“That thing hates fire. So, we need a lot of fire. Look, if we use fire well, we can trap it in a confined space, right? We lure it into our house and trap it while you run out with the fire and find Rublier. He said he patrols an area not far from the house. He promised to come if anything happened. So, if you shout with all your might, Rublier will hear and come.”

“But Madam, the firewood is in the shed outside. We don’t have any fire to take with us here.”

A simple oil lamp wouldn’t suffice. There were matches in the cabinet, but the flame of a match was extremely short-lived. They needed something that would burn longer and brighter.

Satin urgently scanned the house. Wooden furniture? There were a few pieces. But breaking them down would take a long time. Moreover, they needed oil to douse them with. The oil from the lamps wouldn’t be enough.

Something else usable… Ah!

Satin looked at the paintings decorating the walls.

“Oil paint is made from oil, right?”

Before painting, artists oil the canvas. Moreover, the frame of the painting was thin and much lighter compared to furniture. The plan was quickly formed. Break the frames to use as sticks and use the canvas as fuel.

“What? Madam? These are all genuine!”

The servants from the Ka Dillon household were aghast. They knew how much budget had been spent decorating this house with all kinds of ornaments.

“Yes, the Ka Dillon family has pride; they wouldn’t hang fakes here. Take down everything up there too. Larie, keep that thing distracted for a moment.”

Handing the lamp to Larie, Satin began pulling down the paintings herself.

“Hurry up and help!”

As she started breaking the frames with a loud crack, the stunned servants began dismantling the frames with groans. Splinters flew everywhere. Soon, the expensive paintings lost their form and turned into excellent kindling. Everyone took a piece of kindling, big or small. Satin also made herself a small torch-like object.

“Watch your step and be careful with the fire.”

“What do we do now?”

“We open the door and lure the evil spirit into the house. It’s safe under the fire, so don’t worry and go find Rublier.”

“What about you, Madam?”

“I’ll stay with Larie and hold off the evil spirit.”

“But what if something happens to you, Madam!”

“That’s why you need to bring Rublier before something happens to me. Hurry, or we’ll suffocate from the smoke here. And check if Devon is still breathing. If he is, take care of him. Now!”

With a short signal, Satin flung the door wide open. The black shadow lurking by the door surged along the shaded wall. Screaming and shrieking, the servants hid under the fire as instructed and ran out.

“Master!”

“Where are you!”

Their shouts for Rublier echoed loudly. It was reassuring; with that volume, Rublier would hear and come quickly. They wouldn’t have to hold off the evil spirit for long. Satin found comfort in this thought as she nervously watched the black form darting through the air. Following it with her eyes, she felt dizzy and staggered.

“Be careful!”

Larie cried out in alarm. The evil spirit was now above Satin’s head. It was in a position to elongate and pounce on her at any moment. Satin raised the fire to illuminate the ceiling. The evil spirit, which had been lurking there, swiftly retreated, and something dropped onto Satin’s cheek. Instinctively wiping her face with the back of her hand, Satin looked at her hand and screamed.

“Ah!”

It was fresh blood. It had definitely come from the evil spirit’s form. Whether it was the blood of the horses or the stableman, she couldn’t tell, but her heart sank.

The evil spirit, which had momentarily blended into the wall, suddenly sprang out beside Larie with its mouth wide open.

“Larie!”

Startled, Larie screamed and wildly swung the fire.

“Aah! Oh my god! Ah! Mom, Madam!”

“Larie, you’ll start a fire!”

Larie, finally coming to her senses, cried while holding the fire close to her face.

“I’m scared. I’m so scared I could die… Madam, that’s not a beast. Beasts don’t fly, do they…”

The entire shadow could be a hiding place for the evil spirit. Even when it was quietly lying in wait, it was indistinguishable from the shadows. In the end, they had to follow its trail, tracking it with their eyes.

Satin rolled her eyes. She had just felt a cold presence pass by her back, but the evil spirit had hidden itself again. The shadow on the ceiling seemed to twitch. Without even time to scream, she swung the fire, scattering the shadow, and a shadow shot up from the floor beneath her.

Terrified, Satin swung the fire at the air. Her mouth instinctively called for Rublier.

“Please, Rublier!”

Where are you? When are you coming?

Larie, equally terrified, ran over and swept the area around Satin with the fire. Cold sweat dripped down. The biggest problem was that shadows kept forming behind the furniture and walls. They had to check all around them with each step they took.

“We need to drive it into a specific place.”

They couldn’t let the evil spirit roam freely around the house. The conclusion was clear.

“Wh-where to?”

Larie asked, trembling with anxiety. Satin quickly searched for a suitable space. An unused room would be the best place to trap the evil spirit.

There was one such room. Her bedroom. After encountering the evil spirit by the window last time, she had packed up and closed off that room.

“This way.”

Satin opened the bedroom door. Larie, trembling, drove the evil spirit towards the room as intended. Humans were prey to the evil spirit, and fire blocked its retreat. Satin hid the fire beside her and exposed herself halfway through the door. Half her body was immersed in the shadow. Larie, terrified by Satin’s actions to lure the evil spirit, screamed.

“Madam, if it enters the room, you must get out!”

“I know, I will.”

The evil spirit circled in the air. It seemed to be measuring something or staring at Satin. It looked frustrated, unable to find an opportunity to attack either Satin or Larie. Its eyes glinted eerily like a spider’s.

If only they could hold out with the door between them, just a little longer. Rublier would come soon. The household was calling for him.

Satin, ready to switch places with the evil spirit and run out, grasped the doorknob tensely. But the evil spirit, sensing her intention, clung to the wall instead of entering the room. It moved busily, dangerously close to Larie, who was trying to help Satin.

“This way. Over here.”

Had it noticed the hidden fire flickering slightly? Satin glanced at the small lamp left on the side table. She considered transferring the fire to a smaller lamp and keeping the torch she held. But then she called out to Larie.

“Larie, come here for a moment.”

Larie, bewildered, approached cautiously, watching the evil spirit. Satin quickly handed her the torch.

“Hold this.”

“Why are you giving it to me! What about you, Madam?”

“There’s a lamp in this room. It’s not too dangerous. I’m trying to lure it further in.”

Hiding the small lamp behind her, Satin cautiously backtracked, using herself as bait. Through the half-open door, she saw Larie’s anxious face. Satin nodded to reassure her. The evil spirit clung close to the doorway. The effect was much better than before.

Satin moved further back, keeping her eyes fixed on the evil spirit, murmuring like a chant.

Come in, come in, come in. Back, just a little more back, one more step, more, more.

Finally, the evil spirit entered the room. Satin had already moved well past the center of the room.

The black smoke climbed the wall and seeped into the ceiling. At the same time, Satin dashed out of the room. But the shadow crossing the ceiling was faster. The black form extended its body toward the door, stretching out like a long hand to grab Satin.

Thud!

The door closed. It was the evil spirit’s doing.

“Madam!”

Larie screamed from outside. Satin quickly stepped back. The darkness that had been trapped in the room swayed above her head, behind her back, and under her feet.

I need to hide. Under the light. But how, where in this room…?

The evil spirit circled Satin, targeting the shadows around her. There was much more darkness than light. The evil spirit danced around its prey, trapped in the room.

Hiss. The evil spirit, hidden in the shadow, suddenly thrust its face in front of Satin. Shocked, she couldn’t even scream. Instinctively, she swung the lamp. The evil spirit slithered away.

Unlike the torch, the lamp’s light was small and shallow, making it difficult to protect herself entirely. She needed something to shield her. And this was Satin’s bedroom. She knew the layout and furniture of the room best.

Not the bed. Too dangerous.

Satin glanced at the vanity she had left in the room. There was enough space under the vanity for a small person to squeeze in.

The chair rolled away noisily. Satin slid under the narrow space, clutching the lamp with both hands. The light reflected off the walls, brightly illuminating the space. She was so scared her body trembled, and sweat soaked her. Her hands were slippery, and she gripped the lamp so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Satin urgently scanned the room with the light. Shadows flitted chaotically.

“Madam!”

Larie’s tearful voice called out again. The evil spirit, clinging to the wall, twitched as if reacting to Larie’s voice. Satin shouted in panic.

“Don’t open the door! I’m fine!”

“Oh my god, Madam! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Satin took a deep breath.

“I’ll hold it here. …One of us needs to watch it. If it’s alone in the room, we won’t know where it is or what it’s doing.”