When the letter arrived, I held it in my hands and laughed, a short, dry laugh, like a friend pulling a prank on me. A joke.
A Placement letter, addressed to me, Corvin Hale. After centuries spent drifting through shadows, forgotten by nearly everyone, it felt absurd.
Who could have sent it? Who was playing this trick? I didn't know a soul alive who would bother.
I almost tossed the letter into the fire, expecting my laughter to fade as the flames consumed it.
But something stopped me, a flicker of curiosity. Something unexpected.
Against my better judgment, I broke the seal.
There it was. My name, printed clearly. The role: Bookkeeper. And the name of my partner: Eira.
A joke. A trick. But why?
I read it again, searching for a punchline, some sign it was a prank.
There was none.
Only the pull of intrigue.
It had been centuries since I'd felt that.
The arrival date was tomorrow. But why bookkeeper?
I laughed again before slipping the letter into my pocket.
This Eira… she could be a distraction, at least.