Thunder cracked overhead, splitting the sky apart as lightning illuminated the ancient, twisted trees around you.

Through the downpour, you saw it—a silhouette against the storm-torn clouds. The castle. Spires clawing at the heavens like skeletal fingers, dark stone weeping with age and rain.

The old iron gates hung open, rusted and groaning as the wind pushed them back and forth.

You didn't think. You just ran.

Your boots splashed through puddles, breath ragged, as you threw yourself through the gap just as another crash of thunder rolled across the valley.

The courtyard opened before you—cobblestones slick and gleaming, ivy strangling the walls, and ahead, a massive oak door studded with iron.

It was slightly ajar.

A sliver of darkness waited beyond.