Darkness swallowed them whole.
Not soft darkness.
Not romantic movie blackout darkness.
No.
This was the "I can't see my own soul" kind of darkness.
Footsteps skittered across the walls.
Tiny.
Fast.
Everywhere.
The house whispered—
"Ten minutes…"
Aria's voice trembled. "Okay, nobody panic."
Kian: already panicking internally but pretending to be brave
"We are fine. Totally fine. Perfectly fine."
A whisper drifted behind him.
"Behind you."
Kian screeched like a microphone glitch.
"NO WE ARE NOT FINE—WHO SAID THAT?!"
Yuvan grabbed Aria's arm. "We need light! Aria, use the scroll!"
The scroll glowed faintly but not enough.
Ravi hissed, "This is a horror puzzle. Light is part of the challenge."
Zoya clung to Mira. "Well they can keep their challenge! I want electricity!"
A soft laugh echoed around them.
The child's voice.
"Find the first one… if you can."
Then sudden—
CLICK.
A dim, dusty chandelier flickered on at the far end of the hallway.
Only one.
Barely lighting anything.
But enough to see…
A figure standing under it.
Tall.
Still.
Facing the wall.
Everyone froze.
Dev gulped. "Is that a— a spirit?"
Rhea squinted.
"I think that's a—"
The figure snapped its head toward them.
FACELESS.
Like someone erased its features with a digital blur tool.
Zoya screamed into Mira's shoulder. "NOPE. NOPE. NOPE."
The faceless spirit pointed down the hallway.
Slowly.
Silently.
As if telling them—
Follow me.
Kian shook his head violently. "NO THANK YOU. SIR, I RESPECTFULLY DECLINE."
But the timer on the scroll began glowing.
9:22
9:21
9:20
Aria shouted, "WE HAVE TO MOVE!"
The group followed the spirit down the hallway—
reluctantly,
awkwardly,
and while making a chain of hand-holding because teamwork makes fear slightly less traumatizing.
---
THE PORTRAIT ROOM
The spirit led them to a massive room filled with old portraits.
But these portraits weren't normal.
They blinked.
Shifted.
Whispered.
Some even smiled as the group walked in.
Mira shuddered. "Why are the paintings ALIVE?"
The child's voice echoed softly—
"This is their gallery."
Dev whispered, "THEIR WHO?!"
"The family."
The chandelier flickered.
A woman's portrait began crying black tears.
A man's portrait turned its head unnaturally.
A baby portrait giggled.
Kian gagged. "This is nightmare fuel—"
Ravi hushed him. "Look."
The faceless spirit walked to a portrait of a woman holding a baby—
her eyes scratched out with claw marks.
Zoya whispered, "Is… is that the mother?"
The spirit nodded.
Then pointed to the cradle beside the portrait.
A real cradle.
Wooden.
Rocking on its own.
Rhea clutched Ravi's sleeve. "There's something in it…"
Aria slowly approached the cradle.
The others stayed at least three feet behind her. (Except Yuvan, who hid behind Dev.)
Aria lifted the cloth—
And inside…
was a glowing, baby-sized orb of light.
Soft.
Warm.
Calming.
The scroll flickered.
FIRST SPIRIT FOUND: THE INFANT.
Return them to the nursery.
But beware the house.
Kian blinked. "THAT'S A BABY!? THAT BALL OF LIGHT?!"
Zoya teared up. "Awww… spirit baby."
Yuvan poked it. "Do spirit babies cry? Because I'm allergic to that."
Dev smacked his hand away.
Aria carefully picked up the glowing infant spirit.
And immediately—
The house screamed.
Like a thousand voices wailing in rage.
The chandelier exploded.
The portraits shrieked.
The walls cracked.
Ravi shouted, "WE TRIGGERED A TRAP!"
The scroll updated:
THE HOUSE IS ANGRY.
RUN.
The doors slammed shut.
Zoya screamed.
Mira screamed louder.
Kian screamed the loudest of all.
The floorboards twisted like snakes.
The baby spirit glowed brighter, humming in Aria's arms.
The faceless spirit pointed to a hallway on the right.
Aria ran first. "GOOOOO!!"
Everyone bolted after her.
---
THE HOUSE'S FIRST TRAP
They sprinted through the hallway—
Only for the walls to suddenly shift.
Melt.
Close in.
Like jaws.
Dev yelled, "THE HOUSE IS TRYING TO EAT US!"
Mira shrieked, "WHY DOES EVERYTHING WANT TO EAT US?! IS THIS A THEME?"
The hall tightened behind them—
crunching loudly.
Kian tripped.
Yuvan grabbed him by the shirt.
"YOU ARE NOT DYING IN ROUND 2! I REFUSE."
Rhea pointed ahead.
"LOOK!"
An open doorway—
but behind it?
A black void swirling like a giant, hungry portal.
Zoya sobbed. "WHY WOULD WE GO IN THERE?! NO!"
The scroll flashed:
JUMP.
TRUST THE INFANT.
Aria clutched the glowing baby.
"On three!" she yelled.
"No! NO THREE! GIVE ME FIVE!" Kian begged.
"ONE—TWO—THREE!"
Aria jumped.
The others screamed and followed.
The house's jaws slammed shut behind them.
---
THE NURSERY
They crashed onto a soft carpet this time.
Pastel wallpaper.
Rocking horse.
Mobile spinning gently.
A giant wooden sign on the wall:
"THE NURSERY OF QUIET HEARTS"
The baby spirit floated from Aria's arms—
glowed brighter—
then phased into an empty crib.
The room brightened.
The scroll chimed softly:
FIRST SPIRIT SAVED
TIME REMAINING: 04:12
Find the next spirit before the house does.
The child's voice echoed again—
closer.
Sharper.
Less innocent.
"Run along… before the house chooses one of YOU."
Kian grabbed Aria.
"WE NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW."
Yuvan nodded fast. "YEAH—SPIRIT BABY IS SAFE BUT I AM NOT."
Zoya pointed at the crib.
"It's so cute… look at the glow—"
The glow flickered.
Then—
Behind the crib—
a tall shadow moved.
Slowly.
Silently.
The group froze.
Rhea whispered:
"…that is NOT the baby."
The shadow leaned forward—
Two hollow eyes opened.
And the spirit in the crib began crying again.
The room went dark.
HARD MODE UNLOCKED.
---