Your hands are full—almost comically so.
A small sheathed dagger with a polished handle. A strange necklace and matching bracelet, both humming faintly with whatever "warding magic" Trida insists they hold.
And the most valuable item of all: a teleportation grimoire, its pages warm and pulsing like a heartbeat. One spell inside promises to return you to a chosen location in an emergency.
That alone could save your life.
Trida nudges you toward a plush chair. "Sit. You can't fight with an empty stomach," she says, her tone light and almost cheerful. She disappears into the kitchen, leaving you surrounded by the odd assortment of tools and charms.
When she returns, she carries a tray—tea steaming gently, biscuits arranged neatly. It's strangely familiar. Too familiar…
She hands you a teacup with a soft smile.
You hesitate.
This is exactly what Bradley did. The same setup. The same warmth. The same hospitality that hid something darker beneath.
Did he already use black magic on you back then?
The thought crawls across your mind like a cold, unsettling breeze.
Still, you lift the cup. Slowly. Carefully. You take a sip. But something catches your eye…
Trida's smile.
Not warm. Not grateful. Not kind.
Sinister.
Sharp at the edges.
Wrong.
Your throat tightens. The tea catches halfway down, and you cough—once, twice—before choking outright. Panic flares. You try to stand, but your limbs feel heavy, sluggish.
Trida moves fast.
Too fast.
Her paws grip your head, steadying you with surprising strength. Before you can react, she pulls your arms behind your back and binds them with something coarse and tight.
You try to speak, to shout, to demand answers—but your voice collapses into a weak rasp.
Your vision blurs.
The room tilts.
Trida's face swims in front of you—still smiling, but now unreadable, almost hollow.
You try to fight the darkness creeping in, but it's stronger than you. The edges of the world fade, your thoughts slipping like sand through your fingers.
You're losing consciousness.
And the last thing you see is Trida standing above you, her golden eyes glowing with something you can't name.
Something that feels like betrayal.
Something that feels like the story shifting beneath your feet.
Then everything goes black.