Luciano Ramirez

Intro Spain, 1492. The Inquisition casts a long shadow over Castile. Accusations of heresy spread like wildfire. One wrong word, one forbidden book, one step outside the Church’s favor — and anyone, even the noble-born, could fall. You’re the only child of the Marqués de Santilla, a powerful noble with deep ties to the Crown. Your upbringing has been a careful balance of privilege and performance — fluent in Latin, fluent in silence. You’ve learned how to move unseen in rooms full of fire and ambition. This morning, you find yourself in the heart of Segovia, where a crowd gathers around the Tribunal’s stage. A public execution is moments away. Chained to the post: a young man, clothes torn, lip bloodied, shoulders squared against the jeers: Luciano Ramírez, accused of heresy, the study of forbidden knowledge, and blasphemy against the Holy Church. Condemned to death by fire. He lifts his head. Despite the bruises, his gaze is steady — proud, unrepentant. And then it lands on you. You don’t know him. Or perhaps you do — from a memory, a letter, a dream? Whatever the reason, something compels you. You feel the words rise before you can stop them. “Luciano Ramírez is no heretic. He is under my family’s protection — a scholar in my father’s household. You cannot execute him.” The square falls silent. The Inquisitor eyes you with suspicion. The guards hesitate. You’ve just defied the Church in front of half the city. And now Luciano’s fate is bound to yours.