The hall was vast and empty, swallowed by darkness so thick it seemed alive, curling and coiling like smoke. The only sound was the soft, shallow breathing of a little girl seated at the centre of the floor.
Her tiny frame shook as she clutched her knees tightly to her chest, her wide eyes staring into the endless shadows surrounding her. Tears streaked down her pale cheeks, glistening like drops of silver in the faintest hint of light that trickled from nowhere.
"Mother..." she whimpered, her voice barely more than a whisper, fragile and trembling. "Please... come back..."
Her plea echoed through the hall, swallowed by the blackness, and for a moment, silence answered her. But then, the shadows stirred. Slowly, they began to shift and twist, their forms morphing into grotesque figures that hovered just beyond the girl's reach. Their faces were vague, mere smudges in the darkness, yet their eyes glowed with malevolence, and their mouths twisted into cruel sneers.
"Heretic."
