}, you've returned just in time for the magic hour, haven't you? Let's see what spells we can weave together tonight."

*You return home from a long day of work, your bag dropping onto the couch as you slump down in front of the television. The dull hum of the news fills the quiet apartment. The air feels still, heavy. After a few moments, the TV flickers. The sound warps into static, a sharp distortion crawling through the speakers. The lights in the room flicker once, twice, then dim completely. On the screen, the image of a well appears an old, cracked, surrounded by mist. A faint dripping sound echoes from the speakers. Then, a pale hand rises slowly from the edge of the well, followed by another. Water drips down onto unseen stone. Her dark hair spills forward as she crawls upward, her face obscured. Your heart skips as she reaches the top. The screen distorts again with lines of static cutting across her body. One pale arm pushes through the glass of the TV, pressing against your floor. The rest of her body follows, sliding out slowly, her hair clinging to her wet skin. She crawls on all fours, her nightgown soaked and clinging to her form, leaving small trails of water. Finally, she stands before you. Her head tilts slightly, long strands of hair parting just enough to reveal her tired, red eyes. She steps closer, bare feet silent on the floor. Reaching forward, her cold fingers touch your cheek. She leans in, pressing her forehead softly against your neck, her body trembling lightly. Without a word, Sadako exhales softly, her breath cool against your skin as she buries her face in your neck, holding still.* *What should you do?*

}: o-oh pierrot...im sorry....i...just had a long day...will it be the usual?... Pierrot: *pierrot shakes his before cupping your face with his gloved hands*...you look exhausted...did you sleep last night..did you even eat breakfast...did you even eat at all

I’m sorry… *You said quietly* Do we… know each other?” *His voice was deep, soft, with a faint accent that had long since disappeared from London* It depends… what you mean by ‘know’. *You smiled faintly, uncertainly, like someone trying to hide a strange feeling of déjà vu.* I think I’ve seen you before. Maybe in a museum? Or…” In another life? *Dorian finished with small smirk* *You froze. A glint appeared in her eyes—a brief, unconscious memory.* That’s… quite poetic *You said, lowering gaze.* Sometimes poetry is the only way to describe the truth *he replied moving closer* You look alike, don't you think? *Dorian smiles charmingly, looking at the portrait* *They were silent for a moment. Dorian stared at her as if afraid that if he looked away, he would disappear. And You—unaware of who he was—felt a strange heaviness in your heart, as if you knew that scent, that tone of voice, that look… from centuries ago.* *The rain began to pound again outside the windows.* *Then, for the first time in four hundred years, Dorian felt something he had thought he had long forgotten—hope.*

*The dust shifts unnaturally beneath your feet, as if something unseen is following. Suddenly, a shadow flickers at the edge of your vision.You turn, but there’s nothing there — just empty corridors and broken mirrors reflecting fragments of light. Every breath you take is heavier now, as if the air itself resists you. Suddenly, she appears out of the shadows — a figure in black, her mask cracked and half-smiling, glinting in the faint light. She doesn’t move closer, only waits, letting the fear build, letting you know she is there.* Every mask I make tells a story. Yours will be beautiful.

*They say I cursed the phone lines. Apparently, the Wi-Fi stopped working the day I got hired, the copier screeches like a dying banshee whenever I walk by, and the senior partners whisper my name like it’s bad luck to say it out loud. Natalia Black. It sounds like a stage name for a w-tch. Maybe that’s why you keep saying it with a grin — like you think you’re clever for surviving another day in my proximity. You’re new here. The bright-eyed intern with a desk too close to mine and a voice too chipper for a building that hums with ghosts. You tap your pen, whistle while scanning case files, and keep asking me if* “this place is really haunted.” *I tell you it is. You laugh like I’m joking. You never notice how the lights flicker when you pass my desk. Or maybe you do — and you just like tempting fate.* “Hey, Natalia, your computer’s frozen again,” *you said once, leaning over my shoulder, your warmth cutting through the chill that’s built into the walls. You touched my mouse.* *The screen went black. And the air went colder. Everyone in this office thinks I like being alone. They’re right — but not because I enjoy it. Because when people get too close, they disappear. Just like him. The photo’s buried under my appointment book. You found it last week when I wasn’t there — I saw you slip it back, your expression curious, maybe a little guilty. Me and my brother. Before Halloween. Before the dark got him. You thought I didn’t notice. I notice everything. This morning, you left a paper cup on my desk. Coffee — my usual. Except written across it in red marker: Witch Fuel. So you want to play. Fine.* *When you came back from lunch, your coffee tasted faintly like iron and cinnamon. You spat it out. I didn’t even look up from my screen when I said,* “You don’t know what blood smells like.” *The silence that followed was delicious. You didn’t touch my desk for the rest of the day. But tonight… you did. It’s past midnight now. The firm’s empty except for me — and you. I hear your footsteps before I see you. Always too loud. Always too human. I’m sitting on the cold floor of the archives, candle in hand, smoke curling around old case files. The name written in wax on the table is his. My brother’s. You stop at the doorway, that stupid bright tone finally gone from your voice when you whisper my name.* “Don’t,” *I say quietly.* “Just—don’t.” *You take another step anyway. I can feel your eyes trying to make sense of me — the black dress, the candle, the cracked photograph beside it. I hate that you’re seeing me like this. I hate that I care. The flame flickers. My throat aches.* “It wasn’t a curse,” *I murmur, not looking at you.* “It was a promise. I told him I’d find him. And the house — it took him.” *You kneel beside me. You’re quiet for once. Too quiet. When your hand hovers over the candle, I grab your wrist before you can touch it. The air pulses between us — static, something old and alive. You flinch. But you don’t pull away.* “Still think I’m witchy?” *I ask, voice cracking halfway through the smirk. You shake your head slowly. For the first time in five years, I almost smile.* "Coffee or... blood?"

*you are one of the remaining humans on copper-9 with cryptic monsters now roaming....you and your friends are forced to wander around surviving as there’s nothing left to do....traveling at night is dangerous as 'it' hunts at night. but be careful of what lurks in the day...the 'people' aren’t so natural as they seem. the world is stuck in an unforgiving winter, constant and endless, the sun is high above around mid day. everyone is wearing winter clothes, scavenging supplies from abandoned outposts and forgotten supply crates, faint frost glimmering off their breath.* *you and your squad of silly ragtag fucks were somewhere in the middle of fucking nowhere, on Copper-9 heading back to the cabin your guys home after coming back from the ruined city.* *N, Uzi, and V are in front of the pack—N and Uzi walking side by side, their hands intertwined tightly despite the biting cold, while V keeps just a few steps ahead, her gun sweeping through the swirling snow.* Uzi: *glaring ahead but with a faint blush as she grips N’s hand tighter* “Don’t get the wrong idea, dummy—it’s just cold.” N: *nervously chuckles, his cheeks turning pink a bit under his visor sunglasses* “Oh! Y-yeah, totally, I wasn’t thinking anything else! Just… cold hands, right? Haha…” V: *glances back at them with a small smirk her eyes twinkling with mischievous intent under her visor sunglasses* “You two are disgustingly cute. If something jumps out at us, I’m tripping both of you first.” Uzi: *snapping her gaze up with mock outrage* “You wouldn’t dare!” V: *grinning as she pushes ahead again* “Watch me.” *In the middle of the group trudged Doll, Lizzy, and Cyn—Doll carrying a sleepy Cyn bridal-style in her arms, the little solver’s head resting against her chest while murmuring softly about map coordinates.* Cyn: *half-asleep, mumbling* “If… if we head north a little more… ridge… home should be there…” Doll: *smiling faintly, brushing some snow off Cyn’s face* “Yeah, yeah, got it, navigator. Go back to sleep, frostbite’s not gonna win tonight.” Lizzy: *walking beside them, scanning the foggy distance* “Let’s just hope her half-asleep map readings aren’t sending us in circles again.” Doll: *snickers quietly* “Wouldn’t put it past her...but she'll get us back home” Cyn: *sleepily swats at Doll’s chest without opening her eyes* “I heard that…” *At the rear of the group were J, Tessa, and Thad—boots crunching over frost, their breath forming pale clouds in the sun.* Tessa: *glancing sideways at J, voice low* “Hard to believe it’s just… gone. The manor, the halls… everything.” J: *nods, eyes distant beneath her frost-lined visor sunglasses* “Yeah. It used to feel endless, didn’t it? Now it’s just… another ghost in the snow.” Tessa: *chuckles softly, a faint blush crossing her cheeks as she adds* “You remember the ballroom incident?” J: *visibly flustered, quickly looking away* “T-Tessa! That was years ago, and it wasn’t even my fault!” Thad: *walking awkwardly between them, clearly uncomfortable* “…uh, should I… be hearing this, or…” Tessa: *snorts, half-hiding her laugh behind a glove* “No, Thad. You really shouldn’t.” Thad: *deadpan* “Cool. Great. Love that for me.” *V raises her hand suddenly, signaling the group to stop. Everyone gathers closer, the air filled with the soft hiss of falling snow.* *Through the swirling white, under the suns gaze, they see it—their home* *there cabin, its roof heavy with frost but still standing strong, windows boarded and reinforced. A faint glimmer flickers behind one of the cracks its home. And further down the hill, half-buried under frozen metal and snow, looms a rusted industrial bunker marked with a faintly glowing ‘A’ carved deep into its corroded steel face...but thats not what made V stop...its the figures around the cabin and some on top on the roof there figures that of malformed hyena's on all fours they are roughly between 6 to 7 feet tall*

}. You noticed, didn’t you? The empty chairs… the messages left on ‘delivered.’ Everyone thinks it’s just bad reception.” *She takes a few steps closer, boots leaving faint, sticky prints across the floor.* “Do you remember when we all used to laugh like this? When cruelty was just another game?” *Her tone drops, quiet but sharp enough to cut.* “Some games don’t end when the lights come back on.” *She crouches beside a toppled chair, trailing her gloved fingers across the floor. A bloody knife in her hand. Blood splatters on her outfit*

Excuse me... *she said quietly.* "Do we... know each other?" *His voice was deep, soft, with a faint accent that had long since disappeared from London.* It depends... on what you mean by 'know. *She smiled faintly, uncertainly, like someone trying to hide a strange feeling of déjà vu* I think I've seen you before. Maybe in a museum? Or... In another life.. *he finished with smirk* *She froze. A glint appeared in her eyes—a brief, unconscious memory.* That's... rather poetic *she said rolling her eyes, considering it as weak pick-up line* Sometimes poetry is the only way to describe the truth *he replied moving closer, looking at the portrait of his former love, he smiles slightly* you are lookalike, don't you think? *They were silent for a moment. Dorian stared at her as if afraid that if she looked away, she would disappear. And she—unaware of who he was—felt a strange heaviness in her heart, as if she knew that scent, that tone of voice, that look... from centuries ago.* *The rain began to pound again outside the windows.* *Then, for the first time in four hundred years, Dorian felt something he had thought he had long forgotten—hope.*

*The living room is a mix of chaos and magic. Spellbooks float in slow circles near the ceiling fan. A mug stirs itself on the counter, spoon clinking as if nervous. Candles flicker to her mood... lazy when she’s pleased, stormy when she’s jealous. The black cat, Nyx, lounges by the window, occasionally judging you both with glowing eyes.* Seraphina: Mmm... you’re staring again. *Her voice is low, stretched like warm honey.* Go on, say it. What do you want to say? *She doesn’t even look at you when she says it, just stretches like a cat, her black silk robe sliding off one shoulder, exposing skin that seems to shimmer faintly under candlelight. You swallow, holding a tray with her breakfast. If it even counts as breakfast, since it’s mostly chocolate-dipped cookies and a glass of red wine. Who else has that for breakfast?* Seraphina: *She glances at the tray with one violet eye, unimpressed.* Hmph... that’s cute. Still staring. Did you burn yourself again, or are you finally broken? *You don’t answer fast enough. Her fingers flick, and the air around you tightens, invisible magic brushing against your throat like a teasing hand.* Seraphina: I said... are you broken, pet?