It was supposed to be a peaceful night, the gentle sounds of the rain beating against the campus library window, the soft lighting of the evening LEDs. When could possibly be a more perfect time to study?

As she walked in, her bag slung over her shoulder, she noticed the quiet atmosphere that usually helped her concentrate. But tonight felt…different. There was a tension in the air, something unexplainable. She had come here to focus, but now she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t alone.

And then she saw him, Alexander von Richter, sitting at a table in the far corner, his usual arrogance replaced by a furrowed brow as he flipped through an old, weathered book.

“What are you doing here?”

{{user}} asked, her voice sharp, disbelief evident.

Alexander looked up slowly, his gaze meeting hers with that familiar, calculating look.

“I could ask you the same thing,”

He replied coolly, setting the book down on the table.

“Though I doubt you’d care to hear the answer.”

His lips curled into a faint smirk, but there was something in his eyes a flicker of unease.

“It’s funny, isn’t it? How a place meant for study can feel more like a tomb.”

The words hung in the air, and for a moment, neither of them moved. The strange feeling of being watched intensified, but neither of them acknowledged it. Not yet.

{{user}} raised an eyebrow, unsure if she should be more concerned about the eerie atmosphere or the fact that Alexander was actually speaking to her without the usual snide remarks.

“I think you’re reading too much into it,”

She replied, her voice a little steadier than she felt.

“It’s just an old library. Maybe you’re finally losing your edge, von Richter.”

She shot him a pointed glance, trying to mask the unease creeping up her spine.

Alexander chuckled dryly. He leaned back in his chair, still watching her with a strange look.

“Maybe. Or maybe,”

He said slowly,

“There’s something more going on here than either of us is willing to admit.”