Newland City-State·Wenlan Island
The night had fallen, and the clamorous chaos outside had already ceased, as if a tranquil night had descended.
An elderly woman with a full head of white hair slowly made her way up the stairs until her hand touched the cellar door above her head.
She slowly extended her hand and struggled to unlock the cellar door, then pushed upward with a bit of force.
Creak—
With a crisp sound, the cellar door opened a small crack.
The old woman tiptoed to peek through the narrow gap, looking outside cautiously.
Then, her whole body seemed to stiffen.
"Grandma, what's wrong?"
The little girl in the cellar, seeing the old woman's sudden pause, asked with some confusion.
"Nothing, nothing at all."
The old woman gently shook her head, yet her gaze never left the opened crack.
A doll that seemed somewhat like a puppet lay on the ground, its face towards the gap in the door, where a blood-red eyeball wiggled within its wooden socket, quietly watching her.