The mansion groaned like a living thing.
Its walls shifted.
Its halls stretched endlessly.
Shadows twisted in the flickering candlelight.
And Hollow Maw loomed before them—a mass of chains, a shifting body of dark mist, and hollow, glowing eyes burning with hunger.
Adrian gripped his sword. "This thing isn't just haunting the mansion—it's controlling it."
Felix narrowed his eyes, keeping his stance loose. "Yeah, but why does it feel like it's getting stronger?"
Selene had been watching closely.
Then, she saw it.
The spirits trapped in the walls.
The ghosts flickering in and out of existence.
Their faces twisted in silent screams.
Then—
The monster moved.
A ghost—a small, frightened child's spirit—appeared just within its reach.
Hollow Maw struck instantly.
CRUNCH.
The ghost disappeared.
Swallowed into its form.
The air thickened with dark energy.
Selene's stomach turned. "It's eating them."
The realization sent a chill through the team.
Adrian's grip tightened.
Felix's usual smirk was gone.
The monster…
was feeding.
Felix was the first to move, vanishing into the shadows.
(FZZT!)
Illusions sprung up—flickering images of more ghosts.
Fake prey.
Hollow Maw hesitated, snarling, chains lashing at the fakes.
But it wasn't fooled for long.
Another spirit flickered into the room—a woman this time.
A victim, still lost in her suffering.
The monster turned—
Selene rushed forward, hands glowing. "No!"
(FWOOSH!)
Her magic flared as she pressed her palm to the ghost's forehead—
Purification energy surged through her.
The ghost glowed—then dissolved gently into light.
Freed.
But—
Another one appeared.
And another.
The mansion was full of them.
Hollow Maw lunged.
Adrian blocked the attack, his sword deflecting the chains—
(CLANG!)
—but the impact sent him sliding back. "There are too many! We can't purify them all at once!"
Selene clenched her jaw.
They were saving one, only for another to appear.
Felix dodged another chain, clicking his tongue. "So what, do we just keep playing ghost whack-a-mole until morning?"
Selene's hands shook.
Another ghost cried out.
Trapped.
Waiting to be devoured.
She had to be faster.
She had to save them.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
The battle was a desperate cycle.
Purify. Dodge. Attack.
Selene freed one spirit—Hollow Maw devoured another.
Each ghost lost made the monster stronger.
More dangerous.
Their attacks barely phased it.
Selene's energy was draining.
Her breath uneven.
Her hands trembling.
Adrian was panting, his sword heavier in his grip.
Felix's illusions flickered, the stress straining his control.
It wasn't enough.
Then—
The ghosts stopped appearing.
Selene blinked, looking around.
Had they saved them all?
No.
Hollow Maw had eaten the last of them.
But instead of growing stronger—
It shuddered.
Shrinking.
Slowing.
Selene realized it. "It's full."
Adrian's eyes flashed. "Then this is our chance."
The Final Strike
Weakened.
Sluggish.
Dying.
Hollow Maw snarled, chains dragging on the floor as its form flickered, unraveling.
For the first time—it was vulnerable.
Adrian moved first—faster than the eye could track.
(SHIIING!)
His blade slashed deep into the creature's core—black mist spilling from the wound.
Felix's illusions warped the room, confusing its movements, keeping it off balance.
Selene pressed her hands together.
Her final, strongest purification flared to life.
(FWOOOOOSH!)
Light exploded outward.
The chains snapped.
Hollow Maw let out a final, wretched scream.
Then—
Silence.
A Memory of a Sinner
As the monster dissolved, something strange happened.
A memory surfaced.
A glimpse of the life it once had.
A man sat hunched in a dark alley, hands shaking.
His pockets—empty.
His debt—unpayable.
He had lost everything to gambling.
The loan sharks were closing in.
Desperate, he ran.
And in his escape—
he found the house.
A shadowy figure was waiting.
"You wish to escape your debt?" the figure asked.
The man—terrified, hopeless—nodded.
The figure smiled.
"Then take this. Consume it, and this house will be yours."
A dark, pulsing mass was placed in his hands.
Desperation won over reason.
He ate.
And he became the house's warden.
Bound. Cursed. Trapped for eternity.
Until tonight.
The mansion was silent.
The ghosts were gone.
The house—no longer shifting.
No longer cursed.
Adrian exhaled, rolling his shoulder. "Finally."
Felix stretched, exhausted. "I'm not gonna lie. That was the worst house tour of my life."
Selene didn't speak.
She just stared at the ground, lost in thought.
Then—
A slow, deliberate clap.
They turned.
From the shadows—Instructor Hana stepped forward.
"Not bad," she said smoothly, eyes unreadable. "Took you long enough."
Felix scowled. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the help."
Hana smirked. "I was watching."
Then, her smile faded.
"But it took me longer than it should have to find you."
She studied the room, her gaze sharp.
"Someone blocked my ability to track you."
A cold silence settled between them.
Adrian frowned. "Blocked you?"
Hana nodded. "Something—or someone—didn't want me here."
Felix clicked his tongue. "Great. Love a good conspiracy."
Adrian sheathed his sword. "Mission's done. Let's go."
Selene looked back one last time.
The house stood still.
Silent.
Empty.
The spirits were free.
But the mystery…
Was only beginning.
End…