# The Mansion of Fire
## Episode 5 – The Vault
*Narrated by Yasmin & Leyla*
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### Yasmin
The key Camila gave me burned in my palm.
It wasn't hot, but it felt like it had weight beyond metal—like it had waited years to be held again. I paced back and forth in the marble hallway, debating whether to tell Leyla.
But part of me needed to see what was hidden—*before* it could be taken away again.
That night, I crept out alone.
The key had a small symbol carved into it—a phoenix. I remembered the emblem etched into the stone door in the wine cellar. I'd seen it briefly during the tour.
I went there.
The door opened with a hiss, revealing a spiral staircase leading deep into the mansion's roots.
The air was colder.
The walls were lined with old oil lanterns, already lit.
Someone was expecting me.
---
### Leyla
Yasmin was gone when I woke.
The clock read 2:13 a.m.
I felt it in my bones—she had gone somewhere she wasn't supposed to.
I grabbed the compass from the drawer and followed the needle. It didn't point north—it spun slowly, then steadied toward the western wing.
I ran.
Down the servant's passage, past the sleeping quarters, toward the wine cellar.
The moment I reached the bottom step, I heard the door creak open.
Rafael.
"Looking for your sister?" he asked, like it was a joke.
"She's not answering," I said.
"She's not alone down there," he replied. "That's the problem."
---
### Yasmin
The vault was more than a room. It was a chamber carved from stone, lined with mirrors and books that looked older than time.
In the center: a black table with three sealed envelopes, each bearing a different crest.
One had my initials.
I opened it.
Inside: a photo of a baby girl wrapped in red silk. A silver chain around her ankle bore the name *Yasmin Isabela De la Rosa.*
My hands shook.
I wasn't just *tied* to this family.
I *was* this family.
---
### Leyla
Rafael and I descended the stairs slowly.
He carried a flashlight. I carried my fists.
"You knew she'd go here," I said.
He didn't deny it. "Camila wanted her to."
"Why?"
"She thinks Yasmin is the key. But she's wrong."
That stopped me. "What do you mean?"
He didn't answer.
Because in that moment, the lights flickered—and we heard the vault door slam shut.
We ran.
---
### Yasmin
Behind me, the door closed with a metallic clang.
I turned—but the staircase was gone. A wall of stone had sealed the way.
I wasn't alone.
A figure stood in the far corner, cloaked in dark velvet.
"Welcome, Isabela's shadow," they said.
"Who are you?" I asked.
The figure stepped into the lantern light.
A woman. Mid-50s. Same eyes as Camila.
"My name is Victoria De la Rosa. Isabela was my daughter. And you are her legacy."
---
### Leyla
We reached the door—but it wouldn't open.
"She's trapped," I said.
Rafael knelt, searching the edges. "This was never about games. It's about inheritance. Control."
"And you knew?"
"I suspected."
I slammed my fist against the wall. "Then help me open it!"
He looked at me like he'd never seen me before.
"You're not afraid."
"No," I said, trembling with fury. "I'm angry."
---
### Yasmin
Victoria spoke in riddles.
"She was silenced for loving the wrong man. For wanting peace."
I tried to breathe.
"My mother—she was Isabela?"
Victoria nodded. "And you were taken from her after the fire."
I staggered backward.
"There was a fire?"
"She tried to escape. They burned everything she loved."
The letter Leyla found. The burned shoe.
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because the next heir will not be chosen by blood, but by fire. You must decide."
"Decide what?"
"If this family lives… or burns."
---
### Leyla
With a loud *crack*, Rafael managed to dislodge the outer lock.
I threw the door open.
Yasmin stood inside the vault, eyes wide, tears streaking her face.
She wasn't afraid.
She was changed.
---
### Yasmin
Leyla ran to me, grabbing my shoulders. "Are you okay?"
"No," I whispered, "but I know who we are now."
She looked behind me, but Victoria was gone.
Only silence and the scent of old roses remained.
---
### What comes next...
*Some inherit money.
Others inherit war.*
**In Episode 6: The Inheritance**
The girls confront Camila.
Alejandro chooses a side.
And blood demands a final answer.