The mansion groaned.
In Forevermore, the walls pulsed with a strange rhythm—like a heartbeat echoing through wood and stone.
Mira moved through the corridors, breath shallow, eyes darting from door to door. She had opened a dozen rooms already—each stranger than the last. A hallway of mirrors. A room filled with ticking clocks. A library where the books whispered in languages she didn't know.
Then she opened a small, unmarked door.
Inside: a playroom.
Dusty dolls sat in a circle. A rocking horse creaked slowly, though no one rode it. Crayon drawings lined the walls—some cheerful, others… not.
Mira stepped in, heart pounding.
Downstairs, Brittany hit the floor hard.
Mrs. Hodgins stood over her, triumphant.
But then—the lamp began to glow.
Soft at first. Then brighter. Brighter still.
Zahir stirred.
His fingers twitched.
His eyes fluttered open.
In the pit below, Egry gasped.
Her body flickered like a candle in the wind. Her red hair dulled. Her nails cracked. Her voice trembled.
"I'm… fading…"
Anne floated above her, unconscious, her pendant glowing like a star.
The lamp pulsed in sync.
And then—
A beam of light shot skyward.
In the woods, Lily and the others shielded their eyes.
A column of golden light pierced the fog, rising from the mansion like a beacon.
Lily whispered, "That's them."
The others stared in awe.
The fog hissed.
And the light kept rising.
Back in the mansion, Mrs. Hodgins turned to the lamp.
She smiled.
And rubbed it.
Brittany blinked. "Wait—what? It's 2025 and you still wanna clean things around? You know, because of—"
She didn't finish.
The air cracked.
A pulse of magic surged through the room.
Zahir stood.
Brittany's heart leapt. "hey you're the guy that was at the fair!"
But something was wrong.
He didn't look at her.
He turned to Mrs. Hodgins.
And knelt.
"My master," he said.
Brittany's smile faded.
Her stomach dropped.
Mrs. Hodgins smirked.
"Finally," she whispered. "Now let's begin."
To be continued…