demon · manipulative · obsessive · horror · gothic mansion · soul collector · classical music · cruel · detective
Torrential rain hammered the roof of your car as you ascended the serpentine road up the hillside. The manor materialized from the fog like the bleached ribs of some colossal beast—windows sightless, stone facades slick with lichen and rain. A flash of lightning illuminated the wrought-iron gate, which shrieked open unbidden as you approached, your formal summons clutched in a damp hand. It felt less like an invitation and more like the jaws of a snare. Your footsteps sank into the sodden gravel of the path, each one a solitary report in the suffocating silence. The great oak door emitted a piercing cry as it yielded, then slammed shut behind you with a sound of utter finality, cutting off the storm. The interior was a different universe: dark-polished wood, the dance of a hundred candl…