Ren was the only child of a middle-class family living in an ordinary apartment with his father Kaito. He lost his mother at a young age, and this loss left a void in Ren's soul that would never be filled. Although Kaito tried to be both a mother and a father, the painful burden of the past sometimes cracked the silent bond between them.
One day, while looking through an old drawer that his grandfather had left, Ren noticed a dusty document. The document had a strange texture, as if it were not ordinary paper, it resembled old leather. It had symbols written in an old language and a signature that looked like it had been made in blood. What was even more surprising was that the document pointed to a piece of land. A house that was clearly owned by the family, but had never been heard of before.
"Dad, look! My grandfather had a house? Why didn't we know about this?" Ren asked in surprise as he handed the document to his father.
Kaito examined the paper carefully. His face was thoughtful. "I don't know, Ren. I don't remember my father mentioning something like this. But it caught my attention... We should go and see."
After deciding to go home, they set off. The scenery became more and more strange as they continued on the road. People started to stop and look at the car while they were busy with their work. There was something in their gazes; a kind of curiosity, but also uneasiness.
"Dad, why are these people looking like that? Isn't it disturbing?" Ren asked as he looked out the car window.
Kaito gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to hide his anxiety. "I don't know. Maybe it's a small town... It's obvious that we're strangers here."
When they reached the place the document indicated, a huge steel gate appeared in front of them. It had old, red symbols engraved on it. A huge security guard stood out in a small hut next to the gate. Standing at around ten feet tall, this man looked like a giant next to Ren and Kaito.
The guard came out of the hut and walked towards them. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a deep, resonant voice.
Ren glanced quickly at his father and snatched up the document. "My grandfather had a house here," he told the security guard, glancing at the name "Tatsu" written on the man's collar.
Tatsu looked at the document and was silent for a moment. Then, with a slightly devilish smile on his face, he said, "Welcome. I'll mark the house you're looking for. But be careful... This is no ordinary place."
As he handed over the map, Ren felt a cold vibration as he touched it. The surface of the map was smooth, but even holding it felt eerie.
Fear gripped Ren. He whispered to his father, "Dad, this man is not trustworthy. Things are going wrong here."
Kaito thanked Tatsu, trying to stay calm, and they continued on their way, taking the map.
Ren began to feel uncomfortable with the silence around him. The road was dark and lost in the shadows of the dense trees. The old signs they came across every now and then had lost most of their writing, but they still seemed to whisper the message of "danger." Kaito's hands were tense on the steering wheel, but he tried not to show it to his son.
When they finally reached the marked location on the map, the structure rising before them was more strange and frightening than anything they had seen. A large, old mansion; made of pitch-black stone, with narrow and dark windows. Moss-covered roofs, a courtyard that had once been magnificent but now lay in ruins. The wind groaned through the doors and windows, as if whispering something inside the house.
"Dad... This place doesn't look normal," Ren said, feeling his heart pounding in his chest.
Kaito took a deep breath and said, "I know, Ren. But this could be something to do with our past. We need to understand this secret that my grandfather left behind," and got out of the car.
Ren reluctantly got out of the car after his father. The house seemed like a threatening entity to him. As they walked towards the door, they noticed the engravings on it. The ancient symbols twisted like snakes and were painted in a color that resembled blood red.
Kaito examined the house carefully. Its magnificent structure looked old but still very well preserved. After taking a deep breath, she decided to knock on the door.
After a while of silence, the door slowly opened. An elegant maid who was about the same age as Ren appeared in front of them. Her long black hair was neatly tied back, and her purple eyes were glinting with attention. Her short maid dress created an air of elegance yet mystery. Although there was a soft expression in her eyes, it was obvious that she was alert.
The maid spoke in a calm voice as she carefully examined Kaito and Ren. "Welcome, my name is Mei," she said. "What did you come for?"
Kaito took a step forward and answered with a slight curiosity. "We learned that my father's house is here. That's why we are here."
Mei bowed her head slightly at the words. After examining Kaito and Ren carefully for a while longer, she spoke slowly. "Interestingā¦ There was an old painting in the hall. A painting that a group of people brought a long time ago. Butā¦ the people in this painting look a lot like you," she said with a slight smile.
Ren and Kaito looked at each other in surprise, and asked almost at the same time: "The people in the painting?"
Mei nodded thoughtfully without taking her eyes off them. "Yes, I think it's you. Anyway, come in. There's a lot to tell," she said, and opened the door wide, leading the way.
They entered under Mei's guidance. Ren examined the surroundings carefully with his eyes, noticing that everything was old but well-preserved. Mei led them through a long corridor and into a large hall. There was a large painting in the middle of the hall. When they took a closer look at the people in the painting, Kaito's face turned pale.
There were three people in the painting: Ren's grandfather was depicted as a young man. Kaito, in his younger form, was holding a baby in his arms. The baby was exactly the same as Ren's baby photos.
Kaito spoke in a surprised whisper. "This... this is impossible," he said. He reached out his hand to the painting but did not dare to touch it. His eyes were fixated on his grandfather's young self and the way his own face appeared in the painting. "This is me, but... how is that possible?"
Mei, noticing the tension in the environment, spoke in a soft tone. "Calm down. Please follow me. Let's go to the living room and talk calmly," he said.
As they continued on their way, Ren noticed a strange object on a table. The object gave him a feeling as if it was saying, "Take me." He put the object in his pocket without anyone noticing.
Mei began to answer Kaito's questions about his father. As he asked questions like, "What kind of person was your father? When was the last time he was here? Did he know about his death?" Kaito felt a growing emptiness inside him. However, Mei suddenly stopped and turned pale. "D-died? That's impossible. He was here a few days ago," he said.
Kaito took out his phone from his pocket and showed Mei what his father looked like before he died. Mei's eyes widened in fear. "How could he be so old?" she whispered. "He was like in the paintingā¦ What's going on?" he continued.
At that moment, Mei collapsed to the ground. Ren panicked and tried to hold Mei, but Mei had hit her head on the ground and fainted. Blood was starting to appear. Kaito quickly picked Mei up and carried her to the living room. "I'll take care of her. I used to be a doctor, you know. Get some air, you'll come around," he said. When Ren came out, he still couldn't understand what was happening and was wandering around, not knowing what to do.
There was something strange about the house, it seemed like everything had started right then. Outside, the door of the house next door opened. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl made eye contact with Ren. The girl approached. "Do you live here?" she asked. Ren replied, "No, we just got here. My grandfather died, we found out that he had a house here when we were going through old documents." The girl looked at him curiously. "My father disappeared too. He was last seen here. The police said he had a house here, so we came," she said.
After a while, the girl's mother called out to her and told her to go to him immediately. The girl said, "See you later. By the way, my name is Rin," and left. Ren felt a brief moment of peace, but that feeling quickly disappeared like shadows.
At that moment, he realized that time was passing quickly and the sky was darkening. As Ren moved forward, he saw armed men in suits. He quickly hid behind a wall. However, a man suddenly appeared behind him and knocked Ren unconscious.
When Ren opened his eyes, he found himself tied to a chair in a dark place. Armed men were talking around him. While Ren was shouting, "Why did you tie me up?", a man with an eye patch came to him and asked angrily, stroking his beard: "Are you an agent like that security guard? Do you work for them? Talk!" Ren said, his mind in a haze, trying to understand what was happening. At that moment, melodies started to come from outside. Gunshots could be heard along with the melodies. A wounded man entered, shouting, "We're surrounded," and fell to the ground. The blindfolded man immediately tried to treat the wounded man, but the man had lost too much blood. He grabbed his weapon and stood up, covered in his friend's blood.
As the melodies filled the area, Ren tried to untie his ropes with trembling hands. At that moment, a silhouette entered the door. The blindfolded man quickly untied Ren's ropes, blood splattering over him. At that moment, fear slowly spread throughout his entire body. The blindfolded man shouted loudly, "Don't look at them!"
"If you look at them, you'll turn into stone!" Ren's eyes widened, his hands shaking as he grabbed the man tightly. The fear in the man's eyes was growing. He took a deep breath and spoke quickly, "We call them Erephors. Creatures that live in the darkness, turning people to stone with their presence. There's no going back, do you understand? If you look at them, you won't go back. It's that simple," he said.
Ren was horrified by the man's words. You must hold your blood, or everything will be over. Do you understand?"
The man took another step closer to Ren. "Be careful not to look at these cursed creatures! One look and you will be stone forever. I don't want to see someone as young as you in such danger," he said.
Ren squeezed his eyes shut. He rose from the chair, but every step, every sound, every rustle made him even more anxious. The man's words echoed in his head like a nightmare. Ren squeezed his eyes shut and quickly stepped outside. His heart was pounding in his chest, his lungs felt like they were on fire with every breath. His feet were pounding the ground hard, his steps quickening. The echoing sounds of guns and melodies behind him reminded him of how dangerous he was. But he was determined never to look back. He turned the corner and took refuge in the darkened street.
"What's going on?" he shouted, but his voice faded into the night. Suddenly, everything went terribly silent. The gunshots stopped suddenly. The voices buzzing in Ren's head grew more intense. It was as if time had stopped, everything had frozen. Only the fluttering beats of his heart echoed in his ears. He walked to the corner of the street and leaned his back against a wall. Hiding next to a trash can, he wished for everything to end as soon as possible.
As he took a deep breath, the density of the air around him changed. The melody was rising again, like a distant call. His entire being was being drawn into that melody. Although he tried to resist, the power of that voice was drawing Ren one step closer.
Suddenly, he felt a cold woman's hand behind him. He stood frozen, not knowing what to do. When he slowly turned his head, he noticed a silhouette in the darkness that merged with the echoes of the melody. At that moment, he felt every muscle in his body turn to stone. He did not dare to open his eyes.
At that moment, the voice of the man with the eyepatch echoed: "Run, what are you waiting for?" The man quickly pulled Ren away from the monster. However, the man who looked at the creature to save Ren slowly began to turn into stone. With his eyes wide open, Ren heard the man's last words: "Rin, I missed you so much, my dear girl."
The man froze, completely turning into stone. Ren drew back in fear. He deeply understood that the price of looking at these creatures was real death.
Trembling, he quickly ran towards his house. His heart ached with every step, his lungs constricted with every breath. The dark streets and the melody that followed him had become a nightmare. When he reached his house, he opened the door and went inside. When Kaito saw him, he asked in surprise: "What happened? Are you hurt?"
"No, it's not my blood," Ren said, shaking in fear. He tried to explain what he had experienced, but every word was stuck in his throat. Kaito laughed in disbelief, "Didn't you take your medicine again? You know this is what happens when you don't take your medicine. I'm sure that's fake blood on you!"
Ren said, "No, it was real this time! I know what I saw! "This was different from the drugs, and everything felt real!" she insisted. At that moment, the maid woke up when she heard the melody coming from outside. Realizing that the door was open, she shouted, "Close the door now!"