When the man finished explaining everything he needed to know, Armin stood.

"Very well. I'll take the case. Bring me to your friend. If what you say is true, then time is not on your side."

Relief washed over the man's face, though fear still lingered in his eyes. He bowed again and expressed his gratitude.

Armin turned back to his desk. Before leaving, he pulled out a sheet of parchment and quickly wrote a note for his companions, Rehan and Ely. He explained the situation briefly, marking the address of the client's house and warning them that the case might involve something more dangerous than a simple haunting.

He left the letter pinned beneath the incense burner, where they would be sure to find it when they returned.

Satisfied, he gathered his tools… They were sticks of incense, suppression charms, and the silver dagger etched with runes Magnus himself had once given him.

Still, before stepping out, he paused. His eyes lowered to the floor, where his shadow stretched faintly in the lamplight.

"Lotus," he whispered, "are you still there?"

For a moment, there was only silence. Then a voice from the depths of his shadow came…

"I'm still here…"

Armin exhaled as the tension eased from his shoulders. The presence of the Dark Spirit hidden within him was a reassurance he had come to rely on. With Lotus watching from the shadows, he felt less alone, even when facing the unknown.

***

After the contract was signed and the payment was arranged, the man led Armin through the narrow streets of Veldenport…

They walked passed through the closed shops and lamps that still flickered in the mist.

Soon, they stopped before a modest townhouse. Its windows are dark, and its curtains are drawn tight. Even from outside, Armin felt it. There was a pressure in the air, and it was definitely a spirit's presence. His fingers brushed against the silver dagger at his belt…

Apparently, the runes placed by Magnus were glowing faintly as if recognizing the threat inside the house.

"He's inside…" the client whispered with a trembling voice. "He's upstairs. We've locked the door, but… sometimes he gets out."

Armin nodded. He had already experienced similar things, and it was no longer surprising.

After entering the house, Armin had already entered his Phantasm State to ensure that he could sense everything happening around him.

Then, he found a spot where he lit a stick of incense. He then let the smoke curl around him as he whispered a Dark Arts incantation.

Well, he had also excelled in the Dark Rituals subject after all.

Soon, the smoke thickened unnaturally, forming a cover that sharpened his perception. Through it, he could see faint traces of evil energy clinging to the walls.

Without a doubt, it was the residue of the spirit's movements.

Soon, they ascended the stairs slowly.

At the end of the hall, a door rattled as though something inside pressed against it.

Armin raised his hand as he cast another Dark Spell…

It was called Specter Guard, allowing him to block the door. Any entity inside would not be able to go out without his permission…

Armin waited for some time until the Spell fully took effect and covered the whole house… Only then did he push the door open.

"I will enter alone… Stay here." Armin said to his client.

The room was dim, lit only by the pale glow coming from the thin curtain…

On the bed sat the man's friend, his body was hunched, and his eyes were a lot darker compared to normal people... Furthermore, this man was chained.

Apparently, the client had already chained the man using a Noble-Grade Mystical Artifact.

'Impressive chains…' Armin mused since he knew that it was expensive, reaching about 4,000 to 5,000 zen.

He then continued observing the chained man, and it may not be visible to ordinary people, but he could see some shadows writhing around him like living tendrils.

This was not a simple evil spirit possession. It felt as if something ancient was trying to use the man's body to be a sacrifice…

It was no wonder it wasn't trying to remove the chains, even if it could do so. What it was, it was trying to ensure that the man stayed in this room.

'Right… This feels like a sacrificial ritual item instead of evil spirit possession.' Armin thought.

He had been working as a Paranormal Expert for some time now, and he could already tell the difference between such dark rituals and dark possession.

Then, as expected, when the man spoke, his voice was not his own.

"You should not have come… child of darkness…"

Armin's eyes squinted as he heard this.

This was no ordinary wandering spirit. Now, he felt a bit nervous since he recalled Vale's teachings.

'The Seven Deadly Sins… could it be one of them?'

He stepped forward while drawing a charm from his bag… The parchment burned faintly with runes of suppression. It was an item worth only about 500 zens, but it was highly effective against evil energy.

He pressed it against the wall, and the shadows recoiled the moment he released its power…

However, the haunted man laughed. He was clearly amused by the method he had just used.

"You think your charms will hold me? I am what festers in every heart. I am what thrives when others shine brighter."

Armin's grip tightened on the silver dagger.

This was indeed something that those Demons of the Seven Sins would say…

Is it Lust? Wrath? He couldn't be sure. The words were deliberately misleading.

Nonetheless, Armin began the ritual, as he chanted in Oardic or the Spirit Language.

After all, if he wanted to kill the man, he had plenty of methods he could use to do so. He wouldn't even be hired if that was what the client wanted.

So, he needed to save this man at all costs…

'I can do this…' Armin thought as he knew that he had to be careful with his Dark Spells.

"Spectral Grab…"

As he released the spell, the man shrieked, and his body started convulsing.

Armin pressed forward. Unlike priests who banished spirits with holy light, Armin used shadow against shadow… He continued casting a spell for binding, constraining, and forcing the spirit to reveal its true form.

Then, seeing that it wasn't working, he knew that he had to use another method.

This time, he tapped the Shadow Immortals' Divinity hidden within his pocketwatch…

As soon as he did this, from the man's mouth, a black mist poured forth!

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