Darkness slowly faded…
Pain was the first thing Daniel felt.
His body felt heavy, like he couldn't even move.
Then—
He opened his eyes.
A wooden ceiling.
Soft light.
"…Where am I?" he whispered.
Beside him, David groaned.
"No idea… but I'm alive."
Mary slowly sat up, holding her head.
"That ghost…"
No looked around calmly.
"We're not in the cave anymore."
The door opened.
A villager walked in, carrying a bowl of water.
"You're awake…" he said gently.
Daniel tried to sit properly.
"…What happened?"
The villager smiled.
"You saved us."
"We found you unconscious in the cave and brought you back here."
Mary looked surprised.
"…All of you are okay?"
The villager nodded.
"Yes. The control is gone."
Relief filled the room.
Days passed.
The four of them rested in the village.
Their wounds slowly healed.
The villagers took care of them—
Food.
Medicine.
Shelter.
Everything.
One evening, as the sun was setting, Daniel stood outside, looking at the quiet village.
Mary walked up beside him.
"They're really kind…"
Daniel nodded.
"Yeah… we were lucky."
David joined them, stretching his arms.
"I'm just happy we survived."
No stood a little away, watching silently.
Time to Leave
After a few days, they were fully recovered.
The villagers gathered to say goodbye.
"Thank you… for saving us," one of them said.
Daniel shook his head slightly.
"We just did what we had to."
Mary smiled softly.
"Take care of yourselves."
The children they had saved waved at them.
"Come back again!" they said.
David laughed,
"Hopefully not for another mission."
Everyone smiled.
Then—
The four of them turned back.
And started walking toward Nightfall Mansion.
But Another Story Was Unfolding…
While Daniel's group was returning safely—
Another team…
Was already deep inside their mission.
Felix.
Lucis.
Zoya.
Lily.
A place known as Weirford Mansion.
A place no one liked to talk about.
Felix, Lucy, Zoya, and Lily continued their journey, following the guiding light.
After walking for a long time, they finally reached their destination.
A town.
But something about it felt… wrong.
As they stepped into the center, the guiding light hovered ahead—
And revealed a disturbing sight.
The entire town looked blackened. The buildings had turned dark, and a strange smoke slowly spread through the air.
At the center of everything stood a mansion.
Completely black.
Dark smoke was leaking out from it continuously.
As they moved closer, a terrible smell filled the air.
Lucy immediately covered her nose.
"Seriously… what kind of mission is this?" she said with disgust.
"It smells horrible…"
Lily frowned.
"This place doesn't feel normal."
They approached a few villagers who were standing far away from the mansion.
Felix asked,
"What happened here?"
One of the villagers spoke nervously:
"A month ago… this place was beautiful."
"It was like a resort… people used to come here to stay."
"But then something changed."
He pointed toward the mansion.
"It turned into… that."
"Anyone who goes near it falls sick."
"The smell spreads everywhere."
"Even birds that fly over it… don't survive."
The group exchanged serious looks.
This was no ordinary mission.
Felix stepped forward.
"We're going in."
Zoya raised her trident.
A glowing shield formed around the four of them, covering them completely.
"This will protect us," she said.
As they moved closer, the smell disappeared. The smoke could no longer reach them.
"Good," Lucy said. "That helps."
Then
They stepped inside the mansion.
Complete darkness surrounded them.
They couldn't see anything.
Lucy pulled out her sword—
And ignited it.
Flames lit up the area, revealing the inside of the mansion.
What they saw made them stop.
Thick spider webs covered everything—the walls, the ceiling, even the furniture.
"All this… in just one month?" Lily whispered.
The air still felt heavy.
Unnatural.
They searched together, staying close inside the shield.
Room after room—
Nothing.
Just silence.
Then suddenly—
"The smell…" Zoya said slowly.
"It's getting inside."
The others realized it too.
The shield was no longer fully protecting them.
Felix narrowed his eyes.
"That means whatever is here… is stronger than we thought."
At the same time, the smoke inside the mansion began to thicken.
The Attack
Something moved inside the smoke.
A shadow.
Walking.
"It's here…" Lily whispered.
Before they could react—
The figure rushed toward them.
Boom!
The shield cracked—
Then shattered.
Smoke filled the entire area.
They couldn't see.
"Stay together!" Felix shouted.
But it was too late.
They were separated.
Felix sensed movement and quickly dodged an incoming attack.
His reflexes saved him.
Then—
A scream echoed.
"Ahh!"
"Lucy!" Felix shouted.
He ran toward the sound.
Through the smoke, he finally found her.
Lucy stood there, holding her arm.
There was a cut—not too deep, but enough to slow her down.
"I'm fine…" she said, gripping her sword.
Then she swung it.
Flames spread outward, clearing the smoke around her.
Regrouping
The firelight helped.
One by one, the others found their way back.
Lily.
Zoya.
Felix.
They gathered together again, forming a circle and facing outward.
Clearing the Smoke
Felix moved his weapon, creating a strong gust of wind.
The smoke began to shift.
Lily joined him, spinning her blades to push the smoke away.
The area slowly became clearer.
Zoya stepped forward and raised her trident.
She activated her ability.
"Now… we'll see it clearly."
A faint glow spread around them.
And then—
They saw it.
The Ghost
The ghost stood before them.
Its form was unstable, made of smoke and darkness.
It looked disturbing.
Lily frowned.
"Out of all the ghosts we've seen… this one is the worst."
The ghost let out a strange sound—
And attacked.
The Battle
It moved quickly, striking from different directions.
The four of them fought back.
Dodging.
Blocking.
Countering.
They were getting injured, but none of them stopped.
"Don't lose focus!" Felix shouted.
Slowly, they adapted.
Worked together.
And began to take control of the fight.
Final Combination
"Now!" Felix called out.
All four attacked together.
Their combined attack hit the ghost directly.
It staggered.
Its form weakened.
It dropped slightly, almost falling.
But it wasn't over yet.
The Ending Blow
Lucy stepped forward.
Her sword burned brighter than before.
She focused all her energy into one powerful strike.
The ghost weakened further.
For a moment, it tried to recover—
But that moment was enough.
"Lily!" Felix shouted.
Lily moved instantly.
Her blades spun—
And with one final strike—
She ended it.
The ghost disappeared.
The smoke faded.
The darkness was gone.
Silence filled the mansion.
Everything slowly returned to normal.
Outside, the town came back to life.
The villagers approached them.
"Thank you…" they said gratefully.
Felix nodded.
"It's over."
Without wasting time, the four of them turned back.
Their mission was complete.
And they began their journey back to Nightfall.