Nisha stood alone in the courtyard of the ruined mansion, the kind of place that looked as if even sunlight—if it existed in this world—would refuse to touch it. The air itself felt wrong here. Too still. Too cold. Like the mansion had lungs and was holding its breath, waiting.
Tall pillars that might once have belonged to a noble estate now leaned like drunkards on broken foundations. Vines strangled their way across stone, crawling over every crack, every corner, sucking the life out of colors that once might have been beautiful. The courtyard ground crunched beneath her boots—broken tiles, old leaves, and bones she didn't really want to identify.
A faint lantern flickered on the upper balcony, its movement slow and deliberate, as if someone invisible were gently swinging it.
She narrowed her eyes.
"Great," she muttered. "Haunted mansion. Just my luck. Of course."
Her breath left her mouth as a faint white puff—the first sign of cold she had felt since entering this world. That alone made the hairs on her neck stand.
Behind her, something shuffled across the dust-coated floor.
She spun around instantly, hands raised, magic flaring at her fingertips—
Nothing.
Just an empty courtyard. No footprints. No wind. No movement.
Her throat tightened.
"…Okay. That's worse."
She took a step back, hand brushing her wand. The flickering light from the lantern cast long, ugly shadows across the courtyard; every shape seemed to twitch at the edge of her vision, as though the darkness had claws and patience.
---
The Others Arrive
Meanwhile, AJ, Neo, and Ruth ran up the rusted gate just in time to see it slam shut behind Nisha.
CLANG!
The metal vibrated, dust exploding from the hinges like the mansion was sneezing.
AJ pressed a hand to the bars and blinked. "…Oh, perfect. Horror arc unlocked."
Neo groaned. "Bro, don't say arc right now. Not when the gate literally closed on its own."
Ruth didn't speak. She rarely wasted words. But her fingers curled slowly against her arm, a tiny tremor running down them. Her eyes flickered faintly—fear she didn't dare show.
Inside her mind, a whisper surfaced:
(This place… something is watching us.)
AJ tugged the gate once. Twice. The thing didn't even rattle. It felt like pushing against a mountain.
"Fine," he huffed. "Front door it is."
He didn't want to admit the gate felt like it was alive.
He also didn't want to admit the gate definitely hated him.
Inside the Mansion
The moment they stepped inside, the mansion's breath seemed to fill their lungs.
The air smelled like old wood, damp soil, and something unsettlingly sweet. A kind of sweetness that reminded AJ of decaying flowers left too long in a vase.
The entry hall stretched out in all directions—stairs rising like a spine, hallways branching like ribs, and portraits on the walls that looked like they were melting. Most faces were scratched out, as if someone wanted them forgotten.
Candles flickered even though nobody had lit them. Their flames swayed in a wind that didn't exist.
A whisper drifted down the stairwell.
"…leave…"
Neo froze. "Please tell me that was you."
AJ stared upward. "If the wind tells you to leave, you leave. Unless you're us. We do the opposite and go in further, apparently."
Ruth raised her hand, trying to summon her magic. The faint glow sparked… then fizzled like a dying ember.
Her eyes widened a second before she steadied her expression.
(Why… why won't my energy stay steady? Not now…)
AJ noticed something off but didn't press. Not here. Not with everything feeling so wrong.
Shadows Wake
A pool of black mist formed at the base of the stairs.
Shadows began to crawl out of it—small humanoid figures with hollow eyes and mouths shaped in silent screams.
AJ's grip tightened on his dagger. "Oh, good. Mini demons. My favorite."
Neo loaded a pebble into his sling—hands shaking, but steady enough. He whispered, "Aim for the scary parts?"
AJ whispered back, "Everything is a scary part!"
Ruth raised her hand again. Light flickered weakly, barely a spark.
One shadow creature lunged.
AJ slashed, his dagger slicing through it like smoke. Neo's pebble cracked another's head, scattering it into mist. Ruth gathered a strained spark of energy and forced it out—it cracked the floor and stunned one creature but left her panting.
One by one the shadows disintegrated.
The hall fell silent again.
AJ wiped his dagger on his sleeve. "Love the hospitality so far."
Costarius Appears
Footsteps echoed above.
Soft. Calm. Too calm.
Costarius descended the staircase with such serenity he seemed out of place in the nightmare setting. His wand glowed a peaceful blue—like calm water.
AJ narrowed his eyes immediately. "How did you get here so fast?"
Costarius smiled gently. "There are… shortcuts in places like this."
Neo nodded instantly, trusting as ever. "Yeah, sounds logical."
AJ mouthed: No it doesn't.
Ruth didn't say a word but her expression tightened, barely noticeable.
(He's lying.)
The Dead Priest
The air froze.
A tall figure emerged from a hallway—pale skin stretched too tightly across bones, robes shredded, head drooping at an unnatural angle. The smell of decay wafted in with him.
A dead priest.
When he spoke, it sounded like stone grinding against metal.
"Return…
Stay…
Join the choir…"
The walls around them whispered with the voices of trapped souls. Pleading. Crying. Singing broken hymns.
Neo whispered, horrified, "Nope. Nope. Absolutely not. I'm not joining any choir."
AJ stepped forward. "Let's dance, Father Zombie."
Battle in the Hall
The priest lifted his hand.
Six soul puppets crawled from cracks in the floor—bodies made of mist, bone fragments, and broken memories. Their faces were blank, their limbs twitching unnaturally.
AJ charged the nearest puppet, slicing its torso in half—only to watch it stitch itself back together instantly.
Neo swung his sling—THWAK!—his pebble blasting through another puppet's head, making it stumble backward.
Ruth forced her power outward, splitting one puppet in two—but the effort drained her immediately. Her breathing hitched.
(Why am I so weak? Why now…?)
Costarius created rings of water that pushed enemies back harmlessly. Not hurting them. Not aiming for the priest. Just… pretending.
AJ noticed. "Coward! Hit the big one!"
Costarius only smiled that same calm smile.
The priest raised both arms.
"BE… DIVIDED."
The Party Splits
The floor cracked violently.
Green light pulsed from beneath the boards like something alive trying to push upward.
"MOVE!" AJ shouted.
They tried.
Too late.
The ground split apart like jaws—each section tilting, collapsing, dragging every member in a different direction.
AJ reached for Neo, their fingertips brushing—
"BRO—!" Neo shouted.
Ruth screamed as her floor crumbled beneath her, her voice echoing in the shifting mansion.
Costarius did not scream.
He simply dropped into the darkness with a tiny, satisfied smile.
AJ's Path
AJ landed hard on his back, dust exploding in a narrow stone corridor lit only by eerie blue candles. His ribs stung, but he forced himself up.
The walls were covered with murals: hooded figures, ritual circles, chains holding glowing souls, and—
A half-sun symbol.
Softly glowing.
He felt his heartbeat stutter.
"What… why would this symbol be here?"
A faint giggle echoed.
A small ghostly child stepped from a doorway, hollow-eyed, translucent.
"They took everything…" she whispered.
"Deus… Deus… Deus…"
AJ's throat tightened.
"…That again."
Neo's Path
Neo woke in a battlefield illusion—broken swords, shattered armor, dirt stained with dried blood. The sky above him was cracked like a broken mirror.
A dying warrior crawled toward him, eyes lifeless but moving.
He offered Neo a beast fang.
"Take… it…"
"Run… before the priest… returns…"
Neo swallowed hard, picking it up.
"…What the hell is happening here?"
Ruth's Path
Ruth opened her eyes inside a room made entirely of mirrors.
She saw herself from every direction—expressionless, emotionless, hollow.
Then all the reflections opened their mouths.
And screamed at her—
"WAKE UP!!"
Ruth stumbled back, hands flying to her ears.
(Stop. Stop. Stop.)
Her legs trembled. Her reflection stared back at her with pity she didn't want.
Nisha's Path
Nisha pushed into a dusty library, shaking off the fear prickling her skin. Books lay everywhere—torn pages, scribbled notes, forbidden texts.
Symbols repeated across the walls: rituals, bindings, a fractured sun.
She picked up one torn page.
"DEUS — The God-Stealers."
She exhaled slowly.
"What kind of nightmare cult did we walk into?"
Costarius' Real Face
Costarius walked through a dim corridor with the confidence of someone strolling through a garden.
Shadows bowed as he passed.
"These walls respond well to my presence," he whispered.
"Good. Let them wander."
Echoing Voices
The mansion shifted like a living beast.
AJ heard Ruth's scream somewhere far above him.
Neo heard AJ's footsteps as if from underwater.
Ruth heard Neo calling her name, but from a direction that made no sense.
All of them tried to move toward each other.
None of them could.
The dead priest's voice echoed through every wall:
"Your souls… belong to Deus…"
AJ clenched his jaw.
"Oh yeah? Over my dead body."
A lantern at the end of his corridor flickered on, casting a long path of trembling light.
AJ tightened his grip on his dagger.
And stepped forward.