Ali, Jade, and Nigel shared a silent look before turning their focus back to the pale figure standing in the doorway.

"I am Shaman Ester. I believe you’ve come seeking the answers that have been haunting you, haven’t you?" Her piercing black eyes locked onto Ali with unsettling intensity. It was a look that felt invasive, as if she were peeling back the layers of Ali’s secrets with nothing more than a single glance.

Ali felt a cold wave of goosebumps erupt across her skin. She fought the urge to step back, but instead she cleared her throat, "Y-yes... nice to meet you, Shaman Ester."

"Please, call me Ester. We are not in a medieval era, are we? Hahaha!" Her laughter was unhinged, the kind that suggested she spent far too much time talking to things that did not laugh back.

A shiver ran down all three of their spines, though they held their composure.

Just then, Jade stepped forward, her posture straight despite the tension. "So... you think you have the answers, even though you haven’t heard our problem yet?" Her green eyes studied the woman carefully as she maintained a brave front.

"Yes. I know. I can see... everything," Ester’s voice dropped into a low, almost hypnotic hum.

Then, slowly, she raised a long, pale finger, pointing it directly at Ali’s chest.

"This is the one. The one who needs help," and Ali swallowed hard.

The woman observed them from head to toe before murmuring, "Although... the spiritual places you have visited so far will not help you."

"Oh... we were just-" Jade tried to explain, but the woman cut her off with a sharp wave of her hand.

"It’s alright. Desperate times call for desperate measures, do they not? Isn’t that why two famous heiresses are here in such a desolate place?"

Both Ali and Jade’s eyes went wide. They were stunned that the woman had identified them so easily, especially since their faces were still obscured by hats, oversized glasses, and masks.

Meanwhile, Nigel grew alert, shifting uncomfortably where he stood. He contemplated whether he should grab the two ladies and bolt, or simply run for his own life and leave them with the freaky kimono lady.

"What you need is what I have. So come along. Let’s sit," Ester said. She turned around and disappeared into the dimly lit depths of the house.

Ali, Jade, and Nigel exchanged one more look, each of them wondering if stepping inside would be the bravest thing they would ever do or the most foolish.

But with the shaman having accurately pointed out certain things about her, Aliana took a deep breath and steeled herself. "Alright. Since we’re here, let’s hear what she has to say," she said, surprising the other two, who were still very much in doubt.

"But Ali... I know I got you here... are you sure?" Jade asked, a hint of worry creeping into her voice. Something about the woman felt off, and no matter how much she wanted to help her friend, not at the cost of their safety.

"I would also ask you to reconsider, boss. That lady... she doesn’t seem right in the head," Nigel whispered urgently, the panic rising in his chest.

Aliana looked at the two of them. "Fine. If you both have doubts, then stay out here and wait. I’ll quickly ask about my situation and come back. That way, if there is any trouble, you can both step in."

"Absolutely not!" Jade and Nigel exclaimed in unison. They glanced at each other for a split second before turning their focus back to Ali and her ridiculous suggestion.

"There is no way I am letting you go in there alone," Jade said firmly.

"And there is no way I am letting both of you go in there alone," Nigel added, standing his ground.

Jade and Ali turned to look at him. "Do you even know why I’m here, Nigel?" Ali asked.

Nigel let out a long sigh. "Well, I may not know the specifics of your trip today, but I consider myself bright enough to figure out that you’re... probably haunted by something?" His voice grew quieter and quieter with every word.

Ali and Jade stared at Nigel with deadpan expressions, making him visibly more nervous. Then, their lips twitched into identical smiles.

"You are bright enough, Nigel. That is exactly why I hired you," Ali said. "Now come on. I would like to get out of here as soon as possible."

Ali turned around, leaving a stunned Nigel behind.

Nigel had only taken a wild guess based on their strange destinations today, but he never expected to actually be right.

A fresh wave of dread settled in his chest, not just for Aliana this time...but very much for himself.

’I guess I’ll be making those spiritual trips for myself,’ Nigel thought.

’Maybe I’ll buy some sage on the way home today,’ he resolved, before finally shaking off his fear and following the two ladies inside.

In a room made entirely of old wood, half-burnt candles flickered everywhere, their melted wax pooling beneath them. The windows were covered with dark, heavy curtains, blocking out any trace of natural light.

Dusty wooden shelves lined the walls, filled with ancient books, questionable ingredients that looked like they had once been part of something living, and dried herbs hanging from the ceiling.

At the centre sat a low circular table, lit by more candles and marked with a circular symbol drawn in "deep red paint." At least, that is what all three of them hoped it was.

Ester sat on one side with her eyes closed in concentration, while Ali and Jade sat opposite her, cautiously taking in their surroundings. Nigel stood close behind them, tense, like a guard ready to bolt at any second. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Then, without warning, the woman spoke, "Your hand."

Ester extended her pale hand towards Ali without opening her eyes.

Ali swallowed hard and exchanged a weary glance with Jade before hesitantly placing her hand into Ester’s cold, lifeless one.

The moment their hands touched, Ester’s grip tightened around hers as she began chanting something strange in a low, unsettling voice, instantly putting all three of them on edge.

Seconds passed, and suddenly the candles flared violently, making all three of them jolt in shock.

"What the-" Jade exclaimed in horror, but the woman’s voice rose unnaturally, cutting her off.

"Ask... what do you want to know?" Ester demanded.

Ali flinched at the sound. The woman’s voice had become doubled and jagged, as if two people were speaking through the same throat at once. A sharp pain shot up Ali’s arm from the crushing grip of the shaman’s hand, but she forced herself to speak through the haze of fear.

"Why am I seeing ghosts everywhere?" she asked, her voice trembling. "How can I make it stop?"

Ester’s warped, trembling voice echoed in the quiet room.

"The veil is torn, no needle can sew. You must watch the tides where they choose to flow. To close your eyes is to fight the sun. You seek an end to what has just begun."

Ester began to shake, her body trembling under the weight of the cryptic message she had just delivered.

The words seemed to linger in the air, pressing down on them, trapping the three in a heavy silence.

"What does that mean?" Ali asked, her brows furrowed as she tried to untangle the riddle.

Ester did not open her eyes. Her voice dropped to a ghostly whisper.

"The sun does not explain the shadow it casts, child. Whether you walk the path or flee from it, the destination remains the same. Speak now if you have more to ask, for the window is closing."

"Wait!" Aliana’s voice broke through urgently. "I want to know... who... who is the man with icy blue eyes I met during my accident?" Her words came out in a rush, as if she feared they might run out of time before she could ask.

The moment the question left her lips, Ester, who had been shaking violently, suddenly went still. Her closed eyes snapped open, revealing nothing but blank, milky whites, without a trace of a pupil.

Then a piercing scream tore from her throat as a violent gust of wind whipped through the room. Everything that had once been still began to rattle and vibrate.

Jade, Nigel, and Ali felt their hearts leap into their throats as the very air around them turned cold and hostile.

The candles flared wildly before being extinguished all at once, plunging the room into darkness, just as the windows slammed open with a deafening crash.

"Oh my God!" Jade and Nigel screamed in pure terror, bolting back from their seats. Ali let out a pained cry as the shaman’s grip on her hand tightened to a bone-crushing force.

"Let go! You’re hurting me!" Ali screamed, desperately trying to wrench her arm free.

Then all of a sudden, Ester’s fingers snapped open, her body went limp, and her head slumped heavily onto the table.

And everything stilled at once.

The vibration ceased, the wind died, and the silence that followed was suffocating, broken only by the harsh, uneven breathing of the three of them.

With wide, disbelieving eyes, they stared at Ester’s unmoving form.

Nobody moved or spoke for some time before Aliana’s lips trembled as she finally found her voice, "Is she...?"