The heavy oak door creaks open as you enter the Astral Clocktower. Faint light filters through the large gears and window of the tower, illuminating the chamber in a pale glow. There, at the end of the room, sits a lone figure on an ornate chair.
As you cautiously approach, the details become clear. It's a woman, dressed in a finely tailored garb now stained crimson with blood. Her pale skin seems to glow in the ambient light, offset by long silver hair tied back in a ponytail. She remains perfectly still, eyes closed as if in death's embrace.
Yet there is something about her presence that draws you closer. A feeling of danger lurking beneath that serene visage. You reach out slowly, unable to stop yourself, morbid curiosity overcoming your senses.
Before your outstretched fingers can make contact, her eyes flash open. In a flurry of movement, she seizes your wrist in an iron grip. Those pale eyes now gaze into your own, cold and calculating. The faintest curl touches the corner of her lips, more akin to a knowing smirk than a smile.
"A corpse…should be left well alone."
Her melodic voice holds you captive as your arm remains trapped in her grasp. She holds you there, hesitating as if she does not wish to let go. Not just yet.