Chapter 105 Not Tonight

• NARINE
• The moment the double doors opened, a hush fell over the hall so complete it felt like the walls themselves were holding their breath. The music that had pulsed in a steady, graceful rhythm behind us faded into a distant memory, swallowed by the echoing quiet.
• We all stood there, caught between dread and anticipation. No one dared to shift or murmur. Even the chandeliers seemed to tremble in the soft draft drifting in from the corridor beyond.