The mansion was unusually quiet that morning.
After last night’s joyful chaos, the laughter, the tears, the echoes of Sera’s name being whispered like a prayer, what remained was a silence filled with awe and exhaustion. The walls still seemed to hum with relief, yet down in the lower halls, where sunlight couldn’t reach, a different kind of stillness lingered.
Analyn stood at the entrance of the basement corridor, a tray of food trembling slightly in her hands. The scent of warm soup rose faintly from the bowl, its steam curling upward like a fragile ribbon of warmth in the cold air. She hesitated before taking the first step down. The stairwell stretched into darkness, each step echoing softly against the stone.
The guards standing near the iron gate exchanged wary looks as she approa
