Chapter 4 — The Catalyst

Ellie

The library was a cathedral of silence. Ellie’s heels clicked softly on the polished stone floor, the sound swallowed by the high, vaulted ceilings. She paused at the threshold of the main reading room, her gaze sweeping across the dimly lit cavern. Towering shelves stretched into the shadows, their edges softened by the golden glow of desk lamps scattered across the tables. The faint, familiar scent of aged paper and polished wood settled over her, offering a fleeting sense of calm.