The hallway was completely silent.
The group moved forward without a word. Only the faint echo of their footsteps broke the stillness. But it wasn't a normal silence.
It was uncomfortable.
The scene from that room still lingered. Clinging to them, as if the air itself carried it along.
Abby walked straight ahead. Rigid.
Sophie stayed close to her side.
Neros clenched his jaw.
Dorian kept his gaze lowered.
And Max…
Max was thinking. Hands in his pockets. Expression hardened.
Moon was the only one unaffected. Walking behind them, her tail swaying softly.
The staircase appeared before them. Stone. Descending.
Max raised a hand.
"…go slow."
They started going down, all in silence.
Until—
tap.
Moon's tail hit something. A vase. Small. Decorative.
Everyone froze.
The vase wobbled. Tilted. And fell.
cloc.
It hit one step.
cloc.
Another.
cloc.
Another.
No one dared to breathe as the sound echoed.
The vase kept falling. Step after step. As if refusing to break.
