# The Mansion of Fire
## Episode 4 – The Games Begin
*Narrated by Yasmin & Leyla*
---
### Yasmin
The announcement came at dawn.
Camila stood in the grand hall, dressed in emerald silk, with two men behind her holding scrolls and a velvet box.
"The De la Rosa legacy demands resilience," she said. "Every generation must prove themselves. Today, your trials begin."
My stomach twisted.
I looked at Leyla across the hall. She nodded, just slightly. We were ready—or we had to be.
Rafael and Alejandro stepped forward, unreadable as ever.
Camila handed me a scroll. "Your challenge is observation. Follow the painting. Find the lie."
Alejandro leaned in. "Don't trust what you see."
---
### Leyla
My scroll was different.
"Unlock the symbol of blood and fire. It lies beneath the oldest roots."
I knew where I had to go—the greenhouse.
The box Camila gave me held a compass, old and gold, pointing not north… but somewhere else entirely.
As I passed through the overgrown corridor, I felt something pulse beneath my feet. This wasn't a game.
This was war disguised as ritual.
At the center of the greenhouse, I knelt by a gnarled tree and started to dig.
---
### Yasmin
In the portrait gallery, each frame told a story.
Women in silk gowns, men in military coats, children with sharp eyes. Generations of De la Rosas, perfectly preserved.
But something was wrong.
One painting—the woman looked like me. Not vaguely, not coincidentally. *Exactly like me.*
My chest tightened.
Below it: a small gold plaque.
*Isabela De la Rosa – 1992.*
I touched the frame. The room suddenly grew cold.
Behind me, Alejandro spoke.
"She was your aunt."
I turned. "She looks like me."
He nodded. "Because family ties are sometimes deeper than blood."
---
### Leyla
My fingers touched something solid beneath the tree roots.
A carved stone. Covered in vines and ash. A phoenix.
As I brushed it clean, the compass in my pocket began to spin wildly.
The roots around the stone shimmered, like the air was warping. I reached out—and the stone glowed faintly red.
Then a crack split across the greenhouse ceiling.
Someone had triggered a warning.
I turned and saw Rafael standing outside, watching.
He didn't come in.
He just walked away.
---
### Yasmin
The more I studied the painting, the more I noticed the differences. The background—it was not the original gallery.
It was *this* mansion's library. But older. Dimmer.
Camila entered silently. "She was gifted. Too gifted."
"What happened to her?" I asked.
"She asked the wrong questions. She trusted the wrong brother."
I froze.
"Which one?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she handed me a key.
"Doors are opening, Yasmin. Choose wisely which ones you walk through."
---
### Leyla
Back in our room, Yasmin was already waiting.
She held the key. I held the stone.
"What do we do?" I asked.
Yasmin's voice was steady. "We play the game."
"But we don't play by their rules," I added.
She nodded.
That night, we both had the same nightmare—flames in the hallways, mirrors cracking, voices whispering names we didn't recognize… but somehow knew.
---
### Yasmin
At breakfast, the results of the first trial were delivered in envelopes sealed with wax.
Mine read:
*You see more than expected. Be careful who sees you.*
Alejandro looked at me across the table. That same unreadable look. But this time, I thought I saw regret.
Or was it warning?
---
### Leyla
Mine read:
*The past has roots. You've touched one. Don't let it grow unchecked.*
Camila placed a hand on my shoulder as I stood.
"Next trial will be harder," she said.
"Good," I answered. "I'm not here for easy."
She smiled again—sharp and quiet.
Like someone who knew the fire was coming.
---
### What comes next...
*The vault will open.
But some doors should never be unlocked.*
**In Episode 5: The Vault**
Yasmin uses the key.
Leyla follows a trail that leads beneath the mansion—and finds the first truth.