him for the truth, he finds something far more dangerous than exposure-

He finds a Sanctum.