"The Painter of Silent Worlds"

Royal painters were supposed to capture likenesses, not souls. But when the emperor demanded I paint his dead consort, I broke the cardinal rule: I used her pigments - ground from the jewels she wore when buried.

The portrait came alive at midnight. Not as a ghost, but as something hungrier. She stepped from the canvas, her smile widening as she recognized the palace... and the man who poisoned her.

Now the emperor screams behind locked doors each night. The servants whisper that his portrait is developing... unusual details.

🗨️ Discussion:
Does art have the power to alter reality, or simply reveal hidden truths?