It takes just 10,000 steps to traverse from one end of the mansion to the other. But that’s only if you stick to the main corridor, leaving behind the secrets that beckon with hidden entrances concealed within the shifting walls.
A butterfly dances gently by a corner, its delicate wings catching the light as it slips through a window overlooking a lush olive garden.
As your hand brushes the walls, a hidden knob turns with a soft click, unveiling a sanctuary—birds singing in harmony, a grand piano poised in the center of a tiny moat.
Music begins to flow from the instrument, though there’s no visible power source.
The melody is strangely familiar, the very same tune a marching
band plays to lift the spirits of soldiers before they march into battle, certain
of their fate in the unforgiving warzone.
Beyond the garden, a graveyard stretches into the distance, lifeless and still.
A cold wind stirs the barren leaves, swirling into a small whirlwind, desperate to escape the crushing weight of regret. Yet, after a moment, the storm falters and sinks into the earth, digging into the soil as if searching for a fleeting spark of light.
A curious detour, indeed, but the journey must continue.
Another 9,000 steps lie ahead, leading to the comfort of rest, where the promise of a peaceful night’s sleep awaits.