"Zane, are you sure we can enter the castle?" Maria asked as she looked around, her eyes filled with hesitation and reluctance. Something about the place seemed off and her sixth sense was asking her to leave the castle immediately and never return.

"Relax, Maria. This is an abandoned castle. Didn't you notice there isn't one soul visible? What are you worried about?" Zane assured her as he continued walking towards the castle doors, ignoring her desperate looks of plea.

"But..."

"Oh, Maria, come on! Don't be a coward." Elias rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "If anyone were around, we'd have been caught by now. And let's say we did find someone, we can always seek their permission later on," he reasoned.

"Don't be a wuss, Maria. You are ruining all the fun," Sarah added, looking at her with disdain. 

"Something about this place doesn't seem right. Elias, trust me when I say this. But this place seems creepy." Maria attempted to convince them. But all she got in return was a series of laughs.

Elias sighed and shook his head. He wasn't sure why his girlfriend was so cautious suddenly. She had never shied away from any adventure. Even the haunted houses couldn't evoke any fear in her. But the castle... Since they had passed the gates, she had become antsy and stressed. 

"Maria, you're worrying for nothing. You're just stressing yourself out over nothing. The place is abandoned and unexplored. There is a high chance we might find some treasure here today." Elias' eyes sparkled when he thought of all the treasure he could find in the castle. 

Not just him, even the others in the group were bursting with excitement when they thought about all the interesting things they'd find at the end of the day.

"Don't be a killjoy and let's go in."

Maria swallowed her words when Elias pecked her lips and silently entered the castle with the others.

"See, there's no one here. Otherwise, someone would have stopped us when I opened the door." Zane looked at her as though he was ridiculing her for overthinking and Maria felt sheepish under his confident gaze. Yet, the feeling of uneasiness didn't leave her as they ventured further inside the castle.

"Don't you think it's weird that the castle doors are opened?" Maria whispered to Elias, who was looking around the place in admiration. Despite being covered with a thick layer of dust and cobwebs, the castle couldn't hide its beauty and magnificence. It still had the allure and mystery.

"What?" Elias gave her a questioning look. He hadn't heard a word she had said, too entranced by the place to focus on anything else.

"The castle isn't locked. Don't you think it's weird? Also, why would it remain unexplored until now? And especially so since it's not locked?"

Elias frowned as he thought about her questions. However, Sarah's sudden shout broke his chain of thoughts.

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"Guys, look what I found," Sarah called at the top of her voice, gaining everyone's attention to her. 

Elias' attention was diverted and he forgot all that Maria had told. His eyes flashed with excitement and he ran towards Sarah, gesturing for Maria to follow him.

Zane and Elias went in the direction from where they had heard Sarah's shout, leaving Sarah with Nate.

Maria closed her eyes, unable to comprehend why no one sensed the eerieness of the situation. It bugged her out completely to think that none of them were even willing to consider her point of view. 

"What!" Maria was vexed and looked at Nate in irritation when she noticed his strange gaze. "Are you here to mock me as well?"

"No." Nate shook his head and bit the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. "I am thinking about what you just told Elias." 

"What about it?" Maria didn't have much faith. Why would Nate believe her when no one else did?

"You're right to some extent," he replied, shocking Maria. Her eyes went wide instantly and she looked at him speechlessly.

"You're aren't pulling my leg, are you?"

"Nope. Surprisingly, this castle has remained unexplored even after its doors are unlocked. Something about the place feels spooky and peculiar," Nate agreed and ran a gaze around him in alarm.

"Absolutely correct. I can't believe they aren't willing to listen to my warnings." Maria raised her hands in defeat. Although she felt relieved to find someone in the group trusting her, it wasn't enough to curb her anxiety, especially when the sense of foreboding only increased as time passed.

"Maria, Nate, what are you guys doing there? Come and see what Sarah has discovered," Elias shouted from where he was as he beckoned to two.

Maria and Nate gave each other a look before they approached Elias.

"See, didn't I tell you we'll find some treasure here?" Elias gloated as he pushed Maria into the room where Sarah and Zane were jubilantly admiring the treasure they had discovered.

In front of Sarah lay a chest box as big as a shoebox filled with gold coins. An absolute jackpot!

"We lucked out this time and it's only the beginning," Zane couldn't stop beaming as he stared at the gold coins. "I wonder what more we'll discover over time."

"Let's explore the place first before we pack these things up," Sarah suggested and the group started exploring as if they owned the castle.

As time passed, the group discovered a lot more treasures from antiques to jewelry that could easily fetch thousands of dollars. And over time, Maria too lowered her guards when she didn't find anything suspicious.

"Are you relieved now?" Elias questioned as he looked at her smile for the first time since they had entered the castle.

Maria nodded, not knowing what else to say. 

"Come on, guys. We still have a lot of rooms to explore," Sarah chimed as she climbed the stairs and Elias laughed as he dragged Maria with him.

While Elias and Nate followed Sarah to the room closest to the staircase on the first floor, Zane, however, strode toward the other side.

"Uhh, Zane, everyone's in this room," Maria called from behind. However, he didn't react.

"Zane," she called him again, only to meet the same reaction.

Finding his behavior peculiar, Maria followed him and noticed him entering the room at the end, the farthest from the stairs.

"Zane, what are you..." Maria stopped speaking when she saw Zane pull the black cloth that hid a vintage, ornate mirror. Framed in gilded vines and intricate floral motifs, the mirror seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly glow, as if it held secrets whispered by centuries past.

"Oh, my, what a beauty!" Maria gushed as she continued to stare at the mirror. However, her expression changed when Zane held the mirror and banged his head hard against it.

"Zane," Maria yelled, her eyes rounding in shock. 

Blood dripped and pooled around the spot where Zane stood. But the man remained unfazed. It was as if he didn't know what he had done, what pain was. Instead, he was smiling creepily with a sinister look and Maria felt all the breath leave her body when he turned around to face her.

Zane didn't seem like Zane anymore and the fear that had vanished over time returned to her in huge waves.