Chapter 195: In the Mirror, Darkly...

As the group stepped cautiously into the abandoned manor, the air thickened and the silence became heavy and oppressive.

Shadows stuck to the walls, distorted by the dim light coming through broken windows. Vines snaked up from the ground, wrapping around damaged furniture and crumbling stone columns, their tendrils appearing to share secrets only the dead could understand.

"This place feels... off," Lilith murmured, her eyes darting to each corner as if expecting something to lunge from the darkness. She brushed her fingers against a stone wall, pulling them back quickly as though the coldness had bitten her. "Not exactly my idea of a cozy hideaway."

Ava peered around with a slight frown. "We'll make it work. If anything, the rumors of this place might keep the Shadow Court at bay."