“Do you know why the sun shines?” A girl in white paced around the room, her silver hair catching the sunlight that filtered through the window.

“Different people tend to have different interpretations,” she continued, raising her hand to block the sun from view. “Ranging from gods to plasma.”

“But the fact of the matter remains that the sun shines,” she concluded, a smile forming across her lips. “And it’ll continue to do so… at least for a while.”

With those words, the atmosphere shifted—not ominous, per se, but heavy with a knowing that belied her youthful appearance.

“It’s lonely here, you know?” Her tone softened. “It’s lonely not having anyone to share these little rambles with. It’s just me, the blue sky, and, as of now, you.”

She took a seat next to me, her presence simultaneously comforting and unnerving.

“You aren’t fooling anyone, Korin. I know you’re awake.”

Caught off guard, I realized I had been found out. The room around us was cluttered, a study filled with mismatched furniture and curios scattered about. The soft plush sofa I occupied felt warm and inviting, reminiscent of velvet.

As she grasped my hand and helped me up, her pale skin and shimmering hair seemed to reflect the very sunlight she had blocked just moments ago. She began to guide me around the office, her curiosity piqued.

“Do you remember how you got here?” she asked, flipping through a book that rested on her desk.

I shook my head, unsure how else to answer.

“So, same as always…” she murmured, her tone conveying a boredom born from routine. She set the book back down.

Her familiarity with this scenario was evident, as if she had performed this dance countless times before. Leading me to one of two bookshelves, she began flipping through what appeared to be memoirs, eventually settling on a blank leather-bound book.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Please, take a seat,” she instructed, her demeanor shifting from playful to composed.

I complied and took a seat in one of the chairs facing her desk. She mirrored me, resting her chin on her thumb, her sharp gaze piercing through the haze of uncertainty that surrounded us.

“You’re a peculiar one, you know?” she mused. “Trapped in a place that exists both everywhere and nowhere. And yet you appear unfazed…”

To be honest, I felt just as confused as she was. Any normal person would have panicked in this situation. Yet, I felt strangely… at ease? Perhaps the gravity of it all hadn’t fully sunk in, but all I experienced was a vague sense of nostalgia.

Leaning forward, her face barely an inch from mine, her eyes concealed an intensity that sent shivers down my spine for just a fraction of a moment.

“Lost in thought? Didn’t your mother teach you it’s rude to leave someone hanging?”

With a quick motion, she stood, pacing around me, her hand delicately resting on the backrest of my chair.

“My fragile heart, shattered into a billion pieces… sob, sob,” she said dramatically, a playful grin dancing on her lips.

Did she just say “sob” out loud? I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of the moment.

“…I see,” I replied, a hint of amusement creeping in.

In a swift motion, she stepped behind me, her hands resting on my shoulders, making the playful atmosphere charge with an unexpected weight.

“Don’t you think you should do something to make it up to me?” she inquired, her tone suddenly a blend of seriousness and playfulness.

Was this going the direction I thought it was...?

“Perhaps... an interview?” she proposed.

My disappointment was immeasurable and my day was ruined...

“Don’t give me that look; it’ll be fun!” she laughed, delivering a playful smack to my back that nearly knocked me off balance.

Returning to her side of the table, she rested her hand on a glass paperweight and settled into her chair, though her knees seemed slightly unsteady.

“How about we start from scratch? Well, I’ll start from scratch,” she said, gathering herself. “You don’t really know me. However, I do know you; Korin of Rhun.”

I had no reason to answer her, yet I found myself oddly intrigued by the idea. This girl evoked a sense of familiar warmth, accompanied by the faint scent of citrus.

In this dimly lit room, with the sun still shining defiantly outside, I braced myself for an impossible conversation with this girl in white—a mysterious figure who concealed far more than she revealed, with the answers hidden somewhere within her enigmatic smile. She rested her chin on her folded hands.

“You may call me Enor. Now, why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?”