As she sat down, the monk watched her quietly, as though he could already read the confusion in her eyes.
"What can you do?" he asked.
Melissa hesitated, then shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know."
The monk didn't flinch or react. He simply tilted his head, as if encouraging her to go on.
"I mean… I know I'm being hunted. I know people have died because of me. But beyond that…" She rubbed her palms against her thighs. "It's like there's this haze hanging over everything. A thick darkness I can't make sense of."
The monk closed his eyes for a moment, like her words weren't unfamiliar.
"You're not alone," he said finally. "Many who walk through that door come covered in shadows. Some from the outside world. Some from within."
Melissa looked down at her hands. "So what does that mean for me?"
"It means," he said, standing slowly, "you begin by clearing the haze."
He moved to a wooden stand near the corner of the room and picked up a plain, cloth-wrapped staff. Without a word, he tossed it to her. She caught it, surprised by the weight and the way it seemed to hum faintly in her grip.
"Tie it around your eyes," he instructed calmly.
Melissa hesitated, then unwound the cloth from the staff and wrapped it around her head, covering her eyes completely. Darkness took over.
"What do you see?" he asked.
"Nothing," she replied.
"Look deeper. Breathe slowly. In through your nose, hold it... now out. Let the dark show you what the light hides."
She inhaled. Held it. Exhaled.
Again.
On the third breath, the darkness began to shift. It wasn't light—more like movement in shadow. Flickers of something familiar.
And then, she saw it.
A little girl… sitting cross-legged on a warm carpet. Surrounded by toys. Her laughter echoed faintly as her fingers touched the air—and the toys began to lift. Slowly, clumsily, but definitely rising. A plush rabbit floated. A small red car spun in place. A doll danced mid-air. The girl giggled again, completely at ease.
Melissa's eyes flew open.
She smiled, a tear hanging in the corner of her eye.
The monk raised an eyebrow. "What did you see?"
She turned, pointing beside her, focusing hard. Her brow furrowed.
Then, right beside her hand, a doll materialized in midair. Its fabric soft, its head tilted gently to the side—exactly like the one in her vision.
She reached out, almost afraid to touch it.
The monk studied the floating toy and smiled faintly. "Interesting," he murmured, nodding as it slowly faded from the air.
He turned his gaze back to her, calm but intent. "You already know what you can do, don't you?"
Melissa hesitated, but then gave a quiet nod.
"Good." His tone sharpened slightly, the air around them shifting as if charged. "Then let's test you."
He stepped back slowly, raising his hands as he began to form a series of swift, precise hand signs. The light in the room flickered slightly with each motion, the walls humming with a quiet vibration.
With the final gesture, he stepped aside.
A ripple of energy swept through the room, like a mirage settling into place—and then the figure appeared.
Tall, lean and humanoid, but featureless. Cloaked in soft gray, holding a staff gripped tightly in both hands. Its stance was neutral. It tilted its head once in acknowledgment, as if aware of Melissa's every breath.
Melissa slowly got to her feet.
The monk's voice was calm, yet there was a firmness in it now. "This figure," he said, "it doesn't think like us. It doesn't speak. It doesn't feel. It only mirrors. It will match your strength. If you're weak, it will be weak. If you're strong, it will be strong."
Melissa swallowed hard, her grip tightening on the staff.
"So don't hold back," he continued. "If you do, it will overpower you. If you hesitate, it won't. Fight like your life depends on it… because in here, it does."
She nodded slowly. Her heart pounded. Not from fear alone, but from something deeper—something she hadn't felt in a long time. Purpose. A chance. Maybe even a piece of herself returning.
"I'm scared," she admitted quietly.
The monk didn't flinch. "Good," he said. "Now use it."
The figure took one slow step forward.