The livid flare burns on the wick. The smokes ascend through the space mystically creating mysterious shadows throughout the room. He sat there under the puny glow from the kerosene lamp. His eyes watched the dark ink wave and danced on the rough marzipan page.
Pages to pages, Dr. Park crammed through the long and short paragraphs in the hope to find the answer to all of this mess. And as his eyes drilled into the alphabet, a sentence caught his attention and called to his awakening mind. 'On November 23, 1884, when the famous actress Min Eun-na died under mysterious circumstances.'
Dr. Park frowned at the article read. He immediately grabbed his pen and a notepad to jot down the date. "September 23, 1901, is also the day when the family Chui was murdered in their house." Park came to a realization. The retrospective events were permutated like birds falling from trees, one by one. "And the scar on Yoongi's nape, it has the number 23rd too," he whispered to himself.
Park hurriedly opened his computer and search for the date. May 23rd, the month of Lucifer, was also the month of a lunar eclipse, the day when the ritual happens.
Each year, a ritual is cast by a group of cults on top of the mountain. This rumor is known throughout the town, some people believe it, and some just see it as a ridiculous horror story to scare kids. But this rumor is indeed real. The cult is said to make a person's wish come true. Even the most impossible wish can become real through their 'God'.
To do that, they offer a head of a sacrificial goat as a witness to the ritual. It symbolizes the hungry and tainted soul of the person. But the ritual cannot be done without something in exchange. For a wish to command, there must be a soul of an unborn child. A soul to pay for a soul. And lastly, the person will sign in the contract with their blood to prove that they agreed to the deal.
A long time ago, a lady wish to be a famous actress, but no one pays attention to her talent. No one wants to take her because they say she wasn't good enough. She just doesn't suit to be an actress. The lady was desperate at the moment, and it left her with the only choice she has. Someone told her that if she wants to fulfill her dream, she should go to the top of the mountain at 3:00 am, and they should help her. She's pregnant with her son and her boyfriend ran away after she told him. The lady doesn't want to live a penurious life for her and her coming child. So at 3:00 am sharp, she went to the mountain, made a deal with the devil, and gave her unborn son as payment. After that, the lady becomes a famous actress...And her name was, "Min Eun-na."
Dr. Park felt his body grow limp as a realization strikes him like a truck. Everything is making a lot of sense now. He dropped his pen and his lips drained in color. 'It's Yoongi... He's the missing soul.'
Dr. Park grabbed the calendar and blotted the date. He has to think of something to break the deal. There must be a way to break the deal. There has to be.
November 23rd is the next eclipse and the next ritual, when that day comes, Yoongi was already twenty-three. During the eclipse, the souls are weak and the devils' strength is strong, which will make it hard to defeat them.
"Only if there is a solution to stop the next ritual," Dr. Park wondered.
____
He sat immovably, staring at the ground. He could see from where he is, the thick smoke forming like clouds, the blazing fire of misery. Yoongi can hear from their laughter, the amusement of seeing people suffering under their merciless hands. Their loud voice piercing in his ears. They celebrate because they know the day to take the missing soul is near, and nothing can stop them.
It is his fate. And he can't change it.
He's starting to think, that maybe hell is not that bad. Sure it is full of tribulation, affliction, and grief-but above all, it is better than the real world. Here, to what they called home, it has no freedom. You'll get to live, but your life is meaningless because you're trapped between the barricades. It is so dark. He can't breathe. He is suffocating.
YOU ARE READING
Inside The Devil | M.yg × P.jm✓
Mystery / Thriller"Your life is worthless, but I'll take it anyway." A deathly fraught and mysteries surround the life of the young boy. A professional psychologist stumbled upon a strange patient, and soon he learns about the disturbing truths and discovers the broo...
