She walked forward, slowly, her fingers trailing along the cold wall. The light inside the tunnel dimmed as she moved deeper. Then—
She heard it.
"Evelisse..."
Her breath caught. It was a voice. A familiar one.
"Brother Jared?" she called.
But the voice came again, warped slightly. Echoing.
"Evelisse... turn back..."
She stopped walking.
"Brother Lucien?" she whispered next.
Another voice—softer, hesitant—"Little star... don't go too far..."
"Brother Felix?!" Her voice rose, cracking. Her fingers clenched tightly around the edge of her skirt.
The tunnel echoed with their voices, but none of them sounded quite right. Like hearing a lullaby played backwards.
Her breathing quickened. 'They're not real. That's not them.'
She turned in place, but the tunnel behind her looked the same as the path ahead.
"You shouldn't be here," the ancient voice returned, cold and certain.
