You chew a little on your lower lip. You’ve already been brave this far, haven’t you? What’s one more door – especially when the butler’s still at your side?
“I’m glad I have you here,” you say, honest.
“I’m glad to be here, Mistress,” he says with a nod.
You take his gloved hand in your free one and use your other to open the lock.
The door swings open to reveal a room that’s half-laboratory, half-church. Back-lit stained glass lines the walls, showing kaleidoscopic fractals, lighting up what looks like an altar lined with candles, an array of implements, and a strange purple-glowing thing.
As you take another step in, a person resolves from the dark, almost impossible to see because they’re dressed in black – and wearing an all-black mask. You gasp and lean into the butler.
“He may
