Achi glances back at the door to Callan's study, watching the flickering candlelight through the translucent panels.
Callan has been seated at his desk for hours till dark, consumed by the painting in front of him. It's the face of Yetsune's abductor, or at least the fragments of it that he's managed to recreate. His brush swirls between his fingers as he stares at the image, haunted by the familiarity of the eyes staring back at him.
There's something unnervingly recognizable about those eyes. The more he looks, the more it digs into him, a gnawing feeling that tightens his chest. His breath hitches. He leans close to cover the lower half of the face on the canvas with his hand, focusing solely on the eyes. And then it hits him.
A cold realization seeps into his bones."Why does it have to be him?" He whispers.
