Leo Hawk was just 18 years old, but he had spent most of his life alone. His parents had vanished long ago, leaving him behind in the big, eerie mansion at the edge of town. The place was old, crumbling, and full of secrets. It stood like a shadow against the sky, towering over the land, and everyone called it the "Ghost Mansion."
Leo had grown used to being alone. He did everything by himself—cooked, cleaned, and wandered the endless halls of the house. But what he really wanted was to live like a normal boy, to have friends, to talk to someone who wasn't a memory. The townspeople avoided the mansion, whispering about ghosts and curses. No one ever came near, and Leo's world was small and lonely.
Until one night.
Three kids from Darkveil High school —Kaido, Daniel, and Yumiko—dared each other to visit the mansion. They'd heard the stories about ghosts, strange noises, and things that went bump in the night. But they didn't believe in such things. It was all just talk to scare people, right? So, with flashlights in hand, they snuck in under the cover of night, laughing nervously as they passed through the iron gates.
Leo, sitting by the window in the top room, saw them coming. His heart raced. For the first time in years, someone was coming to his home. Maybe this was his chance to finally meet people—people his own age, people he could talk to. He could hardly contain his excitement.
The three friends stepped inside, and the mansion seemed to change around them. The air was cold, and every sound echoed as if the walls themselves were alive. They felt uneasy but didn't want to admit it. Kaido, the boldest of the group, led the way. "We just need to get to the top floor, snap a picture, and leave. Easy," he whispered, though his voice trembled just a bit.
As they made their way up the grand staircase, strange things began to happen. Shadows moved when no one was near, and a soft whisper seemed to follow them. Yumiko grabbed Kaido's arm, her eyes wide. "Did you hear that?" she asked. But Kaido shook his head. "It's just the wind," he replied, though he didn't quite believe it himself.
When they finally reached the top floor, they found a locked door. It looked like it hadn't been opened in years, with dust and cobwebs thick around it. Kaido, always curious, managed to pick the lock. As soon as the door clicked open, a flash of lightning split the sky outside, casting the room in a strange glow.
Inside was an old room, untouched by time. A large painting of a boy from the 1980s hung on the wall, his eyes almost lifelike as they stared down at the group. The room felt wrong, like something was waiting in the darkness. But the three friends pressed on, determined to prove they weren't afraid.
Leo, meanwhile, had wheeled himself into the corner of the room, watching with excitement. Finally, someone had come. But as the friends wandered the room, they didn't notice him. It was as if he wasn't even there. He waved, he called out—but they ignored him completely. "Why can't they hear me?" Leo whispered, his voice heavy with confusion.
Then Dan found something—a small, blue diamond hidden under a pile of dust. It glowed faintly in the dim light. "Whoa, check this out," he said, holding it up. "This has to be worth something!" The friends gathered around, excited by their discovery, talking about selling it and making money.
That's when Leo felt it—anger, sharp and cold. That diamond wasn't just a trinket. It was part of his family's history, a piece of his life. "No!" Leo shouted, his voice growing loud and fierce. "That's mine! Don't touch it!"
But the friends didn't seem to hear him—until his voice shifted, turning into a deep, dark roar. A black wave of energy exploded from Leo, knocking the group to the ground. They fainted, their bodies limp on the cold floor, as the storm outside raged.
When Yumiko awoke, it was early morning. The sun had just started to rise, casting a pale light over the garden. She blinked, confused. They weren't inside the mansion anymore. They were outside, lying on the grass. She shocked Wakes Kaido and Daniel . "Was it… a dream?" she asked, her voice shaky.
But it wasn't. The mansion loomed behind them, as silent and cold as ever. As they stood up, they felt a strange chill in the air. Something was wrong. They turned to leave, walking through the town, but something terrifying hit them—there was no one else around. The streets, usually busy at this time, were empty. Not a single person in sight.
Hours passed, and still, they found no one. Panic set in as they gathered in the park, trying to make sense of what had happened. Yumiko cried, blaming herself and the boys. "It's because we took the diamond," she sobbed. "We shouldn't have done that."
Kaido, trying to hold it together, suggested the only thing he could think of. "We have to go back," he said. "Back to the mansion. We need to figure out what happened."
And so, they made a decision: they would return to the haunted mansion. But deep down, they knew—what awaited them there was far worse than anything they had already seen.