Halloween Special – The Night of the Finaos (Omar, Lavina, Luca, Gara, Nisa)

“What do you say? Do you dare to go in?”

It’s the 31st day of the fifth moon. The inhabitants of Sorrol wake up early to visit the graves of their deceased relatives and decorate them. Later, well into the afternoon and with the decorations prepared, the little ones grab their bags and head out to knock on their neighbours’ doors, asking for chestnuts, nuts, figs, or fruits while asking, “Are there any saints?”

With the food collected by the children, everyone gathers inside and around the tavern for a grand dinner, with roasted chestnuts as the star delicacy. There, with anecdotes of the deceased told by the owner of the tailor shop, the Night of the Finaos should have come to a close.

...But this year, something is different.

“Maybe we’ll find candy in there,” Omar continues with a huge smile on his face, pointing his thumb at the little house behind him, where several of your neighbours enter with excitement and curiosity, only to emerge minutes later, laughing and poking fun at each other for the scares they’ve had.

“This is ridiculous,” Luca replies, arms crossed and brow furrowed. “Why does the mayor put a haunted house here?”

“This was very common in Aelmere. Haven’t you ever done it here?” you ask, tilting your head slightly.

“It’s more typical of cities,” Omar responds. “Villages are more… traditional.” He pauses, and with a mischievous smile, adds, “And boring.”

Luca huffs. “As if we needed more scares. We’ve got enough with demons lurking around.”

“Oh, come on! Don’t be a spoilsport. Can’t you see people laughing?” Omar turns to you and Lavina. “You’re with me, right?”

You chuckle. “I am. It’s not the Night of the Finaos without a haunted house.”

Lavina, on the other hand, hides her head between her shoulders. “I… I’m not sure…”

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” Omar exclaims, stepping ahead with firm steps, already crossing the threshold.

The interior of the little house is shrouded in dim light. As you move through the narrow hallways, the light gradually fades, and the shadows seem to come alive, stretching and sliding into the corners. Lavina murmurs that she saw a thin figure move among the old furniture, but even that doesn’t stop Omar, who continues forward with reckless enthusiasm.

But aside from your red-haired friend's comment, you find nothing but an old, empty house as you keep checking rooms.

“How strange, I was expecting a scare by now,” you think aloud as you turn another empty corner. “Did the show finish just as we decided to enter?”

“Does that mean we can leave now?” Lavina asks, her voice trembling as she clings to the sleeve of your jacket.

You arrive at a larger room. The air here is thick, heavy with humidity and a musty smell that makes you wrinkle your nose. Something about the atmosphere feels unsettling, though you can’t pinpoint what exactly.

Omar approaches a dust-covered mirror and wipes it with the sleeve of his sweater. “Hey, look at this! Why is it so full of—?”

When Omar looks closer, the smile on his face disappears. The mirror shows the room as it is, but none of the four of you appear in the reflection.

Instead, a hooded figure slowly approaches from behind.

“What the hell is that?!” Omar screams.

Lavina and you turn around. There’s no one there. Just the empty hallway. The figure continues to approach in the mirror's reflection, causing the floorboards to creak. You feel the sound in your ear.

“Let’s go!” you exclaim, grabbing Omar by the arm.

At that moment, a door at the end of the room suddenly swings open, bringing a cold wind that extinguishes the few lights that were on. In the darkness, the shadows begin to move more intensely, surrounding you. A chilling laugh echoes throughout the house.

“Doctors and children first!” Omar shouts, running toward the exit with the rest of you behind him.

“Not so brave now, are you Omar?” Luca shouts sarcastically as you all burst out of the house into the safety of the streets of Sorrol.

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[Inside the haunted house…]

The dark figure remains in the centre of the room, their eyes fixed on the door through which MC and their friends have fled. With a slow gesture, they pull down their hood, revealing their long, violet hair.

“I didn’t mean to scare them so much. Do you think I went too far?” Gara says, turning her head toward the otter climbing onto her shoulder.

Enid clicks her tongue and shakes her head. “These mortals get so easily scared.”

“I’d better go find them and explain everything. I don’t want them to have a bad memory of this night.”

Gara and Enid leave the room in search of their friends, unaware that the mirror does not reflect them either.

As they move away, among the shadows of the haunted house, mismatched coloured eyes fixate on the back of the purple-haired goddess. A grin from ear to ear reveals sharp, threatening teeth, while a cross pupil spins with excitement inside a yellow iris.

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I know that Belicar/Nisa didn’t know MC before they destroyed Sorrol, but I couldn’t do a Halloween special without our favourite renegade, even if it’s just a detail at the end :D