"That's enough!"
Lucas had never wanted to ask Lucien for help in the first place.
Now he was completely furious.
His face turned red with anger.
"Haley, you can stay here and keep begging him if you want!"
"I've had enough of this!"
With that, Lucas stormed out of the antique shop.
"Lucas!"
Madeline immediately hurried after him.
Seeing her beloved leave, she couldn't sit still.
Haley could only sigh helplessly.
Although Lucien's words had sounded harsh, they clearly contained a warning.
A smart person might still have a chance to avoid the coming disaster.
But Lucas simply refused to listen.
All she could do was tell him the important information later.
The real problem was—
how could they persuade the shop owner to help them?
Haley already knew the answer.
Her mother had taught her long ago:
If you're clever enough, use intelligence.
If you're not, then use sincerity.
So she bowed her head slightly.
"We sincerely regret ignoring your warning."
"We hope you can forgive our ignorance and guide us."
"If compensation is required, please name your price."
"We'll do everything we can to prove our sincerity."
"We don't want to die."
Her expression was earnest.
Her tone carried genuine remorse.
No excuses.
No attempts to shift blame.
She directly stated the most important thing.
Because she knew that pretending or making excuses would only disgust the other party.
Lucien looked at her quietly.
Without speaking.
Silence filled the antique shop.
Seconds passed.
Then nearly a minute.
Just as everyone began feeling increasingly nervous—
a soft chuckle sounded.
"Not completely hopeless."
Haley and the others froze.
Then joy instantly appeared in their eyes.
"Thank you!"
"Having money prepared works better than most apologies."
Lucien's voice remained calm.
"Do you have information about the tarot cards and the deaths?"
"Show me."
"Yes!"
Paxton immediately pulled a laptop from his backpack.
"After leaving the police station, I contacted the detective again."
"I gathered everything I could find and organized it."
"Paxton? When did you do that?"
Haley looked surprised.
"Uh..."
The chubby young man scratched his head.
"After I got home."
"My dad told me I should."
"He said the first thing I should do was consult an expert."
As he spoke, he opened several documents and presentation files.
Lucien began reading.
To everyone else, it looked less like reading and more like scanning.
His eyes moved across page after page.
After a short while, he raised his head.
"Did you bring the tarot cards?"
"No."
Haley quickly explained.
"I tried destroying them."
"I even threw them into a fire."
"But nothing happened."
"They weren't damaged at all."
"I thought carrying them around would be too dangerous."
"So I sealed them and hid them in the club activity room."
"Nobody usually goes there."
Lucien nodded.
Her decision was reasonable.
He didn't comment further.
"The documents mention everyone's tarot readings."
"Do you still remember Ellis's reading?"
"I remember..."
Haley frowned.
"It was The High Priestess."
"It meant..."
She struggled to remember the exact wording.
Lucien continued for her.
"It meant that excessive curiosity would lead her into unknown territory."
"And because she failed to watch her footing, it would ultimately become her destruction."
Every word matched the report exactly.
"The death report states she died beneath the attic."
"There were signs she was struck by a ladder."
"But there were also indications she fell."
He looked toward Peggy.
"You also mentioned hearing someone knocking as if they were playing a prank."
Peggy nodded nervously.
"Yes."
"But it wasn't a person."
"It was the spirit."
The moment Lucien said that—
everyone immediately understood.
"So her death..."
"Was connected to the card."
"Exactly."
Lucien leaned back slightly.
"The tarot cards kill according to the meanings of the cards drawn."
"Did you forget?"
He looked toward the group.
"Lucas was told there would be changes to his finances."
"He won a scratch-off ticket."
Everyone's expressions stiffened.
Lucien continued calmly.
"Everything seemed normal during the day."
"But Ellis died alone at night."
"Which means the entity inside the cards isn't especially powerful."
"It waits until night."
"And it prefers isolated targets."
Hearing that, several people visibly relaxed.
Then—
Paxton suddenly trembled.
"Wait."
Everyone looked at him.
The chubby young man swallowed hard.
"What about Lucas and Madeline?"
Silence.
Then he spoke again.
"It's already nighttime."
The color immediately drained from everyone's faces.
Grant reacted first.
He spun around and rushed toward the door.
But before he could leave—
Lucien's lazy voice sounded from behind him.
"Save your energy."
"It's too late."
"I'll leave here."
"See you tomorrow."
"Bye..."
After saying goodbye to Madeline, Lucas began walking home.
Thanks to her constant reassurance, his mood had improved considerably.
Their heartfelt conversation had only strengthened the growing affection between them.
The excitement of young love washed away much of his earlier frustration.
He walked toward the subway entrance.
Then—
a strange growling sound came from behind him.
Lucas immediately turned.
Nothing.
Only swaying tree shadows beneath the streetlights.
Still—
unease crept into his heart.
He quickened his pace.
The corridor ahead was wide and empty.
Only his footsteps echoed.
Then the lights began flickering.
One after another.
The atmosphere became increasingly unsettling.
Lucas unconsciously began walking faster.
The detective's warning.
Haley's tarot reading.
The horrifying images on those ancient cards.
Everything replayed in his mind.
Then—
he rounded a corner.
And froze.
At the end of the corridor stood a dark figure.
It carried an old lantern.
Step.
Step.
Step.
It slowly approached him.
Every hair on Lucas's body stood upright.
He didn't need confirmation.
Didn't need explanations.
The overwhelming sense of malice already told him everything.
Run.
Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted away.
Behind him—
the corridor lights began going out one by one.
Darkness spread rapidly.
Like some enormous beast opening its jaws.
Swallowing everything.
Both directions became blocked.
Desperate, Lucas ran toward a flashing red warning light.
Ignoring the danger signs—
he slammed open a door.
Rushed inside.
And locked it behind him.
Breathing heavily, he turned around.
An abandoned train depot.
Flickering lights.
Endless shadows.
Then—
the dark figure appeared again.
Still carrying its yellow lantern.
This time rushing directly toward him.
Terror exploded inside Lucas.
He ran.
Searching desperately for somewhere to hide.
An abandoned train car sat in the distance.
He sprinted toward it.
Then—
a deafening roar.
A train burst from the darkness.
And struck him head-on.
His upper body shattered instantly.
At the final moment—
Haley's tarot reading echoed in his mind.
"The Hermit's light may lead you down the wrong path."