'A Gloomy Evening'

Florian sat in silence, his eyes fixed on the glowing blue butterflies that flitted aimlessly around his room. Their delicate, translucent wings shimmered with an otherworldly light, casting soft, shifting reflections onto the walls.

They were beautiful, ethereal even, but their quiet joy felt disconnected from the heavy quiet weighing on him. The soft hum of their wings filled the space left behind by Cashew and Lucius, both gone to attend to their duties.

On his desk, a neat stack of papers lay untouched—his review for the evening already submitted, every word carefully written and double-checked. It should have felt satisfying, a task completed, but it didn't. Florian leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair with a sigh that barely stirred the still air.

'Any second now,' he thought, his eyes flicking toward the door.

Right on cue, a sharp knock shattered the silence.