Gemotions

The library felt cold, the air thick with the scent of aged paper and unspoken stories. Elias wandered aimlessly, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. He stumbled upon the biography by accident, *Elias Thorne: The Reluctant Pioneer*. A sudden, sharp pain lanced through him as he read a passage on a happy childhood. His gut clenched.

He found a secluded corner and sat, the book clutched in his trembling hands. The words blurred, the images on the page a cruel joke. He pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling a cold sweat break out. He felt a deep, unsettling sadness, like a vast ocean contained within him. He couldn’t breathe.

He had to get out.