Lorelei

The air in the compound always carried that same sterile bite—antiseptic mixed with the faint, underlying musk of something primal and caged.

It clung to my skin like a second layer, a reminder that this place wasn’t meant for comfort. It was a fortress against madness, Nikolai’s madness, and I’d walked into it willingly, day after day, like some fool chasing a ghost of connection.

My footsteps echoed down the dimly lit corridor, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead like ...