When Maia wakes up gasping for air, trying to remember what happened after she fainted, she thinks, "Where is he? Did I die? Is this some kind of hell?" She notices she's sitting in a chair, and her phone is on a table nearby. She tries to stand, but it feels like she's bound by invisible chains. Her heart starts racing. She tries to scream for help, but no sound comes out—it's as if something is muffling her voice. She struggles to breathe, scratching at the chair, trying to break free, but nothing works. The force is so strong it nearly fractures her arms and legs, forcing her to stop.
A musty smell mixed with incense fills the air, making the place feel old and decayed. Since she can't move, Maia looks around for an escape. That's when she notices two people through a window in another closed room. They look like a young couple, around 13 to 16 years old. The girl has a stern expression, avoiding the boy's gaze for some reason.
"You didn't take me on that investigation, and you still came back with a girl," the girl says without even looking at him.
"It's just that I felt something was wrong with her, so I brought her for you to check. Trust me," the boy replies, his eyes fixed on her, slightly teary.
"Then ask her for help," the girl says, looking away, her eyebrows furrowed.
"I swear, you can read my mind—I promise it's nothing serious," the boy says softly, his gaze lowered.
"I'll trust you because we have an agreement that I don't read your mind, and you've never asked for that before. But I don't want you getting too close to her," the girl says, pointing at him with a frown.
"Alright… but can you come in with me and read her mind now?" the boy asks, relief in his voice as he breathes easier, curls falling over his forehead.
"Sure, let's go," the girl smiles and pulls him into the room where Maia is.
As they enter the dark room, Maia observes them closely. Both have curly hair, but the girl has deep, serious eyes that make Maia uncomfortable. Her expression is cold, and she carries a bag that seems to hold an old book. The boy has very dark brown eyes and a shy-looking gaze.
"Who are you? Are you going to kill me?" Maia shouts, her eyes wide with fear.
"My name is Jasmine, and this is Natanael. Long story short, we came to investigate something paranormal in you," Jasmine says casually, as if it's nothing unusual.
"You say that like it's normal! I was just strangled by a ghost and you're acting like it's no big deal!" Maia replies, shocked.
"Love, let me explain better," Natanael says. "That was a type of entity we call Melancholy. We don't know exactly where they come from, but I believe they're born from negative emotions—people without purpose or dreams, or souls that failed to fulfill something. I was tracking it, but it saw you and, for some reason, tried to feed on your soul. At least, it tried—but I got to it first. The only way to banish them back to their spiritual plane is with an energy we call 'desire.'" He finishes, out of breath from the long explanation, while Maia lets out a nervous laugh.
"You just explained that something tried to eat my soul and you think that's normal? Thanks for saving me, but that's still a lot to process," Maia says, running a hand through her messy hair.
"But we need a small favor. She's going to read your mind so we can figure out what happened and stop any entity from chasing you again," Natanael says, closing his eyes with a gentle smile.
"Wha—" Maia begins, but Jasmine places her hand on Maia's forehead before she can finish.
Inside Maia's mind, Jasmine sees a door. When she enters, she witnesses an argument between Maia's parents. Through her psychic abilities, she feels as if she's inside Maia's body, experiencing her memories and emotions. She feels pity for Maia as the parents' voices echo faintly. Using her energy of desire, Jasmine senses Maia's energy becoming heavy, almost as if it's pressing down on her.
"These are old memories… but I think I understand part of the situation," Jasmine thinks.
Outside, Maia has fainted again. Natanael ignores her condition, completely focused on holding Jasmine, whose legs weakened as she entered a trance. He supports her firmly, trusting her completely.
Jasmine continues seeing Maia's memories up until the moment she encountered the entity and Natanael saved her. The intensity overwhelms her, causing her to lose control of her powers. She wakes up as if from a nightmare, cold sweat covering her body, her breathing heavy. Maia, meanwhile, wakes as if she had simply fallen asleep.
"Love, what happened? I've never seen you come out of it like that," Natanael says, worried, his hands trembling.
"It's okay… that was just the pressure of everything, and I experienced all her pain. But I think I understand," Jasmine says, relieved, offering a reassuring smile.
"What happened?" Maia asks, still feeling uneasy.
"I already read your mind. From what I understand, your energy has been building up and turning negative. That means either you awakened a negative 'desire' and became what we call a 'charged person,' like Natanael, or you were born with it but can't control it—so it built up as negative energy, attracting the Melancholy to hunt you."
"Negative desire? Charged person?" Maia asks, confused.
"Desire can become negative through bad intentions or emotions like anxiety, which accumulate negative energy. Positive desire is the opposite. A 'charged person' is someone filled with that energy," Jasmine explains, almost like a teacher, smiling at having figured it out.
"Is there a way to stop my desire from building up?" Maia asks.
"No. The only thing you can do is suppress your energy so spirits can't see it—but that requires a lot of control," Natanael replies.
"But where am I supposed to learn that? On my phone?" Maia asks, still confused.
"You'll have to enroll in a school that teaches how to fight dark arts. You'll adapt quickly—and admission is free," Natanael says.
"But what about my friends? I have to study with them. And my mom—how am I going to convince her?" Maia asks.
"You're basically a ticking time bomb right now. Spirits will come after you—and the people around you. You can still be friends with them outside school. As for your mom, just tell her you got into a technical school. She'll agree to take you," Jasmine says, her tone slightly melancholic.
Natanael then releases Maia from the invisible chains and hands her phone back. When she looks at it, she sees a message from the previous night—sent from her phone to her mother—saying she would sleep at a friend's house. Clearly, Natanael had sent it while her phone was unlocked.
"Try to convince her. Quickly," Natanael says, handing over the phone.
"I can lie… but I'll need your help," Maia says, taking it.