The morning sky glowed softly between the twin mountains, the sun slowly rising to its throne. Birds filled the air with light chirps and fluttering wings. One tiny bird slipped inside a tent, landing beside a mattress in search of crumbs.
Lisha stirred, groaning as she tried to fall back asleep—
until last night's warning replayed through her mind:
"You must leave this place."
She sighed, forced herself up, and stepped outside.
Good grief… Did the heavens come down or something?
The sunlight hit her straight in the face, blinding her. She shielded her eyes.
"Good morning, Lisha!" Hana called brightly.
"Huh?—yeah. Good morning," she replied, still blinking.
"How'd you sleep?"
"It was… TERRIBLE!" Hana groaned. "Those mosquitoes kept eating me alive!"
"You're not alone," Ivy muttered, scratching a red bite.
"Huh… for me it was fine," Lisha said, stretching.
Hana pointed at her. "You have dark circles. Don't talk."
Ivy brushed off her clothes. "Anyway, ready to walk to the mansion?"
"Yeah, I'm ready," Lisha yawned.
"Girls! We're moving!" Mei shouted.
Lisha sighed. Here comes the first chaos of the day… actually—is this even chaos?
They followed the river through morning mist. The scenery looked unreal—painted trees, pastel sky, and gentle light drifting between branches. Even the river shimmered like glass.
Of course, the beauty didn't last.
"The mud's sticking to my shoes," Ivy complained. "It's giving ick."
"For real—" Hana began, before Elara cut her off.
"Quit complaining! Bah, bah, bah—that's all I hear."
Why does everyone cut me off… Hana cried inside.
Ivy shot Elara a glare. Nina stepped between them immediately.
"No fights," Nina warned sharply.
Elara and Ivy rolled their eyes at each other.
"Snow White wannabe," Elara muttered.
"Barbie wannabe," Ivy fired back.
Ivy leaned toward Hana. "She's totally trying to get under my skin."
"What?" Hana asked.
"Bend—down. I'm short."
Hana crouched with a laugh. "Okay, what is it?"
"She definitely has beef with me."
"Yeah… just ignore it," Hana said. "If she tries something? Say 'no bullying.'"
"Mhm."
Lisha watched the girls bicker, sighing quietly.
If they can't handle each other… how are they going to handle the real villains?
"Quit worrying. They'll get along… somehow," Mei said.
"Not convincing, but sure."
Fog thickened. Sunlight dimmed.
The forest's stench grew heavier, like decay clinging to their shoes.
Even the river bent sharply away—refusing to continue forward.
"It was beautiful five minutes ago! Did the forest get diarrhea!? IT STINKS!" Elara shouted.
"Look who's complaining now," Ivy muttered. "But… she's right."
Ivy shoulder-checked her as they entered the mansion grounds. Lisha sighed.
Mei muttered something but didn't start a fight.
The boys, far less interested in drama and far more bothered by the smell, pinched their noses.
"Dude, move!" Jasper snapped.
"You tell them, then me," Hector grumbled.
"Ladies! Move aside!" Arjun shouted.
"Practice what you preach," Sora muttered.
Inside, Elara gasped.
"What the—"
The mansion interior was spotless.
Polished floors. Perfect ribbons. Gleaming furniture.
Too perfect.
"This is either black magic… or we're hallucinating," Jasper whispered.
"Agreed," someone answered.
"I can't see anything," Elara hissed. "They're blocking the view."
"They're like golems," Sora whispered.
Both sat down outside, waiting for the chaos to pass.
"Alright… time to break this shenanigans," Lisha muttered.
She dropped onto the couch.
Everyone froze.
Nothing happened.
Varun whispered, "She's totally gonna get eaten by the sofa."
"Bless you—also, nothing's distorted," Milo said mid-chew, finally stopping.
Then—
The illusion shattered.
The gleam vanished.
Walls cracked.
Floors dulled to dust.
Ribbons crumbled in Catherine's hands.
The mansion rotted before their eyes.
The illusion had never been real—only exhaustion and foul air twisting their senses.
A drop of red liquid fell onto Lisha's arm.
Blood.
Probably.
Lisha stared blankly.
I broke the magic. Cool. Now I want to sleep. Oh… dirt.
Ivy grabbed her by the coat.
"There are MAGGOTS!" Ivy shrieked, dragging her toward the river.
Lisha blinked slowly as water dripped down her face, hair soaked.
"You're NOT sleeping there!" Ivy panted.
"There's dirt—maggots—blood on the ceiling—AND—AND—"
"Girl. Chillax," Ava said. "She's fine."
"She's WET!"
"Put her under the sun."
"She'll sleep on more dirt!"
"You're going to stand," Ivy snapped. "And I'm going to supervise."
Lisha wrung water from her hair.
"Clean the place. Nina, Felix—prepare Ezra and Mira for healing."
"The healing what!?" Ava asked.
"No idea," Hana said. "But Lisha's always right."
"We've been touching grass since we got here!" Hana added as they walked back.
Inside, the smell was unbearable.
Hana called Nina.
Ava found Felix.
Soon everyone gathered, unable to stay indoors.
"We have to dig up dry soil and spread it around," Nina said. "The ground's too soggy."
"Cleaning supplies are upstairs," Felix added. "We'll handle the interior."
"Do we have masks? Dust is gonna go in our lungs," Ava said.
"Varun has them," Felix replied.
Nobody questioned it.
Felix suddenly snapped his fingers.
"We also need to prep Mira and Ezra for the healing."
"Wait—LISHA said that!" Hana gasped.
Ava squinted. "Are you two… linked?"
"No! I just—intuition!" Felix insisted poorly.
"Are we cleaning or dying here?" Nina snapped. "It's almost sunset."
Everyone got to work.
Varun handed out masks like he'd been preparing for the apocalypse.
Sunlight dimmed behind cracked walls.
Behind the mansion, a strange door stood fused into a tree.
Colors shimmered across its surface.
It whispered—like the voices of distorted angels.
Until it creaked open just an inch.
As if waiting for someone to come out…
Or for someone to go in.
–
Meanwhile, Mei—who had gone upstairs to investigate the source of the red liquid—moved quietly through the dim corridor.
The hallway split into two paths: one turning left, the other stretching straight ahead.
Each room she passed looked… wrong, in its own way.
The first contained a single hospital bed—straps still buckled, as if waiting for its next patient.
The next held a baby's crib, rocking gently even though no wind touched it.
Another room resembled a family bedroom, neat but coated in a thin layer of untouched dust.
Strange… but survivable.
Until she reached the door with an axe buried into it.
Mei's breath hitched.
She reached forward, fingers brushing the axe handle before pushing the door open.
Her eyes widened—not a scream, but a silent, sharp inhale.
"…What in the world…"
A body hung from the ceiling, upside down, swaying gently like something had brushed past it moments ago.
Below it stood a table cluttered with weaponry—fresh blades, carefully polished, all unused.
Above the table hung a board pinned with pictures of people. Each photograph was stabbed through with a knife.
The smell of metal and decay thickened the air.
On the floor, a red sigil pulsed faintly—glowing with the same liquid that had dripped onto Lisha's arm earlier.
At the very center lay an old, worn diary.
The cover was scratched, stained, but the writing was unmistakable:
"Project 1
—By the Cultists"
Mei hesitated, then picked it up.
Was this a mistake?
Or a clue they desperately needed?
She didn't know—but one thing was certain:
This mansion wasn't abandoned.
And whoever lived here last… hadn't left long ago.
They needed to get out by tomorrow.
Before whoever drew that sigil came back.