Clyde stood frozen. His expression was a mix of shock and utter bewilderment as he stared at Miguel. “Didn’t you say you’d already dealt with the ghost? Aren’t you the ‘Demigod?’ Why are you so terrified?”
Miguel no longer had the time to care about appearances or his so-called reputation. Kayden’s earlier speculation about the scratches was absolutely true. And lately, Miguel did feel that ominous presence had been lingering in the shadows, tailing him wherever he went. The suffocating sense of death drew closer each day, inching toward him like a predator closing in on its prey!
Falling out with Clyde would, at most, mean returning to a life of destitution. But continuing to resist the truth might very well get him killed. And Miguel wasn’t ready to face death-not yet. He still had a few more years he desperately wanted to cling to. So, turning to Kayden, Miguel pleaded, “I admit it! Everything you said-I admit it all! Please, stop! Tell him to stop, I’m begging you!”
But before the last word could leave his lips, Miguel’s entire body was suddenly hurled through the air as if struck by an invisible force. He crashed to the ground with a resounding thud, sprawled out like a discarded rag doll.
The sight was utterly chilling. Gasps rippled through the onlookers. Fear seeped into the air as they stared at the scene, too stunned to speak.
“Help me! Please, save me!” Miguel’s voice cracked as he scrambled to his knees. His eyes were fixed on Kayden with the desperation of a drowning man reaching for a lifeline.
“I swear! I swear I’ll never scam anyone again! Just save me! I’m begging you!” He raised his clasped hands skyward, tears welling in his eyes. Gone was the proud, defiant man from moments ago. What knelt before them now was a trembling and pitiful wretch.
As the room buzzed with disbelief, Lewis’s face turned beet red, and his fury erupted like a volcano. His eyes bulged with rage, and he nearly leapt from his chair. If his legs weren’t so stiff, he might’ve been pacing the room in indignation. “Miguel Remington! You-you-you fraud!” he bellowed, pointing a shaking finger at the groveling Miguel. “I trusted you! I believed you! And all this time, you’ve been lying to me?!”
These words came straight from Miguel’s own mouth, and it meant he admitted he had been lying. Even if Clyde wanted to defend him, there was no turning back now. The situation had spiraled entirely out of control.
With a face full of regret, Miguel stammered, “Old Mr. Henderson, I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry! I never meant for any of this to happen.”
But Clyde was at his breaking point. His fury erupted as he rounded on Miguel. “You didn’t mean to?! Then what the hell do you mean? You’re a goddamn fraud! Why the hell did you drag me into your mess?!”
Miguel’s face twisted in anger as he snapped back. “Drag you in? You’re the one who put me up on that pedestal in the first place!” His voice rose with growing indignation. “When we first met, I was just running a small-time scam, trying to swindle a bit of cash out of you. But you were so gullible you actually believed I was some kind of master of psychics! You went around singing my praises, introducing me to all sorts of business, and plastering this ridiculous image of me as a ‘Demigod’ everywhere you went!”
“You made it impossible for me to back out! Even when I wanted to come clean, I couldn’t. You boxed me in, forcing me to keep up this charade! Sure, I always knew my act would get exposed one day. But this? This is not how I thought it would all come crashing down.”
Much to everyone’s surprise, Miguel turned his blame fully onto Clyde, which puzzled Clyde entirely. Clyde was utterly blindsided. He had been the one pulling the strings, the one giving Miguel opportunities, building his reputation, and crafting his image. And now? Now, Miguel blamed all the faults on him! This ungrateful son of bitch! Rage boiled over. Clyde jabbed a finger at himself. “So, let me get this straight-you’re blaming me for this mess?!”
Miguel folded his arms, his tone defiant. “Of course, I’m blaming you! Who else is there to blame? You’re the one who raised me up so high, and now look where I’ve ended up! I’m humiliated and totally ruined! Everything I’m going through right now is your doing! If it weren’t for you, I’d still be living a peaceful, quiet life!”
“Fuck!” Clyde could no longer contain himself. His temper erupted, and he bellowed in fury, “You really suck! You’re a damn liar, and not only did you screw me over and ruin my life, but now you’ve got the nerve to pin the blame on me? What the hell have I ever done for you all these years? I gave you wealth, I gave you power, I gave you women! You’ve got no talent of your own, and now you turn around and blame me? You really think you’re untouchable, don’t you? So what now, huh? Now that your lies are exposed, and the mess you’ve made is all out in the open, who the hell am I supposed to turn to?”
Miguel let out a disdainful snort, his voice dripping with contempt. “Who you should turn to is none of my business. But let’s be clear-you’re the one to blame for everything. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be haunted by these vengeful spirits, and none of this madness would’ve ever happened!”
“So what?” Clyde shot back, his eyes blazing with anger. “What are you going to do about it? You want to turn against me?”
“I have everything on you. I know your every secret,” Miguel threatened. “If I expose all your dirty little deeds, do you really think you’ll make it out alive? You think you’ll still sit there, on your high horse, like nothing’s happened?”
The once allies now turned into enemies. They tore into each other with vicious words, their arguments snapping and biting like a pair of rabid dogs fighting over a scrap of meat. The Henderson family watched this drama with wide eyes.
A low, mocking snort escaped Kayden. He shook his head in silence. He made no move to intervene, clearly unconcerned. But just then, a high-pitched scream shattered the tense air. Miguel’s body was yanked violently into the air as if an invisible hand had seized him. Before he could even react, he was slammed back to the ground with bone-crushing force. The argument fell silent in an instant. Only Miguel’s shrill, blood-curdling scream echoed through the room, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
“Master! Master, please, help me!” Miguel looked up at Kayden with pleading eyes. The confident, arrogant man was now completely overcome by panic.
Now, his address for Kayden had changed to ‘Master,’ completely abandoning the earlier attitude of calling him a brat. It was clear now who possessed the true skills. Though Kayden didn’t fit the traditional image of a master of psychics, it was undeniable that he was the one.
Kayden cast a disdainful glance at Miguel before turning his attention to the shadowy figure. With an air of cold authority, he spoke, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Since you’re dead, go and reincarnate. If you’re lacking a form carrying your soul, I’ll create one for you with this red paper. Go.”
Kayden raised his hand and took out the red paper once more. In that very instant, the woman’s shadowy figure flickered and vanished before him. But just before disappearing completely, she paused for a moment, bowing deeply to Kayden in silent respect.
The onlookers stood frozen, their hearts gripped by unease. They couldn’t see what Kayden was interacting with. In their eyes, Kayden was speaking to the air. Yet the more he acted this way, the more the gravity of the situation sank in. Now they could tell Kayden was no ordinary man. As Kayden finished his final words, the biting chill in the room seemed to vanish. They felt getting warmer, like stepping out of a frost-covered chamber into the open air.
They’re not sure whether there had truly been a ghost or not, but the sensation that washed over them felt so real that no one dared question it.
Miguel’s eyes widened in shock, his voice trembling with awe. “The Red Paper Incarnation Technique! My goodness… You are indeed a master of psychics!”
Kayden darted Miguel a glance of utter contempt but said nothing.
But Miguel shamelessly stepped forward and pleaded, “Master, take me as your disciple! I will serve you with absolute loyalty and do anything you command, I’ll risk life and limb to follow!”
“You?” Kayden scoffed. The mockery was evident in his smile. “You, a worthless waste, aren’t fit to be my disciple.”
Miguel shook his head vigorously and tried to explain. “No, no! I actually have learned some useful skills. I-”
Thud! Before he could finish his sentence, Greedy Wolf strode forward and delivered a brutal kick to Miguel’s head. The force of the blow sent Miguel crashing to the ground. Within moments, he was out cold.
“So noisy!” Greedy Wolf muttered under his breath. He grabbed Miguel by the collar, lifted him like a rag doll, and without a second thought, hurled him straight over the courtyard wall! Miguel flew through the air and landed with a heavy thud on the other side, tumbling into the street beyond.