The more Mr. Almond thought about it, the darker his expression beca, his anger simring like a storm ready to erupt.
Without hesitation, he snapped, "Search every room. Every maid’s quarters, every servant’s space. Leave nothing unchecked."
Yet, after an exhaustive search, nothing was found. Not a single trace.
Lana, however, had anticipated this.
’Of course they would notice sothing within a day,’ she mused inwardly, her expression calm, almost detached.
’And by then, it would already be too late. Everyone I wanted affected... has already suffered.’
Except Brenda.
Even the maid who had carried out the act couldn’t help but feel a shiver of admiration.
’She thought of everything... every single detail in advance. There’s no way anyone could trace this back now.’
Her lips curled faintly, though her eyes darkened as her thoughts drifted elsewhere.
’And that man... Mr. Almond...’ A flicker of hatred burned deep within her. ’The one who destroyed my daughter’s life... who left her broken and terrified...’
A quiet, bitter satisfaction filled her chest. ’Now, I’ve finally taken my revenge.’
Later, as the family made their way back toward the room, the tension still clung to them like a shadow.
Lana, however, quietly separated from the group, her footsteps leading her elsewhere. To the cetery.
She walked slowly until she reached the grave.
Jas’ grandmother’s grave.
For a mont, she stood there in silence, her gaze fixed on the weathered stone. Then, gently, she knelt down and placed the bouquet she had brought, her fingers brushing against the cold surface.
Closing her eyes, she began the cleansing ritual, one that had been taught to her long ago by a professor from Shadowridge University.
Her movents were precise, deliberate, as if guided by mory and respect.
Softly, almost like a whisper carried by the wind, she murmured, "I’ve taken care of Jas... and I will continue to do so."
Her voice trembled ever so slightly, though she tried to steady it.
"I’ll make sure he doesn’t walk down the path of evil... and I will honor your last wishes."
After finishing, she bowed her head deeply, her forehead nearly touching the ground.
Then, after a pause, she spoke again, her voice quieter this ti. "I’m sorry... if only you had been closer to the Almond family... maybe your ending would have been different."
Her throat tightened. She quickly shut her eyes, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill. ’Don’t cry... not here...’
A gentle, feathery touch brushed against her head.
Mr. Crow, perched on her shoulder, softly patted her with his wing.
Lana stiffened slightly before letting out a slow breath, regaining her composure. She gave a faint nod, as if acknowledging the silent comfort.
"Thank you..." she whispered.
Once she was done, she rose and began walking toward the cetery’s exit. The gravel crunched softly beneath her feet, the silence returning once more.
But then...she stopped. Sothing felt... wrong.
Her gaze shifted toward a nearby gravestone.
A deep, unsettling red aura clung to it, almost pulsating, as if alive. It wasn’t faint, it was thick, suffocating, filled with overwhelming resentnt.
’Resentnt... but toward whom?’
Curiosity pulled her closer.
Step by step, she approached the gravestone, her senses sharpening. Just as she was about to read the na engraved on it...
Footsteps.
Several people approached, their expressions wary, eyes narrowing at the sight of her.
Lana imdiately understood. ’The deceased’s family.’
She straightened and turned toward them, her expression polite yet serious.
Looking at the young woman standing at the front, she spoke calmly, "I apologize if I’m intruding... but this gravestone... it’s bound by sothing unnatural."
The group stiffened.
"It’s using a thod that shouldn’t be used here," she continued, her tone steady. "If left unchecked, it could cause serious problems... even haunt your family in the future."
The leading woman, likely in her mid-thirties, narrowed her eyes, studying Lana carefully. "You’re saying you can tell what’s wrong with it?"
Lana gave a small nod.
The woman hesitated for a mont before speaking again, her voice firm yet edged with unease. "...Then check it. If you truly know sothing, it’s better we find out now."
’Fate works in strange ways,’ Lana thought as she closed her eyes. ’If I hadn’t co here today... I would have never encountered this.’
"Mr. Crow," she murmured softly, "scan it."
The crow’s eyes glead faintly as he spread his awareness, an invisible force sweeping over the gravestone.
Monts later, both of them opened their eyes.
The conclusion was imdiate.
The remains beneath the gravestone had been arranged incorrectly, tampered with in a way that disrupted the natural order. Because of that, the soul trapped within had beco restless... unstable.
And dangerous. ’If this continues... this won’t just be a haunting... it will be a massacre.’
Suddenly, a vision struck Lana.
She saw the soul, twisted and furious, burst free, rushing toward a grand mansion in the suburbs. Without hesitation, it entered the body of the very woman standing before her.
And then... Blood.
The possessed woman turned on her own family, slaughtering them one by one, her face twisted into sothing inhuman.
Lana’s eyes snapped open.
Her breathing steadied as she looked directly at the middle-aged woman. "Listen carefully. This area must be cleansed soon. The remains need to be rearranged properly... only then will the soul rest in peace."
The woman’s expression changed. Fear flickered in her eyes.
"I... believe you," she admitted after a mont, her voice quieter now. "For the past few days... my son and so relatives... they keep feeling like soone is watching them."
Her hands trembled slightly. "And... one of them already died."
A heavy silence followed.
"Soone told us it might be a deceased family mber causing this," she continued, her gaze fixed on Lana. "So... what you’re saying... it makes sense."
’So it has already begun...’ Lana thought, her eyes darkening slightly.
Without hesitation, the woman gestured toward Lana, her tone direct yet laced with urgency. "Na your price."
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