When the Professor offered his hand and led Etzli away from the banquet table, she felt grateful. She'd been laid bare in front of a room full of strangers. It felt cathartic in the moment, but now the feeling faded. She wanted to hide under the table.

The Professor guided Etzli toward a door at the far end of the banquet hall, a perfect recreation of the same door she'd failed to enter during her Criterion.

Crossing through felt like… well, she’d never seen ...