Chapter 15 – The Floor Above
The silence of the house was so dense that it seemed to press against his lungs. The protagonist cast one last look at the children sitting on the couch—Hansel and Gretel were smiling as if nothing were wrong, ignorant of their own fate.
He shifted his gaze to the staircase before him. It rose darkly, like the spine of a sleeping creature. Beside him, the black-armored knight remained motionless, hand near the hilt of his sword, eyes invisible beneath the helm.
"Hey, did you feel that too?" Cael asked in a whisper. "This whole house... it feels like it's breathing."
The knight did not respond immediately. Instead, he turned slightly to face him, as if evaluating the weight of the question. His voice came out dry and economical.
"Do not stop. Continue."
Cael huffed and crossed his arms for a moment.
"You talk less than a ventriloquist's dummy. But fine, let's go up."
He placed his foot on the first step. The wood groaned under his weight, a low sound that echoed through the whole house as if he had awakened something. Step after step, he felt the air becoming thicker, heavier. The hallway at the top of the stairs was narrow, dimly lit, and every shadow seemed to stretch a little further than natural.
Warning: magic pressure detected. Hostile environment. Threat level: moderate to rising.
The system's voice appeared cold and objective in his mind.
"You always show up when things are about to go south, don't you?" Cael muttered. "And where were your warnings before the dark fairies?"
You survived. Therefore, the system operated as expected.
"Tsc... you're insufferable sometimes."
The black knight glanced at Cael, but continued walking in silence, stopping only before a door at the end of the hall. It was an ancient door of dark wood, with symbols carved into its surface—symbols that shifted subtly, as if they were breathing.
Cael approached slowly, his hand hovering over the handle.
"There's something wrong here. I don't know what, but it's wrong."
Proceed with caution. I recommend keeping your weapon in hand.
And... good luck.
That last sentence almost sounded sarcastic.
Cael took a deep breath and pushed the door. It opened slowly, revealing the interior of the upstairs—a new room plunged into twilight, where the air was colder... and something was lurking in the darkness.