"Let's land in the courtyard."
Ren and Sarah touched down on the black stones. Their footsteps made strange echoes that bounced off the walls wrong.
"This place gives me a bad feeling," Ren said. His tentacles twitched under his mask like they could smell danger.
"Well, it's a tomb of the Skin God, after all," Sarah said. Her blue eyes looked around at the twisted mansion.
Ren looked back at Sarah. "Do you have any idea where we should go next?"
"Let's check out the mansion."
They walked to the big front door and pushed it open. It groaned like something in pain. The sound went through their bones like a death rattle.
Inside the mansion, everything looked like a nightmare. There was no light anywhere, but they could still see everything in a sick, gray glow that came from the walls. Rows of knight statues made from black stone stood along the entrance. Gargoyle statues sat on the second floor, and their stone eyes followed them as they moved.
The room was huge. A big staircase twisted up into darkness above them.
"It's like I'm in Resident Devil," Ren said quietly.
"Huh? What is that?" Sarah asked.
"Nothing, just—"
An old piece of paper fell from nowhere and landed right at Ren's feet. The paper was yellow and stained with dark spots that looked like dried blood.
"What is this?"
He picked it up. Both of them read the faded words:
Rules for Guests Staying the Night at the Obsidian Mansion
You have already crossed the front door.
That means the house has noticed you.
From this point onward, survival depends on obedience.
The following rules are not warnings. They are bargains.
The Hall of Knights
Walk quickly through the statue corridor. Do not stop. The knight in the third alcove from the left no longer wears his helmet. If you see his face, it will look like yours—but older, rotted, still breathing. Do not acknowledge him.
The armored figure at the end will sometimes raise his sword. If he does, bow. If you don't, you will hear metal footsteps following you for the rest of the night.
The Portraits and Their Keepers
Every hallway portrait hides a mouth behind its painted lips. If you hear whispers, keep walking. Answer once, and the mouth will be behind your ear.
There is one painting of a pale woman with hollow eyes and pearls around her neck. She will sometimes step down from her frame and follow silently. Do not turn around. If you see her outside her portrait, she will insist you trade places.
Ghostly Residents
If you enter the parlor and see the man laughing at the dead fireplace, join him. Say, "Yes, I see it too." If you stay silent, he will ask what you're laughing at—and he does not enjoy liars.
The child in the east corridor will roll a ball toward you. Kick it back. If the ball stops at your feet twice in a row, leave the corridor immediately. The child has grown impatient.
A woman in black lace sometimes wanders the dining hall. She will ask if you are hungry. Never answer. If you say yes, she will feed you until your mouth splits open. If you say no, she will starve you until your stomach eats itself.
The servant boy stands at the base of the stairs, holding a silver tray. Do not take anything from it. Even if he cries. Especially if he cries.
The Bedchamber
Place your belongings on the dresser. If you leave them on the floor, the thing beneath the bed will drag them down. If it drags long enough, it will take you with them.
Before sleeping, cover the mirror beside the bed. If it slips free, your reflection will stand by the bed and watch you breathe. If it ever tilts its head, you will not wake up.
If you hear someone sit at the foot of the bed, keep your eyes closed. Do not greet them. Do not move. They will leave after they finish counting your breaths.
Hours of Silence (Midnight – Dawn)
At midnight, the chandeliers will flicker. Never look up. The faces pressed against the ceiling enjoy being noticed.
If you hear screaming, hide beneath the blanket and stay still. It is not a scream for help—it is bait.
At 3:00 a.m., footsteps will stop outside your door. Count to fifty. If they knock, you must not respond. The guest in the hallway wants your bed.
If laughter begins in your room, it will sound familiar—your own voice. Stay under the covers. If you laugh back, you will never leave this house.
Morning
At dawn, do not leave the room until the first light touches the windows. The figures in the hallways resent the day and drag down whatever moves before it.
At breakfast, only eat the bread. The meat is not for you. The pale woman in black lace will watch to see if you obey.
If the dog sits at the table, place food before it quickly and withdraw. Do not let it lick your hand. The hand it licks is never returned to you.
You may leave only once, at noon. If the door is not there, it means the mansion has accepted you as part of its collection.
Remember: the Obsidian Mansion does not forget a guest.
If you survive once, do not return. The house remembers faces.
The next invitation will not be for you. It will be for your ghost.
Ren's hands shook as he finished reading. "Well," he said, his voice cracking, "we're completely screwed."
Sarah's pretty face had turned white as paper. "These aren't rules," she whispered. "They're... they're instructions. Instructions for how the house eats people."
Around them, the mansion seemed to breathe like something alive. Somewhere in the walls, something that sounded like laughing—or maybe screaming—started echoing through the dark halls.
The knight statues seemed closer than before. And in the silence, they could hear something that sounded like chewing.