Inside a house painted grayish blue on the west bank of the Tussock River in Tingen City's West Borough.
The entire house seemed to be in the depths of winter, its temperature at least ten degrees lower than outside. Irregular breezes swept through the halls, stirring the curtains over the windows and letting a sliver of dim yellow sunlight into the room, only to shyly cover them again and plunge the room back into darkness.
At the center of the first floor, where the dining room had once been, stood a round table. On it rested a thirty-centimeter-tall idol carved from white bone. It resembled a stunningly beautiful woman, but her facial features were blurred. Her long hair trailed to her ankles, growing clearer and thicker the lower it went, hanging like venomous snakes.
Crude wooden dolls were densely arranged around the idol, their forms only roughly carved. Slips of paper were attached to them, bearing various identity details written in red ink.
Two mysterious figures, one tall and one short, wore black robes with hoods concealing their heads. They stood beside the altar, quietly chanting obscure, incomprehensible incantations.
Bang—
The Yellow-Green Flames burning atop the three candles arranged in an inverted triangle on the altar suddenly flared brightly, throwing shifting shadows across the room as gusts of eerie wind swept through it.
The shorter of the two relaxed their shoulders as if letting out a breath, then backed away from the altar. Only after reaching the doorway did they turn and push the door open to leave.
In the corridor, the frigid wind seemed to blow without end. Curtains covering the windows shut out the sunlight, leaving the entire first floor in darkness.
Yet the black-robed figure's eyes seemed wholly unaffected by the darkness. They avoided the invisible, transparent