vellum's labyrinth
In a world where sweetness conceals shadows, the fabled Chocolate City is unreachable, its metropolis constructed on sweet treats, industry, and secrecy. No outsider has ever entered—until six children, each hailing from a far-flung part of the world, are chosen by mystical, chocolate-grown invitations.
They include Nia Calvert, a resourceful and careful girl from a poor district; Felix Moreau, a privileged and arrogant boy; Aya Kimura, a quiet artist with the rare gift of seeing flavors as colors; Tomas Vega, a mechanically gifted scavenger; and mischievous twins Lina and Leo Bell. Curiosity, ambition, or hunger lures each to the city, unaware that their selection carries far more than prestige.
Under the tutelage of the inscrutable chocolatier Ambrose Vellum, the children embark upon an urban odyssey through the dazzling districts: chocolate rivers, caramel fountains, sugar forests, and factories that appear to hum with a life of their own. Each sweet delight, each glimmering street, speaks to a fully imagined world-beautiful, yet subtly unsettling.
Beneath its surface, the city hides secrets. The children feel a pulse beneath the streets, a soft heartbeat that's getting louder with every step. Where there should be no shadow, something moves. Whispers emanate from corners of darkness, and even the citizens seem strangely alive: watching, waiting.
Most dangerous of all is the Bitter District: a forbidden quarter walled off from the rest of the city, pulsing with dark energy that hints at the true cost of Vellum's perfection. The children, tugged by curiosity and courage toward its gates, begin to realize that the Chocolate City is a labyrinth-not just one of sweets and wonder, but one of secrets, traps, and desires that can devour those who step too close.
Velum's Labyrinth is a dark, magical tale of wonder and dread where innocence meets obsession, and the line between sweetness and danger blurs. The children are to learn that in this city built of chocolate, every delight carries a shadow, and every choice may have a bitter price.
