The mansion seemed to breathe as the group moved deeper within its decaying walls. Shadows clung to the high ceiling, stretching and twisting as if watching them, and a heavy silence enveloped the air, thick with a scent of rot and mildew. Eve, at the center of it all, walked stiffly, her gaze distant, and her face pale under the dim, flickering light of their phone screens. The others followed behind her, their whispers hushed, nerves jangling as they watched her every movement.

Luke led the way, his flashlight casting beams that barely cut through the darkness, casting long, eerie shadows that danced across the cracked walls. He glanced back at Eve every few moments, his brow furrowed with worry. "This place... it's different than last time," he murmured, glancing at Hiroshi. "It feels alive, doesn't it?"

Hiroshi nodded, gripping his prayer beads so tightly his knuckles turned white. "It's worse than I feared," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "I think this mansion might be a portal. Not just a place haunted by Amatsu Mikaboshi's spirit—but a gateway to his domain itself."

Sakura shuddered at the thought, pulling her coat tighter around herself as if it could shield her from the cold that seemed to emanate from the very walls. "A portal? To where?"

"To the shadows," Hiroshi replied grimly. "To the realm where Amatsu Mikaboshi once held power, a place of nightmares and darkness." His gaze flickered to Eve, who continued to walk ahead, her steps slow and deliberate, her head slightly tilted as though listening to something only she could hear.

Eve's face was ashen, her eyes glazed, and every so often her lips would move soundlessly, whispering words none of them could hear. Luke took a cautious step toward her, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Eve, are you okay?"

She stopped abruptly, her head snapping toward him with a hollow gaze. Her mouth curved into a small, chilling smile as she spoke in a voice that was her own yet sounded disturbingly foreign. "Luke," she whispered, her voice carrying an edge of mockery, "why are you worried? We're exactly where we're meant to be."

Luke pulled his hand back as if burned, his skin prickling with a sense of wrongness that crawled up his spine. "This isn't you, Eve," he said, forcing himself to keep his voice steady. "You need to fight whatever's happening to you."

Eve's eyes flickered, a brief hint of her own distress breaking through. She opened her mouth to speak, but then her expression shifted, and her face grew still and cold once more. "There's no fight to be had," she replied, the words thick with malice. "Not here."

The corridor stretched endlessly before them, lined with tattered remnants of what had once been portraits on the walls, now torn and burned, as though they had been devoured by fire. Strange symbols were scrawled in dried, dark red on the wallpaper, twisting into jagged patterns that hurt to look at, as though the letters themselves were imbued with some malevolent power.

Sakura's voice shook as she whispered, "These symbols... I've seen them before in old mythology books. They're marks of summoning, ways to call upon gods of death and destruction." She traced a trembling finger over one of the symbols, recoiling as if it burned her skin. "Amatsu Mikaboshi... he's here."

"It's more than that," Hiroshi replied, his voice strained. "The symbols... they're marks of binding too. It's almost as if this mansion is holding his spirit, keeping him tethered to this world."

Soo Jun, who had been silent until now, looked at Hiroshi with wide eyes. "So, if he's bound here... does that mean he's trying to use Eve to break free?"

"Possibly," Hiroshi said, his tone grim. "He needs a vessel to fully enter our realm, and he's chosen Eve. Every second she spends here brings him closer."

Luke turned to Eve, his eyes filled with a desperation that bordered on fear. "Then we need to get her out of here. Now."

They continued to walk, but the mansion itself seemed to conspire against them. Corridors looped back into themselves, and every door they tried led them into rooms filled with the echoes of past rituals—bloodstains on the floors, pentagrams carved into the walls, and melted candles sitting like silent witnesses. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the air became, thickening like a fog, heavy with a malevolent presence.

Then, without warning, Eve stopped in front of an old, cracked mirror. Her reflection twisted and distorted in its surface, her face warping as shadowy figures began to appear around her. They were tall, faceless beings with blazing red eyes, their forms shifting and writhing like smoke. Just like before, when they first visited the place.

Eve's mouth opened in a silent scream, her eyes widening with horror as the figures leaned closer, their cold, burning eyes fixated on her. She reached a hand toward her reflection, as though pulled by an invisible force. "They're... calling me," she whispered, her voice a mix of fear and fascination. "They want me... to join them."

Hiroshi rushed forward, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her away from the mirror. "Eve, snap out of it!" he commanded, his voice sharp. "You can't let him in any further!" Just like before Hiroshi broke the connection yet again.

But even as he pulled her back, Eve's gaze remained fixed on the mirror, her eyes glassy and unfocused. "It's beautiful," she murmured, her voice barely a whisper. "It's... freedom."

A chill ran through the others as her words echoed in the dark, carrying a strange, hypnotic pull that seemed to reach into the depths of their own minds. Hiroshi tightened his grip on her shoulders, beginning to chant softly, his prayer beads rattling in his trembling hands.

"Eve," he said, his voice filled with urgency, "listen to me. You have to resist. Amatsu Mikaboshi is trying to take over. You need to fight."

For a brief moment, her expression softened, and her eyes flickered with recognition. She turned to look at him, her lips parting as if to say something, but then her gaze shifted once more, her eyes growing distant and hollow.

The sound of footsteps echoed from somewhere deep within the mansion, heavy and deliberate, as if someone—or something—was drawing closer. A cold, sinister laughter filled the air, reverberating through the walls and making their skin crawl.

"You cannot escape me," a voice whispered, thick with malice and amusement. "Her soul is already bound to me, just as this place is. You are all merely... entertainment."

Sakura let out a small gasp, clutching Luke's arm tightly. "What is he doing to her?"

"He's breaking her down," Hiroshi replied, his face etched with worry. "Amatsu Mikaboshi is wearing away at her mind, her spirit... until there's nothing left of Eve."

Soo Jun glanced around, his face pale. "Then we can't stay here. We need to get out before—"

His words were cut short as the ground beneath them trembled, and a low rumbling filled the air. The walls around them seemed to ripple, warping and shifting as the very structure of the mansion transformed, the corridors twisting like serpents, closing in around them.

They were trapped.

Desperation surged within them as they turned, trying to retrace their steps, but every hallway led them deeper into the heart of the mansion. The light of their flashlights flickered, casting jagged shadows that seemed to move on their own, crawling across the walls with a life of their own.

Then, suddenly, Eve's body stiffened, and she let out a low, guttural laugh that didn't sound like her at all. Her eyes were vacant, but her lips twisted into a cruel smile. "You think you can run?" she asked, her voice a strange blend of her own and something ancient, dark. "He sees all. Knows all. This place is his dominion, and you're nothing more than prey."

The air grew colder, and the walls around them seemed to pulse with a dark energy, as though alive. Luke felt his chest tighten as shadows gathered at the edge of his vision, writhing and whispering in a language he didn't understand.

"Stay with me, Eve," Hiroshi whispered, pulling her close. He resumed his chanting, his voice growing louder, each word filled with desperation as he tried to shield her from the god's influence.

Eve's body convulsed, her hands clawing at her own arms as though trying to tear something out of herself. "I can't... stop him," she gasped, her voice trembling with fear and agony. "He's... he's inside me..."

Her friends watched, horrified, as dark veins began to spread across her skin, creeping up her arms and neck, her eyes darkening further until they were almost black.

"Help me..." Eve's voice broke, a tear slipping down her cheek, and then her expression twisted, her lips curling into a grin that was purely Amatsu Mikaboshi's.

Hiroshi's chanting faltered, and he felt the weight of despair pressing down on him, knowing they were losing her, inch by inch. But he steeled himself, gripping his prayer beads tighter, refusing to give up.

"I won't let you have her!" he shouted into the darkness. "You have no place in this world, Amatsu Mikaboshi. Release her!"

But the god only laughed, his voice filling the mansion with a sound that was cold, hollow, and filled with malice. "Foolish mortal. She's already mine."

Eve's body went limp, her eyes rolling back as the room filled with an oppressive silence. For a moment, there was nothing, and then she drew in a shaky breath, her voice weak but unmistakably her own.

"Please... don't leave me here..."

Her friends gathered around her, their hands reaching out, grounding her, fighting to pull her back to them. The mansion's walls seemed to close in tighter, the shadows growing darker, but their determination blazed brighter, refusing to let Amatsu Mikaboshi win.

The battle for Eve's soul had only just begun.

Author's Note

Dear,

Brave Readers

Are you still with me? 

If so, I must commend your courage because things are only growing darker for Eve and her friends. The mansion holds secrets more sinister than we ever imagined, and now that Amatsu Mikaboshi has Eve in his grasp, the terror lurking within those walls has truly come alive.

This isn't just any haunting; it's a descent into a realm where reality twists, and ancient forces thrive on fear. I can only warn you—this journey will take you places you may not wish to go. 

Shadows have a way of leaving their mark, and Amatsu Mikaboshi? He doesn't let go so easily...

Do you dare continue? 

If so, leave a light on, keep something to hold onto, and let me know what you think. Your support might just be the protection we need against the darkness ahead.

 And don't forget to vote if you're eager to delve deeper into this abyss!

Stay safe... for now

Love 

The Anime Writer