n

n

nIf Barron could, Barron would have wiggled out of Lucas' hands but the fourth Grim had barely moved himself to be able to flee. Lucas moved the stuffed toy in his hand, shaking it back and forth for his soul to stumble inside.

n

"STOP SHAKING THE TOY!

" Barron complained but the butler continued to move his hand.

n

"The cotton is indeed misplaced,

" said Lucas and he then went to the bath and sunk the toy inside the bucket of water to have the reaper curse at him.

n

"You little filthy-

" Barron grumbled in ire to be pushed into the water again. When the toy was all soaked, Lucas placed it in the patio again for it to dry but this time the rabbit was placed in a way to have its head touching the surface.

nLucas looked at Belle and then said,

"Give him some time to dry,

" and Belle nodded to this.

nHe could hear Barron releasing a list of curses against him which didn't affect him one bit. Lucas noticed something very peculiar in the room. Even with the windows and the doors opened, the room still appeared to be dark which was when he caught sight of a shadow from the corner of his eyes. The movement was subtle but he noticed it clearly through his black eyes.

nBelle was already filled up with information and he didn't want to stress her more than what she could take.

n

"Call me or the maid if you need something,

" he informed her and he exited the room to start walking down the stairs. The maids and the servants were working quietly without a word, the trauma of what they had gone through two nights ago still lingering in their bones and skin.

nThe shadows were the remnants of what happened to the souls who didn't make it through the gates after they passed from the realm of living to the realm of the dead. Though the reapers had arrived at the mansion, he doubted that all the reapers had come to pick up the souls who were dead, and even if they did, he questioned if the reapers walked them through the gates.

nIn between the gates and the realm of the living, there was the transit.

nThe transit was basically a place where the souls that didn't make through loitered along with the other creatures.

nIn the same week, he found a day to do deal with these creatures.

nMaking his way to his room, he pulled out the potion which he had picked up from the church and powder of white dust, mixing them, and he went outside the mansion.

nBelle who wasn't able to rest in her room left the snacks untouched and was walking in the mansion to find Lucas standing outside with an empty glass in his hand. She wondered what Lucas was doing.

nAs if feeling her gaze, he raised his head to look up at her and she looked back at him. What was he doing out there? She saw him return back to the mansion but Belle didn't move from there. She continued to look at where he was previously and then looked at the ground to notice a very faint black line that had been drawn around to disappear the ends of her vision. She started to walk, following the circle, and continued to move around the mansion to realize the black line formed an enclosed circle.

nBefore she could go further, she found Lucas standing right in front of her.

nHow did he come here so fast?! There were often times when she wondered if Lucas was truly a vampire or if he was a witch in disguise. After all, his eyes were not red like hers or anyone who was a vampire. He was no average butler and Belle knew that. Though he didn't say it, there was something he was hiding that was hard to find or know.

n

"You were supposed to be resting,

" he said to her. His eyes that were black looked cold and still as they looked at her.

nLucas noticed the suspicious look Belle gave him,

"I wanted to take a walk. What is that line?

" she asked,

"The one outside the mansion you drew.

"

n

"I used it to encapsulate the mansion. There are some things or creatures that are not supposed to be here right now. It will need,

" he paused to find a word for her to understand and then said,

"Exorcising the mansion.

"

n

"Like devils?

" Belle saw him walk towards her as she looked at him more clearly.

n

"That's what the humans call but it's a word that has many other things in it that have collectively called itself to be devils. Miss Belle, do you remember the shadow you met a few nights ago?

" he asked her before going to get the torch that was on the wall.

nHow could she forget? Every night she had to check her room and close the windows and the doors to make sure there was no one in her room,

"Yes,

" she answered him. She followed him when he started to walk.

n

"Creatures like those are the lowest of the low form in the land of the dead and are called the wasted spirits. These are the souls that couldn't make inside the gates for various reasons but there have also been words of how they have seeped into the gates too but prefer to remain in the barren lands of transit. A place that is known as 'nowhere' that has no beginnings or ends. The wasted spirits are evil who don't bide even the law of the dead.

"

n

"How do you know the land of the dead has a law?

" Belle asked curiously.

n

"Don't all the existence have a law?

" Lucas questioned her back.

n

"I thought once people die is done and over,

" she responded, looking at the side of his face as he walked one step ahead of her,

"Laws never get followed.

"

n

"True,

" the butler agreed,

"The laws are often broken more than being followed here but I heard the punishments in the land of the dead are much more severe which is why they don't get broken often.

"

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