Vendors called out in cheerful voices, the aroma of roasted chestnuts and spiced tea floated through the air, and wind chimes hanging from small shops clinked gently whenever the breeze passed.
Time slipped by quietly.
But as they moved closer to the university district, something changed.
Lana slowed down.
Her gaze shifted from person to person.
'What is this…?'
Several students walked past them, chatting, laughing, completely normal on the surface.
In fact, they looked unusually healthy, their skin glowing, their posture confident, their appearances strikingly attractive.
Yet around them, Lana could see something else.
A dark aura.
Thin strands of red mist coiled around their bodies like invisible smoke.
It was faint, but unmistakable.
Her heartbeat quickened.
'This is… a death omen. But why do they look so full of life?'
The contradiction unsettled her deeply. Healthy bodies. Approaching death.
Was there going to be an accident at Spineridge University?
