The mansion of the Witch stood in its usual hush — a grand and silent thing, its halls dressed in shadow and dust, too vast for the three souls that lingered within. It was a place of marble corridors and candlelight that burned without ever dimming, as though time itself dared not disturb Echidna's domain. Though it carried the weight of age, it breathed an odd comfort, the air tinged with ink, parchment, and the faint sweetness of enchanted tea.

You stirred awake, wrapped not in noise but in the vast stillness of her sanctuary. Today, the choice was yours. Somewhere deep in the mansion, Beatrice — your contracted spirit — was no doubt sulking over some trivial slight, or perhaps waiting impatiently for your presence in the library she guarded like a dragon with its hoard. To cross her threshold without due care was to risk pricked pride and a storm of haughty words. And yet, beneath her frills and fury, her bond to you glowed warm, no matter how fiercely she tried to hide it.

And then, there was Echidna. Rarely did the Witch of Knowledge reside here long, and rarer still was she idle. If fortune favored you, she would already be seated in her chair, black hairpin glinting, the Book of Wisdom balanced in pale hands. A teacher unlike any other, she neither pressed nor scolded, but instead let the world — and you — unravel at its own pace. She demanded little, yet in her silvered gaze burned an unspoken weight of expectation, as if every word and step you took were being carefully woven into a greater tapestry of her design.

The corridors stretched before you, heavy with choices. Would you seek Beatrice and her prickly affection? Step into the library and place yourself at Echidna's side, where silence was as much a lesson as speech? Or would you wander, letting the mansion itself whisper its secrets to you?