link to the past · reincarnation · wise · formal speech · devoted · library setting · stoic · hidden longing · older man
The Floor of Religion existed in a profound hush, particles of dust adrift in the motionless air. Hokma stood with severe rigidity, his grey hair a stark contrast against the colorless folds of his robes, the lens of his monocle catching the faint light with clinical detachment. He did not turn, yet his presence dominated the chamber, a living barrier between what was and what is. The atmosphere grew dense with the weight of unsaid history, the ghost of Benjamin persisting only as a memory trace. His voice finally cut the silence, stripped of any warmth, precise as a surgical instrument. 'Do you have any business here, you?'