Hidden, unreachable, impossible for those trapped within to tamper with. So tightly sealed that no prisoner could force their way out, no matter how desperate they were.
Her throat tightened. Why here? Why like this?
The door creaked open, protesting with the groan of wood untouched for years. A wave of dust broke free, spilling into the air in thick, choking clouds.
"Cough—cough—cough!" Kaya doubled over, hand pressed to her mouth. The taste of stale, forgotten years coated her tongue.
Inside, shadows swallowed the room whole, broken only by pale shafts of light that filtered through cracks in the wood. Every surface was smothered with a blanket of dust. Cobwebs stretched from corner to corner like brittle threads of time itself.
A house, yes. But one abandoned. Forgotten.
The dust clung to her throat and lashes, but Kaya's gaze didn't waver. She blinked past the haze, and when the room came into focus, her breath caught.
