The two cloaked figures slipped through the towering iron gates of the mansion, moving in silent unison. The building was an ominous silhouette against the night, its walls draped in shadows and ivy, with dozens of candlelit sconces flickering along the path inside. The air was thick with a chilling quiet, the kind that pressed in on anyone who entered. Their footsteps barely made a sound on the dark marble floors, and even the flickering flames seemed to retreat as they passed.
The pair navigated the labyrinthine corridors, past empty halls and under cavernous arches. The occasional portrait or statue peered at them, eyes gleaming from within gilded frames or carved stone faces. They reached a set of grand double doors at the end of a long corridor, each bearing an intricately carved motif of twisted vines and skulls. With a silent nod, the boy pushed them open.
