Chapter 53: Deceived

"What do you want?" I asked again, my tone colder this time, as I suppressed the creeping unease within me.

The girl.. no, the thing that looked like Celia but clearly wasn't, tilted her head, her playful demeanor unchanged. "Hey, no hard feelings," she said, her voice lilting and almost sing-song. "Like I said, I just came to greet you."

"Now isn't the time for greetings," I replied evenly, though the weight of her presence made the void around us feel heavier with each passing second.

Her smile widened, an unsettling expression that somehow managed to radiate both childlike innocence and malicious intent. "Well," she said, flicking her fingers as though brushing away my protest, "we'll see about that."

In an instant, the oppressive darkness around us shimmered, and a screen materialized before me. The Tower of Rebirth filled the display, its ominous spire stretching into the ashen sky. Below it, the familiar notification burned brightly: