"His wife told him they never had any children."
Those words made the hairs on Mousa's body stand on end.
"Tell me you don't actually believe that story," he said, a touch of nervousness in his voice.
Emilia was silent for a moment before she turned her head toward him, wearing a wide smile the kind you see on someone walking straight into disaster.
"We won't know unless we go inside."
The moment she said that, Mousa turned his back to her and waved casually.
"I'm going to miss you."
"Haaah?!" Emilia shouted after him, then added, "You're not seriously going to let me go in alone, are you? Come on, let's go together!"
"Sorry," Mousa replied, continuing forward without even looking back. "I've still got a life I'd like to keep living. If you want to go in, I won't stop you."
Emilia froze in place, staring at his retreating figure.
'That bastard really left me… Ugh, just my luck, she thought bitterly.'
"Alright, alright! Wait! Let's sit down and talk this through," she called out, raising her voice since he was already a good distance away.
"Talk about what?" he shouted back. "Honestly, I don't believe there's anything inside that house. I don't buy the story either. But my life's already chaotic enough—I'm not adding haunted houses to the mix!"
"Just come back and let me tell you the rest of what they say about the place," Emilia pleaded. "Please, Mousa! I'll buy you lunch afterward."
'She's resorting to bribes now… Like that's going to work. Food's the last thing I care about' Mousa thought, still walking away.
When she got no response, Emilia shouted again, "I'll get you some new novels!"
Two minutes later, Mousa was standing in front of her.
"Not a word unless it's three books or more," he said, eyes gleaming with excitement. He could already feel the crisp texture of the book covers in his hands his love for stories far outweighed his fear.
"Fine, fine deal. Just listen," Emilia replied, clearly annoyed but unable to say no. She pointed to a two-seater bench in front of the house.
"Let's sit over there."
Mousa nodded in agreement and took the lead toward the bench, sitting down first while Emilia followed.
"Alright, go ahead. Not that I actually care," he said flatly.
And truly, he didn't. The only thing keeping him here was Emilia's bribe new novels.
"Wait, before you start," Mousa said, glancing at her. Once he had her attention, he continued,
"What made that old man and his sons enter the house in the first place?"
"I'll tell you the full story about this place," Emilia replied simply. Once she was sure he was listening, she began:
"As I mentioned before, this house once belonged to a noble of the Teresia family one of the great houses from the past millennium. They ruled these lands long ago."
"More specifically, or at least according to history books, this estate belonged to Veytan Teresia the young prince of the family. Despite his youth, Veytan was incredibly wealthy. He amassed a fortune in treasures and rare artifacts, which he kept in his palace… the very one standing before us now."
"It's also said that Veytan had a particular obsession with the supernatural. I assume you've heard of such things?"
"I have," Mousa confirmed.
"Excellent," Emilia said, then continued. "One day, Veytan supposedly succeeded in obtaining supernatural powers. They say he became something akin to a vampire."
"Vampires? As in the legends?" Mousa asked, eyebrows raised.
"Yes, but with some differences. As you know, traditional vampires are vulnerable to sunlight and wooden stakes. But this was different. He shared the blood-drinking and immense strength, but none of the weaknesses. He could walk freely under the sun, and none of the traditional methods used to kill vampires worked on him."
"I see… Go on," Mousa urged. Despite himself, the story had begun to draw him in even if he still didn't fully believe it.
"With his newfound power, Prince Veytan began using it to aid his kingdom in wars and conquests. He'd lead the charge himself, tearing through enemy lines. But one day, in the midst of battle, the opposing army brought someone with powers of their own abilities that, according to legend, directly countered Veytan's."
"No one knows exactly what those powers were, or who that person was. But what we do know is this: that mysterious warrior succeeded in killing Veytan and defeating his army. Veytan died at the age of twenty-nine, after ten years of power, war, and victory."
"Alright, I heard the story of this prince," Mousa said, his face scrunched in confusion. "But I still don't see how it connects to people disappearing inside his house."
"I see you're starting to believe the story," Emilia teased. And just as Mousa opened his mouth to deny it, she quickly added, "The story isn't over yet."
"After Veytan was killed and his body was retrieved and brought back home, one of his aides presented his final will."
"His will?" Mousa interjected.
"Don't interrupt. I'll get to that if you just let me speak," Emilia snapped, clearly annoyed.
"Alright, alright sorry. Go on," Mousa apologized sincerely.
Emilia let out a soft sigh before continuing,
"In his will, he requested to be buried beneath his home this house, specifically. He also forbade anyone from removing or taking anything from his property, including his treasures, riches, or any of his belongings. That's why so many people were drawn to enter the place especially after rumors spread that his treasures still lie hidden within."
"It struck his relatives as strange," she went on, "but they honored his request and buried him beneath the house. and didn't touch any of his property"
"But just weeks after the burial, some of his family members came to visit the grave in the basement… and what they saw shook them. They encountered strange, ghost-like creatures beings that chased and abducted them, one by one. All except for one man: Prince Veytan's cousin, Prince Norin."
"When he returned and recounted what happened to the rest of the family, they were shocked not by the story itself, but by something far more chilling. No one recognized the people he claimed had gone with him. According to them, Norin had visited the grave alone. What happened after that remains a mystery."
"That sounds just like the story about the old man earlier," Mousa said, then added, "But this tale is a thousand years old. Who's to say it's even true? And what if that man was just insane?"
"As for Prince Veytan's tale and what happened to Prince Norin," Emilia replied, "the only evidence lies in old texts. But the story about the old man? That's not the only one. Over the past ten years, there have been many similar incidents."
"Many people claimed to have entered the house with friends, only to be told afterward that those people never existed in the first place."
"Hmmm… how many cases, exactly?" Mousa asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Roughly 264 cases in the last ten years," Emilia answered, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Mousa's eyes widened in shock, his face draining of color. That number was far too large.
"No way… That's insane. If that's true, there's no chance 264 people all went crazy in exactly the same way, telling the exact same story…"
For the first time, Mousa was starting to believe her.
"I suppose you finally believe me now," Emilia said with a triumphant smile, exhaling softly before her expression turned serious once again.
"With that many incidents… the authorities should've stepped in and investigated, right? Didn't they?" Mousa asked, still shaken.
"They were reported every last one of them," Emilia replied, bitterness creeping into her voice. "But the authorities have been ignoring it for years… for reasons no one understands."
"Those bastards," Mousa muttered, his expression hardening with anger. "As long as it doesn't threaten their interests, they'll never lift a finger."
Then he turned to Emilia, his gaze sharp.
"And you still want to go in there? Absolutely not. I won't let you. Even if you're just going in to confirm things, the only 'confirmation' we'll get is losing each other. I'm sorry, but I won't take that risk and I won't let you take it either."
He didn't give her a chance to respond.
"I still don't understand why you're so fixated on going inside why you'd risk your life for this."
"There's a reason," Emilia said quietly. Then she looked him in the eye. "But you have to promise you won't tell anyone. It's a secret."
Mousa hesitated, sensing the seriousness in her tone.
"I promise. I won't breathe a word of it. Now you've got me nervous what is it?"
"Tell me," she said, "What's my name?"
"Emilia!" Mousa replied, confused.
"And my family name?"
"Your last name is Theodore. You're Emilia Theodore," he answered again, still visibly puzzled.
"That's right," she nodded. "But… that's the name I took after changing it. My real name is Emilia Teresia. I'm a descendant of Prince Norin Teresia the man who ruled these lands and was the first to face the mysteries inside this house."
Her words hit Mousa like a punch to the chest. He had known Emilia came from a powerful family… but this? A lost noble bloodline from a forgotten era? A thousand-year-old legacy buried in history?
For a moment, he had no words. No thoughts. Just silence.