As Edelgard stepped out into the cold night air, she noticed how damp it was, almost as if she'd entered a bog instead of a garden. Though the storm had subsided for the moment, it had left a faint mist in its wake, not thick enough to severely hamper her vision yet just heavy enough to grate on her nerves.
Her steps squelched in the garden's wetness as she followed the footpaths, and the silver-haired woman couldn't help but grimace at the thought of losing s shoe.
For Shez, she thought, And for Lysithea.
She knew it wasn't the best idea to leave Lysithea alone in the mansion, but it seemed the logical conclusion. Not to disparage her, but it wouldn't do to have the younger girl along if she was going to be shaking and crying at the ever pervasive thought of ghosts.
No, better for Edelgard to shoulder this burden herself, no matter how uncomfortable it was to brush against the damp shrubbery or pass along a veritable corridor of unchecked overgrowth.
With each wayward branch or leaning stem she avoided, it felt like she was avoiding the gasping tendrils of a shadowy presence, one that lured her deeper and deeper into its realm with the false promise of finding her wayward-
Edelgard took a deep breath. No. She was in control. She had to keep it together.
She crept along the winding paths and twisting turns, mentally cursing Rhea for leaving behind a disorganized and untamed mess of a garden. But every step took her closer to the moving light, every squelching footfall advancing her toward her goal.
Then she took one more turn and there it was. A dark figure with back turned to Edelgard, a glowing lamp raised in hand.
"Shez!" she called out.
The figure halted, gradually turning around.
"...You're not Shez," stated Edelgard with a frown as she approached the familiar face.
Byleth shook her head. "No, I am not," she agreed quietly.
"Your name is Byleth, correct?"
A nod.
"What are you doing out here at this time of night?"
The darker-haired woman sent a ponderous look over the various plants around them. "Exploring," she said.
Edelgard let out a mild sigh of frustration at the lackadaisical response. "You realize it's supposed to be storming right now, yes? If the weather turned poor again you could be in serious trouble."
This time, the response was only a shrug.
"You're not much of a conversationalist, are you?" prompted Edelgard.
Byleth looked at her, before shaking her head. "...is that bad?" she asked softly, eyes turning down ever so slightly.
"No," said Edelgard, feeling a twinge of regret for making Byleth sad. "I apologize. I am not in the best of moods. As I implied earlier, my friend Shez has gone missing and I are attempting to find her."
"I understand."
"Thank you. I don't suppose you've encountered her on your wanderings?"
Byleth shook her head.
"A shame. Well, I believe it would be best to continue my search in the mansion then. Would you like to join me? I meant what I said about the weather, and I'd hate to see you in such a position."
A nod. "I'll go with you."
The two walked in companionable silence as they continued back to the mansion, Byleth's lantern illuminating and dispelling many of the eerily sinister shadows that had plagued Edelgard's mind earlier. She felt safe with Byleth, though she questioned how much of that was due to the lantern.
Thankfully, the return trip was shorter than the initial expedition, and it wasn't long before they were crossing the threshold into the mansion when they collided with a frantic Lysithea with Shez in tow. They were all amenable to conversation once the screaming stopped.
"Byleth?" said Shez in surprise, "What are you doing outside?"
"Exploring," answered the blunette neutrally.
Shez and Lysithea waited for more, but when no further information was forthcoming, they looked to Edelgard.
"Well. It seems that we've found our wayward friend, so I believe it's time we return to bed," she decreed.
As they set off for the stairs in mutual agreement, Edelgard noticed the quartet had become a trio, and looked back to see Byleth standing where they left her, staring off into the distance.
"Are you not going to bed?" she asked curiously.
Byleth turned back to her and shook her head. "I want to explore more," she explained.
"...Very well then. Good night."
The next time the clock rang out, the storm had returned in force. Wind and rain lashed the walls and windows of the old mansion as thunder and lightning bore down on them from the heavens. Thankfully this mattered little to those slumbering within.
But as the chimes rang out, so too did the clinking and clanking of rattling chains, accompanied by a cacophony of hysteric, maniacal laughter as a shadowy figure emerged to plague the heirs that dared occupy its dominion.
The first room it visited belonged to Seteth.
As it approached the bed menacingly, its jangling chain rattles and otherworldly cries dragged the poor unsuspecting victim from his slumber, returning Seteth from the realm of sleep to a true waking nightmare.
The scream of terror echoed through the night.
Bedroom doors shot open as everyone awoke to the commotion.
It wasn't long before those who remained gathered up in Seteth's room.
"My father is gone!" cried Flayn on her verge of hysterics, "Spirited away by some... some...! Some spirit!"
"Please keep calm, Lady Flayn," said Catherine. "This is... certainly most troubling, but I'm sure wherever he is, your father is safe."
"He's been taken by a ghost!" shrieked Flayn, collapsing on her father's bed as she bawled her eyes out.
Witnessing the poor kind niece in such a state put everyone at unease, and Shez and her friends turned away to give her some privacy. Lysithea clung to Shez as tightly as her arms would allow, and Dorothea had Petra's hand clasped in hers as they all drew comfort from one another.
"Geez, what do we do?" mumbled Shez.
"I don't really think there's much we can do," offered Dorothea grimly.
"We could search for him" disagreed Petra, undaunted. "If a man is abducted, surely he must be held captive somewhere."
Lysithea looked at her as if she were crazy. "You're ascribing logic to a ghost!"
Petra shook her head. "I do not believe in ghosts the way you do. I see nothing that cannot be explained by human action."
"Everyone, look at the mirror," announced Edelgard suddenly. "It seems our culprit left a message..."
One is gone and more will go, for daring attend this final show
Leave now and stay away, or continue to suffer the price to pay
- Phantom Shadow
"At least our culprit is suitably dramatic," remarked Dorothea fatalistically.
"The phantom shadow..." pondered Edelgard. "What an interesting moniker."
"So what? If we leave, you think we'll be safe?" asked Lysithea almost eagerly.
"And go where?" asked Shez. "We're on an island in the middle of intermittent storming. We won't exactly be safe from the elements outside."
"We're not safe from the ghost inside!" protested the youngest.
"Hmm. And what do the rest of you think about this?" prompted Edelgard, looking over to the others.
"Considering Lady Flayn," started Catherine, "I believe it would be best-"
"I'm staying!" declared Flayn, taking everyone aback as she looked at them all with determination beneath her tear-stained eyes. "My father is missing and I must find him! If I must confront some phantom specter then so be it!"
"Well said!" smiled the bodyguard. "I'm with her. No ghost is going to get the best of me, this I swear on Lady Rhea's memory!"
Next to her, Cyril nodded. "I will fulfill Lady Rhea's last request," he said solemnly.
"I will stay," said Byleth simply.
Edelgard slowly nodded. "Then it seems our course is decided."
"How?" moaned Lysithea with genuine distress, "How the hell did WE get stuck with searching the basement?"
"I dunno," replied Shez. "The relatives seemed to think it was a good idea, and it's not like we're that involved with the family to begin with."
After collectively deciding to stay in the mansion, even with a phantom roaming freely, the group of nine had split up into teams to better search the premises either for a sign of Seteth or a clue concerning their ghostly tormentor.
"But you're in the will! Shouldn't you have gotten a vote?"
Shez shrugged. "Yeah, not that it would've mattered in the end."
"And what about you?!" exclaimed Lysithea, turning to the third member of their exploration party.
Byleth looked at her blankly. "I have no opinion," she stated.
The shortest girl huffed. "Of course you don't," she muttered.
"Chill, Lysithea," pleaded Shez, "It'll be okay. We'll find Seteth, join up with the others, then we can just wait in the entrance hall until the storm blows over."
Lysithea sighed. "Such boundless optimism is not my forte."
"Could you give it a try? For me?"
Lysithea couldn't help a small blush. "Fine. I'll try. For you. But I don't know what you expect when we actually find the ghost."
Cornflower eyes stared at them appraisingly. "You two must like each other very much," observed Byleth.
"Us? Oh, yeah, I'd say so," nodded Shez. "Don't think there's anyone else I like more."
The youngest girl's face reddened further at Shez's directness. "...I would say the same," she managed eventually.
"That's good," said Byleth.
"Definitely," agreed Shez. "Nothing worse than exploring the basement of a haunted mansion with people you don't like."
"I... think she means in general, not just this specific situation."
"Ah. Yeah, being with you is pretty great whatever the circumstance." Before her friend could blush over that statement as well, Shez continued. "Anyway, let's start looking around. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go upstairs."
She received two nods of agreement.
Setting off in a random direction, Shez led the way as they walked through the dusty, dirty, dilapidated level. Old armoires and bookshelves lined the walls, filled with the belongings of previous generations, though none among them would be able to discern a price or worth. Eerie paintings of stern faced men and women hung as centerpieces, once intended to be admired, now left to be forgotten.
"Hey Byleth, any idea who these portraits are supposed to be?" prompted Shez.
The blue-haired woman paused as she gazed upon one of them. "My ancestors, probably."
"Funny how they all have green hair. Guess you didn't inherit that trait."
Byleth offered no further commentary as she turned to stare at another portrait.
"Hmm. Don't think there's anything of interest over here. Any clues on your end?"
"Possibly," replied Lysithea. "There's a rope hanging from the ceiling, but I... I'm not quite tall enough to reach..." she trailed off bashfully.
"I gotcha," said Shez, quick to assist. "I wonder if it's a bell or something." She pulled the rope.
...and the floor dropped out from under them.
"AHHHHHH!" screamed Shez
"AHHHHHH!" screamed Lysithea.
The duo plummeted downwards, immediately colliding into an angled wall that corralled their descent, eventually spitting them out into a dark holding area. Shez landed first with a grunt of pain, Lysithea collapsing on top of her with another groan of exertion.
Looking up, Shez frowned as she realized they were in some sort of dungeon. "You've gotta be kidding me," she groused.
"This... is not good," summarized Lysithea succinctly.
"Are you okay?" came Byleth's voice through the aperture, soft but just as unperturbed as ever.
"Yeah, we're fine," called Shez, "But we're trapped in some kind of prison. Can you find a way to get down here?"
"...I'll look around," replied Byleth.
Sighing at their misfortune, Shez went and sat against the wall. "Well... this isn't the first time I've been wrongfully imprisoned," she quipped.
"How can you joke at a time like this?!" cried Lysithea. "We're trapped underground in a haunted mansion with a malevolent ghost on the loose!"
Shez shrugged. "What else can I do? And hey, at least we're here together."
"That...!"
'Come here, Lysithea. It's been a long day and neither of us got much sleep. You can rest your head on my shoulder. I'll keep watch for Byleth."
As much as Lysithea wanted to argue, Shez was right that she was tired. And Lysithea knew she got cranky when she was tired, not that the situation didn't warrant it, but still. Loosing a great sigh, the short girl walked over and sat next to her friend.
"I really don't expect to get much sleep like this," grumbled Lysithea as she leaned against Shez's shoulder.
"That's fine too," assured Shez. "We can always talk instead. Like about how stupid this situation is. I mean really, I understand having a trapdoor TO a basement, but having a trapdoor IN a basement? That's just unnecessary..."
Lysithea exhaled fondly, reaching over to take Shez's hand with her own. "Wake me when you need me," she said.
Shez smiled as their fingers intertwined. "I always need you."
On the second floor, Edelgard perused through a bedroom closet, sighing as she hit another dead end in the search for anything useful. She turned to Petra and Dorothea.
"I've found nothing over here. What about on your ends?"
"I too have not discovered anything," replied Petra.
"Nothing," sighed Dorothea, closing a trunk full of clothes.
"On to the next room then," concluded Edelgard.
"I don't know about this, Edie," worried Dorothea, "We're dealing with a ghost. What are we even looking for?"
Hearing the defeat in her girlfriend's voice, Petra frowned. "Dorothea, you truly believe it is a supernatural entity?"
"Well, it sounds a little silly when you say it like that, but... it would certainly be the simplest explanation."
"I would think the simplest explanation is someone trying to scare off the inheritors of Rhea's fortune," remarked Edelgard.
Dorothea chuckled. "I wish I could be so grounded as you," she said. "But I'm a dreamer at heart. And sometimes those dreams turn to nightmares..."
"Dorothea," said Petra, taking her hands with her own, "I will protect you. From kidnapper or ghost, I will protect you."
"Oh Petra..."
"Perhaps it would make you feel more comfortable if we were to acquire some weapons?" suggested Edelgard.
"That is a good idea," supported Petra. "I am always keeping a pair of knives on me for such emergencies." She snapped out said blades to demonstrate. "I do not take them off, even for bed."
Dorothea blinked. "Petra... did you have those earlier when we were... intimate?"
"When I was distracting you? Yes."
"I'm extremely concerned I didn't find those earlier."
"Your concern is unnecessary. I would not use them against you."
"That's reassuring, but also not the point."
"While I'm happy that you're both happy, could we please stay on track and keep looking around?" interrupted Edelgard.
"Ah, right. Sorry Edie."
As they stepped out to continue onto the next room, a wailing, malevolent laughter echoed around them and the trio whirled as a specter appeared behind them.
"WAHAHAHA! WAHAHAHA!"
The phantom was green and shadowy, stuffed in an oversized robe as crimson eyes and a crimson mouth burned from beneath the darkness of its hood. A long obsidian chain was shackled to its wrist, clinking and clanking with every movement.
It loosed a laugh of malicious mockery as it advanced on them. "WAHAHAHA! WAHAHAHA!"
"I will protect Dorothea!" cried Petra, leaping to action with blades out.
"Petra!" cried Dorothea.
Edelgard held a hand to the brunette's shoulder to steady her. Both could only watch in fear as Petra and the phantom battled it out. Their friend's twin blades struck and weaved in concert in a dizzying dance of daggerplay, but the phantom held its own, dodging and ducking as it weaponized the chain clasped round its wrist to repel Petra's advances.
Then in a flash, the phantom wrapped its chain around Petra's arm and threw her towards the wall. Petra landed with a cry of pain, her knives scattering as she impacted. One skittered down the hallway to Edelgard and Dorothea, while the other landed between Petra and the phantom.
Edelgard watched as the phantom slowly reached down to grab the fallen dagger, and she knew she had only moments to act. Leaning close to Dorothea, she murmured to her. "Stay quiet and hide." Then Edelgard pushed her into an empty bedroom.
Snatching up the other knife, Edelgard shouted loudly as she whipped the dagger through the air. Her knife went wide as expected, but it caught the phantom's attention.
As the greenish monster began to advance on her, Edelgard turned and ran. She heard the phantom's mocking wails trailing behind her and hoped to whatever higher power existed that Dorothea and Petra were safe.