Chapter 107 - A dance at the mansion
Leon found himself in what looked to be a large ballroom, with old yet burnished decorations running along the walls and silver chandeliers dangling from the ceiling. Chairs and long tables lined the edges of the room with an old piano in the corner, its fallboard and lid propped up as if waiting to be used.
There was almost no dust to be seen, and the space had an air of expectation to it that belied the apparent dereliction. Leon didn’t know why he felt like it, but it was as if the emptiness was only temporary, and any second now a suite of guests would stream in through the wide entrance at the end as a quartet started playing.
It was also strange how there were no visible lights here, the chandeliers empty of any candles, yet it was still bright enough for him to make out so many details. He had encountered similar phenomena in places with a lot of dormant magic in them before, but it wasn’t common.
Behind him, Scarlett appeared as she stepped through the same black curtain that he had. On this end, the portal leading here was also camouflaged as a simple wooden door, standing on its own at the center of the room. A strange sight if one didn’t know what it was.
Scarlett’s retainers soon arrived as well, and the woman seemed to look them over for a moment before proceeding to move past Leon.
His eyes followed her as she pulled out a strange knife from the pouch at her waist and raised her other hand.
“What are you doin—” he began.
A large sphere of fire suddenly formed above one of the chandeliers further down the room, enveloping the crown completely.
A shrieking wail sounded out.
Leon raised his sword as a transparent shape in a flowing blue dress flitted down from the chandelier to escape the flames.
A face twisted in rage turned towards Scarlett.
Several smaller spheres appeared, swarming around the ghost’s figure and reflecting the flames’ light in a strange way.