Elise was shocked.
Lucien, meanwhile, was annoyed.
The ghosts in this place had suddenly become far more cautious.
Not a single one was willing to show itself anymore.
Originally, Lucien had planned to clear out another wave before leaving.
After all, every ghost destroyed weakened this strange realm a little more.
Unfortunately—
the surviving spirits had apparently learned their lesson.
They had all hidden themselves.
Cowards.
Lucien silently clicked his tongue.
Then, after thinking about it for a moment, he relaxed.
There was no need to rush.
If he could enter this place once—
he could enter it again.
Whenever he had spare time, he could simply send his soul back here.
Kill ghosts.
Improve his abilities.
Weaken this mysterious realm.
A perfect arrangement.
Everybody wins.
Well—
except the ghosts.
With that thought, Lucien stopped worrying about it.
Carrying half of Quinn's recovered soul and following Elise's guidance, he returned to Room 414.
The surrounding darkness gradually faded.
The strange realm disappeared.
Reality returned.
Soon afterward—
Lucien slowly opened his eyes.
Across from him, Elise and Quinn awakened as well.
The moment Quinn regained consciousness, Sean rushed forward.
Tears immediately appeared in his eyes.
"Quinn!"
He pulled his daughter tightly into his arms.
For several moments, he couldn't say anything at all.
Only after confirming that she was truly safe did he finally calm down.
Then he immediately stood up.
His eyes turned toward Lucien.
Before he could speak—
Elise stepped forward.
"You should thank him."
She pointed directly at Lucien.
"I didn't do much."
"Without him, Quinn would never have returned."
Sean immediately understood.
His expression became even more grateful.
Meanwhile—
Lucien was already preparing to leave.
"Wait!"
Sean hurried after him.
"Master Lucien, please wait."
Lucien stopped and glanced back.
Sean quickly pulled a bank card from his wallet.
"This isn't much."
"But please accept it."
"You saved my daughter."
"No matter what your original reason was, that fact won't change."
Lucien looked at the card.
For a moment—
he felt slightly awkward.
After all, when the oxygen-mask spirit had used Quinn as a hostage...
he genuinely hadn't planned on holding back.
If the ghost hadn't released her in time—
things might have ended very differently.
Still.
Sean clearly wouldn't accept a refusal.
After a brief pause, Lucien took the card.
"Thank you."
Only then did Sean finally relax.
Nearby—
Quinn suddenly looked toward Lucien.
"There was something you said earlier..."
"My mother..."
"Was that really her?"
After everything that had happened with the oxygen-mask spirit, Quinn had become far more cautious.
She no longer trusted appearances so easily.
Lucien nodded.
"Yes."
"She's been watching over you the entire time."
The room suddenly became quiet.
Sean froze.
Quinn froze.
At the doorway—
a woman stood silently.
Her appearance resembled Quinn's by nearly seventy percent.
The tenderness in her eyes was unmistakable.
She never spoke.
She simply watched her daughter.
Watched her husband.
Watched the family she had left behind.
Then—
she looked toward Lucien.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
She gave him a small bow.
And vanished.
Quinn's eyes immediately turned red.
Sean lowered his head.
Neither spoke.
Some emotions didn't require words.
After everything was settled, Jamie invited Lucien to his new apartment.
A few minutes later—
the two sat across from each other.
Jamie placed a cup of tea on the table.
"The situation ended perfectly."
His expression carried obvious relief.
Lucien picked up the cup.
Then glanced at him.
"Did you ever realize how dangerous this was?"
Jamie's smile immediately stiffened.
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"I know."
"I caused you a lot of trouble."
Lucien shook his head.
"The problem wasn't trouble."
"The problem is obsession."
Jamie blinked.
Lucien calmly set down the teacup.
"People who can't let go of the past eventually lose sight of the present."
His gaze seemed to look directly into Jamie's soul.
"Everything that happened started because someone couldn't let go."
"Elise couldn't accept losing her husband."
"So she tried contacting him."
"And nearly got herself killed."
"Quinn missed her mother."
"So she ignored every warning she received."
"And almost lost her soul forever."
Jamie slowly lowered his head.
Because he already knew what came next.
Lucien continued.
"And you."
"You never escaped Lisa's death."
The room became silent.
Jamie's fingers tightened slightly.
Lucien's voice remained calm.
"Saving Quinn."
"Helping strangers."
"Throwing yourself into danger."
"You convinced yourself it was the right thing to do."
"But deep down?"
"You were trying to save someone you couldn't save before."
Jamie stared at the floor.
Unable to refute a single word.
Because every word was true.
He had seen Quinn as a reflection of Lisa.
If he could save Quinn—
then perhaps his own regrets would hurt a little less.
Unfortunately—
reality didn't work that way.
Lucien stood up.
"A person's problems can only be solved by that person."
"No one else can do it for them."
"You should think about that."
With that, he left.
Jamie remained seated on the sofa.
Motionless.
Long after Lucien had gone.
Because he knew—
Lucien was right.
A person could be saved once.
Twice.
Maybe even ten times.
But eventually—
they had to save themselves.
For Lucien, however—
this trip had been worthwhile.
Far more worthwhile than he had expected.
The strange realm fascinated him.
A world without time.
Filled with ghosts.
Filled with darkness.
Even containing demons.
It was practically a training ground designed specifically for him.
The more he thought about it—
the more interested he became.
On the way home, he stopped at a nearby bank.
After checking the card Sean had given him—
even Lucien raised an eyebrow.
One hundred thousand dollars.
That was not a small amount.
Especially for a single father raising children alone.
After leaving the bank, Lucien returned to the antique shop.
As he unlocked the front door, his mind was already working.
The building needed repairs.
The interior needed improvements.
Additional security cameras should be installed.
Maybe new shelves too.
Workers in America were notoriously slow.
Even simple installations could take days.
Which meant planning ahead was important.
Lucien grabbed a notebook and began writing everything down.
Previously, he had managed the shop with minimal effort.
Not because he disliked it.
Simply because he lacked the funds to do more.
Now—
that wasn't a problem anymore.
With enough investment—
the shop could finally start growing.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
His business talent was extraordinary.
Obviously.
The future of the antique shop looked bright.
Then—
Lucien suddenly remembered something.
Tonight was the broadcast date for the appraisal show.
Immediately, he turned on the television.
Across the city—
others were doing the same.
"Rachel!"
"Has it started yet?"
Annie asked for what felt like the hundredth time.
Rachel sighed helplessly while helping with makeup.
"Not yet."
"Can you focus on work for five minutes?"
"No."
Annie answered honestly.
Ever since hearing Lucien would appear on television—
she had been looking forward to it nonstop.
Tonight's filming schedule couldn't distract her at all.
Not even a little.
Elsewhere—
Scarlett stepped out of the bathroom.
Freshly washed hair hung over her shoulders.
Since moving away from her family home, she had been enjoying the quiet of living alone.
She dried her hair with a towel while walking into the living room.
Then she picked up the remote.
Turned on the television.
And sat down on the sofa.
Waiting.
Waiting for a certain antique shop owner to appear on screen.