The crumbling library loomed ahead like a relic of a bygone age, shrouded in mist and mystery. Its spires pierced the swirling fog, their jagged silhouettes making it look less like a place of knowledge and more like something you'd find in a villain's lair.
"Of course, it had to be spooky," I muttered, pulling my cloak tighter around me. Agnos, my ever-loyal feline companion—if loyalty meant sarcasm and naps—perched lazily on my shoulder.
"This place is giving 'haunted textbook factory,'" I told him. "Let's make this quick."
Agnos yawned, a slow, exaggerated motion. "Try not to embarrass yourself in front of any ghosts. Again."
I pushed open the creaking door. The inside was… worse.
Rows upon rows of towering bookshelves stretched into the gloom. The air buzzed faintly, like the hum of power lines, but heavier. Ancient scrolls and crumbling manuscripts whispered unintelligibly, as if alive.
