She had not meant to wander this far. The forest began familiar enough, but the deeper she walked, the more it changed. Towering trees closed in, their trunks dark and damp with moss, branches twisting overhead like tangled ribs that blocked out the sky. The world behind her felt farther away with every step, until it was no longer clear how she had gotten here—or how to return.

The air grew heavy with the scent of wet earth and old leaves. Every path looked the same now. Every direction felt wrong, yet she kept moving, hoping the forest would eventually make sense again. Then the rain began.

At first, only a few cold drops slipped through the canopy. She looked up just as the clouds broke open fully, turning the quiet drizzle into a steady downpour. The forest dimmed beneath the storm, shadows deepening between the trees. She needed shelter.

Quickly, her steps quickened, mud clinging to her shoes as she pushed through the worsening rain. The forest became harder to read, shapes blurring together— Until something appeared ahead. A mansion.

It stood alone in the woods, impossibly large, rising through the trees like something placed rather than built. Its silhouette stretched too far in every direction, windows staring blankly through the rain. No lights. No movement. No sign of life. But it was shelter.