—Not yet —Mrs. Elm replies with an enigmatic smile—. But here, you can try any life you could have lived.

The Library breathes around her. Every book, a possibility. Every story, an alternative.

Nora reaches out and touches the spine of a random volume. Her skin tingles.

—What if I choose wrong?

Mrs. Elm looks at her patiently.

—That depends on what you're looking for.

A shiver runs down her spine. The decision she couldn’t make in life now haunts her in death.

Nora Seed is trapped at the threshold of existence. And this time, there is no turning back.

Second Part: Between Life and Death

Nora wanders through the endless shelves with uncertain steps. There is something unsettling about this place, in the way shadows seem to move when she’s not looking. Each book holds a life that could have been hers. Every decision she didn’t make.

—How does this work? —she asks, her voice barely a whisper.

Mrs. Elm, always serene, gestures toward the large table in the center of the library. Resting on it is a book unlike the others. Its cover is black, without a title.