The afternoon sun filtered through the high windows of the old meeting hall, casting long shadows across the worn stone floors. Vera sat in quiet contemplation, the earlier conversations with Max and Jovani still echoing in her mind. Their talks of omens and superstition felt suffocating, as though her very existence was tied to forces far beyond her control. But there had to be more. She could feel it, like a gnawing sensation deep within her chest.
Max had left to attend to some matters with the elders, leaving Vera alone in the ancient hall. The silence that filled the space was unsettling. She stood up, feeling restless, her eyes wandering around the room. As her gaze passed over the walls, something caught her attention—a symbol etched into the stone near the far corner of the room.
