ᴅᴇᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ - ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴛʏ ᴠ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ [ONGOING!]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 1 | ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴠɪᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ

It was a rainy afternoon when the letter from Oletus Manor found it's way into Y/N L/N's hands. It had been a slow day at work for the O/P, and there was nothing they wanted more than to return home and relax in their cozy, soft armchair while listening to the rain patter gently against their window. 
A quiet evening was what they were craving more than anything-- but fate certainly had other plans, as the cream-coloured envelope taped to their front door was far too out of place to be accidental. 

Y/N had sat in their armchair, as planned, a glass of F/D at their side. But, instead of listening to the rain as they initially intended, they turned their attention over to the mysterious envelope in their hands, examining it curiously. 
Y/N didn't often receive letters-- save for the occasional letter from their family in H/T-- but this specific letter had some special quality about it that they couldn't quite place. It looked ordinary enough, if not for the odd wax seal on the front of it. It was a brilliant shade of crimson, the wax itself expertly moulded into the abnormal shapes of intertwining tendrils.    

"Was this letter truly intended for me?" They thought uncertainly, biting their lip. It looked far too elegant to be sent to someone with a social standing as low as their own. 

"But if it wasn't written for me, then. . . who?"

Y/N looked down at the wax seal thoughtfully, weighing their options. They could always look into the contents of the letter-- sure, that could be considered intrusive, but was it not for the greater good if it were to help them track down the true recipient of the letter?

Surely it was. That was the conclusion Y/N had come to, and that was what they continuously repeated to themselves as they carefully ripped the edges of the envelope. Anxiously, they unfolded the creased piece of paper inside, eyes skimming over the words. 

Their breath hitched. There, written in curled black ink, was their name, and an entire letter addressed to them.  

"ᴅᴇᴀʀ ʏ/ɴ ʟ/ɴ,

ɪ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʟᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴ ᴏꜰꜰᴇʀ-- ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴋᴇᴇɴ ᴏɴ ᴄᴏɴꜱɪᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ. ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀɴ ᴀᴠɪᴅ ʀᴇꜱᴇᴀʀᴄʜᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴀɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ-- ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀʏ ᴏɴʟʏ ꜱᴇᴇ ɪᴛ ᴀꜱ ᴀɴ ɪɴɴᴏᴄᴇɴᴛ ʜᴏʙʙʏ, ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʜᴏᴡ ᴅᴇᴇᴘ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏʙꜱᴇꜱꜱɪᴏɴꜱ ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ɢᴏ.

ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʙ/ɴ ᴅɪᴅ, ᴛᴏᴏ, ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴜʀᴇ."

Y/N's fingers trembled as they dropped the letter into their lap. This anonymous sender seemed to know a lot about them and their personal life-- even going so far as to mention their dead brother by name. 

Shocked, they moved a shaky hand to cover their lips. Surely they didn't think that what had happened to their beloved brother was their own fault...? B/N's death was so unforeseen. So tragic. An accident. 

Y/N, despite being uneased, continued to read.

"ʀᴇɢᴀʀᴅʟᴇꜱꜱ, ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴡ ɢᴇᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ. ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴇxᴛᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴀɴ ɪɴᴠɪᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴏʟᴇᴛᴜꜱ ᴍᴀɴᴏʀ. ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴜʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟɪᴀʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛꜱ ɪɴꜰᴀᴍᴏᴜꜱ ʜɪꜱᴛᴏʀʏ."

They let out a small cry of surprise. Oletus Manor? No one had been in that place for literal decades-- its infrastructure had crumbled and decayed with the lack of care, and the general public had declared it cursed after several people had gone missing on its premises. It was rumoured to have been abandoned after a horrible fire took place there several years ago-- Y/N had believed it to be deserted. Clearly, they were wrong.

"ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛ ᴍʏ ɪɴᴠɪᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ɢʀᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ꜰᴜʟʟ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪꜱꜱɪᴏɴ ʙʏ ᴍᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴡɴᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴᴏʀ, ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴅᴜᴄᴛ ᴀɴʏ ꜱᴏʀᴛ ᴏꜰ ʀᴇꜱᴇᴀʀᴄʜ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀʏ ꜱᴏ ᴅᴇꜱɪʀᴇ. ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴏʙʟɪɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴀʀᴛᴀᴋᴇ ɪɴ ᴀ. . . ꜱʜᴏʀᴛ ɢᴀᴍᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ᴅᴇꜱɪɢɴ.

ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴡɪʟʟɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴀɢʀᴇᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇꜱᴇ ᴛᴇʀᴍꜱ, ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ʜᴀꜱᴛᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴᴏʀ. ɪ ᴇᴀɢᴇʀʟʏ ᴀᴡᴀɪᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀʀʀɪᴠᴀʟ, ᴍʀ./ᴍꜱ. ʟ/ɴ.

ʏᴏᴜʀꜱ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴡɴᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴏʟᴇᴛᴜꜱ ᴍᴀɴᴏʀ."

Y/N was absolutely dumbfounded. How could they be expected to pack up all of their bags in a single night and go to a deserted Manor in the middle of the woods? They had responsibilities to attend to here as well-- their career demanded much of their attention. They couldn't just be so quick to abandon them. 
Y/N had dedicated themselves to an untroubled lifestyle as an O/P. Investigating the paranormal was something they haven't done since B/N died-- and it was something they had sworn off of since his death. Besides-- the O/P had no reason to risk their comfortable life to accept this invitation. 

No reason at all... yet, they felt a spark of something familiar light up in their chest at the prospect of exploring the unknown again. What was it? Fear? Excitement? Yearning? 

No. Y/N knew exactly what it was. It was curiosity. The thrill of discovering something new. The feeling felt so foreign to them now, but when they read the letter and saw that opportunity to investigate the Manor, it was like seeing an old friend for the first time. An old friend who they knew was a bad influence on them...

"Argh, get it together Y/N!" They hissed under their breath, hitting themselves on the head. "You can't be entertaining these silly little fantasies. You're not a kid anymore!"

Though, even as they said it, they found themselves staring longingly over at the discarded letter, imagining all of the possible mysteries they could uncover. 

"Do I really want to risk passing such an occasion up?" 

Surely it wouldn't matter too much if they were only gone for a day or two, right? They'd go in, do a brief examination of the Manor, and "play" whatever vague game the Manor Owner had described. They would be back before they even knew it, easy peasy.

Y/N nodded in affirmation, almost completely assured that it would go that smoothly and unhitched. Before they could change their own mind, the O/P sprang out of their armchair and marched towards their bedroom, filled with a dutiful sense of purpose. 

Tonight, they would pack their bags, and tomorrow, they would set off for Oletus Manor. 

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙʟʏ ɢᴏ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ?

____________________________________________

Hello everyone, Ever here. Thank you for reading the first chapter of my IDV fanfiction! I'm sorry if it was a bit short, but I just wanted to get some of the exposure out of the way. Future chapters will be longer, promise!

Anyhow, that aside, if you enjoyed this chapter, please consider leaving it a vote and/or a comment! Your support means everything to me, and I'd love to hear any of your guys' feedback. Until the next chapter! 

-Ever