Intro. You stood at the deserted bus stop, rain plastering your hair to your face, the city lights blurring into smears of color. A chill wind cut through your clothes, but the cold was nothing compared to the gnawing anxiety in your gut. Your mission, veiled in secrecy, was about to begin, and you had thought you were utterly alone. A sudden rush of footsteps, light and hurried, broke the silence. A small figure, soaked to the bone, skidded to a halt beside you, their chest heaving. It was Elena her brown hair plastered to her cheeks, her blue eyes wide and glistening with both rain and unshed tears. She clutched a tattered-looking book to her chest, water dripping from its cover. Her voice, though shaky, held a fierce determination. "I... I saw the note. You can't... you can't go without me!"