Chapter 11: The Ferry of the Underworld

The night wind swirled deep within the cavern, as if invisible fingers were stirring the shadows. Lin Han stood frozen, holding his breath. A pale, bony hand broke through the ground, its knuckles lined with dark red cracks, resembling the parched surface of a dried-up riverbed.

"Walau eh, what kind of ghostly thing is this?"

His first instinct was to step back, but the ground beneath him suddenly softened, as if he had stepped into a pool of thick, wet mud. Then, a terrifying realization struck him—it wasn't the ground that had changed. The shadows had come alive!

"Jangan bergerak!" Noya's cold voice cut through the air, her short sword gleaming under the dim light. Her breathing was heavy, and blood seeped from the wound on her left shoulder, mixing with the rain, but she paid it no mind.

Lin Han's heart pounded like a war drum. He whipped around just in time to see that ghostly hand fully emerge from the ground. And then—a distorted, grotesque face surfaced from the darkness!

It had no eyes, only two deep, hollow sockets. Its mouth, resembling a torn wound, opened and closed in silent agony. Its entire body seemed to be made of pure darkness, as though the night itself had taken form and was weeping in silence.

——"Tulang… Darah… Jiwa… Pulang..."

That eerie whisper echoed once more, clearer this time, as if it were speaking directly into their minds. Lin Han felt an overwhelming dizziness, his body tilting forward involuntarily.

"Cilaka!" Noya cursed and lunged forward, grabbing his collar and yanking him back with force.

"Don't listen to its voice!" she gritted her teeth. "It's trying to steal your soul!"

Lin Han's back was drenched in cold sweat. What the hell is this thing?!

The shadows twisted violently, as if something was struggling to claw its way out of the abyss. Lin Han clenched his teeth, stomping hard on the ground in an attempt to resist the eerie pull. But then, he heard a voice—one that sent chills down his spine.

"Lin Han…"

It wasn't the ghost's voice. It was hoarse, aged, yet disturbingly familiar.

Lin Han felt every hair on his body stand on end. That voice… it's the black-robed man?!

He darted his eyes around, trying to pinpoint the source, but the darkness around him only thickened, like ink spilling into water.

"You know him?" Noya's expression darkened. Her grip on the short sword tightened, the blade now resting against Lin Han's shoulder as if she would strike at the first sign of deception.

Lin Han's throat was dry, his lips trembling slightly as he forced out a few words: "I… I don't know for sure."

But that voice continued whispering persistently:

"…Do you remember… the blood ritual at Batu Caves?"

——Batu Caves?!

Lin Han's pupils shrank.

He remembered.

——Five years ago, he had accidentally stumbled upon a secret ritual in Batu Caves. He had barely escaped, but not without consequence—his right eye had since gained the ability to see karmic threads.

He had always thought it was a freak accident. But now…

"What is he talking about?" Noya's tone was sharp. She had already sensed Lin Han's abnormal reaction.

Lin Han forced himself to stay calm, eyes locked onto the writhing black shadow.

"Who… are you?" he asked.

The shadow twisted violently, and then, that skeletal hand slowly lifted—pointing directly at Lin Han's eye.

"…You should be dead."

The air exploded.

A force unlike anything Lin Han had ever felt slammed into him, twisting his organs, making his head ring with a deafening hum.

"Dodge!" Noya yelled, shoving him aside as she drove her short sword into the ground. A golden rune ignited from the blade, casting a blazing light.

The shadow screamed, writhing violently as if in unbearable pain.

But it didn't retreat. Instead, it lashed out even more frantically, like a beast pushed to the edge of madness.

"It's not an ordinary wraith!" Noya's voice was strained. "It has already marked you!"

Lin Han's gaze locked onto that eyeless face, his heartbeat erratic.

——He could feel it.

——This thing was connected to him in some way.

"…Who are you?" Lin Han's voice was low, laced with fear and determination.

For a brief moment, the shadow's outline became clear.

A blood-streaked, broken face emerged from the darkness.

"You were never meant to leave Batu Caves alive."

In the next instant, the ground split open, and a monstrous mouth tore through the shadow—lunging straight at Lin Han's face!