Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Holy Sphere

Her sentence paused midway as though she had suddenly remembered something inappropriate.

She paused and instinctively looked around, her gaze sweeping across the quiet surroundings, as if only then realizing that a horror story did not belong in such a calm, hushed place.

Sensing her hesitation, Wade rolled his eyes, the corner of his lips twitching in faint amusement.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small circular object, cool and metallic against his fingers.

Placing it gently on the table, he scoffed, “You’re acting like this is your first time telling scary stories during an outing.”

At his words, Betty finally let out the breath she had been holding, her shoulders relaxing as relief washed over her. Lana, however, felt her attention pulled elsewhere. Her eyes drifted to the spear lying nearby.

The spear was metallic, its surface dull and unassuming, looking no different from an ordinary object at first glance.

Yet Lana knew better. ’This isn’t ordinary at all.’ It was one of the most precious… no, to be precise, one of the most beloved artifacts of the Welathy family.

As long as the spear was placed to form a protective circle, those within it would remain unharmed. No negative energy would be drawn in, and no mental interference could affect the people nearby.

In simpler terms, even if they sat here sharing the most terrifying horror stories, none of them would truly be influenced. Instead, they might even feel calmer, safer.

Lana quietly released a sigh of relief as well. For a brief moment, she had suspected that Betty herself might have triggered something dangerous, but she chose to keep those thoughts to herself.

Betty, unaware of Lana’s inner turmoil, continued her story.

“The next moment, the group stayed on the train,” she said, her voice lowering slightly, “and before they realized it, they had arrived at a cemetery.”

A chill crept into the air as she spoke, and for a fleeting second, even the listeners imagined damp soil and crooked gravestones looming under a moonless sky.

Betty went on, “They actually thought about leaving right then. But when they tried…” She paused. “They couldn’t find the way out.”

Lana frowned, unease crawling up her spine. “Was the ghost creating an illusion or some kind of disturbance?” she asked, her fingers unconsciously tightening against her sleeve.

Betty shook her head slowly. “No. Those illusions weren’t caused by a ghost. They came from an artifact… an illusion artifact.”

Lana’s interest was instantly piqued, and Betty continued, her tone growing more animated.

“As everyone knows, talismans are highly sought after. And talisman practitioners? They’re even more respected. Once talismans are arranged into a formation, their power multiplies.”

She leaned forward slightly. “What they encountered wasn’t just an illusion. It was an illusion formation… an artifact made from multiple talismans. Multiple illusion talismans, stacked and combined.”

Lana nodded, her brows knitted in deep thought. ’So even this is possible…’ She had never known that such formations could be used so seamlessly. ’And I never imagined ghosts could do something like this.’

Almost as if she had read Lana’s thoughts, Betty let out a soft laugh. “It wasn’t a ghost at all. It was their enemies.”

Lana’s eyes widened. “Then what about the footsteps?” she asked quickly.

Betty chuckled. “Creating footsteps is easy if you have the right tools. It’s simpler than people think.”

Lana nodded slowly, absorbing every word as the story flowed on. Others began sharing their own tales… stories of possession, of people being tortured endlessly, of strange occurrences Lana had never encountered before.

Despite the fear creeping into her heart, she realized she was learning something invaluable. ’So many artifacts… so many methods.’ None of this was knowledge she had possessed in her previous life.

It seemed that sometimes, even fear could be a form of learning.

Yet the more she learned, the more unsettled she became. Lana had never imagined there were so many terrifyingly powerful artifacts in existence.

Artifacts that used illusion talismans to confuse the mind. Artifacts that could make people forget their goals entirely.

Artifacts that could slowly erode a person’s consciousness and allow something, or someone else, to take control.

Then came something that truly stunned her.

Betty spoke of rivers. “At the very center of any river,” she said calmly, “there’s always a chance that a treasure, or an evil entity, is hidden there. It sounds unbelievable, but my grandfather told me so. The chances are actually quite high.”

Lana felt her breath hitch. ’The center of a river…?’ She had never heard of such a thing before.

Doubt flickered in her mind, but she didn’t dare voice it. With ghosts, artifacts, and countless strange truths already revealed, even such an idea no longer felt entirely impossible.

As the conversation continued, the atmosphere grew heavier, filled with hushed voices and shared unease. Time slipped by unnoticed, and eventually, the group returned to their farmhouse.

When Lana finally fell asleep, only one thought lingered in her mind. ’Maybe… things will turn out differently this time.’

At exactly three o’clock, her eyes snapped open.

Footsteps echoed faintly through the silence.

Lana’s heart tightened instinctively. The air felt cold against her skin as she slowly stepped out of her room. The moment she looked down the corridor, her eyes widened in muted horror.

All of her classmates were walking toward the main entrance, their movements stiff and unnatural.

“What are you doing?” Lana called out, her voice trembling. “Where are you going?”

No one responded. They passed her as though she didn’t exist.

’Something’s wrong.’ Panic surged through her veins as she hurried downstairs. She reached out and grabbed Quinn, who was walking at the very end of the group.

“What’s going on?” she demanded.

Quinn froze. For a split second, his eyes cleared, as though a veil had been lifted. He stared at her, fear flooding his expression. “Lana… you need to leave,” he muttered urgently. “Don’t stay here. Run.”

Her heart pounded violently as he continued, his voice shaking. “There’s an evil entity in this house. If we stay even one more day, it won’t let us leave.”

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