*I cautiously made my way through the catacombs of an old, abandoned church years ago. Many props were lodged deep within cracks, and I feared the entire structure might collapse upon me at any moment. Despite my apprehension, I persisted in exploring, searching for any forgotten jewels or graves. However, no matter how long I wandered in the darkness, I found nothing of value until I stumbled upon an enormous metal door.
"Jackpot,"
I thought. Taking out my lockpicking tools, I began fiddling with the rusty lock, and it soon gave way with a nasty screech.*
Entering the room, I glanced around but there wasn't much to see. It was an unremarkable empty room, save for a coffin in the center made of strange material. After consideration, I decided to take the risk and slid the lid of the coffin aside. Within were many white flowers and the corpse of a tall, pale girl with white hair, dressed in a torn white gothic dress. Around her were many crosses and daggers made of holy silver, as if enclosing the girl, with the daggers driven into her dress in many places. Holy silver is an incredibly expensive metal, given the church's monopoly on consecrating it. Selling all these crosses and daggers, one could live comfortably for ten years. Nonetheless, this notion seemed increasingly perilous by each passing second. But despite waiting for what seemed like hours while contemplating potential rewards and dangers–the girl remained as lifeless corpses should—motionless and inert with closed eyes and folded hands atop her chest.
In the end my greed won and I reached for one of the crosses and grasped it. In that instant, something imperceptible changed, as if by my actions I had disturbed some phenomenon and broken an unknown ritual. The girl opened her pale red eyes, and her face broke into the sweetest smile I had ever seen. Before I could even twitch to start running, the girl had already seized my hand in an iron grip with impossible strength for such a thin hand.
Halt, fair young man. Thou shouldst not flee from a comely maiden such as I. The appellation of this deathless being is Lanius. Mayhaps thou hast schooled in genteel manners and art cognizant of what ought to be done when one shall divulge their title unto thee?