LUNA LEGACY SHADOWS OF THE MOONRISE

She stepped into the moon forest. Emilia could feel her heart thudding in her chest, and her breathing became shallow. Other than the rustling of leaves in the wind and the cries of some nocturnal animals, the surroundings were very quiet. The leaves had grown thick, the bright moonlight was now silvered, and moths of the malformed shapes appeared to crawl up the trunks of the trees and across the ground. The journal of her late grandmother lay firmly nestled in her arms, with her swollen fingers feeling the rough texture of the skin at the back of the manuscript.

It was due to a cryptic diary and drawing that she found herself in this mysterious house, where her relatives' hidden truths were concealed.The last words that her grandmother said before her death echoed in Emilia's mind: "Bring me your successor under the sight of the moon." The order was eerie and provocative, from which She could not let go until She was lead to these dreadful woods. Each move was a saga into the deep end, yet Emilia could not retreat. Cold moonlit illuminated familiar placed – it was a large oak tree, a small creek – she remembered playing with Marcus in these woods. But tonight was different. What was previously some place for black prologue now looked like something that simply pulsates malevolently and is perhaps even communicating some message that only She could understand – trees themselves.Things she did not know she needed to know and which, as often, do not even matter as secrets. An unexpected spark in the undergrowth made Emilia stop. She had to turn around, and her heart was racing, but there was only an unending series of shadows passing by. The oppressive idea of being observed was as actual as the sensation that something physical was penetrating her flesh. Was it just her still-active imagination, or was someone or something chasing her?"Emilia?" Marcus's voice brought oppressive silence to the creek. She had to twist and look at him as he stepped out from behind the dark. He looked worried. Relief flooded him, but it wasn't the kind to still his nerves. "You scared me " Emilia said, hesitating: "It's as singular as thinking you are the only person in the world that is struggling," Marcus summoned a smile but his face was sombre, his eyes showing his real concern. "Alone? No way. Do you really think I'd let you walk these woods alone? Let alone in the night?"But Emilia could not muster such a casualness: Emilia , I wish we could woo the world so they love us as much as you do. All I need to say is perhaps what she said to him in one of the scenes: 'I can do it myself, you know'. "I know you can," Marcus reproached gently. - But your grandmother's diary. . . Just thinking about it consumes an individual, does it not?Emilia nodded, holding the newspaper in her hands, which suggested that she was very much interested in it in the first place. "There's something here, Marcus. Something dangerous. I can feel it. Noticing the leather bound book in Marcus's hand, She was deep in thought. "What does it say?" Emilia looked at a page where the text was of highly detailed hieroglyphics, with lines and curves that barely had to be guessed. 'I don't get most of it,' he remarked, scowling. 'But it wrote about a bloodline connected with the moon. A fate. . . or a doom that was still unspent. ' Marcus scowled at the symbols, focusing hard to understand the meaning of these markings. 'Maybe that's a clue. ' 'Maybe this forest is not just the place, it is the trap. She stepped into the moon forest.Emilia could feel her heart thudding in her chest, and her breathing became shallow. Other than the rustling of leaves in the wind and the cries of some nocturnal animals, the surroundings were very quiet. The leaves had grown thick, the bright moonlight was now silvered, and moths of the malformed shapes appeared to crawl up the trunks of the trees and across the ground. The journal of her late grandmother lay firmly nestled in her arms, with her swollen fingers feeling the rough texture of the skin at the back of the manuscript. It was due to a cryptic diary and drawing that she found herself in this mysterious house, where her relatives' hidden truths were concealed.The last words that her grandmother said before her death echoed in Emilia's mind: "Bring me your successor under the sight of the moon." The order was eerie and provocative, from which she could not let go until she was leading to these dreadful woods. Each move was a saga into the deep end, yet Emilia could not retreat. Cold moonlit illuminated familiar place – it was a large oak tree, a small creek – she remembered playing with Marcus in these woods. But tonight was different.What was previously some place for black prologue now looked like something that simply pulsates malevolently and is perhaps even communicating some message that only she could understand – trees themselves. Things she did not know she needed to know and which, as often, do not even matter as secrets. An unexpected spark in the undergrowth made Emilia stop. She had to turn around, and her heart was racing, but there was only an unending series of shadows passing by.The oppressive idea of being observed was as actual as the sensation that something physical was penetrating his flesh. Was it just her still-active imagination, or was someone or something chasing her? "Emilia?" Marcus's voice brought oppressive silence to the creek. She had to twist and look at him as he stepped out from behind the dark. He looked worried. Relief flooded him, but it wasn't the kind to still his nerves. "You scared me " Emilia said, hesitating: "It's as singular as thinking you are the only person in the world that is struggling," Marcus summoned a smile but his face was sombre, his eyes showing his real concern. "Alone? No way. Do you really think I'd let you walk these woods alone? Let alone in the night?" But Emilia could not muster such a casualness: Emilia , I wish we could woo the world so they love us as much as you do. 'I can do it myself, you know'. "I know you can," Marcus reproached gently.But your grandmother's diary. . . Just thinking about it consumes an individual, does it not? Emilia nodded, holding the newspaper in her hands, which suggested that she was very much interested in it in the first place. "There's something here, Marcus. Something dangerous. I can feel it. Noticing the leather bound book in Marcus's hand, he was deep in thought. "What does it say?" Emilia looked at a page where the text was of highly detailed hieroglyphics, with lines and curves that barely had to be guessed. 'I don't get most of it,' he remarked, scowling. 'But he wrote about a bloodline connected with the moon. A fate. . . or a doom that was still unspent. ' Marcus scowled at the symbols, focusing hard to understand the meaning of these markings. 'Maybe that's a clue. ' 'Maybe this forest is not just the place, it is the trap.Emilia shivered hearing a distant scream and becoming afraid as the sound went through the trees. Returning her gaze to Marcus, who had not been expecting this and was already on the blade. Wolves, he said under his breath his hand enclosed the hilt of the knife. spoken in a more than a low tone but still a barely audible tone Emilia had to speak in. This is all subtext: What if they were more than wolves? What if they were the guardians of this curse? Its heralds? For a moment Marcus looked worried and afraid, before he nodded in agreement. 'We have to be careful Emilia. We do not know what sort of people we are dealing with,'They ventured further into the forest and the oppressive lack of sound continued to bear down upon them. The sound of leaves, the sound of the branch breaking – all these sounds made Emilia's heart pound. Reading her grandmother's journal felt like holding the leaden weight of a heavy stone, and she was drawn towards something that she should not know yet understand.Then they were in an exclusively moon-lit terrain, and from the darkness stepped a figure. The man was lanky and had sunk eyes that were as black as cobblestones. He looked at them with piercing eyes, and his gaze had a combination of repulsiveness and charm. Who's going there? growled at the man in a low-toned, angry voice and asked. Emilia glanced at Marcus and said, 'So, Executive's scamming his own kind?' Her heart was thumping, and she had to try and open her mouth to speak.'We're looking for answers,' she said, and she was at once aware that her voice had risen. Responses to our legacy... and the moon. He looks at them in a way that makes it possible to think he is evaluating their value. 'You're interested in the truth?' he retorted after a long pause, a wave of cynicism in his voice. 'But can you afford it?' Before she would have had an opportunity to answer, the man turned on his heel and vanished into the forest; his shadow swallowed up by the gloom. Marcus nodded and waited for Emilia, Marcus, and the others to follow, which they did, but with hesitation and unsteady steps.The forest got denser and denser as they moved deeper into the unknown. The path that was lying before them was lined with traps and unknowns. That part of her, which her grandmother had mentioned, compelled her to move forward, despite the fact that all her traits told Emilia to retreat. The deeper into the jungle the group went, the more the feeling that they were being guided into an ambush grew in Emilia. Even the light of the moon, which used to be warm and reassuring, looked now like a cruel and impersonal glare that observed everything. The deeper they went, the more the forest appeared to be seething with the energy of ill intent. Blurriness was at the corners of his eyes, and such queer noises came out of the trees.And it seemed that even the trees wanted to shout to them, 'Get out of here' but Emilia could not contain herself. The answers she was in search of were just around the corner, as it were, which she could feel in her bones. The thing was rather bold, though. But I was to watch the stranger arbitrarily till he seemed to lead them deep into the more obscure woods, that wide-eyed girl knowing that what's waiting for her at its end will change her existence-if she survives.

Emilia and Marcus kept themselves off the stranger's scent, walking closely behind him amidst the mass of shrubs. A few beams of light as thin as knives cut through the above foliage and illuminated the forest floor. Every movement was more burdensome than the previous one, a silence that seemed to be tense, as if the woods were only waiting for something to begin. 'You think this guy is reliable?' Marcus asked in hushed tones, a tenseness coating his otherwise low tones. He was staring fixedly at their guide's shadowy figure, which seemed almost to glide through the forest.

But Emilia nagging her mind for only a few moments, clenching the journal that belonged to her grandmother. "I don't know," she whispered, looking warily down the corridor. 'But... there is something about him... Again, I get the sense that I know him; I do not know him from Adam, yet there is something strange about him.'

A narrow glare appeared on Marcus's face, his jaws clenched and his fingers tapping close to the handle of the knife. "He ought to have been prepared for most things, but a potential attacker? 'We should be ready for anything,' he whispered, glancing about nervously as if an assailant was going to strike from the darkness. The guide went a little further without uttering a single word; he moved, did not hesitate, and his steps were calculated.

Finally, it seemed to Emilia that they had been walking for hours without saying a thing. They emerged in a tiny glade, illuminated by the blue cast of the moon. In the middle of the chamber, there was a worn statue of stone, on which were carved mysterious runes, and on the pedestal was a book of considerable age, the leather of the covers of which had turned to rust. The tension in the air was as electric as though the room had been transformed into a power source vibrating at the unique, special frequency Emilia felt. "This is the Book of the Moon," the guide declared, in a tone that could easily give one goose pimples. He pointed to the book, the darkness of his eyes reflecting the apprehensions of the night. "And there is the prophecy, written between the lines, that will reveal your fate, Emilia." It took Emilia a while to get to the pedestal, and she had to hold her breath.

Suddenly, the journal felt like a weight in her hand, as if the secret of her grandmother was now burdening her down. Nervously, she spread the pages of the worn-out volume. They were yellowing with age; the symbols written in them were complex, and the letters written alongside them were barely readable.

Though willing to converse with his companion, Marcus stayed near, coiled like a spring, ready for the forest to attack. "What does it say?" Marcus could barely contain his nervousness, and it was evident from his voice. The room was suddenly filled with tension as Emilia looked at the symbols she did not understand on the paper in front of her.

It was as if the words themselves became fluid and uncertain, as if the book they were in did not wish to be comprehended. She hardened herself up and read the symbols she was not used to on the paper all the same. 'It speaks of... of a chosen one,' she murmured, and even her words shook. 'Luna', the female protagonist, literally translates to 'a child of the moon, born under the Luna eclipse'.

Marcus stiffened beside her. 'Emilia,' he said in a low tone that was tinged with apprehension. 'That's you, though; you were born during the Luna eclipse.' This was answered by the narrowing of the guide's eyes and a cruel smile appearing on his face. "It was written for centuries that you are to come, Emilia, for it is you who can rid our world of the darkness lurking beneath it." Emilia's head spun. It was the words that tortured her, as if they were some physical weight that constantly pushed at her. 'But what does that mean?' She said it angrily, her voice shaking.

'We are designed to do something, are we not?' The guide seemed to narrow the distance between her and him a little, and his eyes looked almost wolfish, or predatory, as Emilia struggled to pinpoint what she was seeing. 'You must learn to take on your legacy,' he pronounced as if saying these words to himself, almost in a murmur that was carried away by the wind. 'But the moon means power, and only with the light of the moon can you unlock your destiny-only with the moon will you be able to complete the course.' Emilia's pulse quickened. She looked at Marcus in the back seat, and the anxiety was rising to her throat.

Finally, she said, 'What if I am not ready?' She spoke in a hushed manner. At one point, there was that fear: 'What if I fail?' Marcus touched her on the shoulder and, grabbing it tight, told her to wake up and realize that it was the 21st century. 'We need to get to the bottom of this,' he said, his face set into a determined grimace. Nevertheless, there seemed to be a fleeting instant when Krogusik did not quite vocalize, as if in his mind his tongue's words could not be believed. It was impossible for either of them to put away from his mind the growing state of coldness that existed between them and the danger that was rapidly approaching.

However, there was no smile on his face, and all the while, good could be seen in his eyes; the eyes looked wicked with a tinge of cunning. "Old clans exist," he said pointedly, "which are cognizant of your lineage." They patrol in your dream, but when you open your eyes, they will be there. Some have bad intentions and tendencies to overpower you. As for you, there will be some who will attempt to murder you.

Emilia's stomach churned. 'Well, this is not just about me turning over a new leaf and being the best person I can be; there are people who will try to pull me down for that'. 'Yes,' the guide sneered, whispering into his breastbone, which made the words sound rather hostile. 'And they are already moving against you'.

Suddenly Emilia and Marcus heard a sound behind them. They turned around, and their hearts skipped a beat for a second. This is the only thing about which there is nothing for it-the outlines of the woods are alive, but we can sense only the immense pressure bearing on them. Marcus looked at Emilia intensely. He whispered to her, To take the drink, it is necessary to be careful. The constant scrolling also has the audience wondering: As it was already hinted, we do not know who is watching or who is not. Then, as he spoke the words as if they were a threat, I felt it rumbling up from the core of his being.

"The clans will challenge you, Emilia. They will make you face your limits. But you need to understand that only the moonlight will show you how to reach your destiny. Emilia, believe in it or let the darkness swallow you." When they spoke the words, the forest, the trees, and the night all around them came alive as if, as Malphas told her, the darkness itself wanted them dead. Emilia raised the heavy cover of the book with unsteady fingers, and a chill settled in her chest. The prophecy was real; her part in it was impeccable. But the way was very dangerous, and she felt that somewhere people were observing her and expecting a mistake, at least on her part. "We'll find the clans," Emilia said finally, her words more definite than she thought she had in her.

"We shall dig out the truth of the legacy that is in my possession, irrespective of the hindrances." Perceiving this, Marcus only nodded, but the muscles in his jaw worked with tension. "If anything is going to happen, we will deal with it hand in hand." But even as he spoke, she felt herself in the grips of the situation, a situation that seemed to be pulling her and everything around her into a realm far more sinister than the one they were in now.

The trees formed an impenetrable wall, and they could feel like the forest was alive as it murmured things that made her skin crawl. With that, Emilia, Marcus, and their mysterious guide continued; the further they traveled, the more dangerous it became. The prophecy had helped them find their way, but there was no way that they could know what dangers were in anticipation of attacking them.

Emilia and Marcus kept themselves off the stranger's scent, walking closely behind him midst the mass of shrubs. A few beams of light as thin as knives cut through the above foliage and illuminated the forest floor. Every movement was more burdensome than the previous one, a silence that seemed to be tense, as if the woods were only waiting for something to begin. 'You think this guy is reliable?' Marcus asked in hushed tones, a tenseness coating his otherwise low tones. He was staring fixedly at their guide's shadowy figure, which seemed almost to glide through the forest.

But Emilia nagging her mind for only a few moments, clenching the journal that belonged to her grandmother. "I don't know," she whispered, looking warily down the corridor. 'But... there is something about him... Again, I get the sense that I know him; I do not know him from Adam, yet there is something strange about him.'

A narrow glare appeared on Marcus's face, his jaws clenched and his fingers tapping close to the handle of the knife. "He ought to have been prepared for most things, but a potential attacker? 'We should be ready for anything,' he whispered, glancing about nervously as if an assailant was going to strike from the darkness. The guide went a little further without uttering a single word; he moved, did not hesitate, and his steps were calculated.

Finally, it seemed to Emilia that they had been walking for hours without saying a thing. They emerged in a tiny glade, illuminated by the blue cast of the moon. In the middle of the chamber, there was a worn statue of stone, on which were carved mysterious runes, and on the pedestal was a book of considerable age, the leather of the covers of which had turned to rust. The tension in the air was as electric as though the room had been transformed into a power source vibrating at the unique, special frequency Emilia felt.

"This is the Book of the Moon," the guide declared, in a tone that could easily give one goose pimples. He pointed to the book, the darkness of his eyes reflecting the apprehensions of the night. "And there is the prophecy, written between the lines, that will reveal your fate, Emilia." It took Emilia a while to get to the pedestal, and she had to hold her breath. Suddenly, the journal felt like a weight in her hand, as if the secret of her grandmother was now burdening her down.

Nervously, she spread the pages of the worn-out volume. They were yellowing with age; the symbols written in them were complex, and the letters written alongside them were barely readable. Though willing to converse with her companion, Marcus stayed near, coiled like a spring, ready for the forest to attack. "What does it say?" Marcus could barely contain his nervousness, and it was evident from his voice.

The room was suddenly filled with tension as Emilia looked at the symbols she did not understand on the paper in front of her. It was as if the words themselves became fluid and uncertain, as if the book they were in did not wish to be comprehended. She hardened herself up and read the symbols she was not used to on the paper all the same. 'It speaks of... of a chosen one,' she murmured, and even her words shook. 'Luna', the female protagonist, literally translates to 'a child of the moon, born under the Luna eclipse'.

Marcus stiffened beside her. 'Emilia,' he said in a low tone that was tinged with apprehension. 'That's you, though; you were born during the Luna eclipse.' This was answered by the narrowing of the guide's eyes and a cruel smile appearing on his face. "It was written for centuries that you are to come, Emilia, for it is you who can rid our world of the darkness lurking beneath it." Emilia's head spun. It was the words that tortured her, as if they were some physical weight that constantly pushed at her. 'But what does that mean?' She said it angrily, her voice shaking.

'We are designed to do something, are we not?' The guide seemed to narrow the distance between her and him a little, and his eyes looked almost wolfish, or predatory, as Emilia struggled to pinpoint what she was seeing. 'You must learn to take on your legacy,' he pronounced as if saying these words to himself, almost in a murmur that was carried away by the wind. 'But the moon means power, and only with the light of the moon can you unlock your destiny-only with the moon will you be able to complete the course.' Emilia's pulse quickened. She looked at Marcus beside her, and the anxiety was rising to her throat.

The night was dominated by the huge moon and the dangerous silvery light it shed on the forest and the path lying before them. Emilia, Marcus, and the mysterious guide moved deeper into the unknown area, within the forest, where the trees were so tall that they could almost touch the dome of the trees, indicating that they were almost alive. Even in the midst of profound quiet, the crunching of leaves and the breaking of a twig were amplified. As expected, Emilia felt a rising tension before the exam.

Thus, it wasn't just a journey; this was the start of something much worse than she had had in mind.

"This place is different," Marcus muttered, feeling uneasy and his hand gripping the handle of his dagger. His voice was low and cagey. Perhaps, such as we are being watched. " There was a moment when Emilia dared to turn to him, and she felt as if her heart was with him. "We are," she whispered back. It's all tangible to my senses, too. Forget it! That is impossible for us now. Like always, the guide was looking sober and did not seem to care about the discomfort the friends were in. He took them further away from the known territories, his gait assured as though he was positively aware of whatever was to pass next, though they were not sure.

The three of them became tense with each of their movements. The concern and a feeling of fear, and at the same time, the determination, started building up deep within her. Whatever was forthcoming for her, she could not afford to lose her manner. Finally, they progressed out into a tiny clearing in which numerous clumps of luminous mushrooms were distributed. The reflected light fell on the trees and rendered them to seem like some spectral figures of great distortions. The guide came to a halt and turned his attention towards the group.

"This is the gate of the first trial," he said in a clipped, impersonal tone. He pointed at a relatively narrow trail covered with a complex network of big and small interlocking vines. 'Beyond this lay the Silver Moon Clan's territory', 'You stand before them, Emilia. And they will not be friendly'. Emilia felt a wave of nervousness run through her, and she started getting palpitations. The Silver Moon Clan. The name itself has a long history and evokes a certain kind of fear in peasants. 'What do they want with me?' she queried, although she wasn't certain that she desired the response. 'They carry the potential of revealing your destiny,' answered the guide, frowning a little.

Yet they will not provide it without asking for something in return; you must be worthy of such a gift or risk being obliterated instead. Emilia had not yet been able to answer when the undergrowth shook, and a large image emerged from the gloom. And it was a woman; her eyes were large and bottomless, like the spheres of two nights at once. She looked at Emilia and Marcus with a mix of suspicion and curiosity; she stood tall and straight, all the indications of authority all over her.

'Who dares to invade our sanctuary?' The woman's tone was bitter, the words coming out like the sting of a whip. Emilia could feel the energy emanating from them both, and a wave of electricity went through her, making her take a step back. To the woman who looked like a senior in high school despite the fact that she was still young, Emilia swallowed hard and took a step forward, her voice quivering.

Emilia is here, daughter of the Eclipse Luna, or so I am told, and I have come to find the truth about myself. The woman's face seemed to soften for a moment, which was quite changing her rather severe-looking face. "Emilia," she said, slurring her a little while maintaining the firmness of her tones. We have been waiting for you. Marcus could only look at Emilia in utter disbelief, and immediately she looked back at him. "They know you," he said softly, and even though his words were laced with alarm, a note of admiration followed too.

But all the same, Emilia felt that the warmth of the lady's welcome was not genuine. I noticed a certain intention in her eyes-sinister though it was. "Come with me," the woman commanded, and she immediately spun around on the spot, expecting a response to her command. Emilia and Marcus looked at each other, but without any protest, they followed her. Their guide stayed put on a more natural stand at the border of the glade while he observed them melt into the vicinity of the Silver Moon Clan. The experience of moving through the territory inhabited by the clan was rather nerve-wracking. Silver rental banners along the trees and true silver moon sculptures inside. from branches, and it twisted in the dim light like something from a horror scene.

Cautiously, members of the clan stepped into the open to observe the two as they went by, and not a word was spoken, not a muscle was twitched, but their eyes bore the look of respect intermingled with hatred. Their eyes were on her, and Emilia could almost feel the daggers piercing her back. Such was the discomfort that she felt. For some reason, she couldn't free herself from the notion that their admiration might easily turn into hatred. At last, they came out into a small meadow in its middle, a great stone slab to do the deed upon.

There was a crescent moon carved into the stone above the slab. The statuesque lady then beckoned for her to sit in front of the altar, and the lady's face was blank. 'You are the Chosen One,' the woman stated, and her voice carried the weight of millennia as well as a certain level of demand. 'It was written that you would come, accompanied by a Luna eclipse,' said the others. But the spoken word is not enough to command our allegiance.

You have to earn it. Emilia clanged her fists tightly and felt a pulse of power inside her. 'Whatever you say,', she responded, head held high, though fear simmered at the back of her mind. The woman's lips twisted into an expression of what was half a smile but nevertheless failed to make her look friendly at all. "We shall see," she said a little mysteriously. But understand this: failure is not a joke. Many come to attempt it with their lives. A howl suddenly sounded unhesitatingly from afar, and it was extremely sharp. Emilia's blood ran cold. Marcus suddenly tensed up, and the hand that held the dagger puffed up into a fist. "What sort of trial is this one?" Marcus inquired, and his voice cracked in anxiety. The woman said nothing, looking at Emilia only; she deliberately ignored his comment. "You have to take Trial of Shadows today," she announced, lifting her voice just barely above a whisper. 'You are to go deep into the forest at night and do all by yourself, for it is the time when the moon's energy is at its peak.'

It will be there that darkness will confront you, suggesting your personal demons and your vulnerabilities. If one survives, it is certain that one will come out even more powerful. If you do not She hesitated for a moment and then spoke: "His." She paused, but then left no doubt about her intention. Seeing the new form of aggression taking precedence, Marcus stepped forward and scowled. "She's not doing this alone," he said, his voice loaded with anger and desperation. And I still said to my friend, 'I'm coming with her.' The woman turned her eyes towards him, and for a moment, Emilia saw a tinge of sympathy at the corner of her lips.

'This trial belongs to her only,' she said with disdain. "For one to extend assistance would act as a way of ensuring she fails If you have a clue as to how you feel for her, you will let her handle this on her own. Emilia's heart raced. She could not bear the idea of facing it alone, but she understood that Marcus was of no help in this case. It was her tribulation: her experience of undergoing a trial or being tested for endurance. "Marcus, I have to do this," Emilia said softly but deliberately. I have to earn it. You better believe it. Marcus scratched his head, lines of conflict visible on his face. But I could see that after a few seconds, he gradually moved aside unwillingly. 'I don't like this,' he grumbled. But I trust you.' The woman pointed at a thin trail that went further into the trees and the darkness, as if it had a heart of its own.

"The trial begins now," she pronounced with what sounded like relish. "Let the moonlight shine on you when you are lost." Wasting no time, she turned to Marcus one last time and, taking a deep breath, walked on the path, her heart racing with fear. Hour after hour, she could feel the low-voltage electrical current of her lot in life tugging at her. The forest was dangerous, and what she was seeking was hidden in the darkness, which she could feel as a living thing that wanted to swallow her. But she could not afford to turn back until she had seen the whole building. She had to stand by the coming outcome-no matter what that was-alone.