Prologue

The rain lashed against the leaded panes of the library window, a rhythmic drumbeat against the hushed reverence of the hallowed halls. Inside, amidst towering stacks of ancient tomes and the soft glow of desk lamps, Gary worked. He wasn't just studying; he was creating. His fingers, long and almost skeletal, danced across the keys of a clunky, first-generation laptop, the green text glowing like arcane symbols on the dim screen. Beside him, scattered across the polished oak, were schematics intricate, hand-drawn blueprints that twisted and converged into complex, almost organic shapes. They weren't merely architectural plans; they were diagrams of a living system.

Linda, perched on the edge of her seat, watched him with a mixture of fascination and quiet awe. Her artistic hands, usually smudged with charcoal or paint, were clasped in her lap, mirroring the stillness in the air around them. She was drawn to Gary's intensity, to the raw, unbridled intellect that hummed beneath his quiet exterior. Other students saw an oddity, perhaps a savant; Linda saw a visionary.

"It's more than just a house, Lin," Gary murmured, his voice a low, resonant hum, barely audible above the rain. He gestured to a complex wiring diagram, his finger tracing a path through a labyrinth of circuits. "Imagine a dwelling that learns. A truly intelligent home. It anticipates your needs before you even realize them. Adjusts the light, the temperature, the very air you breathe, to your perfect comfort. Optimizes everything."

Linda leaned closer, her long, dark hair falling over her shoulder. "Like a sanctuary," she breathed, her eyes lighting up. "A place where we can truly be ourselves. Safe. Understood." She began to sketch in her notebook, not technical drawings, but flowing lines that suggested warmth, light, and an expansive, open space. "We could have a studio with northern light, and a hidden garden, just for us. No one else."

Gary's lips curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "Exactly," he said, his gaze fixed on her. "A place where you can be truly yourselves." His eyes, usually cool and analytical, held a peculiar glint, a spark that Linda, in her youthful idealism, mistook for shared passion. "And I can truly understand..." He didn't finish the sentence, letting the implication hang in the air – understand them, understand her.

He slid a crude, blocky 3D rendering across the screen towards her. It was a stark contrast to her flowing sketches. The house, even in its nascent digital form, seemed monolithic, almost a fortress. Linda pointed to a small, almost invisible indentation on one wall. "What's this? A secret passage?"

Gary's smile widened fractionally. "Every home has its secrets, Lin. And every secret needs a guardian." He looked at her then, a long, piercing gaze that seemed to strip away layers, to see past her easy laughter and hopeful dreams. For a fleeting second, Linda felt a shiver, a prickle of unease that she immediately dismissed. It was just Gary, intense as always. So absorbed in his genius. She couldn't have known that for Gary, the house was never meant to be a sanctuary. It was always meant to be a meticulously designed, perfectly controlled laboratory. And Linda, her innocence and vulnerability, was to be his first subject.

The gravel crunched under the tires of Jesse Blackwood's battered sedan, a mournful lament against the oppressive silence of the estate. The drive had been interminable, a psychological gauntlet through winding country roads that seemed to lead deeper and deeper into a forgotten past. He killed the engine, the sudden quiet deafening after hours of engine hum. Outside, Jackson Manor loomed a gothic behemoth against the twilight sky, its dark stone walls absorbing the last vestiges of daylight, exuding an aura of cold, watchful disdain. It wasn't just a house; it was a mausoleum of a childhood he’d rather forget, resurrected by the chilling audacity of his father's final act.

Jesse exhaled slowly, the breath pluming in the crisp evening air. He ran a hand over his tired face, feeling the grit of the journey, the exhaustion that clung to him like a shroud. But beneath the weariness was a razor-sharp resolve, honed by years of running, years of adapting. Gary had built this fortress, but Jesse had inherited a certain cunning from the man, a cold, calculating intellect that he had learned to wield as a shield, and sometimes, a weapon.

As he pushed open the heavy oak front door, a subtle click echoed through the cavernous foyer. Then, a voice. Calm, digital, yet disturbingly human, it resonated from unseen speakers embedded within the walls, filling the vast space.

"Welcome, Jesse Blackwood. You are now within Jackson Manor. Your presence has been registered. The terms of the will are clear: one week. One house. One truth. All parameters are active."

It was Craig, Gary's AI, a digital omnipresence that now governed every inch of the estate. Jesse didn't flinch. He'd known this was coming. Even in death, Gary still pulled the strings, still manipulated his fractured family into his twisted games. "Of course, you are," Jesse muttered to the empty air, his voice rough. "Couldn't let a good manipulation go to waste, could you, Father?"