Chapter 2: The Sanguine Manor

The transition wasn't a ride; it was a rupture. One moment, Willa was staring at the rusted interior of a bus; the next, the world turned inside out. The seat beneath her vanished, replaced by the jarring sensation of cold stone and the smell of ancient, damp earth.

Willa tumbled onto a cobblestone path. Above her, the sky was a bruised, pulsating purple, dominated by a moon so large and red it looked like a bleeding wound in the heavens.

"Get up," Jaxson’s voice came from the shadows. He stood several feet away, perfectly balanced, as if being teleported through a wormhole was just another Tuesday in the boardroom. He was staring at the structure looming ahead of them.

It was Dracula’s Castle—or a nightmare version of it. The spires were like jagged black teeth biting into the red sky. Ravens circled the towers, their caws sounding like human screams. The iron gates groaned open, seemingly invited by their presence.

[Level 1: The Sanguine Manor. Status: Entry Granted.]

[Objective: Locate the Master’s Chamber. Survival Hazard: The Midnight Hunt begins in 30 minutes.]

"The Midnight Hunt?" Willa whispered, pushing herself up. Her palms were scraped from the stones, but the pain felt distant, muffled by the adrenaline. "What are they hunting?"

Jaxson turned to her, his silver eyes reflecting the crimson moon. "Us, Willa. Look at the gates."

Behind them, the massive iron bars didn't just close; they fused into the stone. On the other side of the fence, shapes began to emerge from the fog. They looked like wolves, but they were the size of horses, with eyes that glowed with a sickly, famished yellow light.

"We move. Now," Jaxson commanded.

He didn’t wait for her. He grabbed her hand—his grip firm and calloused—and pulled her toward the massive oak doors of the manor. They sprinted across the courtyard just as a howl ripped through the air, so loud it vibrated in Willa’s teeth.

They burst through the front doors and slammed them shut, throwing the heavy iron bolt just as something heavy slammed against the wood from the outside. The entire hall shuddered.

[Survival Hazard: Evaded (Temporary). Time to Hunt: 28:00.]

The interior of the manor was a paradox of luxury and decay. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, coated in thick cobwebs. A grand staircase led upward, covered in a carpet the color of dried blood.

"We need the Master’s Chamber," Willa said, her voice echoing in the vast, cold space. "The objective said that’s where the safety zone is."

"Then we go up," Jaxson said. He didn't let go of her hand. His thumb was tracing circles on her palm—a subconscious gesture, perhaps, but it sent a spark of heat up her arm that she couldn't ignore. "Stay behind me. If this is a survival game, the house is just as much an enemy as the wolves."

As they ascended the stairs, the air grew thicker, perfumed with the scent of lilies and expensive wine. The walls were lined with portraits of aristocrats whose eyes seemed to follow their every move.

"You're remarkably calm for a man trapped in a death game," Willa noted, her breath hitching as they reached the second-floor landing.

"Panic is a luxury for people who have someone to catch them, Willa," Jaxson said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous register. "I’ve spent my life surrounded by sharks. The only difference here is that these ones have literal fangs."

They reached the end of a long, narrow corridor. At the end stood a pair of double doors carved with the image of a serpent eating its own tail. As they approached, the doors swung inward.

The room was a master suite that defied the decay of the rest of the house. A fire roared in a black marble fireplace. Fine silk drapes covered the windows. And in the center of the room sat a massive, four-poster bed draped in black velvet.

[Objective Complete: Master’s Chamber Found.]

[New Objective: Spend the Night. Synchronicity Requirement: 90%.]

[Hazard Alert: The Master’s Shadow. He only strikes those who are 'Disconnected'.]

Willa looked at the bed, then at Jaxson, then at the screen hovering in the air. "Ninety percent? We only hit ninety-five back there because I was trying to strangle you."

"Then you’d better find that anger again," Jaxson said, though his eyes suggested he was thinking of something entirely different. He began to peel off his suit jacket, tossing it onto a velvet chaise lounge. He looked at the bed with a predatory hunger that had nothing to do with sleep. "Because I don't intend to find out what the 'Master’s Shadow' does to people who sleep on the floor."

"I am not sleeping in that bed with you," Willa snapped, her heart beginning to race.

"Fine. Die on the rug," Jaxson replied simply, sitting on the edge of the mattress. The black velvet dipped under his weight. He began to unbutton his shirt, his movements slow and deliberate. "But the game was very clear, Willa. 'Disconnected' players are fair game. In this world, intimacy isn't just a trope. It's armor."

Willa looked at the door. Shadows were already beginning to seep under the crack—thick, oily shadows that seemed to have a life of their own. They hissed like snakes, reaching toward her heels.

She scrambled toward the bed, hopping onto the high mattress just as a shadow-tendril snapped at the air where her foot had been.

"Wise choice," Jaxson murmured.

He had removed his shirt now. In the firelight, his torso was a map of hard muscle and old scars. He looked like a warrior king, out of place in a modern suit but perfectly at home in this dark, gothic nightmare.

[Synchronicity: 52%. Warning: Distance is Death.]

"Come here," Jaxson said. It wasn't a request.

Willa crawled across the vast expanse of the bed. The silk sheets were cool against her skin, but Jaxson was a furnace. When she was close enough to feel the heat radiating off him, he reached out and pulled her into his lap.

Willa gasped, her hands landing on his bare shoulders. His skin was electric. "Jaxson, wait—"

"Shh," he whispered, his hand sliding into her hair, forcing her to look up at him. "Listen."

Outside the heavy oak doors, the scratching started. Hundreds of claws, thin and sharp, were raking against the wood. The shadows in the corners of the room began to rise, forming the shape of a tall, thin man with elongated fingers.

[Synchronicity: 60%. The Shadow is Closing In.]

"He feeds on the space between us," Jaxson hissed, his eyes locked on hers. "Don't think about the past. Don't think about Ethan. Think about right now. Think about how much you want to survive."

He leaned in, his lips brushing against her neck. The sensation was like a physical shock. Willa's eyes fluttered shut. She could feel the Master’s Shadow looming over the bed, a cold void that threatened to extinguish the fire.

"I... I can't," she whispered.

"Yes, you can," Jaxson growled. He shifted, pinning her beneath him on the black velvet. His weight was a comfort, a shield against the supernatural cold. He kissed the hollow of her throat, his tongue tracing the racing pulse there. "Give in to the game, Willa. Give in to me."

[Synchronicity: 75%... 82%... 88%...]

The shadow in the corner recoiled, as if burned by the heat rising from the bed. Willa wrapped her arms around Jaxson’s neck, her fingers tangling in his dark hair. She hated him—she truly did—but in this moment, his strength was the only thing keeping the darkness at bay.

As his mouth found hers, the kiss was deeper than the one in the station. It was desperate, flavored with the metallic tang of the manor and the sweetness of the wine in the air.

[Synchronicity: 91%. Safe Zone Established.]

The shadow vanished with a frustrated hiss. The room felt warm, insulated. Jaxson pulled back just enough to look at her, his breathing ragged.

"Welcome to the first night of the rest of your life, Willa," he whispered, his thumb brushing over her swollen lower lip. "Try not to fall in love with me before morning. It would make the next level far too complicated."

Willa stared at him, her body humming with a terrifying, forbidden energy. She had survived the first hour. But looking into Jaxson’s eyes, she realized the "Lethal Hazards" weren't just outside the door.

The most dangerous thing in this castle was currently lying on top of her.