Mia's POV

　　As the voice's words sank in, a shiver ran down my spine. The promise of help I had clung to so desperately seemed to crumble before me, replaced by a chilling certainty that my situation was far darker and more dire than I had feared.

　　"Who are you? What do you mean by 'fate'?" I asked, my voice quivering with a mixture of fear and anger.

　　But there was no response, only the echo of the voice's unsettling laugh lingering in the darkness. The ...