"Who is Alah?" Alex demanded, not giving Mr. Tan Woo a single second to gather his thoughts.
The expression that flickered across Mr. Tan Woo's face was enough to stop the air in the room. His sudden shift—fear, hesitation, something darker—told them he was not ready, or perhaps not willing, to answer. Alex's furious face burned even redder. He bit his lower lip hard, fists clenching until his knuckles whitened. His eyes locked onto Mr. Tan Woo with an intensity that made the old man shift uncomfortably.
"This lady has been hunting us for days," Alex growled, his voice cracking with anger he had been holding back. "She won't let us breathe. Who is she—and what exactly does she want?"
Instead of answering, Mr. Tan Woo leaned forward, his voice dropping into a low, grave tone.
"If I tell you the truth… would you be able to execute her?"
The question stunned the room. No one had expected that.
They stared at him, then at each other, silently debating the weight of his words. After several tense seconds, they nodded slowly, uncertain but desperate.
"Ahh," he continued, his voice almost mocking. "But what if everything I tell you is a lie? What if you fall straight into my trap? Would you still trust me—or turn against me?"
No one dared to look at him. Their gazes drifted among themselves, troubled, shaken.
"You think dealing with this thing is easy?" he scoffed. "Something that doesn't rest? Something that won't stop until it gets what it's looking for?"
"But… but who could have awakened it?" Linet stammered, trembling.
"One of you," he answered swiftly. "The moment someone opened the covered sheets, that's when it awakened. And again…I don't remember any mirror being present in that house when I sold it to you. Someone must have placed it there intentionally."
"I… I was the one who uncovered it," Lyn confessed, twisting her fingers anxiously. "But I swear I didn't touch it—though it felt like something was dragging me closer. I couldn't control it."
"Of course someone had to open it," Mr. Tan Woo replied. "But even then, it cannot grow strong unless human blood makes contact with the mirror. A single touch is enough. Your blood drains without you even realizing it… and through that, it gains control over you. Many bodies have been dragged inside that mirror. And none of them—none—have ever been found."
"You mean… if that thing had pulled me inside, no one would ever find my body?" Luca asked, horrified. "Not even the police? Not even for further investigation? You're saying Vicky's body… will never be found? Ever?"
Mr. Tan Woo shot up from his chair, his face drained of all color. His lips trembled.
"Don't tell me… she already has a soul?" he asked urgently. Their silence answered for them. He ran both hands through his hair in pure panic.
"You need to be extremely careful," he warned, pacing. "She needs twelve souls to fully awaken—and once she does, she will be strong enough to raise the others."
"What do you mean? Please… explain clearly," Drew pressed, leaning forward.
"Hmph." Mr. Tan Woo sat back down, a shadow settling over him. "Then I suppose it's time you know the truth about Alah."
He exhaled shakily and began.
"It was the first of June when she died. Her death was a mystery to the entire city, and even after a year of endless investigation, her body was never recovered. Before her death she lived in City Lashir, but she moved back here only days after my wife passed away. Her husband… was a kind, cheerful man. Respectful. There was hardly any difference between him and his wife—they were inseparable. People called them the Sweet Couple.
"They never spent a day apart—until the evening he left for a business trip. It was supposed to be short. It took almost her youth. The day he finally returned… he came back as a corpse."
He paused, swallowing hard.
"The sorrow on her face wasn't normal grief. It was anger—deep, unforgiving anger. And the only thing she kept from him was the wedding diamond ring. She never cried. Not once. But anyone who looked at her knew she was bleeding on the inside."
He continued, voice dropping lower.
"A few days after the burial, she vanished from public life. She locked herself inside her home. During the day it was silent, dead silent… but at night, a light always glowed from her bedroom window. She never peeked out. Never opened the curtains. Only God knows what she was doing in there.
"Days passed. Then years. Until one morning, her husband's closest friend came to visit. He knocked repeatedly. No answer. When he walked away, I approached him. We spoke briefly, and together we broke in."
His eyes unfocused, as if reliving the memory.
"The house was like a forest—dusty, overgrown with cobwebs, untouched, as though no human had lived there for decades. When we burst into her bedroom… we both stepped back. Her body was gone. Completely gone. And on the wall stood a tall, ancient mirror. At the bottom, written in a dark, thick substance… were the words: I'LL BE BACK.
"Everything in that room told us she had performed a ritual—some kind of sacrifice. But what we didn't understand was why she intended to return… or what she wanted."
He rubbed his hands together anxiously.
"We kept the entire incident a secret. To this day. But the strangest part was this—at night, her bedroom light still turned on. Every night. And switched off precisely at four in the morning."
He looked at them with a haunted expression.
"That has tormented me ever since. And then… you bought the house. I wanted to know the truth behind everything—and now, I do. She's back. And because of what she sacrificed… her soul will never rest."