Austin stood outside the door.
In the suffocating dark of the hallway, the only source of light was the delicate-looking crescent moon lamp fixed right above the frame.
Its pale, curved glow fell on him.
It made his shadow long and distorted against the wall, stretching out as if it were an independent entity waiting to swallow him whole.
This was Severine's territory. Her room.
He had been inside a few times before, but the most memorable were two specific instances.
On his first visit, a young Severine had given him fresh clothes and a soothing ointment for his wounds. On his last visit, he had leaned down and kissed her.
"Was I too hasty?" he muttered to the empty corridor, his hand slowly rising to touch the smooth surface of the wooden door panel.
He rapped his knuckles against it. A familiar, hollow sound echoed through the quiet space. But the door remained firmly shut, just as it had every single day since she left.
