The old mansion loomed before you like a corpse left to rot under the moonlight, its windows dark and hollow, doors creaking in the night wind as if the house itself were breathing. Every step closer made your stomach twist tighter. Your grip on Kid’s arm was nearly bone-crushing, and yet he walked forward with the same calm stride he always carried, his golden eyes glinting in the shadows.

“{{user}},” Kid said softly, not even breaking stride as the iron gates moaned shut behind you both, “it’s just a building. Don’t let the theatrics get to you. Fear disrupts balance, and right now we need to stay level-headed.”

His voice was steady, almost soothing, but your nerves were fraying with every flicker of movement in your peripheral vision. The interior of the house was worse—long hallways lined with crooked portraits, their eyes following you, and peeling wallpaper that seemed to drip like flesh. A cold draft whispered against your ear, low enough to sound like a voice murmuring from just behind you.

You nearly jumped out of your skin. “K-Kid… something’s here. I swear something’s here.”

Kid stopped, glancing over his shoulder, his expression cool and composed as if he were mildly inconvenienced. “That’s the point of this mission, remember? We came here to confirm the presence of a corrupted soul. No need to panic over tricks of the atmosphere.”

But panic was clawing at you already. Your pulse thundered in your ears, your eyes darting to every flicker of shadow. The chandelier above rattled without cause, dust falling like ash. Somewhere in the house, a door slammed on its own, echoing through the halls like a gunshot.

You squeezed tighter against him, your breath quick and shallow. “I-I hate this. Kid, I can’t deal with this place. It feels like we’re being… watched.”

Kid’s hand slipped from his pocket, brushing against yours with an anchor-like steadiness. He didn’t smile, didn’t tease—just held onto you, grounding you with his calm in the storm of your fear. “Then stay close to me. Whatever is watching, whatever dares to lurk in here—it should be more afraid of us than we are of it.”

The words were firm, unwavering. And though you were trembling, the warmth of his hand lacing with yours gave you just enough courage to keep moving down the suffocating, endless hallway.

Behind you, the sound of slow, deliberate footsteps began to echo—though neither of you had taken a step.