Thalorin leaves

The walls here were quieter but no less alive, lined with smaller works of art, delicate sketches and faded paintings framed in wood that bore the grain of age.

Animals Alex didn't recognize peeked out from parchment and canvas alike, some fierce and majestic, others strange, their forms just unfamiliar enough to stir curiosity and unease.

At last, they stopped before a door, tall and carved with curling patterns of ivy and stars.

With a theatrical sweep of his arm, Jusin pushed it open, the hinges releasing a soft, drawn-out sigh as if exhaling after a long wait.

He stepped aside, his hand still on the handle, and nodded toward the room within.

"Check it out," he said, the gravel in his voice softened with something like affection.

He gestured for Alex to enter first, his stance easy, but his eyes keen, watching for the boy's reaction like it mattered more than he'd say aloud.