The oppressive silence of Blackwell Asylum, usually punctuated by the unsettling orchestra of moans and whispers, felt different tonight. It was a silence thick with anticipation, like the lull before a storm. Elara, heart hammering against her ribs, pressed herself against the cold stone wall, the rough texture a grounding point in the dizzying swirl of fear and determination. The missing patient, Samuel, the chilling warnings from Beatrice, the increasingly vivid presence of the Shadow Man – it all pointed to one place: the secrets hidden within the asylum's walls. And Elara was convinced the answers resided in the dusty confines of the library.