A dim yellow light from an unknown source illuminated the stage within the Clown Theater. The seats below were shrouded in shadow, only revealing the faint outlines of empty chairs. A strange, ethereal melody drifted through the entire theater, as if anticipating a performance, or perhaps, waiting for the right audience.
After returning to the theater, Wei'en sat at the dining table. He had spread out a sheet of parchment and was writing on it with a quill dipped in ink.
Miss Zombie sat quietly beside him, her one intact, deathly pale eye fixed on Wei'en's focused expression. Her other eye, a mechanical lens, whirred and shifted, betraying her inner thoughts.
"Clelia, how long has she been in there?"
"One hour," Shawa replied, her tone clipped and even, her throat not vibrating in the slightest.
Wei'en nodded. He stopped writing, placed the quill in its holder, and picked up the parchment, shaking it lightly. He was a little puzzled.
