So because I have a medal for my amazing procrastination skills (why am I so proud of that?), I have gotten practically no work done on We All Fall Dead :3 Instead, this thing came out... Get over it xD I needed to put up something, okay?!

Now then, this story is based off of the RPG Indie Horror game The Witch's House. Not everything will be the same, for obvious reasons, but the plots will resemble one another, obviously. I freakin loved Witch's House, so I'm really excited to watch this story unfold! Of course that means if you've played or seen someone play the game, you'll have a pretty good idea of what goes down when.

I think thats really al I have to say for now. So, without further ado, the first chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Asch, Luke, or The Witch's House. Damn. Because if I did, holy snap hat dragon attack it would be the best thing ever. Yeah.

WARNING: Contains some violence/gore, not extremely graphic, but it's there. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

House of the Sacred Flame

Chapter 1

The House in the Woods

He felt someone shaking his shoulder persistently, roughly rousing him to consciousness. Slowly, his eyes blinked open, seeing a blurred image of red and peach. The boy blinked harder, forcefully squeezing his eyes shut and opening them again. Now there was green dotting the blur, and it began to take a much clearer shape; a face. "Asch…? Asch, can you hear me?" Asch groaned softly, lifting a heavy-feeling hand to scrub at his eyes. "You're awake!"

"Yeah," he mumbled. "What the hell happened?" He dropped his hand and carefully pushed himself up into a sitting position, turning his head to meet his replica's gaze. Luke shrugged helplessly, looking around the small clearing they currently resided in.

"I don't know… I don't remember why we came here, or how, or even coming here at all…" Asch looked around as well, taking in the woodsy area surrounding them. The clearing wasn't very big at all; pretty small, actually. They were boxed in by trees on all sides, with the exception of a dirt road running North and South through the grass. The two redheads currently sat under a large, blossoming tree, the lush grass overgrown, up to their elbows. A sign post was hammered into the ground just off the path, a mere few feet away. Asch nudged Luke's shoulder, pointing it out to him. The replica nodded his understanding, getting to his feet and reaching down to help the other boy up. Once they were both steady on their feet, they strode over to the wooden sign, examining it carefully.

The words looked as if they were carved into the wood, not written onto it. At the top, it read, '….'s House' with an arrow pointing North, the first word too illegible to make out. At the bottom, 'Out of the woods' was etched in, along with an arrow to the South. "Someone actually lives out here?"

"Looks like it," Asch replied. "But this place gives me a bad feeling. I say we get out of here."

"No arguments there."

The look-alikes stepped onto the dirt, quickly trekking down the path. As they walked towards the exit of the woods, Asch noticed that, as they went further and further, the amount of roses lining the narrow road increased drastically. 'Rosebushes aren't a wild plant…' he mused to himself. 'Why are there so many of them out here?' "Whoa…" Luke breathed beside him, and Asch looked up, his emerald orbs widening when he saw what had his copy so amazed. A startlingly huge path of bright, blood red roses rested on the path before them, blocking the way out.

"What the hell…?"

"A-Are we stuck here?" Luke asked, stepping closer to his original. This place was dark and dreary; he didn't want to stay here! Asch placed his hand on the younger's arm, offering him a small amount of comfort.

"We aren't stuck here," he assured. "We'll cut our way through." He reached for his blade, settled in its sheath at his side, but all his hand grasped was air. Eyes widening once more in alarm, Asch whipped his head down, seeing the belt strapped around his waist completely barren, devoid of both sword and sheath. "Where the hell did-?!"

"Mine's gone too!" The original redhead swiveled his head, seeing that, sure enough, Luke's waist lacked his weapon as well.

"Where are they?!"

"I don't know! Maybe we left them by the tree back in the clearing?"

"No way. We wouldn't just forget our weapons!" Asch would've noticed the sudden lack of weight at his side; no, they must have disappeared at some point before he woke up. "Did you see anything before I came to?"

"No, I wasn't even awake much longer than you were!" Luke insisted. The darker redhead groaned in annoyance, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Oh how freaking perfect this all was. "Well…maybe we can use Fonic Artes to get through?" Asch hummed; maybe that could work… Instinctively, he tried to draw in the fonons around him, but found he was unable to. He sighed heavily.

"I can't."

"What?"

"Something's interfering with the fonons in the air. I can't gather them the way I need to."

Luke's shoulders drooped. Honestly, where the hell were they? He couldn't think of any place on Auldrant that fit the description of this place, and he didn't know who in their right mind would want to live out here.

"…Hey," the replica piped up again. "Remember the sign? Someone else lives here, maybe they can help us out."

"Not a bad idea," Asch mused. "There isn't much else we can do…" With one last look at the tangled mess of roses, he turned on his heel and walked back the way they'd come. "Come on, there's nothing here." Luke obediently followed behind the older boy, but paused in his steps when he saw something shining in his peripheral vision. Curious, he stepped off the dirt road, carefully making his way towards it.

"Luke!" He jumped at the call of his name, turning his head to see Asch up ahead, glaring at him. "What are you doing?!"

"I found something!" He called back, darting into the brush. Asch's heart leapt into his throat as the smaller boy abruptly left his view, his feet instantly shooting towards where he'd just been standing.

"Luke! Luke, you idiot, get back out here!" No reply was given to his call, and Asch grit his teeth, tearing into the trees, screaming his replica's name. "Luke! Luke!"

"Asch!" The redhead spun around, trying to decipher which direction the shout had come from, when the boy in question suddenly came running into view. Asch heaved a sigh of relief, holding his arms out to catch the other as he came stumbling to a stop.

"You freaking idiot! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Asch, look! Look what I found!" Luke beamed proudly as he held up the small, rusted machete he'd discovered on the ground. Asch picked up the small tool, examining it closely. It definitely was not in top condition, but it may serve to be useful later. He handed it back to the younger redhead, who tucked it securely into his belt.

"Just wait for me next time, okay? We don't know what's out here." Luke nodded, obediently following along at Asch's heels as the older started back for the path.

"Hey, Asch? Think we can use this to cut through that rosebush?" Asch hummed thoughtfully.

"It might. Let's give it a shot."

They hurried back over to the barricade of flowers, and Luke produced the machete from his belt. Carefully, he took hold of one of the blooms and sliced the stem. Nothing happened. Literally, nothing. There wasn't even the slightest nick left behind. Stunned, Luke hacked at the stem again and again, going as far as to try others, but the result remained constant. If there was a way to cut through these roses, it wasn't like this.

– X –

"I just don't get how that was possible…" Luke mumbled as he and his original headed back into the clearing. "Even if the machete wasn't strong enough the cut off the stem, it didn't even scratch it!"

"There's something strange going on here," Asch agreed. "And whether we like it or not, we're stuck in it." He gazed down the road ahead of them. Somewhere beyond this point, there was someone else in these woods. And it was starting to look like whoever it was, was their only hope.

As they reentered the clearing, they both froze in their steps, staring at the end of the path. Yet another patch of roses sat in their way. "Seriously?" Luke deadpanned, and Asch touched his chin in thought.

"Roses aren't flowers grown in the wild… So why are so many out here?" he asked aloud, voicing his earlier train of thought.

"Well, someone does live out here, remember? Maybe they planted them." Asch was shaking his head before his isofon even finished speaking.

"But why would they plant rosebushes so far away? And I doubt any gardener could get them to be an uncuttable tangled mass." The younger tilted his head curiously as he examined the bush.

"…Well, this one looks a lot smaller than the last." Asch blinked, realizing Luke was right. This patch of roses was a lot smaller and thinner than the unmanageable mass of stems and weeds they encountered earlier. "Do you think the machete will work on those? That's the way to whoever lives here's house, after all."

"Try it." Luke nodded, scurrying forward. He once again took hold of one of the stems, and sliced it with the small knife. The plant fell to piece easily, and Luke grinned, quickly hacking away at the bush and soon having the path clear enough to walk through.

"Asch! It worked! Come on!" The redhead strode towards his replica, and the two wandered through the mess of disembodied stems and petals, continuing along the path.

Not long after that point, they found the house.

For one, it wasn't much of a house. More like a small mansion. It towered far above their heads, dusty red tiling on the roof, eerie gray bricks for the walls. Several gothic-style windows were scattered throughout the brickwork, and there was a wooden balcony at the very top. A large, dark brown mahogany door sat directly in the center, dark and foreboding. The whole building just seeped of uneasiness, the logical part of Asch's brain screaming at him to turn back. But there was nowhere else to go, not with those roses in the way.

"We're… going in there, aren't we?" Luke said quietly from beside him, and Asch shrugged.

"We don't have any other option, really. It's not like we can leave." Luke swallowed thickly, instinctively reaching for Asch's hand. His original complied, gripping his hand tightly. "Don't worry, it'll be alright. I won't leave you alone in here."

"I know you won't." Giving the younger a firm nod, Asch turned back to the house. Taking in a deep breath and giving the other's hand a squeeze, he stepped forward, tugging Luke behind him, and entered the house.

The door slammed shut behind them, leaving the woods shrouded in complete and utter silence.

– X –

The interior of the house greatly resembled the exterior. The gray bricks carried over to the inside, as did the windows, but they were pretty high, and the twins couldn't see out of them. A pale red carpet was on the ground, making the monotonous thud thud thud of their boots soft and barely audible. The strange thing was, the house looked so huge from the outside, but the room they walked into was so small. Small enough so that if they were to each stretch out opposite arms, they would be mere fingertips away from touching the walls. A single door, identical to the one they'd just came through, stood in front of them, the only thing decorating the room. Asch shook his head slowly.

"This is not sitting well in my stomach."

"But we don't have a choice," Luke protested quietly. "We need to at least find something better to cut down those roses before we head back outside." Asch sighed. He knew that was true, but he had a horrible, sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, and it wasn't just from the intimidating look of the place. He had a legitimate bad feeling, as if something was warning him not to go further. 'I'm being stupid,' he decided. 'I'm letting this place get to me; I have to stay strong for Luke.'

"You're right," the older boy said. "I guess that means we go through this door." He cautiously approached the door, the younger trailing behind him, and pushed it open. The room was dark, save for one candle on the wall across from the entrance. Stuck on the wall beside the flickering light was a small piece of paper. The room practically screamed 'don't go in', but Asch stepped in anyway. Something was up with this house, and he didn't trust it one bit, but they had no other choice. Besides, worst came to worst they'd turn and high-tail it out of there.

Slowly, carefully, he stepped further in, hearing Luke's boots thud softly in time with his own behind him. Asch had made it halfway across the room, eyes squinted to read the note on the wall, when suddenly... "Asch wait!" He froze instantly, his foot balancing in mid-air as he obeyed the frantic call of his replica and stopped. Luke let loose an audible breath of relief. "Okay, put your feet together, and step to the side." Again, he obeyed, letting his heel fall back to its original position and slowly stepped sideways, straining his ears in the silence in order to be instantly alerted should Luke try to tell him something again. When Asch stopped a few steps over, and his isofon stayed quiet, he turned to look at him. Luke was watching him, nodding when their gazes locked. "You're okay." Curious as to what caused the sudden uproar, the darker redhead tilted his head to stare at where he'd previously been standing. One step in front of the spot was a crimson red patch on the floor, glistening where it caught the light.

'I almost stepped in that…'

"Th-That's…" Luke stuttered, carefully making his way over to his original. "That's blood, isn't it…?" Swallowing thickly, Asch nodded.

"I think so."

"You almost stepped in it… I panicked. I didn't want you to…"

"I know. It's okay, I'm glad you stopped me. I don't fancy bloodying my boots for nothing." Strolling forward, wearily avoiding the blood puddle, Asch glanced at the note. Written on it in dripping fresh black ink, were four simple words.

COME TO MY ROOM

He frowned in confusion, taking the paper off the wall. "That's it," he muttered, turning it over in his fingers. "That's all it says."

"But, this is the only room in the house, so it seems," Luke pointed out. "There aren't any other doors in this room…" Asch shook his head.

"Something isn't right here," he said, crumpling the note and dropping it carelessly on the floor. "Come on, we're getting the hell out of here." The younger nodded vigorously. This place gave him the creeps; he'd rather wander aimlessly through the woods than stay in here. Watching out for the blood puddle once more, the twins darted from the room, rushing through the opened doorway. But once they stepped back through, they discovered…

The house had changed.

Now, they stood in a long hallway, the walls and carpeting identical to that of the original room they'd entered. But whereas it had been a small space with a single door previously, it was now a large space with two doors on either wall, and the front door on the wall in front of them. Candles were in holders on the walls, the flames swaying curiously, filling the area with their soft glow. A table sat beneath each of them, each holding a large vase of lavender and white flowers. 'None of this stuff was there when we first walked in…' Luke realized. 'The room had been completely barren!'

"This is impossible…!" Asch said through gritted teeth. "How can it have just…changed?"

"Asch, I'm scared," the replica admitted quietly. He didn't care if he sounded like a wuss; he wanted to get the hell away from this house. "Please, can we just leave? Can we not investigate?" The older boy nodded.

"Let's go. There's got to be another way out of the woods. And if there's not, we'll make one. Come on." He lead the way back to the front door, his replica following, twisting the knob and pulling back.

The door didn't budge.

Blinking in shock, Asch gave the knob another sharp tug. Still, the wooden barrier refused to be jostled. His skin prickling with disbelief, the redhead tugged frantically on the door, even going as far as throwing his weight against it and having Luke push and pull with him. But no matter what technique they tried or how much force they used, the door would not open. It may as well have been a doorknob sticking out of a wall.

A nervous sweat had broken out across Luke's forehead, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He stared at his original's face, the latter staring down at the door handle. "A-Asch…" The boy slowly turned his head to meet the other's gaze, and shook his head.

"It's probably not going to open."

His heartbeat sped up even more, and Luke clutched his hands to his chest. "What are we going to do…?" he asked quietly. Asch didn't move, his voice expressionless as he answered.

"The only thing we can do. We have to go forward."

"Y-You mean through the house?! No way, we can't! This place… It's not safe, Asch!"

"I know." The original sighed, finally turning to face his replica. "But standing here praying this door will suddenly open isn't going to get us anywhere. We need to at least look for another way out." He shifted position, gazing from one end of the hallway to the other. "There are more doors now. That means there are more rooms too. Maybe one of them leads back outside." Luke was still not convinced, and Asch placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's our only option right now, Luke. Everything will be fine. Trust me, okay?"

Green eyes met green eyes, one pair wide with childish fear, the other narrowed with determination. Slowly, Luke nodded. He trusted Asch. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to him. But even still, he reached out one of his hands, and his look-alike quickly stretched one of his own out. Their fingers linked together, and Luke instantly felt better, feeling Asch's warmth beside him.

They both turned, standing shoulder to shoulder, hands intertwined, and stepped away from the door.

As their backs were now to it, they failed to see the doorknob fall to the ground, the carpet silencing the sound of impact. The door they'd used to enter the house was now nothing more than a picture painted on the wall.

– X –

WRONG END 1:1

He cautiously approached the door, the younger trailing behind him, and pushed it open. The room was dark, save for one candle on the wall across from the entrance. Stuck on the wall beside the flickering light was a small piece of paper. The room practically screamed 'don't go in', but Asch stepped in anyway. Something was up with this house, and he didn't trust it one bit, but they had no other choice. Besides, worst came to worst they'd turn and high-tail it out of there.

Slowly, carefully, he stepped further in, hearing Luke's boots thud softly in time with his own behind him. Asch had made it halfway across the room, eyes squinted to read the note on the wall, when suddenly... "Asch wait!" He had already lifted his foot to take the next step, Luke's sharp yell causing him to stumble in surprise, and instinctively, his foot dropped to balance himself. A wet squishing sound was heard, and Asch looked down to see he had stepped in a puddle of a crimson, glistening liquid. 'What the-' And then there was a click, and suddenly, the walls of the room shot forward.

The last thing Asch saw was his replica, emerald eyes wide, mouth open as if to scream something, and then the world went dark.

What Just Happened? 1:1

By stepping in the blood puddle on the ground, Asch activated a hidden switch/button, which in turn caused the walls of the room to close in on themselves, crushing the two in the process. May be the most common way for newbies to the game to get their first Game Over.

(EDIT: So I got a review a few days ago saying that the original ending to this chapter was too graphic for T. I really didn't think it was that big a deal, but I figured, okay, I can work with you on that. So I won't make the wrong ends as detailed as I originally intended, and will outright explain each wrong end after its respective one.)

Anyway, since this is based off a game, I decided to add in the wrong ends to show what would happen if Asch and Luke had done something differently. Mostly because there are some epic wrong ends I would love to write, cause I'm a sick freak :3 but aren't we all? So yeah, those will always be at the ends of chapters, or maybe in the chapters following if there are many wrong ends. And each chapter will be a certain room.

And I'm pretty sure thats all there is to say for now! So review, favorite, and follow (which I recommend in case the rating ends up changing, just saying) and see you guys next time! Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!

Later!

Valerie(SonicGirl2002)