Outside the orphanage, the detective sat rigidly inside his car.
His fingers kept tapping and tightening around the steering wheel, unable to stay still.
Everything about tonight felt wrong.
He had followed Sister Abigail from the moment she left the Coleman residence.
From a distance, he had watched her speak to Kate.
Even without hearing the words, the reaction had been obvious.
Kate's face had turned pale with shock before she hurriedly rushed away.
At first, he thought the nun would return alone.
Instead, she left with two children.
That was the moment his instincts as a detective screamed at him.
Something was deeply wrong.
The children moved too slowly.
Too mechanically.
Their expressions were blank, eyes hollow and lifeless, as if their souls had been stripped away.
They didn't walk like children.
They moved like puppets.
The sight alone sent a chill through him.
When he followed them back to the orphanage, what he saw made his blood run cold.
More children.
Standing in the halls.
Silent.
Still.
Their faces empty.
When one of them turned to look at him, the detective felt his stomach twist.
That innocent face carried no emotion at all.
No fear.
No curiosity.
Nothing.
The orphanage no longer felt like a place for children.
It felt like a nest of evil.
His jaw tightened.
Then his phone vibrated.
He quickly pulled it out.
It was Carl.
Detective, the situation here is resolved.
I'm taking Mrs. Coleman to the hospital.
Lucien said do not act rashly. Wait until he arrives before moving.
The detective stared at the message.
His grip tightened.
Wait?
How was he supposed to wait after seeing this?
Just as he struggled with his thoughts, he reached the nun's office.
The corridor was eerily quiet.
He pushed the door open slightly.
The first thing he noticed was the floor.
Fine red dust had been spread across the entrance in strange horizontal lines.
The moment his eyes landed on it, something inside his coat grew warm.
The talisman.
Lucien's talisman.
He instinctively touched it.
A faint sense of courage rose in his chest.
But hesitation remained.
If he entered now—
Would he ruin Lucien's plan?
Before he could decide, a calm voice suddenly sounded behind him.
"Thinking of going in?"
The detective nearly jumped.
He spun around.
Standing there, as if he had always been part of the shadows, was Lucien.
His dark eyes were calm.
Unshaken.
The detective exhaled sharply.
"Damn it, Lucien… can you stop appearing out of nowhere?"
Lucien's lips curved faintly.
"You were too focused on the door."
He tilted his head slightly.
"You forgot to watch your surroundings."
The detective frowned.
Lucien gestured toward the corridor.
Following his gaze, the detective froze.
A little girl stood in the corner.
Silent.
Watching them.
She had been there the whole time.
The realization sent a chill through him.
Lucien's voice remained calm.
"She's been observing you for quite a while."
His eyes shifted toward the office.
"The people inside already know you're here."
The detective's expression darkened.
Then distant sirens echoed from outside.
He turned sharply.
More police had arrived.
Lucien spoke before he could ask.
"I had Carl mobilize backup using your authority."
The detective blinked.
Lucien continued.
"This area needs to be sealed."
"If they become desperate, they may spread curses beyond this building."
He looked toward the silent children in the corridor.
"And these children need to be taken out safely."
The detective nodded.
"So we go in together?"
Lucien shook his head.
"No."
His tone was absolute.
"When they arrive, tell them to secure the perimeter."
"No one enters."
The detective stared at him.
"Not even officers?"
Lucien's gaze turned colder.
"Against enemies like this, numbers mean nothing."
"Sending them in would be suicide."
The words hit hard.
Then Lucien added, almost casually,
"Right now, only one and a half people here are qualified to take the risk."
The detective frowned.
"One and a half?"
Lucien glanced at him.
"I'm one."
"Because of the talisman, you count as half."
The detective opened his mouth, then closed it.
Oddly enough, that felt fair.
Before he could respond, Carl arrived with several officers.
The moment the police surrounded the orphanage, Lucien stepped forward.
Without hesitation, he entered the room.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the air shifted.
A familiar cold pressure pressed against him.
Malevolent energy.
A curse.
It slithered toward him like invisible smoke.
But the spiritual energy flowing through his body blocked it effortlessly.
Lucien's expression remained unchanged.
He could break the curse immediately.
But with the real battle still ahead, wasting energy now was foolish.
Instead, he moved deeper into the room.
Then stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
Beneath the carpet—
A faint sound.
A hollow echo.
Without hesitation, he crouched and pulled the carpet aside.
A hidden door.
A basement entrance.
Without another word, Lucien opened it and leaped down into the darkness.
Several officers instinctively moved forward.
The detective raised his arm sharply.
"No one moves!"
The officers stopped.
The detective's voice was firm.
"We hold this position."
"We wait until he comes back."
Murmurs immediately spread through the group.
One officer stepped forward.
Johnny.
His expression twisted with disbelief and anger.
"So that guy goes in alone while we stand here?"
His voice dripped with mockery.
"What kind of nonsense is this?"
The detective took a slow breath.
"There's an active ritual below."
"It's extremely dangerous."
Johnny let out a laugh.
"A ritual?"
His eyes burned with resentment.
"You expect us to believe that?"
He took another step forward.
"This is about credit, isn't it?"
"You want that Chinese guy to solve the case while we stand guard like fools."
The detective's face hardened.
"I'm warning you, Johnny."
"Do not go in."
But Johnny was already moving.
He shoved past Carl.
The detective lunged forward.
"Johnny, stop!"
Too late.
Johnny stepped across the red dust line.
For one heartbeat—
Nothing happened.
Then his body suddenly convulsed.
He collapsed to the floor with a sickening thud.
The officers froze.
Johnny slowly pushed himself up.
Then spat out blood.
Along with it—
Teeth.
Several teeth clattered across the floor.
Silence.
Then horror.
His skin began to wrinkle before their eyes.
His face rapidly aged.
Hair fell out in clumps.
His eyes sank deeper into their sockets.
"No… no—!"
His scream turned into a wet choking sound.
Black-red blood poured from his mouth.
Then from his nose.
His ears.
His eyes.
Blood from all seven orifices.
The officers stumbled back in terror.
Someone nearly dropped their weapon.
Johnny clawed desperately toward the exit.
The detective moved instantly.
He grabbed Johnny's decaying arm and dragged him back outside.
The moment his body crossed the cursed line, the deterioration stopped.
But the damage was done.
Johnny lay on the ground, barely breathing.
His body looked decades older.
The officers stared in absolute terror.
No one laughed now.
No one questioned the detective now.
The detective straightened slowly, breathing heavily.
His voice cut through the stunned silence.
"Benjamin."
One officer snapped to attention.
"Take him to the hospital."
The man nodded immediately.
"Yes, sir!"
The detective turned toward the others.
His expression was grim.
"The rest of you stay here."
"No one enters."
This time—
No one dared object.