Leona’s POV
The air inside the mansion felt thick, oppressive, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. I stood in the middle of the great hall, the weight of the decision pressing down on me harder than ever. Time itself seemed to slow, and every step I took echoed in the silence that surrounded me, as though the mansion was waiting, watching, urging me toward a choice I was terrified to make.
The mansion had always been alive in its own way, but now it was more than that. The air crackled with an energy I couldn’t explain. The walls shifted imperceptibly, and the shadows in the corners seemed to move of their own accord. I felt its power growing, its presence invading every inch of this place. It was calling to me, its pull becoming more insistent with each passing second.
