THE LAST ROOM

The Black Palace had been empty for as long as anyone in the village could remember.

At least, that was what everyone in the village said.

It stood at the very end of Blackwood Lane, far beyond the last row of houses, where the narrow road disappeared into a thick forest of ancient trees.

The palace was impossible to miss.

Even from a distance, its tall black walls could be seen through the branches. Ivy climbed almost every part of the old stone structure, twisting around the pillars and disappearing beneath the cracked windows. The once-beautiful gardens had become nothing more than a wild collection of thorny bushes, dead flowers, and tangled weeds.

The iron gates were enormous.

They had once been painted black, but years of rain and neglect had left them covered in rust. Nobody remembered the last time they had been opened.

The villagers didn't even like walking along Blackwood Lane.

During the day, they would take the longer road around the forest just to avoid passing the palace.

At night, nobody went anywhere near it.

Children were warned about the place from the moment they were old enough to understand.

"Never go near the Black Palace."

"Don't touch the gate."

"And whatever you do, don't enter the last room."

Every family had a different story about the palace.

Some said the owner had died there.

Others said the owner had disappeared.

Some believed the palace had been cursed long before anyone in the village was born.

There were even people who claimed they had heard someone calling their name from inside the palace.

Of course, there was never any proof.

But in a village where everyone knew everyone else's business, strange stories had a way of becoming truth.

And the Black Palace had more stories than anyone could count.

There was one story, however, that nobody ever dared to tell completely.

The story of the last room.

The room was located at the very end of the upper hallway.

Its door was said to be different from all the others.

Some villagers claimed it had never been opened.

Others said it had been locked for years.

But whenever someone asked what was actually inside, the older villagers would become uncomfortable.

They would lower their voices and say the same thing.

"Don't ask about the last room."

Maya had heard those words her entire life.

She had never understood them.

To her, the Black Palace was simply an old building surrounded by a ridiculous amount of gossip.

She had never believed the stories.

At least, not completely.

When she was younger, she had once asked her grandmother why everyone was so afraid of the palace.

Her grandmother had immediately told her never to mention it again.

Maya had been confused by the reaction.

But as she grew older, she stopped asking.

The palace became nothing more than a dark silhouette beyond the trees.

Something people whispered about.

Something Maya rarely thought about.

Until the day it became hers.

It was a rainy Thursday morning.

The rain had started before sunrise and had continued without stopping.

Maya sat beside her bedroom window, resting her chin against her palm as she watched the droplets race down the glass.

She had been awake for almost an hour but had barely moved.

The grey weather had made the entire village look strangely quiet.

Even the usual sounds of people talking outside had disappeared beneath the steady sound of rainfall.

Maya sighed and leaned back in her chair.

She glanced at the clock.

"Still too early."

She was about to get up when she heard something downstairs.

A faint sound.

Tick.

Maya stopped.

She looked toward her bedroom door.

Nothing.

She waited.

A few seconds passed.

Then-

Tick.

Her eyebrows pulled together.

"What was that?"

She stood up.

The house was unusually quiet.

Her grandmother was usually awake by this time, moving around the kitchen or opening the curtains downstairs.

Maya stepped out of her room and walked down the stairs.

Halfway down, she stopped.

She listened carefully.

Nothing.

She continued toward the front door.

Then she noticed something lying on the floor.

An envelope.

Maya frowned.

She hadn't heard anyone knock.

She slowly walked toward it.

The front door was locked.

She checked it twice before bending down and picking up the envelope.

There was no stamp.

No return address.

No name of a sender.

Only one word was written on the front.

Maya.

Her heart gave a strange little beat.

"Who sent this?"

She looked through the glass panel beside the door.

The street outside was completely empty.

Rain poured over the rooftops.

Nobody was there.

Maya unlocked the door slightly and looked outside.

Nothing.

She closed it again.

Holding the envelope tightly, she walked to the dining table.

She stared at it for several seconds before finally opening it.

The moment she pulled the papers out, several sheets slipped from the envelope and scattered across the table.

One page fell onto the floor.

Maya bent down to pick it up.

Then she froze.

Written across the paper in dark red letters were the words-

THE BLACK PALACE IS WAITING FOR YOU IMPATIENTLY, MAYA.

Maya stared at the sentence.

Her first thought was that someone was playing a cruel joke.

Then she noticed the colour.

It wasn't ordinary red ink.

The writing looked thick.

Almost wet.

She brought the paper closer.

A strange metallic smell reached her nose.

Her stomach tightened.

"Is that... blood?"

She immediately dropped the paper.

It landed on the floor.

Maya stepped backward.

Her heartbeat quickened.

She stared at the writing from a distance, suddenly feeling uncomfortable inside her own house.

Who would send something like this?

And more importantly-

How did they know her name?

She forced herself to look at the remaining papers.

They appeared to be legal documents.

Property records.

Maya picked up the first page and began reading.

Her eyes moved slowly across the words.

Then stopped.

She read the line again.

Property Owner: Maya-

Her full name was written underneath.

She blinked.

"No."

She grabbed another page.

It contained details about a large property located at the end of Blackwood Lane.

Her hands suddenly became cold.

She already knew what property it was.

The Black Palace.

Maya looked at the documents in disbelief.

"What is this?"

She quickly checked the remaining pages.

The documents stated that the property had been transferred into her name.

She read the information again.

And again.

Nothing changed.

The Black Palace belonged to her.

But there was something even more disturbing.

At the bottom of the documents was a signature.

Maya's signature.

Her exact handwriting.

She stared at it for a long moment.

"When did I sign this?"

She couldn't remember signing any property documents.

She hadn't even known that such documents existed.

Her breathing became heavier.

"This doesn't make sense."

She picked up another sheet.

There were dates, legal information, property details, and several official-looking stamps.

Everything looked real.

Too real.

Maya pressed her fingers against her forehead.

"Who did this?"

She was so distracted that she didn't hear anyone approaching behind her.

A hand suddenly touched her shoulder.

Maya jumped.

She spun around.

"What happened, Maya?"

Her grandmother stood behind her.

Maya placed a hand over her chest.

"Granny! You scared me."

Her grandmother looked at her with concern.

"What are you doing?"

Maya quickly picked up the documents.

"Look at these."

She handed them over.

Her grandmother's eyes moved across the first page.

Then the second.

Her expression slowly changed.

The colour drained from her face.

Maya noticed immediately.

"Granny?"

Her grandmother didn't respond.

She looked at the envelope lying on the table.

Then at the blood-red paper on the floor.

Her hands began to tremble.

Without saying anything, she grabbed the envelope and threw it toward the corner of the room.

Maya stared at her.

"Why did you do that?"

Her grandmother's voice was unusually firm.

"Don't ever think about this."

Maya frowned.

"What?"

"Forget you ever received that envelope."

"But-"

"Promise me."

"Granny, what are you talking about?"

Her grandmother turned away.

Maya followed her.

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Because I know what that place is."

"The Black Palace?"

Her grandmother immediately turned around.

"Don't say its name."

Maya stared at her.

"Why?"

"Just don't."

Maya had never seen her grandmother react this way.

She had always been the calmest person in the family.

Even when things went wrong, she rarely panicked.

But now she looked genuinely frightened.

Maya lowered her voice.

"Granny, please. I want to know."

"No."

"You know something."

"I said no."

"Why is the palace in my name?"

Her grandmother remained silent.

Maya stepped closer.

"Who transferred it to me?"

No answer.

"Who signed these papers?"

Still nothing.

"And why is my signature on them?"

Her grandmother's eyes filled with tears.

Maya's expression softened.

"Granny..."

Her grandmother looked away.

Maya took another step toward her.

"Please tell me."

Her grandmother finally whispered,

"Because your mother died because of that Black Palace."

Maya stopped breathing for a second.

"My mother?"

Her grandmother closed her eyes.

Maya shook her head.

"But Mom died in an accident."

Her grandmother didn't respond.

"Didn't she?"

Silence.

Maya's voice trembled.

"Granny?"

Her grandmother finally looked at her.

"No."

Maya's face went pale.

"What do you mean, no?"

"I shouldn't have said anything."

"You just told me my mother didn't die in an accident."

"Forget what I said."

"How can I forget it?"

Maya's voice rose.

"You've spent my entire life telling me that Mom died in an accident!"

Her grandmother looked down.

Maya's eyes filled with confusion.

"What happened to her?"

Her grandmother wiped away a tear.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"But I do."

"Maya-"

"No."

Maya shook her head.

"If you know the truth about my mother, I deserve to know it too."

Her grandmother stared at her.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Finally, she whispered,

"Your mother went to the Black Palace."

Maya's stomach dropped.

"When?"

"A long time ago."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

"Then what happened?"

Her grandmother's eyes moved toward the window.

Rain continued to fall outside.

"She was never the same after that."

Maya's voice became softer.

"What did she see?"

"I don't know."

"You must know something."

Her grandmother shook her head.

"All I know is that your mother was afraid."

"Of the palace?"

Her grandmother nodded.

Maya looked toward the documents.

"And now it's mine?"

Her grandmother didn't answer.

"Why would anyone give that place to me?"

"I don't know."

"Then who does?"

Her grandmother looked at her.

"I don't know."

For the first time, Maya noticed something strange.

Her grandmother wasn't only afraid of the palace.

She was afraid of what Maya might discover there.

Maya glanced toward the envelope.

The sentence written in blood-red letters came back to her mind.

THE BLACK PALACE IS WAITING FOR YOU IMPATIENTLY, MAYA.

A chill ran down her spine.

"Granny..."

Her grandmother looked at her.

"What?"

"Have you ever been inside the palace?"

Her grandmother's face changed instantly.

"No."

The answer came too quickly.

Maya noticed.

"You hesitated."

"I said no."

"You know more than you're telling me."

Her grandmother stepped closer and held Maya's hands.

"Listen to me carefully."

Maya looked into her eyes.

"Whatever you do, don't go there."

"Why?"

"Because some places are better left forgotten."

Maya swallowed.

"But it's mine."

Her grandmother tightened her grip on Maya's hands.

"That doesn't mean you have to enter it."

Maya didn't answer.

She looked toward the window.

Beyond the village, hidden behind the trees, stood the Black Palace.

She had seen it countless times from a distance.

But today, it looked different.

Darker.

Almost as if the storm had brought it closer.

Then thunder suddenly shook the house.

Maya flinched.

Her grandmother looked toward the window.

And for a moment, neither of them spoke.

Far away, at the end of Blackwood Lane, something moved behind the iron gates.

Maya narrowed her eyes.

"Granny..."

Her grandmother turned toward her.

"Look."

They both stared through the window.

The old iron gate was slowly moving.

Creeeeak.

It opened just enough for someone-or something-to pass through.

Maya's heart began pounding.

Her grandmother grabbed her arm.

"Stay away from that place."

Maya looked at the palace one last time.

She didn't know why.

She didn't know who had sent the letter.

She didn't know how the property had ended up in her name.

And she certainly didn't know why someone had written that the palace was waiting for her.

But one thing was certain.

For the first time in years, the Black Palace had opened its gates.

And somehow...

Maya knew it was waiting for her.

To be continued..