The Play of Shadows

By Anna Russo

Arianna knew her life was about to change, but she didn't expect that she would be ripped away from everything she knew in a single instant. In a world divided by districts of misery and luxurious areas, she lived in Sector Four, a corner of despair and survival. Every day was a struggle to find food, to stay alive, but at least she had control over herself, her body, her mind. Until then.
The day of the Selection had arrived. An event like any other, but for Arianna, it would not have been. When his name was drawn, the whole world seemed to freeze. His heart, which beat strongly in his chest, let out an echo that echoed for days. No one expected her to be chosen. None of them, the girls of Sector Four, had ever had a hope.
The Game of Shadows was not just a physical competition; It was a mind game, a psychological war where weakness meant death. And the prize? The prize was not just survival. The prize was access to the Dominus. The feared leader who reigned from the shadows, behind a fa ade of unstoppable power. To have his favor was to become a god in this broken world.
Arianna walked towards the selection arena with an impassive face, but inside she felt a storm growing. Expectations were very high, competition fierce. He had to win. She had to do it for her mother, for the future that had been denied her. But there was also a part of her that couldn't ignore another feeling growing inside her: an inexplicable and disturbing attraction to the man she was watching from afar.
Lucian.
He wasn't one of the participants, but there was something dangerous about his dark eyes. It was his gaze staring at her, a mixture of admiration and control. He didn't know him, but he felt that he would not be just an observer in this game. He was the kind of man who didn't just watch. He wanted everything.
Her face was flawless, but there was a shadow in her smile that hinted at something sinister. His hands, always firm and sure, betrayed his power, a power that seemed invincible. Arianna perceived him, as if he were an invisible force that touched her every time he was near. His presence was never accidental.
One step by step, he entered the arena, his heart pounding as if he was trying to make his way out of his body. The crowd erupted in applause, but Arianna could not hear them. Everything focused on her face, the way Lucian looked at her, the way her gaze seemed to read every thought that went through her head.
"Welcome to the Game of Shadows," the announcer's metallic voice rang out in the arena, breaking the tense silence. "Only one of you will make it out alive. And only one will have the favor of Dominus."
The words full of threats echoed in her head. The competitors were already on the move, but Arianna remained motionless for a moment, as if in a trance. She felt the adrenaline rising, the blood pulsing in her veins. He had to win. He had to survive.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FJ664LZZ
• ISBN13: 9798292727705
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 92 Pages
• Weight: 0.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.0" x 8.0"