Halloween Special – The Night of the Finaos (Ada, Albert, Leire, Rayco, Belicar)

“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,” Ada continues with a huge smile on her face, pointing her thumb at the little house behind her, 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,” Leire 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,” Ada responds. “Villages are more… traditional.” She pauses, and with a mischievous smile, adds, “And boring.”

Leire 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?” Ada turns to you and Albert. “You’re with me, right?”

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

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

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” Ada 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. Albert murmurs that he saw a thin figure move among the old furniture, but even that doesn’t stop Ada, 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?” Albert asks, his voice trembling as he 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.

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

When Ada looks closer, the smile on her 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?!” Ada screams.

Albert 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 Ada 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.

“Women and children first!” Ada shouts, running toward the exit with the rest of you behind her.

“Not so brave now, are you Ada?” Leire 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 violet hair.

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

Rayco 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 god. 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