The moment Elias disappeared, the air in the library shifted.
The walls felt closer. The bookshelves loomed taller, their leather-bound spines whispering secrets she couldn't understand. The scent of old parchment and candle wax thickened, but beneath it, something else lingered.
Sera wrapped her arms around herself, her wrist still tingling from where Elias had touched her. It hadn't just been heat it had been a pulse of something ancient, something unreal.
She had come for answers. But the more she found, the more questions unraveled.
And one thing was certain: Blackwood Manor wasn't just haunted.
It was alive.
Sera moved cautiously through the corridors, her boots pressing into the dust-coated floor. The house groaned in protest with every step.
She turned a corner and froze.
A mirror stood at the end of the hall, Its frame was silver, intricately carved with roses and twisting vines. The glass itself was black as ink, swallowing the dim light.
A warning whispered through her mind,Don't look.
But she did.
At first, she only saw herself her dark hair loose over her shoulders, her breath uneven. Then, the reflection changed.
Her eyes widened.
Behind her, a shadow moved.
It wasn't Elias. It wasn't human.
A long, skeletal hand pressed against the glass from within.
Then a second.
Sera stumbled back, her pulse hammering. The shadows rippled in the mirror, stretching toward her, fingers curling as if ready to pull her in
A voice sliced through the darkness. "Sera!"
A strong hand grabbed her wrist, yanking her back just as the mirror's surface cracked with a deafening shriek.
She collided into Elias.
His grip was firm, his body solid. Real. And yet, his presence still sent that same electric heat through her veins.
She clutched his coat, her breath coming fast. "What the hell was that?"
His expression was grim. "You saw it, didn't you?"
She nodded, still shaken. "What was it?"
His silver eyes burned into hers. "Proof that you need to leave. Now."
Elias released her wrist and turned away, his jaw tight. But Sera wasn't ready to let this go.
Not after what she had seen.
"Tell me the truth," she demanded, stepping in front of him. "What is this place? What are you?"
Something flickered across his face,hesitation, maybe even pain.
Then, he exhaled, his gaze darkening. "I told you. You don't belong here."
Sera's chest tightened. "Then why does it feel like I do?"
Silence.
Elias's lips parted slightly, his eyes locking onto hers as if she had just spoken something forbidden.
Then, from the end of the hallway,a sound.
Slow Hollow. The echo of footsteps.
But the halls were empty.
Sera shuddered as the air grew colder. The candlelight flickered violently. Something was coming.
Elias moved swiftly, his hand gripping hers. His voice was low, urgent.
"Run."
And this time, she didn't argue.