Kana sat in silence, curled into the corner of the couch with her knees pulled up and arms wrapped around them.
The house was still—too still. The quiet buzz of magical wards and soft creak of distant wood were the only sounds she could hear.
Irielle had left her here alone, insisting it was safe, but with each passing second, the silence thickened and pressed down on her.
She glanced around, hoping for a distraction.
Her eyes landed on the bookshelf nearby. With nothing else to do, Kana stood and walked over, fingers trailing across the spines of books she'd browsed through before.
Most were stories—some romances, some fantasy epics. She reached for one with a worn spine, but her hand stopped halfway.
There, lying on the table where she swore she hadn't left it, was the world story book.
Kana froze.
"I put that away. I… I put it in the back."
She whispered to herself.
But there it was. Sitting perfectly centered, as if waiting for her.
Her body went cold.
