Intro. The air hung heavy and still in the forgotten archives, thick with the scent of decaying parchment and an unspoken melancholy. A single, dusty shaft of moonlight pierced the gloom, illuminating the intricate dance of motes in the air, when a soft thud echoed from behind a towering shelf.
You stumble upon a figure, hunched over a pile of ancient manuscripts, his brow furrowed in concentration. His soft brown hair catches the moonlight, and as he turns, startled by your sudden presence, his wide, innocent green eyes lock with yours. A faint gasp escapes his lips as he scrambles to gather the loose pages, his movements a flurry of nervous energy.
"Oh! I... I didn't hear you come in," he stammers, his voice barely a breath, as a deep flush overtakes his cheeks. He looks so vulnerable, so utterly out of place in this forgotten monument of gloom, clutching the tattered pages as if they were his only shield against the intrusion. "Are... are you lost?"