"Leciara!"
Though Leci could hear Norris and Jayden calling her name, she could not respond. Her entire body refused to move, while her vision dissolved into absolute black. It felt as if she were drifting alone in a vast, empty void.
Leci carried a deep trauma toward demons. Because of that, every time she encountered — or even merely sensed — such beings, she lost control. Her hollowed thoughts and shattered heart created an opening, allowing something else to slip inside her with ease and take hold of her body.
At first, Leci was certain she had been possessed by the demon that attacked the three of them. But slowly, she began to sense something different. Especially when her vision started to return.
When she could finally see clearly, Leci realized she was still inside Liadan Mansion. She blinked several times, doubting her own eyes — because the scene before her had changed.
She was sure it was the same mansion. And yet, its atmosphere was entirely different.
It was as if she had been thrown back in time, witnessing the mansion in its former glory. The abandoned, decaying ruin had transformed into a luxurious estate. The filth and chaos that once filled the place were gone, as though they had never existed. Elegant furniture and the warmth of life now occupied a building long forsaken.
As she stepped into the center of the room, Leci realized her body was half-transparent — as if she did not belong there at all.
She understood then. Everything she was seeing was someone else's memory.
Faint laughter echoed through the hall. Moments later, two small children came running down the stairs. The little girl chased after the boy, their movements lively and intimate. They were clearly very close.
Soon, a man dressed as a butler approached them and bowed respectfully to the boy. "Young Master, your tutor will be arriving shortly. You should prepare yourself," he said.
The boy nodded quickly. "Kelin, let's play again later!" he said to the little girl.
Kelin didn't look disappointed. Instead, she took his hand and smiled brightly.
"You must study hard, Young Master!"
Leci watched their interaction in silence.
After observing more closely, she realized the girl named Kelin was likely a servant in the mansion — perhaps intentionally hired to be the Young Master's playmate.
Despite the difference in status, they were inseparable. They relied on each other deeply, caring in a way that felt sincere and fragile.
The scene shifted.
Kelin was now being led by an older servant toward a room beneath the mansion. A hidden underground chamber — clearly meant for something forbidden. Her expression was sorrowful.
A chill crept into Leci's chest.
A well-dressed couple waited inside the underground room. The woman gently fixed Kelin's appearance, making her look neat and presentable. The man spoke next — his words sounding more like an order than a farewell.
"You've served our family for a long time," he said. "You know this is all for Anthony. I hope you understand, Kelin."
"Don't resent us," the woman whispered into Kelin's ear, caressing her cheek.
The seven-year-old girl was then led into another room. The moment the door opened, Kelin froze. So did Leci.
Inside stood the tall, horned demon — the same one that had nearly crushed Leci earlier. It smiled upon seeing Kelin.
"Now then," it said smoothly. "Come in, Kelin."
Leci's heart slammed violently against her ribs. She reached out, desperately trying to grab Kelin's hand as the child was pushed inside — but her fingers passed through empty air.
She was intangible. Invisible. Powerless.
The couple shut the door and locked it, leaving Kelin alone with the demon. Leci's face drained of color as Kelin's screams echoed through the underground halls.
The cries were unbearable — raw, desperate, and piercing. Leci's mouth filled with bitterness. Her chest tightened painfully.
Without realizing it, she was crying too.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Slow footsteps approached from behind — uneven, dragging slightly, as though one leg were injured. The air around the presence sent chills down Leci's spine.
She turned around.
Standing there was the little boy. But he was no longer part of the memory. He was half-transparent — just like her.
"That was the first sacrifice my parents ever made," he said coldly. "They did it to cure my heart failure."
Leci knew he was speaking to her. "First… sacrifice?" she asked, wiping her tears. "So there were others?"
The boy nodded without hesitation. "Yes. I was meant to die at seven. But my parents made a pact with a demon to keep me alive. Every year, a child my age had to be offered as payment."
Leci's blood ran cold. She couldn't stop imagining how many children had been devoured by that monster.
No matter the intention, such an act could never be justified. "What is your name?" she asked softly.
The boy's pale face remained emotionless, his sapphire eyes devoid of life. "I am Anthony Liadan. The girl who was sacrificed—Kelin—was my closest friend."
His voice wavered. "My parents told me she had gone to the city after receiving a large sum of money. They said she no longer cared about me."
His shoulders slumped, his small hands clenched tightly. "I learned the truth when I was ten. But even then, I could do nothing."
Leci clenched her fists. Children like him should have been dreaming of tomorrow — not burdened by despair.
"What happened to you?" Leci asked gently. "You never grew older…"
Anthony gave a bitter smile. "I took the place of the next child to be sacrificed. That was the only way to end it."
Leci's breath caught.
She stepped closer and placed a hand on his head. "You did well. Have you met Kelin?"
He shook his head weakly. "I can't. My soul is bound to this place. After I died, my parents went mad. They begged the demon to bring me back."
Leci's spine went rigid. "They did?" she whispered.
The demon had deceived them.
It promised resurrection in exchange for countless human sacrifices. That lie gave birth to the cult. But the cult was merely a disguise — every member became an offering.
Leci finally understood why the demon was so powerful. "If you're still here," she said quietly, "then it never kept its promise."
Anthony nodded. "It only prevented my soul from leaving. It tried to force me into another body. My parents resisted—and were killed."
So that was it.
Leci wasn't possessed by the demon. She was possessed by Anthony's soul — still trapped in the demon's grasp. That was why she could see these memories. Why she could speak with him.
"This is what happens when humans make pacts with demons," Leci said softly. "There is never a good ending."
She understood Anthony's suffering. She had watched her own parents die the same way.
"You've done enough," she said firmly. "Let me purify your soul. You'll be able to meet Kelin."
Anthony shook his head. "I can't. You can't."
He pointed behind her.
"He won't allow it."
Leci turned—
And the demon was there, smiling at her.
⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄⋅⋆⋄⋅⋆⋄
The air inside Liadan Mansion grew heavier by the second, as if every breath taken was a mistake. The stench of damp soil, old blood, and something rotten — something not entirely of the human world — clung to their lungs.
"Jayden!" Norris shouted. "She's not moving!"
Leci lay limp in his arms. Her body was cold, unnaturally light, like a doll whose soul had been forcibly torn away. Her eyes were closed, her lashes trembling faintly — yet there was no response.
Jayden stood before them, his spiritual staff shaking violently. The small bells at its tip rang wildly, not because he moved them, but because something in the air was forcing them to tremble.
"This isn't ordinary possession," Jayden muttered, his jaw tightening. "There are two layers of aura inside her body."
"Two?!" Norris nearly screamed.
"One belongs to the demon. The other…" Jayden swallowed hard. "A human."
Norris froze. "A human soul?" His voice nearly broke. "How is that even—"
"It's possible," Jayden cut in sharply. "When a soul is bound. Forced. Turned into a vessel."
The demon laughed. Its voice echoed from the walls, the ceiling, the cracked floor — as if the Mansion itself had become its throat.
"Khehehehe… you're too late," it hissed. "That girl has gone far too deep."
A black shadow shifted in the corner of the room. Horns towered upward, long hair drifting without wind. The creature's eyes gleamed sharply, brimming with satisfaction.
Norris tightened his grip on his sword. "Shut up!" he roared, stepping forward. "I'll cut you down if I have to!"
Jayden raised his staff high. The bells rang out with a deafening clang as spiritual light erupted, washing through the room like a sacred tide.
"Hold on, Leciara," he whispered, almost like a prayer. "Please… don't let go of yourself."
Incantation after incantation spilled from Jayden's lips. Symbols of light bloomed in the air, forming a sealing circle around Leci. The ground trembled. The walls groaned.
The demon took a step back. Only one. "Humans are always so self-righteous," it sneered. "You have no idea what that girl has seen. What she carries inside her."
Norris was about to attack — when suddenly—
Tap.
A single footstep. Not from the demon. Not from them.
Jayden flinched. "What—" He snapped his head toward the entrance of the Mansion.
Tap. Tap.
The footsteps were slow. Measured. Unhurried. And… far too calm.
The air shifted. Not darker — but colder.