Not far from the Virellano residence stood a luxurious villa.
Its design blended modern architecture with strong traditional elements, giving it a distinct and elegant presence.
Yet beneath that beauty lay something unsettling.
Dim lights cast long shadows, and large portions of the house were swallowed by darkness, creating a mystic, oppressive atmosphere.
A car had just arrived at the front.
A young man stumbled out in a hurry, his steps unsteady.
Ramu.
He had just returned home, coming straight back after performing a ritual at the Virellano residence.
The house itself wasn't far—chosen deliberately for efficiency, in case the Virellano family suddenly needed them.
But misfortune after misfortune along the road had turned what should've been a fifteen-minute drive into nearly an hour.
"Ahh… this is seriously irritating. I've had way too much bad luck because of that brat," Ramu muttered as he walked inside.
"Damn it."
Before long, he stood before a massive wooden door carved with ancient patterns—one of the rooms inside the villa. The most oppressive room in the entire house.
Ramu observed it carefully. Dense fog and blackish energy visibly leaked from the door, as if whatever lay inside wasn't something he could approach freely.
"Hmm… looks like Father is still meditating," he murmured.
He hesitated.
Right now, getting rid of this bad luck was urgent. But at the same time, he didn't dare interrupt his father while he was in meditation.
After a brief pause, he decided against it. Suppressing his impatience, he turned and walked away, heading back to his room to shut himself in.
"Huff… at least if I don't do anything, bad luck won't come," he muttered.
But before he could take another step—
"You're home early. Usually, you don't arrive until midnight."
A hoarse voice echoed from inside. Not loud, yet clear enough for him to hear.
His father's voice.
"Didn't I tell you to erase his luck completely? Or don't tell me…"
Ramu turned around.
"F-Father… I—" he stammered nervously.
Before he could explain, a surge of black energy shot out, gripping his neck and lifting him into the air.
"Don't tell me you were incompetent—unable to handle even something this trivial!" his father said coldly, fury seeping into every word.
Ramu struggled desperately. His breath was cut off, pain wracking his body, but the energy was far too powerful to resist.
"F-Father… it's not like that… p-please… let me… ugh—explain…" he gasped.
Hearing that, his father didn't release him immediately. He let Ramu hang there, hovering at the brink of death—until finally, the grip loosened.
"Fine," his father said. "Explain."
Ramu collapsed onto the floor, coughing violently as he struggled to catch his breath.
Damn it… I'm really cursed today. I just wanted to ask for help, and now he nearly punished me without even knowing what happened, he thought bitterly.
Then, he explained everything that had occurred.
Not long after—
"Oh?" his father said. "Is that so?"
Ramu nodded. "Yes, Father. I don't understand why either… but right now, I'm truly unlucky."
A few seconds later, the door opened slightly.
From inside emerged a young woman in traditional attire, holding a tray. On it rested a small brown pill, radiating a faint white aura.
"Eat that pill and meditate for the next month," his father instructed. "It will help stabilize your energy and reduce the side effects of this bad luck."
"As for the rest, I'll cleanse you after you finish your meditation."
Ramu accepted the pill, his face lighting up with relief. He immediately knelt and bowed deeply.
"Th-Thank you, Father."
The young woman stepped back inside and closed the door, followed by his father's reply.
"Very well," he said calmly. "Now then… what about David?"
Ramu stood up and explained,
"David… for now, he's fine. He even managed to pull off a small trick on that boy. Although… it failed."
"Oh?" his father said, slightly surprised. "Failed?"
Ramu nodded. "I wouldn't dare lie to you, Father. And aside from that, I warned him to be cautious—though I didn't explain everything in detail."
He stared at the closed door.
"But one thing's certain… that child isn't easy to touch."
Silence followed.
Then his father spoke again.
"Very well. He should know what needs to be done," he said calmly. "Now return and begin your meditation at once."
Ramu bowed once more. "Yes, Father." Then he turned and left.
Inside the room, ritual tools and incense smoke mingled with dark energy. A blackish-red glow bathed the space in an oppressive light.
Ramu's father—a middle-aged man still shrouded in darkness—sat upright in a meditative pose, surrounded by several young women.
His eyes opened slightly, a faint smile forming on his lips.
"Overflowing with bad luck?" he murmured. "Hmm… interesting."
He let out a soft hum before continuing,
"But for now, I'll let that kid enjoy his life a little longer. Because my current priority…"
He picked up a sheet of paper in front of him.
Printed on it was a photo of a figure clad in black, their back partially exposed, revealing a symbol shaped like a seven-pointed star etched with an unfamiliar, intricate pattern.
"…is dealing with the organization led by this monster."
His eyes closed once more as the incense smoke thickened, the fog growing denser.
Fog that carried us back—
To the Virellano residence.
Al and Harun walked down the side corridor of the estate toward the dim garden ahead, thin mist drifting quietly through the area.
At the end of the narrow stone path, a two-story building came into view, faintly lit by the rising moon.
Moss crawled along its walls, while the rusted iron window frames were slowly rotting away.
Overgrown grass wrapped around the foundation, and an old garden lamp flickered weakly, as if on the verge of going out.
Al followed behind Harun in silence, footsteps echoing faintly along the corridor. The distant sound of the other servants faded, leaving only stillness.
He closed his eyes for a moment. A flicker of memory surfaced—
a cramped orphanage with a leaky roof, spoiled rice, children's laughter echoing through dusty halls, and the promise of a kind old woman he once loved:
"You'll find your home someday…"
Now, he was here.
But to him, this place already felt colder than that orphanage.
Al could only shake his head.
Ideally, someone would miss their family more. But after seeing how they acted… my longing for the orphanage only grew stronger.
Too much pressure. Too many formalities. Too much pretense.
"Huft..."
He let out a sigh, pushing the tedious thoughts aside, and turned his attention to his surroundings.
So this is what nighttime feels like in this residence—fairly quiet.
But it made sense; the estate was huge, and only ten family members lived here, along with at least a hundred staff, most of whom weren't wandering around at this hour.
He lingered in his gaze, until finally, a glint caught his eye.
Hm… Strangely, there were barely any spiritual beings around.
Normally, a secluded place like this would be crawling with them. So it was true—some kind of exorcism had been performed here, he analyzed.
Or maybe they were gathering inside that building, just like they had said. Or perhaps…
He paused, his gaze fixed on the structure that would soon become his room, standing not far ahead.
…it was because of whatever was emanating from that small building.
Al continued his observation, feeling the energy vibrations and scanning the higher points around him.
The aura here was naturally a bit negative, which was fine, but what was strange was the lack of spiritual beings.
But what's that over there? he muttered, his gaze moving to several tall tree branches.
Several dark shadows perched up there, all staring at him intently.
Al wanted to get a closer look, but by then they had already arrived at the building.
From the outside, the building was fairly large, more than enough to serve as Al's base of power in this area.
But something about it stood out. A strange energy was clearly nesting inside… and beneath it as well, without a doubt.