Cobwebs and spiders litter the walls and suits of armour with shiny weapons are positioned in front of every door. Red carpets with golden embroidery lead me in circles as I run. Through the broken windows, I can see the purple storm intensifying. Lightning strikes and distorted shadows cover the halls. Thousands of doors that lead into beautifully furnished but dusty rooms surround me. Mounted animal heads decorate some of the walls and come to life, growling at me as I come near. Sets of armour try to hit me with their huge axes and paintings look towards me with their dead eyes. Echoes of screams and falling debris come from all around me as I stop at an intersection between two halls. I look around, all of them look the same, I think in frustration! I take the one on the right, which leads me into a bedroom. The bed is ruined, and moss is covering the once exquisite walls. Marble columns sit silently in every corner. A bookshelf stands tall among the dirty room. I approach it, for some reason being mesmerised by it. It could hold the secret on how to stop this storm and save Blake. This place is clearly haunted, I need something on evil ghosts. I read a few of the titles, but the books are very dusty. The writing has faded due to time and most pages are rotten. Still, I do find something. Adeline Blackwood’s journal… Wait, that name! She was real? Then that means that the dream I’ve had… Out of nowhere, the room trembles as another earthquake takes shape. A terrible scream comes from the room above.

“Blake! I’m coming!” I shout desperately as I look around.

Hidden by the dirty windows, there is an elegant balcony outside. I quickly get out and then I look up. Vines are covering the walls. I throw myself at them, then I start climbing. The wind gets stronger and the clouds darker with each movement I make, But I can hear Blake’s scream closer and closer. I reach the next level and enter through the window. Inside, the dark room is infected with mushrooms and the faint drops of water can be heard from every direction. I furrow my eyebrows as I realise Blake stopped shouting. I make a violet flame in my hands as I look around the mysterious room. I try the door, but it’s locked. There must be a key somewhere! I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down as I start searching. It’s an old study. A huge table with a few figurines and a map lies in the centre. Chairs surround it creepily, some of them fallen over. I walk slowly and carefully so as to not enter a trap. I illuminate the map better and realise it depicts the forest and the two villages surrounding it. Emeraldia village and Melodia village. This map must be very old if Emeraldia is still a village. The figurines look like troops, and so many are thrown on the floor, as if discarded with anger. I look up at the wall behind the table to reveal a painting of a young woman and her parents. They are all smiling kindly and happily, but their eyes are hidden by the darkness of the mansion. What happened here? I look around the room a bit more and find swords and axes, all of them bloody. I recoil in fear from my discovery. My breath becomes heavy and sweat forms on my face. I put my hand to my mouth as I find a list that seems never-ending. There was a battle… And so many have… No. The weapons I saw in the forest… I look at the table once more, then at the bloody weaponry, and then at the list. Finally, I look at the painting. The family, I’ve seen them before! They are the same as the statue and my dream! The dark times the father was refereeing to must have been a war. I look closer at the painting. Adeline is wearing purple! She’s a purple witch! Purple storm. Purple magic! She’s the one who cursed the forest! But why?! All of a sudden, I realise something, a small glint of gold shines from below the painting. I approach it carefully. A key is sitting on a book of spells, its cover burned, making the title unreadable. I take the key and rush to the door. I get out of the room and I’m met with another corridor. Blake screams once more and I run towards the sound. It’s coming from ahead! A staircase presents itself in front of me, carvings decorating its every side. I run upstairs without paying any attention to my surroundings, then I stop as I hear Blake scream again from my left. I run towards the sound as the hallways begin to shake. The ground beneath me starts to break apart, revealing gaping holes full of darkness. I jump over them and use my magic to make bookshelves fall over as a bridges. Ahead, I see a mirror. The hallway connects to another one from there. Suddenly, through the reflection in the mirror, I see Blake running, a tall figure chasing him. He passes by the mirror, and the weird figure appears in the hallway. It stops for a second and I jump behind a column. Growls echo as dark purple light is illuminating my surroundings. It looks like a huge bear made out of purple fire and its eyes are red as blood. The creature opens its mouth and reveals enormous white teeth that glow slightly as a terrible sound echoes throughout the hallway. I put my hands over my mouth as I try to muffle my scream and close my eyes. It takes forever, but then, it leaves, deep thuds going further and further away. I take a deep breath and prepare my magic. I run ahead after them.

Blake is barely able to get away as debris falls in front of him, blocking his path. He trips on a rotten piece of wood and falls on the muddy carpet. He looks up in horror to see the figure tower over him. It raises its huge paws as dark light emanates from them in fiery form.

I look in horror to see Blake almost being attacked. My hands glow and my eyes as well. I use my powers and all of the tables and sets of armour fly toward the creature. It shrieks in pain as it’s thrown against a wall. Fire comes out of my hands and is directed straight towards its heart, but before it can reach its target, the ghostly creature moves aside and lunges at me. I do a movement with my arms and the glass of the windows breaks, shards falling on-top of it. The monster looks at me with its crimson eyes. Without flinching, I move my head a little and all of the shards start flying. They attack  it all at once as I send fire towards it as well. The ghost melts away and for a second, it all goes quiet. Suddenly, it teleports behind me, and just in time, I move out of the way of its attack. I stand in front of Blake, my fiery fists ready for a fight.

“I’ve got your back, Lake!” I say with a smirk.

“Elwyn! But how?!” Blake shouts with shock.

“Simple, I couldn’t leave you behind! I care about you a lot as well!” I answer and smile at him.

He blushes hard before screaming panicked as an entire pool table is thrown at us. I do a motion with my hands, and I redirect it towards a wall. It smashes right through, dust flying in all directions as bricks and mortar fall to the ground. The monster runs towards us and I clap my hands. Immediately, the carpet comes to life and pulls the creature away. I send a few more fireballs, but it evades them like last time. The creature is gaining back on us fast, throwing any trash it can find in our direction. While moving back slowly, I stop all of the objects in mid-air. I angrily punch in front of me and they all go flying back at the monster. I do a move with my hands and the wall besides the creature explodes, throwing even more stuff at it. Dust fogs up our vision as I gasp and my hands tremble. I kneel with exhaustion. I’m overusing my powers. The fog clears and the beast is slowly getting up, its fire becoming even more enraged. I’ve made it very angry!

“Blake, I can’t fight it forever! We need to escape! Can you cover the house in illusions?”

Blake smiles mischievously and his hands and eyes glow with green energy.

“The show must go on!”

Suddenly, the world around us changes to the mountain we talked on, the setting sun glowing beautifully. Snow covers the floor and trees spring up  where the windows were. The ghost looks around confused, then lunges at us. I take Blake’s hand and start running. A lone door stands ahead of us in the middle of the snow. We enter through it and we find ourselves in a colourful amusement park. Attractions sparkle in the distance as cardboards greet us and laser-tag noises echo throughout the park.

“Nice flair!” I comment and Blake smirks.

The ghost bursts through the door and the illusion glitches for a second, revealing the broken-down house.

“Ok, maybe escape first, compliments later!” Blake shouts with fear.

“I agree!” I reply and we run through another door.

This time, we find ourselves inside a pixelated video game world. Blocky houses surround us and pixels fly through the air. We run between chests and characters telling us about adventure before going through another door. The calm park from the centre of Emeraldia. We run through the tricky pathways as the monster’s growls get closer. I look ahead for the next door, but there is none. Suddenly, I hit my head against a hard surface where the path would continue. A dead end!

“What do we do?!” I shout.

Blake looks around and then points at a tree.

“That’s a window over there!”

“What?!” I shout as he takes me into a hug. “No no no! You’re crazy!”

The ghost lunges at us, breaking down trees and fountains with incredible speed. I gasp in horror, then I tightly hold onto Blake.

“On the count of three!” I shout and he nods. “One! Two! Three!”

We jump and shards surround us for a bit before we start falling. The force of the wind pulls us apart as the illusion changes to a morning sky, with comets flying in all directions. Mountains decorate the skyline and birds fly through the clouds. Blake is falling a little bit further from me and I reach out to him. He screams with horror as the peaks of the mountains below get closer and I try to smile reassuringly. The wind is whistling in my ears as I try my best to grab his hand. I flail in the air, Blake panicking even further as I can’t reach him.

The scenery changes to a fiery volcano erupting and throwing lava everywhere, then goes back to the clouds. I grab his hand and pull him into a hug My eyes glow and we slow down. We crash land on the ground and the illusions disappear. Happily, we celebrate not being dead as we look at the dilapidated mansion. But joy doesn’t last long as the ghost phases through the wall in front of us, ready for another attack. The form of the monster melts away and a young woman dressed in black appears before us. She looks at us with crazed crimson eyes and a wicked smile as she cackles.

“Well done, Elwyn! Truly magnificent! I have to admit, you are quite the purple mage! I wish this could go on forever. But…” she says with a fake sweet tone.

We back away in fear as Blake puts himself in front of me. The woman laughs more as lightning strikes above us. Suddenly, she disappears and reappears above the house.

“I am thinking it’s time for the final curtain call!” she shouts as her eyes glow even more and her expression becomes even crazier.

Her hands glow purple and her laugh echoes throughout the forest as the sky darkness.

I look up in horror as I finally recognise the voice. It can’t be! I gently push Blake aside and take a few steps closer towards the house.

“Adeline! You must stop this!” I shout and her cackle stops.

Adeline looks at me with a horrifying expression, then she teleports right in front of me. Her smile is gone, replaced by pure rage.

“Adeline is gone! And I’ll make sure you are as well!”

She must have been corrupted. Wait! The dream! Green magic can calm spirits! I look at Blake while Adeline is approaching me slowly.

“Blake! You can calm a spirit down! Your powers have that ability, it’s green magic!” I shout and he looks at me confused. “I found out in a weird dream! I know it sounds crazy, but just trust me! Point at her and use your powers.”

Blake turns towards the ghost, paralysed by fear as his hand trembles, green sparks coming out of it. I grab his other hand and I squeeze.

“You’ve got this! I believe in you!” I shout and he takes a deep breath.

A burst of green light hits the ghost in the face and she gets engulfed by it. A young woman dressed in the same purple dress as the painting in the study comes out. Her beautiful jewellery sparkles in the greenish glow around her as Adeline’s true spirit form appears before us. Her eyes turn from red to purple and her crazed expression gives way to one of fear and sadness.