CHAPTER 101: 101. OPENED PATH

Maria stared at the phone in her hand, still shaken by how it had mysteriously appeared in her room without any sign of a break-in.

The voice on the other end belonged to Mr. Frederick, and his next words quickly made her sit up in full attention.

"Maria, I’m sorry for frightening you this way. I had to reach you, but I also needed to know that you are okay, and most importantly, I needed to warn you about something," Mr. Frederick said, his voice firm but apologetic.

The moment he mentioned that he needed to warn her, Maria’s entire body became alert. Every trace of sleepiness vanished. She was fully awake now, hanging onto his every word.

"No problem, sir. I’m doing fine now. What is it you want to warn me about?" she asked quickly, her curiosity sharp and her voice a little shaky.

"Good," he said. "First, I need you to know that many eyes are now watching you. Don’t fall for all these acts of kindness around you—most of them are fake. They do not mean you well."

Maria’s heart raced as confusion settled in. She could not understand how Mr. Frederick knew people were watching her or how he was aware that everyone around her had suddenly begun acting nice.

"But... how do you know all these things, sir?" she asked, her voice low but filled with deep curiosity.

"From the day we agreed to work together, I made a promise to always keep an eye on you for your safety. I know how dangerous Beta Gilbert and his entire family can be. I couldn’t just leave you unprotected," Mr. Frederick explained calmly, but his words carried weight.

His next instruction caught Maria off guard.

"Now, walk back into your bathroom," Mr. Frederick ordered.

Maria hesitated for a second, realizing that whoever had brought the phone was probably still nearby—or worse, that Mr. Frederick could see her.

"Are you watching me right now?" she asked, her voice filled with suspicion as she slowly made her way back to the bathroom.

"Yes, I can see you. The phone you’re holding has a camera sensor, and as long as you’re holding it, I can see your face and almost everything around you," he explained carefully.

Maria entered the bathroom and quickly informed him. "I’m in the bathroom now."

"Yes, I can see you," Mr. Frederick confirmed. "Now, listen to me carefully. You must keep anything that is secret to you... Do not share it with anyone—not your friends, not Bernard, not his parents. No one. And that includes me. I shouldn’t know your secrets either."

His warning was sharp and serious.

"Alright, sir. I will do exactly as you have said," Maria promised firmly, her determination solid.

"Good. Now, take out the SIM card from the back of the phone and flush it down the toilet. But keep the phone itself under the pillows on your bed," Mr. Frederick instructed.

The moment he finished giving the instructions, he ended the call without waiting for another word.

Maria quickly did as he had directed. She removed the SIM card from the phone and flushed it, her hands trembling slightly. She stepped out of the bathroom and went straight to her bed, carefully hiding the phone under her pillows as instructed.

Once she was done, she took a deep breath, gathered herself, and headed to join Bernard and his parents in the living room as though nothing had happened.

***

At Mrs. Spencer’s apartment, Laura was still standing in shock and confusion after hearing the terrifying words from both Mrs. Spencer and Hadizah.

"What kind of doom are you both talking about?" Laura asked, her voice laced with worry and curiosity.

Mrs. Spencer looked at Hadizah briefly before explaining.

"When we brought Maria back from her coma, we used powerful black magic to access the darkest parts of the other world. The terrible mistake we made is that we forgot to close the path that leads to that dark world. Now, many dark spirits have escaped to our world, and this will bring serious doom."

Hadizah’s face was tense as she spoke, confirming the danger. Laura’s heart sank at their words.

"Is there a solution to this situation?" Laura asked, her voice trembling.

"There is a solution, but it’s too risky to do right now. We don’t know Maria’s current condition, and rushing it may cause more harm," Mrs. Spencer replied, her words deepening Laura’s concern.

"What does the solution have to do with Maria?" Laura pressed.

"The solution is to cast all the dark spirits back into their world, but the danger is that the first person they will try to possess is Maria. If that happens and we carry out the casting ritual, we might end up banishing Maria’s soul along with the spirits... and she will never return to this world again," Hadizah explained, her voice heavy with dread.

Laura’s patience was running out. "So, are we just going to stand by and do nothing while they try to possess Maria?"

"No, we won’t let that happen to her. But we must act carefully. That’s why we need you, Laura. We need someone we can trust, and that person is you," Mrs. Spencer said firmly, locking eyes with her.

"Alright, ma’am. What exactly should I do?" Laura asked, ready to do whatever was needed.

"You must find a way to see Maria—without anyone seeing you, not even Maria herself. You need to watch her carefully and observe her behavior. We must know if she’s still herself or if the possession has already started," Hadizah instructed with a serious tone.

"Alright, ma’am. I will get to work immediately," Laura said with strong determination. She stood up and walked briskly out of the apartment.

"Please, my old friend, you cannot travel anymore—not until we resolve all of this," Mrs. Spencer pleaded gently, turning to Hadizah.

"I never planned to run away. I will stand by you. This is now a battle against higher powers. We must fight together, and I truly believe we will come out victorious," Hadizah said, her voice firm with courage as she stared out into the distance, her face fierce and ready for the battle ahead...