The room had been tense, filled with silent stares and unspoken worries—until Evelyn finally broke the silence.
"If you're going to the other side spiritually," she said, arms crossed, "why do you need a purse?"
Everyone turned to look at Mira.
Dave was the first to react. He let out a sharp laugh and shook his head. "That's bullshit," he said, bursting into full laughter. "What, you worried about losing your wallet in the afterlife?"
Mira rolled her eyes. "Listen, dumbass," she said, adjusting the strap over her shoulder. "When you go to the other side on purpose, everything you have comes with you. Even your damn panties."
Dave nearly fell over laughing. "Oh, this just keeps getting better."
Ignoring him, Mira walked over to where Lucien lay motionless. She knelt beside her, pulled out a small vial filled with a thick, dark liquid, and took a deep breath.
"This better work," Elias muttered.
Mira tilted her head back and drank.
The liquid burned like fire as it slid down her throat. Her vision blurred. Her limbs grew heavy. She barely managed to whisper the words before the darkness swallowed her whole.
"Babayaga. Babayaga. Babayaga."
Then—blackness.
When Mira opened her eyes, she was lying in the middle of a road.
The sky above twisted in unnatural colors—deep purples, sickly greens, and streaks of red that pulsed like veins. The air smelled of damp earth and something metallic.
She sat up slowly, dizzy but focused.
And then she realized—she wasn't alone.
A figure stood a few feet away, watching her.
Tall. Shadowy. Cloaked in something that shifted like smoke. Its eyes—if it had any—were hidden beneath a low hood.
The air buzzed.
A voice echoed—smooth, but edged with something unnatural:
"May I know what you are here for?"
Mira pushed herself up fully, breathing in slow, steadying the haze. Her hand hovered near the dagger at her side, but she didn't draw it.
She met the figure's hidden gaze. Unflinching.
"I've come here to talk to the Master."