"Luck," she replied after a pause. "I can increase your luck tremendously. However…"
The moment she said however, I knew something was off. Her tone told me it wasn't all good news.
"It's not just good luck, is it?" I asked.
She lowered her head. "Yes, Lord of Shadows. The spell increases both your good luck and bad luck for a short time."
I nodded slowly.
I had seen that kind of ability before in my past life.
It was powerful, but dangerous. Something people only used when they had no other choice left.
Still, I didn't want her to feel discouraged.
"That's a good ability, Yuna. Why do you look so down?"
She glanced at me, hesitant. "Is it really? I thought I failed your expectations. The first ability I unlocked feels useless."
"It's not useless. Now stop thinking like that, and stop looking so sad," I said, smiling.
Her eyes widened for a moment, seeing me smile. It was something I rarely did.
Her expression softened.
Slowly, a small smile formed on her face.
The next day was my birthday.
The house was decorated, and guests began arriving one after another.
Mom looked nervous, though she tried to hide it behind a smile.
Nisha had returned too, but even she carried a dark expression.
The party went on.
Seris and her mother came with gifts. Many people congratulated me and handed over wrapped boxes and envelopes filled with gold.
I thanked them all, but inside, my thoughts drifted elsewhere.
'This still won't be enough to reach the next Mage rank.'
I had been saving gold for two years now, but the gap between a 3-star and 4-star Mage was enormous.
My stars contained twice as much mana as others, which meant I needed twice as much mana to create the next one.
Even today's celebration and all the gifts I had saved up wouldn't close that gap.
But soon, something else caught my attention.
"Mom, where's Dad?" I asked while holding her hand.
She froze for a second before smiling softly. "He's busy, sweetie. But he sent you a gift."
Something twisted inside me.
'Something happened with the Cursed Spirit dad was handling.'
It wasn't rare for Exorcists to die while dealing with a Cursed Spirit, but this felt different.
Over the last three years, I had seen Dad train despite his crippled body.
Even in that state, his physical strength was near the peak of Rank 1.
That meant, back when he was still active, he must have been close to Rank 5.
Rank 5 Exorcists were among the strongest on Earth, just below the Monkey King.
Someone with that much experience wouldn't just fall to a simple Cursed Spirit.
'This doesn't make sense,' I thought.
'Could it be House Daelthorn again? Are they trying to kill him now, just like before?'
Before, I had believed Frank was acting on his own, but now it seemed someone else had been pulling the strings.
'No… maybe it was just an accident.'
Whatever it was, I had to confirm… if dad had fallen.
Or if he was in a precarious situation he needed to be rescued from.
'Please be safe, Dad.'
Before I knew it, the party was over.
Nisha tucked me into bed, wished me goodnight, and left to meet Mom.
As soon as the door closed, I used Shadow Assimilation.
The shadows wrapped around me, and I sank into the darkness beneath the floor.
I followed Nisha silently.
She didn't notice a thing.
When she entered Mom's room, I slipped in with her.
"Where is Adrian?" Mom's voice was trembling. "He's been gone for almost a week. That's the longest he's ever been away. And Adrian isn't the type who would miss his own son's birthday."
"He's… dealing with a Cursed Spirit."
"What kind of Cursed Spirit?" Mom asked nervously.
"I'm sorry," Nisha said quietly. "I can't tell you that."
"Nisha!" Mom's voice cracked with worry.
It was the first time I had ever seen her look so scared.
My chest tightened, but I stayed calm. Being calm in situations like this was important.
"I'm sorry, Lyra. But you know how it works. The more people know about a Cursed Spirit, the stronger it becomes. That's why I can't tell you about the Cursed Spirit."
"Then at least tell me if he's safe," Mom whispered.
"…"
"Nisha?"
"He should be safe," she said finally, though she didn't sound convinced.
Mom frowned. "What do you mean should?"
Nisha took a breath, and explained.
"Adrian was supposed to handle a Rank 1 Cursed Spirit, but due to an emergency, he was sent to deal with a Rank 3."
Mom went pale.
And my heart sank.
Rank 1 and Rank 2 Cursed Spirits were manageable.
Experienced Exorcists could deal with them without much trouble.
But Rank 3 was different. That was where things became terrifying.
From Rank 3 onward, Cursed Spirits gained what Exorcists called "immortality."
They could recover and resurrect instantly if killed in the wrong way.
For example, there was a Rank 3 Cursed Spirit known as "Santa."
You could cut him, burn him, or grind him to dust, and he would come back right after.
Most Rank 3 Spirits weren't even creatures.
They were phenomena or locations. Something like the phenomenon of playing in a specific playground or the location where you meet a specific person.
You couldn't kill a phenomenon.
How do you kill something that isn't alive to begin with?
Seeing Mom's worried expression, Nisha put a hand on her back.
"Don't worry," she said softly. "Me and my team will head to the Cursed Spirit's location. We'll bring Adrian back."
Mom lowered her head and nodded weakly.
Nisha left the room soon after.
I followed her quietly through the shadows.
"Lord of Shadows, are you going to go to that Cursed Spirit's domain?" Yuna asked, her tone nervous.