It's early evening. The fog is thicker now, shrouding the mansion in an almost ethereal glow. Aveline stands at the iron gate, her heart pounding as she stares up at the imposing structure.

Aveline murmurs to herself

"Okay, Aveline. You can do this. He's just a man-a recluse, maybe, but a man all the same. He's not a ghost or... anything else."

She takes a deep breath, pushes the gate open with a creak, and walks up the cobblestone path.

She hesitates at the door, then knocks firmly.

Aveline calls out

"I know you're in there! Please, I just want to talk. Your poetry... it changed me. I need to know who you are."

Inside, Lucian freezes. He was seated by the fire, but her voice cuts through the stillness like a blade. For a moment, he debates ignoring her, but something compels him to rise and approach the door. Slowly, he opens it, stepping into the dim light of the entryway.

"You should not have come."lucian says with a firm voice.

Aveline's breath catches as she takes him in-his pale features, his piercing eyes, the air of melancholy that clings to him like a second skin.

Aveline stammers

"I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. But your words-they're unlike anything I've ever read. Are you the poet?"

Lucian replies to her coldly

"Perhaps. What does it matter?"

Aveline frowns, her curiosity overpowering her initial intimidation.

"It matters because your words carry pain and beauty I've never encountered before. They feel... alive as if you have gone through the every sorrow and joy that you mentioned in the poem"

For a moment, Lucian's expression softens. He looks at her as if he's seeing a ghost, but then quickly masks his emotions, stepping back slightly.

"You should leave. Some doors are better left unopened." Said lucian

Aveline"Then why write if you don't want to be heard? You want someone to read your words, to understand them."

Lucian falters, his internal conflict visible in the way his hand tightens on the edge of the door. Finally, he lets out a sigh and steps aside.

Lucian said "Very well. Come inside. But understand-what you seek may not bring you peace."

Aveline steps inside cautiously, the door closing behind her with a soft thud.

Lucian's conflicted expression, as he leads her into the dimly lit study, setting the st

age for the revelations and tensions to come.