The Visit [v1.0] [completed] Apr 2026

The heavy iron gate of the Blackwood estate groaned as Elias pushed it open. It had been twenty years since he last stood on this gravel driveway. The air here felt thicker, smelling of damp earth and salt spray from the nearby cliffs. He was here for the reading of his grandfather’s will, a man he had only known through stern letters and cold checks sent on birthdays.

Elias, To inherit the land, you must keep the pact. The Visit occurs every twenty years. You were brought here as a child to be introduced; now you are here to take the seat. Do not leave the room until the sun rises. Do not answer the knocking. The Visit [v1.0] [Completed]

A heavy thud echoed from the floor above. Then another. It sounded like something heavy being dragged across the floorboards. Elias looked at Margaret, but she was gone. The study door clicked shut. The heavy iron gate of the Blackwood estate

"You are the only one who matters," Margaret replied cryptically. He was here for the reading of his

Elias looked at the clock. It was only 8:00 PM. The sun wouldn't rise for ten hours. The tapping moved from the window to the door. Then, a voice—soft, wet, and sounding horribly like his own—whispered through the wood.

Elias stepped into the foyer. The house was a museum of silence. Dust motes danced in the thin beams of light that managed to pierce the heavy velvet curtains. He felt a sudden, sharp chill—not from the temperature, but from a feeling of being intensely observed.