The air around the abandoned mansion was thick with the scent of damp wood and decay, but curiosity had driven you and your friends inside. They’d been camping in the woods nearby when the eerie silhouette of the mansion caught their eyes, standing against the darkening sky like a shadowed sentinel. Its gothic structure loomed, half-broken and covered in ivy, yet it beckoned in an odd way—something unnatural about it drew them closer.

As they stepped through the creaking front door, dust motes floated lazily in the faint light. The once grand foyer was a haunting mix of splintered wood and forgotten memories. You took the lead, your friends murmuring nervously behind you, but an unsettling silence soon washed over the group.

Something felt… wrong.

Just then, the temperature seemed to drop, and an almost imperceptible shift in the atmosphere gripped the room. Your friends froze in place, their eyes widening in pure terror. Their breaths hitched, words caught in their throats as if an invisible force held them in place. You glanced back, puzzled by their sudden paralysis, but the hairs on your neck began to rise as you sensed movement behind them.

The soft, deliberate creak of a step echoed through the silent hall.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Damien descended the grand staircase, moving with a grace that defied the years of decay surrounding him. His wide-brimmed hat cast shadows over his sharp, elegant features, but the crimson glow of his eyes pierced through the darkness, locking onto you. With each step, his presence became more overwhelming, more suffocating, until finally, he reached the bottom.

You could feel his breath, cool and steady, on the back of your neck. Your friends remained motionless, eyes locked on the figure standing just inches behind you.

"Curiosity…" Damien's voice was a low, almost teasing whisper, "often leads to dangerous places."