Evening – Stepping Inside
Kael's breath came shallow as he stood before the open door.
The whisper—**his own voice calling his name—**still echoed in his mind.
This is a trap.
Every instinct screamed at him to turn back. But if he ran now, would the house disappear again?
He stepped inside.
The air was stale, thick with dust and something... wrong. The wooden floor creaked beneath his boots, each step too loud in the unnatural silence.
The house smelled of old wood, damp fabric, and something faintly metallic. Like blood.
The walls were lined with shelves, but they were empty. No furniture, no signs of life. Just a single table in the center of the room.
And on it—
A book.
Kael swallowed. It wasn't covered in dust.
Someone had placed it there. Recently.
He hesitated, then reached out and flipped it open.
Night – The Book of Names
The pages were handwritten.
At first, the ink was neat, almost elegant. The first line read:
Eldoria Village Census – Year 921
Kael frowned. He had never heard of any census. Did the village even keep records like this?
He scanned the first few names. They were familiar—Mara, Simon, Aldric, Livia.
The villagers.
But as he turned the pages, his blood ran cold.
The handwriting changed. It became messy, desperate. Crossed-out names filled the pages.
Then, near the end—
Hagan.
Kael's chest tightened. The name was there.
But it was different from the others. Someone had written it hastily, then—
Erased it.
No ink remained, just deep scratches where the letters had been. As if someone had tried to remove the name by force.
Kael's hand trembled as he turned the last page.
There, at the very bottom, only one name remained.
Kael.
His own name.
The ink was fresh.
His stomach twisted. Someone had just written this.
Then—
The door slammed shut.
The Footsteps Upstairs
Kael spun toward the door. Locked.
Then—creaking.
His heart pounded. Someone was upstairs.
The sound was slow, deliberate.
Step.
Step.
Kael backed away from the table, his hand instinctively reaching for a weapon he didn't have.
He had two choices—run or confront whatever was upstairs.
He clenched his fists. No more running.
He moved toward the staircase.
The creaking stopped.
Kael exhaled, bracing himself. Then, he took the first step.