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Rain pattered softly against the windows of the Windale cottage, tapping out a lazy rhythm as gray clouds rolled over the village of Larkmere. Inside, Liora Windale sat curled in her window seat with a half-finished book in her lap and her little brother Evin stomping around the living room pretending to be a thunder giant. “Boom! Boom!” he roared, hopping from cushion to cushion. “Evin,” Liora groaned, “if you break the sofa again, Granny’s going to turn you into a toad. A bumpy one.” “You can’t prove that,” he replied, grinning. “Besides, it’s raining! That means it’s adventure day!” “No, it means it’s quiet reading day,” she muttered. But Evin was already halfway up the stairs. Moments later, he called down, voice filled with mischief. “Liora! The attic door is open!” Liora blinked. That couldn’t be right. “No it’s not! Granny keeps it locked.” “Come see for yourself!” Reluctantly, Liora got up and followed. Sure enough, at the end of the hallway, the wooden attic door was wide open—its hinges creaking ever so slightly as if they hadn’t been moved in years. Granny Nell had always said the attic was off-limits. “Old memories best left alone,” she would whisper with a faraway look. But now, the door stood open like a secret waiting to be discovered. Inside, cobwebs draped over ancient trunks and forgotten furniture. The air smelled like dust, pine, and something else—something faintly metallic and… glowing? “Look!” Evin pointed to a chest in the far corner, carved with stars and vines. Its lid was slightly open, and something inside shimmered blue. Liora hesitated, then stepped forward and lifted the lid. Wrapped in deep blue velvet was a brass lantern with stained-glass panels. It pulsed softly, like a heartbeat. As soon as her fingers touched it, a warm light spilled into the attic. Suddenly, a soft hum filled the air. The lantern trembled in her hands, and a spiral of glowing mist rose from it. Then— A cold wind swept the room. The light dimmed. A streak of black smoke burst from the lantern’s base and shot out the open attic window, vanishing into the rainy sky. Evin’s eyes widened. “Was that... bad?” Liora clutched the lantern tightly bad.
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