On last year's Samhain, my brother, Ronan, accompanied his mentee, Celeste Thorne – a young woman with an inherent sensitivity to spiritual entities – to the secluded woodlands for stargazing, celebrating her birthday. To ensure no lingering malevolence disturbed them, he took with him our family’s ancient relic: the Soul-Quelling Amber. Unbeknownst to him, a vengeful spirit, one he had gravely wounded in the past, seized the opportunity to infiltrate our estate. My pregnant sister-in-law, Seraphina, in a desperate act to shield me, was dragged off by the malevolent entity and cast into our deep well. Both her life and the life of her unborn child were extinguished in an instant. My little niece, Penny, in her courageous effort to cover my escape, had her legs brutally severed. In my despair, I called Ronan, pleading for help. Hearing the news, he was forced to abandon Celeste and rush back home. The vengeful spirit was eventually purified, but from the woodlands came grim tidings: Celeste Thorne had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a blood-stained hair tie. Ronan, his face devoid of emotion, calmly collected the hair tie, then dismissively assured me that everything was fine. Yet, on the very day Seraphina was due to give birth, Ronan pushed me off a cliff. “If you hadn’t called me back, how would Celeste have died?! I demand blood for blood!” His scream still echoed in my memory, a sharp blade piercing my heart. My eyes snapped open once more, the villa’s lights extinguished. Only the low, sinister gurgle of the vengeful spirit’s laughter resonated through the oppressive darkness. 1 Outside the window, a fleeting shadow darted past, causing the doors and windows to creak and rattle. I jolted awake, snatching Seraphina and Penny, pulling them into the ancestral shrine. “Kaelin,” Seraphina’s voice held a note of concern, “Why are you trembling so violently? It’s quite normal for restless spirits to stir things up around Samhain every year, isn’t it?” “Yeah, Aunt Kaelin,” Penny chimed in, her childish voice full of confusion, “We have the Soul-Quelling Amber at home. Those little ghosts wouldn’t dare come in.” The mother and daughter exchanged puzzled glances, then casually tried to soothe me. They didn’t know that Ronan, to accompany Celeste Thorne in the wilderness for her birthday celebration, had long since taken the family’s Soul-Quelling Amber with him. “Seraphina,” my voice quivered, words catching in my throat, “Ronan took the Amber. Now, this house… it’s just an ordinary house.” “More accurately,” I choked out, “it’s the most dangerous place.” Our Luminara family has for generations been dedicated to purifying spiritual entities. In modern times, the number of grudging spirits we’ve subdued is countless, and naturally, we’ve made many enemies. During ordinary Samhain nights, even when the spectral unrest was high, with the Soul-Quelling Amber present, no vengeful spirit dared approach within a ten-mile radius. But now, this villa, left unguarded by the Soul-Quelling Amber, had become a clear target, a beacon in the eyes of all vengeful spirits. Most critically, I was born with a unique constitution, highly sensitive to spirits, yet lacked the ability to purify them. I was just an ordinary person. And at this moment, with a pregnant woman and a child, facing these vengeful spirits, our situation was extremely perilous. My hands trembling, I struggled to move tables, even dragging an old coffin to barricade the doorway. Then I pulled out a thick stack of talismans, affixing them one by one to the doors and windows. After that, I swiftly knelt, banging my head three times against the floor, arranging the ancestral tablets of our first and earliest patriarchs into a Ten Directions Seal, encircling us within its protection. Seraphina, gripping the edge of a table, watched in astonishment. She couldn’t comprehend how, in our Luminara family, where spirit purification and securing safety through ancient arrays had always been paramount, the very family heirloom could have been taken. Even less could she believe that Ronan, as the sole heir to the Luminara legacy of spirit purification, who had always acted with careful deliberation, could have lost his mind and done something so utterly preposterous. But seeing my brazen, almost sacrilegious actions, Seraphina had no choice but to believe. “Then call him! Call your brother back!” she urged, frantic. The words had barely left her lips when the single candle flame within the room ‘poof’ extinguished, and an eerie, skin-crawling laughter echoed through the sudden darkness. Seraphina collapsed to the floor, clutching Penny in a trembling embrace, her face ghastly pale with fright. However, I did not contact Ronan. Reborn, I couldn’t trust that he would come to our rescue immediately. After all, last time he returned, Seraphina was already dead, Penny’s legs crippled, and my own eyes had been gouged out. I unclasped the pristine, frost-white jade pendant from my neck and pressed it into Seraphina’s trembling hand. I was unable to master the Luminara family’s secret arts. My father, to protect me, had collaborated with other clan members to craft this jade. With the jade to protect Seraphina and Penny, my heart felt a fraction lighter. Seraphina, understanding my intention, was unwilling to accept it. As we wrestled over it, the front door crashed open with a resounding ‘BANG’. I instinctively shielded the mother and daughter, my gaze locked on the oppressive void before us. The temperature in the room plummeted. Though nothing was visible, a sudden, chilling sensation crept up my scalp, as if countless needles hung suspended directly above our heads. And since moments ago, my little niece had been fiddling with her wrist communicator, now finally connecting with Ronan. “Daddy, come back quickly! There’s a vengeful spirit in the house!” she cried, her voice laced with fear. Ronan’s voice on the line was impatient: “Alright, Penny, stop being silly. Daddy is busy. Can’t you be more sensible?” Seraphina cried out, “Ronan, this isn’t a joke! A vengeful spirit is in the house! If you don’t come back, the children and I will truly die!” Ronan’s voice turned icy: “Wife, how many times have I told you? Can’t you women suppress your jealous, competitive nature? I’m merely accompanying Celeste for her birthday, and you’re acting like a raving harpy, it’s so disappointing.” “Don’t come at me with excuses about pregnancy hormones or being overly possessive or paranoid. I don’t want to hear a single word of it. Right now, I’m celebrating Celeste’s birthday.” “Oh, and tell Kaelin Luminara, she’s going to be married off sooner or later, so she should stop meddling in our affairs, or she’ll end up suffering the same tragic consequences as last time!” I felt as if plunged into an ice-cold abyss. Ronan… he was reborn too! If that was the case, he knew precisely what would befall the three of us, yet why was he acting with such chilling indifference? Could it be that, in this new life, Ronan cared neither for the life of his own sister nor for the lives of his wife and child? 2 The vengeful spirits began to churn through everything in the room, clattering and groaning with deafening roars. Tonight, the yin energy was potent, and the spirits’ resentment was strong. Ordinary talismans were utterly useless against their assault. Thankfully, the ancestral patriarchs’ tablets provided some suppression, keeping the spirits at bay for now. Composing myself, I dialed the number for Julian Vance, Captain of the Havenwood Bind-Spirit Unit, and also my fiancé. “Julian, you need to bring your team to my house, fast! We’re surrounded by vengeful spirits!” “Hmph, Miss Luminara,” he scoffed, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “you’ll truly say anything to trick your brother into coming back, won’t you?” “You know perfectly well it’s Samhain tonight, and supernatural incidents are rampant. The unit is swamped, yet you pull a stunt like this. Do you think the lives of Havenwood citizens are worth nothing?” Julian’s snide tone caught me off guard. I was about to explain, but he simply hung up. Undeterred, I called again. After numerous attempts, Julian finally picked up, seemingly annoyed. “Your brother already called me. He said you and your sister-in-law, out of jealousy because he was with Celeste, would definitely claim that vengeful spirits had entered the house.” My voice cracked with urgency, tears welling up: “Julian, don’t believe my brother! There are vengeful spirits! They’re the same ones you and my brother wounded last month in the Blackwood University district!” Julian didn’t believe me. He spoke coldly: “Do you take me for a fool? Your Luminara family’s Soul-Quelling Amber never leaves the estate. Your brother would be insane to take it!” Fuming with exasperation, I urged Julian to check their Bind-Spirit Unit’s Divination Needle; it would detect if the Soul-Quelling Amber was still within Havenwood. Julian utterly dismissed it, instead impatiently snapping, “Kaelin Luminara, can you women not have some limit to your squabbling? Do you really feel accomplished making up such things for attention?!” Tears streamed down my face in sheer desperation: “Please! My sister-in-law is heavily pregnant, and Penny is only four years old! This is all real!” Yet, my frantic pleas failed to convince him. Julian even angrily kicked something over, then threatened ominously: “Kaelin Luminara, if you’ve stooped to such depths, there’s no need for our engagement to continue.” His words struck my heart like a heavy hammer. Julian and I had been betrothed since childhood, growing up as childhood sweethearts, and our bond had always been strong. But ever since Celeste appeared, both he and Ronan had changed. Ronan rarely came home, and when he did, he would constantly compare Seraphina to Celeste, sparking countless arguments. And Julian, he too showed a distinct favoritism towards Celeste, turning to find flaws in me at every turn, even repeatedly approaching my father in private to break off the engagement. These two men, they’d done so many foolish things for Celeste. Our Luminara family upheld an ancient decree: unless a vengeful spirit was utterly irredeemable, it was to be granted a path to redemption. Yet, simply because a spirit had dared to glance at Celeste, Ronan and Julian had led a team to the Blackwood University district to subdue all the spirits in that area. They shattered the balance of yin and yang there, twisting benign spirits into malevolent entities, which in turn brought this retribution upon us. The memory of our tragedy in the previous life sent shivers down my spine. I absolutely could not allow the tragedy of the past to repeat itself! I bit down hard on my lower lip, almost begging: “Julian, I agree to break off our engagement! Just send your team over now, and I’ll stay far away from you forever, I promise I won’t bother you again!” Julian paused for a long moment. He knew how much I loved him, and he’d seen my notebook filled with “Marry Julian Vance.” My devotion to him was akin to life itself; he knew better than anyone that I wouldn't easily give up on my feelings for him. Yet now, I had uttered such words. His colleague beside him seemed to object: “Captain Vance, maybe you should go take a look? Miss Luminara wouldn’t joke about something like this.” “Besides, this year’s Samhain has been calmer than usual. The guys can handle it themselves. You go on.” Julian let out a heavy sigh, his resolve wavering. I seized the opportunity to record the scene unfolding around me and sent it to him with a single tap. The chaotic scene, Seraphina, heavily pregnant, clutching Penny, who was trembling with fear—Julian finally felt a pang of compassion. “Alright, I’ll bring a team,” he conceded, his voice hesitant. “But things had better be as you say, or you and your sister-in-law will pay the price.” My dimmed eyes gradually brightened, but the very next second, Julian’s communicator received a message. He opened it, and it was unmistakably Ronan’s voice. “Kaelin called you, didn’t she? I knew she would. They were even faking tears just now, and Penny went along with their act, saying they’d be killed by vengeful spirits if I didn’t come back.” “Heh, don’t you think women are scheming? They live here for free, don’t do any work, and then they’re constantly paranoid, playing out their little palace dramas.” “I didn’t fall for it, and you, the esteemed Captain of the Bind-Spirit Unit, shouldn’t be made a fool of either.” Ronan’s words pierced my heart like a dagger. Ronan, for the sake of another woman, had abandoned his own sister whom he’d sworn to cherish for life, and disregarded his wife with whom he’d promised to grow old and die together. But he, too, was reborn! He knew exactly what we would endure! Julian cut the voice message short, his voice grim and low: “From now on, the Bind-Spirit Unit is forbidden from taking calls from Kaelin Luminara. No one is to be dispatched to her location!” “Hmph, Kaelin Luminara,” he sneered, “I would now very much enjoy seeing you and your sister-in-law torn to pieces by vengeful spirits!” As if to validate his words, the moment the call ended, the yin energy in the room surged. The crystal chandelier overhead, under an irresistible force, plummeted to the ground. I lunged forward, shielding Seraphina and Penny. Glass shards pierced my back, and blood droplets stained my white dress. 3 The searing pain brought cold sweat trickling down my face, but I grimly pushed myself up to confirm Seraphina and Penny were unharmed. Seeing they were only shaken, I let out a long, shaky breath. The three of us had been deeply hurt and saddened by Ronan’s words moments before, but the immediate crisis forced us to steel ourselves and face it. Seraphina wiped away her tears, and together we helped Penny to her feet. The three of us stood back-to-back, clasping each other’s hands tightly, scanning our surroundings. The array I had set up was rudimentary, and by now, most of its power had been destroyed. More and more vengeful spirits surged towards us. The sheer oppressive yin energy suffocated us, making every breath a struggle. “Seraphina, I’ll rush out in a moment and draw the spirits away. You take Penny and escape. Go to the Bind-Spirit Unit… no, go find Elias Blackwood!” Father was abroad recuperating and hadn’t returned. Ronan wouldn’t help us, and with Julian there, the Bind-Spirit Unit wouldn’t heed us. Only Elias, who trained under the same master as Father, could possibly deal with these vengeful spirits! Seraphina shook her head, tears streaming: “No, Kaelin, I won’t leave you alone!” “If anyone’s leaving, it’s you first! I’m pregnant, and Penny is so young. We’re a burden, you…” I embraced her tightly, gently patting her trembling body: “Seraphina, listen to me. You’re carrying the first male child our Luminara family has had in generations, and Penny is only three…” “Vengeful spirits love human bodies the most. I’ll just now—” A shrill, piercing voice interrupted me. “Run? You’re too naive! Since we’ve come knocking tonight, we intend to make the most of it! Ronan Luminara injured countless of my kind for one woman, so I’ll make sure to give his women a proper ‘welcome’!” “A pregnant woman… a virgin… and a child! Haha! The taste must be exquisite!” That suffocating, chilling gaze swept over us, inch by agonizing inch. I clutched the few remaining talismans in my pocket, my mind racing to plan a route to draw the spirits away. But before I could act, an invisible force toppled the ancestral patriarch’s tablets. We were flung like rag dolls, slamming into the wall. Seraphina was protected by the frost-white jade; the spirits dared not touch her directly. But Penny was pinned in mid-air, her small limbs forced open. I was arched against the wall in a humiliating posture, my hair ripped away, scalp and all, blood dripping onto the floor. I’d already died once in the previous life. This time, no matter what, I wouldn’t let Seraphina and Penny suffer before my eyes! “A bunch of cowards who wouldn’t dare seek revenge on Ronan Luminara, only daring to prey on helpless women and children!” I spat through trembling teeth, deliberately provoking them. “Cowards in life, cowards in death, always cowards! Hahaha!” Sure enough, the vengeful spirits furiously flung me to the ground. I dared not even breathe, seizing the chance to scramble up and run out. However, Seraphina suddenly shoved Penny into my arms, simultaneously pressing the frost-white jade into my hand. “Kaelin, quickly! Take Penny and go!” Her face was resolute, yet her eyes were filled with an agonizing reluctance to leave her child. I instantly realized what she was about to do. Seraphina was an oracle from an ancient sacred land; she was about to perform a Blood-Oath Sacrifice! Seraphina picked up a shard of glass and sliced open her wrist, blood splattering. I saw the spirits that had been gnawing at her recoil, trembling. Yet, one soul could not withstand a multitude. The overwhelming darkness of spirits poured over her. Seraphina was flung out the window, but she strained with all her might to scream out her last words: “Kaelin, run! Go find Elias Blackwood!” My breath hitched, but the sheer will to survive violently jolted my heart awake. This was Seraphina’s selfless act, a chance for us to escape. I no longer hesitated. Clutching Penny, I bolted. I ran without stopping, charging forward like a madwoman. I placed the frost-white jade around Penny’s neck. The vengeful spirits hot on our heels tore clumps of my hair and scalp, stones relentlessly pelted my back. I fell, then scrambled back up… I heard the tearing sound of my own flesh on my back, smelled the thick coppery scent of blood in the air, but still, I pressed on relentlessly towards Elias’s house. I finally reached Elias’s house, frantically pressing the doorbell, pounding on the front door. “Elias! Help!” “Save my sister-in-law!” Elias, casually sipping a glass of red wine, strolled over to me. Seeing my disheveled and injured state, he merely frowned slightly. But he didn’t rush to help me up as I’d expected. Instead, he looked at me with a disappointed expression. “Kaelin,” he began, his voice flat, “you and your sister-in-law have gone to such lengths, acting like this just to get Ronan home. It’s truly… a spectacle.” “But why involve Penny? To make her suffer for your jealousy?” He spoke, idly sipping from his glass of red wine. I broke down: “Elias, how can you also believe we’re lying?! Can’t you see the injuries on us?!” To my surprise, Elias merely glanced dismissively, then his expression turned to one of ‘I knew it’: “Ronan already informed me that you two would go so far as to injure yourselves to create the illusion of being hurt.” “Julian also called to warn me. It’s all just your petty jealousy, yet you still try to fool an old man like me. Child, as a Luminara, how can you be so disrespectful to your elders?!” With that, he smashed the wine glass on the ground, his eyes burning with anger. I clung to Elias’s leg, desperately trying to explain: “Elias, it’s not like that! The vengeful spirits are relentlessly pursuing us! They’re right behind us!” However, I forgot that Elias’s powerful ward protected this area; the spirits wouldn’t dare enter and had long since retreated. Elias’s anger intensified, and he kicked me away: “Kaelin Luminara, I know my brother cherished you, but you are a woman. You cannot inherit the Luminara family’s legacy!” “Your value lies in being a good wife and mother, in marrying and having children! If you still harbor such absurd ambitions, attempting to contend with Ronan for the family’s inheritance, I will personally attend to this family matter for my brother!” His kick landed with crushing force. I rolled a considerable distance, and combined with my existing injuries, I immediately coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. Yet, I felt the physical agony was but a fraction of the searing pain in my heart. So that’s it… Ronan was convinced I was vying with him for the family fortune. That’s why, even reborn, even knowing it wasn’t a lie, he coldly ignored us. He even cut off our last chance to seek help from others. What a brother! What a fiancé! What an uncle! I wiped the blood from my mouth, struggled to my feet, and stumbled as I picked up the already unconscious Penny. If this was how it was, why should I beg? The world isn’t limited to Luminara purifiers or the Bind-Spirit Unit for dealing with vengeful spirits! It’s not just Ronan Luminara, not just Julian Vance, and certainly not just Elias Blackwood! Couldn’t the Lord of Vengeful Spirits compel all other spirits to bow before him, to submit to his will?
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