Xarl's knees hit the cold marble of the phantom mansion's hallway. His vision flickered, his breath ragged. The walls rippled like oil on water. Voices whispered from nowhere—and everywhere.
"You were born to die.""Sacrifice. Obey.""You don't belong here."
He blinked, but the grotesque scene remained.
His parents—no, things wearing his parents' faces—sat at the dinner table, grinning as blood dripped from their teeth. A headless doll sat across from him, chewing quietly.
"You'll marry the blade, child," the thing wearing his father's face murmured.
"No," Xarl rasped. "No, you're not real."
But the smell was real. Iron. Decay. Rot.
He backed away—but the table stretched. Hands reached from the plates. One gripped his wrist with icy fingers.
Then, pain.
A sudden sting bloomed in his neck, cold and sharp like a frozen knife.
He gasped—eyes snapping wide.
Standing over him was Vally.
His fangs were still visible, gleaming faintly in the dark.
Xarl's heart thundered. "W-What the hell—?! Did you just bite me!?"
Vally rolled his eyes. "Yes. You're welcome."
Xarl clutched his neck. "That's your idea of help?!"
"It worked, didn't it?" Vally muttered, stepping back. "You were hallucinating hard. Screaming like a banshee. Cute, but a bit loud."
Xarl was still shaking, but the shadows weren't moving anymore. The table was gone. So were the monsters.
"What was that…?"
"This mansion is laced with illusion traps," Vally explained, scanning the corridor. "Hallucinogenic fog, psychic energy. Designed to break your mind. Works especially well on humans."
"But not you?"
"I'm a dominant vampire," Vally said casually. "Hallucinations don't work on me unless I let them."
"How noble of you," Xarl muttered.
Vally smirked. "Don't get used to it."
Then, from down another hall—a scream.
Naeva.
They ran toward it, and this time, Vally extended his hand mid-run. Thin glowing threads shimmered into view, weaving through the mansion's walls.
Xarl blinked. "What's that?"
"Precaution," Vally said. "I've been threading connections to everyone since we entered the city. Just in case things got… messy."
"You connected one to Kaelith too?"
"Mmhm. Not that he noticed. Or cared."
The hallway twisted, bending like a spiral. Floor and ceiling swapped places as they sprinted. Reality itself bent at strange angles.
Finally—they reached Naeva and Kor.
Both were collapsed against the walls, trapped in personal nightmares.
Naeva was whimpering, her hands covering her face. "Don't leave me, please... not again..."
Her staff was glowing faintly, responding to her fear.
Beside her, Kor's claws were digging into the ground. His lips curled in a snarl, and his eyes were glazed over.
"They're trapped in illusions," Xarl said.
"Obviously." Vally didn't wait—he leaned down and bit both of them, one after another, like a disinterested doctor drawing blood.
Naeva jerked awake with a gasp, eyes wide. "Xarl?"
"I'm here," he said gently.
Kor growled softly, eyes flickering back to focus. "Tch… I saw… my village burning."
"Mine was worse," Naeva muttered, shivering. "I was alone. Forever."
"You're not alone," Xarl said.
She nodded quickly, wiping her eyes.
Once all four were back to their senses, the corridor shifted again, revealing a library filled with ancient books and shattered mirrors.
[New Phase Unlocked: Solve the Clues to the Treasure]
A dusty tome hovered midair, pages flipping on their own.
Xarl caught a glimpse of illustrations:
A mirror
A crystal of light
A silver chalice
A candle
A song
Once all were gathered, the spell could be chanted to reveal the hidden vault.
"We split up," Kor said, his tone back to calm. "Five items. Let's move."
Naeva was the first to find something—a mirror hidden behind a cracked painting.
Kaelith appeared minutes later, following Vally's thread like a bloodhound. He didn't say a word, just dropped a glowing candle on the table and leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
Xarl glanced up at him. "You okay?"
Kaelith gave him a silent nod but didn't meet his eyes.
Kor found the silver chalice near a shattered statue.
Xarl returned holding an old phonograph that played a haunting lullaby when wound up.
"Last is light," Vally said. "Anyone see a glowing rock lying around?"
Everyone looked around, frustrated.
Then Vally smirked.
"I have a better idea."
He tugged the thread he'd connected to Kaelith—and pulled.
Kaelith blinked as his body shimmered faintly in gold flames.
"Hey, Miss Fire Queen," Vally drawled, "mind lighting up our world a little?"
Kaelith raised one pale brow.
Xarl snorted.
Kor glared.
With a casual snap of his fingers, Kaelith conjured a flame—pure white, dancing with heatless grace.
The moment it hovered over the items, the spell activated.
Light burst into the ceiling. A butterfly made of radiant fire fluttered into existence and soared toward the main corridor.
They followed.
The butterfly led them to the heart of the mansion—a vaulted throne room filled with shadow and ancient carvings.
At its center: a dark crystal coffin surrounded by black vines.
Inside, the treasure chest.
Kor stepped forward.
"Wait—" Vally said sharply.
He picked up a stone and tossed it toward the chest.
The second it touched—
The coffin exploded.
A shriek tore through the chamber as a massive shadow entity emerged, dozens of arms clawing at the air, faces trapped inside its body screaming in unison.
[Boss Battle Initiated: Wraithlord Agramel]
The battle erupted in chaos.
Naeva raised a barrier to shield the others. Kaelith fired controlled blasts of white fire, aiming for the shadow's limbs. Kor dashed forward, claws raking through lesser minions spawned by the boss.
Xarl fought defensively—deflecting attacks, redirecting energy.
Vally flew above, slashing the wraith's head with dual daggers—but it regenerated too fast.
"We can't keep this up!" Naeva cried. "It's feeding on our energy!"
Kor was panting. Kaelith's fire was dimming. Even Vally's movements were slowing.
Xarl looked around—then remembered something.
[Vampire Side Quest Hint: Power through blood…]
He turned to Vally. "Drink my blood."
Vally blinked. "What?"
"You need power. Now. I'm offering it."
"Xarl—"
"Just do it!"
Vally hesitated for only a second—then lunged.
His fangs sank into Xarl's wrist.
Blood flowed.
And then—change.
Vally's wings spread wider. His eyes burned crimson. His body shimmered with dark power as veins pulsed with red light.
He growled—no, roared—as his body transformed.
[Vampiric Ascension: Crimson Sovereign State][Time Limit: 5 Minutes]
The air itself twisted as Vally blitzed through the shadows—becoming a blur of blades, wings, and fury.
The Wraithlord screamed as its limbs were severed. Its heart was exposed—beating black.
Kaelith and Kor followed Vally's rhythm, attacking in tandem.
Xarl stood frozen, bleeding—but oddly calm.
When the final blow hit, the Wraith exploded into ash.
Silence fell.
Then, the treasure chest opened.
Inside—shimmering accessories.
One for each of them.
[Trial Cleared. Team 17 – Passed.][Personal Rewards Distributed.]
Back in the arena, they reappeared fully healed.
The crowd was whispering. Only 15 teams had passed.
Team 17 stood together, breathing hard.
Each of them examined their treasure.
Kaelith received a glowing circlet of flame. Kor—beast claw rings. Naeva—an enchanted veil. Vally—a black earring that shimmered with bloodlight. Xarl—a wristband engraved with runes.
As he fastened it, something flickered behind his eyes.
A vision.
Kaelith—chained in a frozen chamber, screaming silently.
Snow. Blood. Darkness.
Then—nothing.
Xarl staggered.
"Xarl?" Naeva asked, worried.
He blinked.
"…What the hell was that?"