The air in the Götterberg Monastery was always cool, even in summer, but tonight, an unnatural chill seeped into the very stones.

Godric, the newly appointed abbot, found sleep elusive. His bare feet padded softly over the ancient flagstones, a lone candle casting dancing shadows ahead of him. Fifteen years had passed since he’d last roamed these endless, winding corridors, and he sought to reacquaint himself with the sprawling monastic complex.

He had wandered for hours, now lost in a forgotten wing, the silence broken only by the distant hoot of an owl. This part of the monastery, built directly into the mountain, felt different, unused, its walls crumbling to the touch. A shiver, not entirely from the cold, ran down his spine. His training had prepared him for many things, but not the unsettling quiet of this hidden place.