The drive to the hospital was quiet.
The couple sat together in anxious silence.
Neither of them spoke.
Asiya leaned against the window.
Watching the evening streets drift past.
The paper bag containing talisman supplies rested on her lap.
The child ghost floated beside her.
"...Hospitals again."
"Mhm."
"...They always smell sad."
"...A little."
An hour later-
The hospital stood beneath the fading evening sky.
Bright white lights glowed behind rows of glass windows.
The couple led Asiya through the quiet corridors.
Doctors hurried past.
Nurses checked charts.
Everything looked perfectly ordinary.
Yet-
The moment Asiya stepped inside-
Her jade bracelet pulsed once.
Very softly.
The child ghost looked around.
"...Something feels strange."
"Mhm."
"It isn't the hospital."
"It's one patient."
Room 307.
The mother slowly opened the door.
A little boy lay quietly on the hospital bed.
Eight years old.
Black hair.
A peaceful expression.
His breathing was steady.
His heartbeat was normal.
He looked as though he were simply enjoying a pleasant nap.
But...
He never woke.
Asiya walked quietly to the bedside.
She looked at the sleeping child for several long seconds.
"..."
Then she gently placed two fingers against his forehead.
Nothing happened.
A heartbeat later-
Her jade bracelet glowed faintly.
Golden light shimmered across her eyes.
The hospital room faded away.
Not a dream.
Not an illusion.
A glimpse.
She saw an old abandoned villa standing at the edge of Ryan City.
Its iron gate hung crooked.
Its walls were cracked with age.
Wild vines swallowed the broken windows.
Inside-
A frightened little boy sat alone in a dusty corner.
It was Asher.
His eyes were vacant.
His soul had no awareness of the world around him.
Thin black threads coiled around his small body like invisible chains.
They did not hurt him.
They simply kept him there.
Unable to leave.
Unable to return.
The vision ended.
The hospital room slowly came back into focus.
Asiya lowered her hand.
The child ghost floated closer.
"...Did you see something?"
"Mhm."
"...Where is he?"
"I know."
The parents stepped forward at once.
"Miss Lei?"
"Did you find him?"
Asiya nodded gently.
"I know where your son's soul is."
The mother covered her mouth.
Tears welled in her eyes.
"You... really know?"
"Mhm."
She became quiet for a moment.
Then asked,
"...Before I go..."
"I need to ask you something."
The father nodded immediately.
"Anything."
Asiya looked at both of them.
"Has Asher ever mentioned an abandoned villa?"
The couple exchanged confused looks.
"...No."
"He isn't allowed to go anywhere like that."
"He never told us anything."
Asiya nodded thoughtfully.
"I see."
"Then..."
"I'll need to speak with his friends."
The father frowned.
"His classmates?"
"Mhm."
"They know something."
"They just may not realize how important it is."
The child ghost folded its tiny arms.
"...Children are terrible at hiding adventures."
The long-haired ghost nodded.
"...Especially forbidden ones."
The mother looked terrified.
"...Is our son..."
"...In danger?"
Asiya looked at the sleeping boy.
Then answered honestly.
"...Yes."
Silence filled the room.
"But..."
"He is still there."
"He hasn't disappeared."
"So..."
"We still have time."
The father's tense shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.
"What should we do?"
Asiya slipped both hands into her hoodie pockets.
"Call his closest friends."
"I want to know..."
"Where they went."
"And what happened."
Outside the hospital room-
The evening breeze drifted quietly through the corridor.
Far beyond the lights of Ryan City-
An abandoned villa stood alone beneath a darkening sky.
Its broken windows stared silently into the distance.
Its rusted gate swayed with the wind.
No one had lived there for decades.
No one wanted to.
Deep beneath the crumbling floor-
Ancient lines carved into the earth gave off the faintest pulse.
A forgotten seal...
Was stirring.
Inside the endless darkness-
A small boy sat curled up in a dusty corner.
Waiting.
Waiting for someone to find him.