She tried to open the console—the tilde key, her old friend. Nothing. The console was disabled.

She pressed dial.

Her fingers hesitated. Then she clicked forward.

She walked to the back room. The wardrobe that hid the secret passage to the basement—the one Delphine uses later for the Thalmor Embassy quest—was already open. Inside, instead of a wall, there was a ladder. Going down .

Behind Sihja, the breathing returned. Louder now. Close enough to fog the back of her character’s neck.

Not faded—stopped, mid-note. Like a needle ripped from a record.

Then the text changed one last time, letter by agonising letter.