She pointed her weapon—the paintbrush—squarely at Otto, the tip trembling from the fury pulsing through her hands. Her grip was tight, knuckles pale, and her brows were drawn so fiercely that it seemed her face might freeze that way forever.
If she didn't calm down soon, she might just stay this angry—and this ugly—for life.
The old man had gone too far with his antics. What little tolerance Thana had for him had long vanished. Not once did she find him amusing. From the very beginning, he had come off as nothing more than a raving lunatic, and now, she deeply regretted ever stepping foot into that strange little bookstore. If only she had walked past it, maybe all of this could have been avoided.
Now he was telling her she was dead.
That would mean he killed her—with that cup of tea. He had basically confessed to being a murderer. The realization made her tremble, not just in anger, but in shame. Shame for being so naive.
Without thinking twice, Thana bent her arm, yanked the brush back like a spear, and hurled it at Otto with all the strength her fury could lend. The motion was wild, desperate, and utterly satisfying. Unfortunately, the old man dodged with shocking agility, like age hadn't slowed him at all. His eyes widened as the brush soared past him, and for once, he looked genuinely startled.
"You could've stabbed me right in the eyes!" he screeched, voice cracking with alarm.
Thana sneered, unimpressed with the way he sounded when panic replaced his usual calm. "I would've been thrilled if it did."
Otto let out a long, theatrical sigh. "You shouldn't be this aggressive. I was only trying to help. I wanted to make your life better. And now you've hurt my feelings by trying to impale me with a brush."
Her voice came out sharp and bitter. "Who said I needed your help? If your brilliant idea of improving my life was dumping me into that cursed forest so I could fall off a cliff and nearly die, then heaven help the next soul you decide to 'rescue.' Stop meddling with people's lives."
Otto scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. "Listen here, young lady, falling off that cliff was entirely your own doing. I'm not in charge of every misstep you make. Honestly, I'm more like a fairy godfather."
He shook his head and chuckled at his own words.
Thana stared at him in disbelief, stunned into silence by the sheer absurdity of it all.
"Enough of this. Just send me back to my world, or whatever it is, and I'll forget all this nonsense you're spewing about me being inside a book," Thana spat, dragging out the last word with a sharp pop of her lips.
Otto lowered his head, fiddling with his fingers like a scolded child. He knew there was no calming her now. No convincing her. Time was running thin anyway. No matter what he said, she wouldn't believe him—she'd only grow angrier. And after she'd already attempted to stab out his eyes, who knew what she'd do next?
He sighed, muttering under his breath, "And I brought her here because I was excited about her mission..."
"What?" Thana snapped, her voice laced with venom.
Otto looked up with a smile that, in her eyes, always meant trouble. Every time that man smiled—whether it was soft or smug—it meant something foolish, something infuriating was about to follow.
"Maybe I should give you a little more time to adjust," he said pleasantly. "Get comfortable in the world you're in. Then we can talk about your purpose in my book. Trust me, you'll love it there."
Thana narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced. Her fingers curled into fists, and she muttered low enough to sound like a curse, "You're a dead man."
But Otto pressed on. "Just remember this—you're Adelaide in this world. And your identity... it's quite special. You'll uncover more when we meet again."
"I'm going to kill you," she growled, louder this time.
"We'll talk soon—when you're ready to listen," Otto said with a final wave, as his body shimmered and began to dissolve into golden, sparkling dust.
"No, no! Don't you dare disappear on me!"
Thana launched forward, but her feet wouldn't move. No matter how hard she pushed, her body stayed frozen in place. Helpless, she watched him vanish before her eyes.
And then—nothing. Just silence.
She stood in the middle of the endless white void, alone once again in the place Otto called limbo.
Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. She turned slowly, searching for anything—anyone—and opened her mouth to yell out, but before she could utter a single word, a deafening blast shattered the silence.
A thunderous sound cracked through the stillness, sharp and cruel. It nearly split her eardrums.
Thana dropped to her knees, letting out a scream as she covered her ears tightly and shut her eyes. Her whole body trembled. That sound—so loud, so sudden—triggered something deep inside her. She had always feared harsh, blaring noises: glass breaking, guns firing, sirens howling. All of it sent her spiraling into panic.
Her mind swirled in a storm of noise and confusion, her thoughts blurring together. She clenched her teeth, waiting for the nightmare to pass, praying she wouldn't vomit.
And then—it stopped.
She gasped, eyes flying open.
Two unfamiliar figures stood before her.
The first was a woman in her fifties, dressed in a printed vintage gown with a crisp white apron tied neatly at the waist. A simple white cap sat atop her short brown curls, which were tied in a messy twist. Her emerald eyes were wide with surprise, her mouth agape as she stared at Thana.
Thana mirrored her expression, stunned—but her attention shifted quickly to the second figure.
A man stood just beside the woman, wearing a long, deep blue coat adorned with gold embroidery and shiny buttons running down the front. His trousers were tight, clean, and stark white, drawing Thana's reluctant attention to his perfectly shaped backside as he stood sideways, not yet facing her.
The outfit looked oddly familiar. She had seen it before—in old history books she had been forced to study. It looked like military attire from centuries past.
Her breath caught as her gaze drifted to her surroundings. The space around her was completely different. She wasn't in limbo anymore.
She was in a room.
A real one.
She gasped and clenched the bedsheets around her, realization beginning to dawn.
"Adelaide?"
Thana snapped her head toward the woman who had spoken. She studied the lines around the woman's eyes, the warm but uncertain smile stretching across her face.
"You're Adelaide, right?"