Deep in the heart of the forest, Roya stood her ground, bracing for combat. Her eyes tracked the distorted creatures crawling out from the depths of the earth like living nightmares. Meanwhile, Marcus was etching an ancient incantation; he coldly cut his finger to draw symbols in the air. Within moments, a translucent barrier shimmered into existence, surrounding him and the young Kai, shielding them from the looming danger.
Roya, however, threw herself into a dance of death with these "children." She lunged skillfully at the first one, gripping its mangled head with hands like iron, then brought her knee down with a thunderous "BOOM!". Without a pause, she spun gracefully and landed, then bolted toward another creature, delivering a devastating kick that caused it to vanish instantly.
Kai turned to Marcus, his voice laced with anxiety. "Aren't you going to stop her?"
Marcus replied calmly, never taking his eyes off the scene. "No, she's enjoying herself. Look at the smile on her face."
Kai squinted to see her strained features and snapped, "That's not a smile; she's furious!"
Marcus let out a soft chuckle. "Yes, I know... haha."
Roya shouted as she landed a heavy punch on another child, "You bastard! Come and help me!"
Marcus called back from behind his shield, "I'm not crazy enough to do that."
Suddenly, everything froze. The wind died down and the air grew heavy as lead. A chilling sound pierced the silence—the rattling of metal chains being dragged: "Tss-tss-tss." From the shadows emerged a headless man, his body bound by chains trailing behind him. With speed Roya hadn't anticipated, the entity appeared directly behind her and delivered a brutal punch that sent her flying.
Roya slammed into the wall with a bone-jarring "CRACK!", followed by the sickening sound of breaking bones. Marcus sprang into action, drawing his pistol with lightning speed. Loaded with special bullets, he opened fire: "BANG! BANG!". A shot pierced the headless man's heart, and he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Marcus rushed to Roya, eyes flashing with anger. "You fool! You knew he was stronger than you, yet you insisted on fighting!" He lifted her gently, draping her arm over his shoulder and gripping her waist firmly to support her. Kai followed, carrying their belongings and muttering under his breath, "A madman and a madwoman..."
Suddenly, Roya whispered cautiously, "We need to run, fast!" She tried to push Marcus away.
"Why?" Kai asked, bewildered.
"Look up," she replied, her head heavy with pain, "and you'll see."
Kai looked up, and the blood drained from his face; ten distorted children were staring down at them. In a flash, Kai took off running, leaving a cloud of dust behind.
Marcus stared in disbelief. "He betrayed me... right, Roya?" He turned around only to find that she had escaped too. He yelled as he sprinted after them, "You traitors! Damn you all!"
"Head for the eastern passage!" Roya shouted, leading the way. They reached a small door which Roya smashed through with the weight of her body. They crawled through, finally emerging at the edge of the forest.
Kai exhaled in relief. "It's already night. How are we going to get home?"
Roya replied sarcastically, "On the back of a donkey? How should I know!"
Marcus cut them off as he pulled out his phone, speaking in a commanding tone. "Bring the cars and come here. You have exactly five minutes." He hung up.
Roya muttered mockingly, "Hmph... the life of the rich... tsk."
Kai returned to his question, "But the most important thing now... who were those children? Are they ghosts?"
Roya answered seriously, "No, they aren't ghosts. There is no such thing as ghosts in this world."
"Then what was that thing?" Kai pressed.
"It's a (Sence)," she said through gritted teeth.
"A what?"
Holding her head in pain, she explained, "It's a demon. I don't know its exact nature, but it feeds on the energy of fear and death. When you die and your blood remains in a place charged with negative energy, this monster comes. It reads your memories through your blood, learns how you died and what your true desire was. Then, it manifests in your form and becomes that desire itself... do you understand now?"
Kai replied with disgust, "Yes, that's revolting. But how do we get rid of it?"
Marcus answered this time, "By purifying the blood of the victims, or by the deceased getting the revenge they seek. That's how it leaves."
At that moment, the cars arrived. Simultaneously, Roya lost her balance and collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Marcus and Kai panicked, but Roya wasn't in a normal faint; as soon as she closed her eyes, she found herself back inside the cave, witnessing the necromancy rituals baptized in the blood of the orphanage children.