A wooded area, x days after Kamine Island, 19:25.

Lelouch's POV

I walked along the dirt trail and glanced at the map before looking forward. The mansion is right there but it didn't quite look like how it appeared on the map to get to it. The mansion had an old-looking gate in front of it that was connected to a stone fence with spikes on the top and the braziers next to the gate had blue flames dancing in the stands. The mansion itself had three floors even though it looked like it was at least four floors tall, eighteen ordinary windows of which only two on the second floor that were above the front door were lit, and three windows on the third floor that were covered in iron bars like the gate. To the left of the gate was a small shack, presumably for a gardener to live inside of, and in front of the door was a flight of stairs and a wheelchair ramp. I cautiously opened the gate and went up the path to the mansion. Upon reaching the door, I tested the knob and noticed that the front door was unlocked. I slowly opened the door and turned on a flashlight that I had kept in my right hand before entering and closing the door after me.

I looked around the foyer, dark as it was. There was a set of double doors that had thorns covering it in front of me, a flight of stairs was to the left, and another wheelchair ramp that was a bit steeper than the one outside was on the right. They both linked up to a part that was on the second floor, so I went up the stairs and saw another set of double doors but they weren't covered by thorns, a door on the left, and a door on the right. The doors to the left and right were locked, and so were the double doors on the second floor of the foyer. After testing the double doors I heard a giggle and went back down to the first floor. Upon reaching it, I saw an orange wispy thing with a key in its center float around before it stopped. It then suddenly moved and the key dropped to the floor as the wisp went up the stairs and disappeared through the double doors on the second floor.

Seeing that key on the floor made me remember about what happened one week ten days ago, when Euphemia received an anonymous letter stating that she won a mansion in a contest that she didn't remember entering. Schneizel thought that it was suspicious and went ahead to the mansion with plans to take her there after returning. Euphemia left for the mansion two days later when he did not return. Two days ago, I was discovered accidentally when Marrybell mel Britannia made an unannounced visit to Ashford Academy. She saw me while I was checking my mailbox and would have been dragged off to the Viceroy's Palace by her head knight Oldrin Zevon had Sayoko not intervened and read that I had won a mansion in a contest that I didn't remember entering off one of the things was that in said mailbox. Marrybell reluctantly agreed to a deal that we would discuss this later at the mansion before she left.

Thankfully she didn't take the map with her to the mansion, so I was able to get here faster than if I didn't have it. I shook myself out of those thoughts before I picked up the key and went back up the stairs to the double doors and inserted the key into the lock of one of them and turned it. I was then able to open the door, and walked into the room before closing the door behind me. I cautiously stepped forward and saw a grotesque sight in front of me thanks to the flashlight. Schneizel was hanging from a noose that was secured to a light post on the ceiling.

An orange ghost-like being with no feet appeared in front of me so suddenly I fell backwards. It tried to approach, but a vacuum noise was heard as something tried to suck up the ghost. I saw an old man with a vacuum-like device on his back holding a nozzle that was trying to suck in the ghost, but the ghost managed to turn around and punch the man in the face before it left the room. The impact from the punch was real despite ghosts being incorporeal, so I decided to help the old man up. He had what appeared to be nerd glasses on and wore a white coat and black pants and he said, "Ouch... Ooof, I do sure take a lot of knocks in this line of work. I'm getting too old for this ghost-catching tomfoolery. Anyways, nice to meet you. I'm Professor Elvin Gadd. This house... I swear it seems to have more ghosts every day! What's a young feller like you doing here, anyhoo?"

The orange ghost from earlier returned, but it was not alone. Two more identical ghosts were with it and they looked angry. "Uh-oh! This looks ugly. Alright, look lively youngster! Follow me, posthaste!" the old man said as he ran away. I really did not want to be alone with these ghosts, so I ran with him.

-Fifteen minutes later, inside a laboratory-

"So your name's Lelouch? I think our paths were destined to cross. Well met, Lelouch." The old man said.

"Where and what is this place?" I asked.

"Hmm, where's this, you ask? Why, these cozy quarters are where I do my ghost-studying. Professor Elvin Gadd's Ghost research laboratory! The Lab, if you're of a shortening mind."

"Yeah, apparently I won that mansion in a contest that I didn't enter."

"You won this mansion in a contest you didn't even enter? Sounds pretty fishy to me... So, you believe the mansion actually exists, then... Strange. I've been living here since I was a lad of twenty or so and I'll tell you: that mansion appeared just over ten days ago! The spirits have fooled you! I don't know if it's a dream, or illusion, or what-all, but I surely wouldn't be too happy winning a haunted house! Now that I get a look at you, I just recalled... a man with blond hair went up to the mansion two days before a woman with pink hair did the same without even stopping to chat... and they never returned. A similar thing happened two days ago when another woman with pink hair went up to the mansion without stopping to chat with me. Were they dreams, too?"

"No... they were my half-siblings. I got a good look around before seeing you and saw that the blond man apparently hung himself. His name was Schneizel, and he was my half-brother."

"What? That guy was your half-brother? It's unfortunate what happened to him. I give my condolences. Your half-sisters wouldn't stand a chance against those ghosts without my help! You have to go after them! Here's the plan: I'll teach you to deal with ghosts so you can rescue your half-sisters, Lelouch."

"You have a deal." Lelouch said before shaking hands with Elvin Gadd.