Blood Curse of the Shaman

The cursed doll given by the old woman still lay at the center of the circle, its tattered fabric soaking up the blood that continued to seep into its fibers.

Lucy remained seated on the floor, her breath ragged, her body trembling violently. Her blood-stained hands quivered as her now-normal eyes stared blankly at the eerie symbol before her.

But what made Uncle Wiryo's skin crawl the most was the presence lingering in the air. Something terrifying was inside that room something unseen yet undeniably real.

Behind Lucy, Malik stood tense, his face hard. He turned to Uncle Wiryo, his eyes filled with warning.

"Mr. Wiryo," his voice was deep and heavy. "You ain't supposed to be here."

Uncle Wiryo swallowed hard, trying to steady his nerves. "What the hell happened here? What did you do, Lucy?"

Lucy bit her trembling lip, her fingers clutching the hem of her nightgown tightly. She wanted to explain, but how? She didn't even fully understand what she had just done.

"I… I didn't mean to," her voice shook. "I was just… curious."

Malik turned to her sharply. "Yeah? And you almost cracked open a demon gate that shoulda stayed shut."

Lucy frowned. "A gate?"

Uncle Wiryo took a deep breath. He stepped inside despite the suffocating energy pressing against him. Crouching before Lucy, he stared at her with urgency.

"Tell me the truth, Lucy," he demanded. "What did you do? What did you read?"

Lucy bit her lip harder, then lowered her head. With shaking hands, she reached for an old piece of paper the ancient Javanese spell given to her by the old woman.

Uncle Wiryo snatched it from her, his face twisting in horror as he read the ancient script.

"Ohhh Dear God…" he muttered.

His eyes shot up, wide with disbelief. "Do you even know what this spell is for?"

Lucy shook her head slowly. "I was just… curious. I didn't mean...."

Uncle Wiryo's anger flared. He tore the paper into several pieces and threw them to the floor.

"You just performed a death ritual... summoning a legion of demons to kill a human," he said, his voice laced with fury. "Do you have any idea what kind of danger you've unleashed?"

Lucy's heartbeat pounded in her ears. She turned to Malik, searching for an explanation. "What does he mean? I… I don't feel anything dangerous."

Malik exhaled deeply, then crouched beside her, staring into her eyes.

"You don't feel nothing cause they still hiding" he said, his voice calm but firm. "But I can feel them."

Lucy bit her lip. Something in Malik's tone made her skin prickle.

Uncle Wiryo stood up, carefully circling the blood-drawn symbol. His eyes were cautious, as if expecting something to crawl out of it at any moment.

"You might not realize it yet, Lucy," he said softly, "but you've opened a path for demons and their followers to enter this world."

Lucy held her breath.

The room fell eerily silent after Uncle Wiryo's words.

Then, from the corner of the room, a whisper slithered through the air.

"Luuucyyy…"

Lucy froze, her eyes widening as she turned toward the sound.

In the shadows, something moved.

A pale, emaciated hand, covered in wounds, crept out of the darkness.

Lucy almost screamed.

Uncle Wiryo moved swiftly. He pulled a small dagger from his pocket and stepped into the blood-drawn symbol. With one quick motion, he sliced his palm, letting his blood drip onto the circle.

Instantly, the symbol glowed brightly before flickering and vanishing.

The hand in the corner shrank back into the darkness, disappearing as if it had never been there.

The heavy air in the room lightened slightly, though an eerie chill remained.

Lucy still sat on the floor, shaking violently. She turned to Uncle Wiryo, her eyes filled with fear.

"Whattt… What just happened, Uncle?" she whispered.

Uncle Wiryo sighed deeply. "You almost brought something into this world," he said firmly. "And if I hadn't stopped it now, you might have lost your life."

Lucy swallowed hard, her fingers digging into her knees to steady herself.

Malik's gaze was intense. "You can't be doing this again," he warned. "Once you open that gate, somethin' will always try to come through."

Lucy could only nod weakly.

Uncle Wiryo stood, his expression grim as he looked around the room. "From now on, don't keep things like this in your house," he said, eyeing the cursed doll still lying on the floor. "We need to get rid of it before something worse happens."

Lucy nodded again. But deep inside, something gnawed at her.

When the symbol disappeared, she felt like… something had remained.

Something was still watching her.

****

That Night…

Even though Uncle Wiryo had made sure to stop the ritual, an eerie presence still hung in the air. Malik stayed in Lucy's house, sitting in the living room, alert and watchful. Meanwhile, Uncle Wiryo insisted on disposing of the cursed doll and all ritual-related objects far from the house.

Lucy, still shaken, lay in bed. But her eyes remained wide open, staring at the ceiling, which now felt darker and heavier than before.

And something unsettled her.

Earlier, when the bloody symbol vanished, she felt something slip inside her. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable, yet undeniably real.

As if a voice whispered in her mind.

"You ain't ever getting away, Lucy."

She swallowed hard, trying to calm herself.

'It's just my imagination,' she thought. 'I'm just too scared.'

But the thought wouldn't leave her.

What if… something was still there?

What if the gate wasn't fully closed?

She bit her lip. Her curiosity burned stronger. She wanted to know more about the power she had inherited… about the hidden world her family had kept from her.

But she also knew....

The deeper she dug, the greater the danger would become.

****

Elsewhere… In the forest…

Uncle Wiryo stood at the edge of the woods, carrying the cursed doll and the remnants of Lucy's ritual. Before him lay a hole he had quickly dug with an old hoe.

He let out a long breath.

"This ends here," he murmured.

He tossed the doll into the pit, sprinkling salt and incense ash over it. Carefully, he began covering the hole with soil, chanting protective prayers.

But as he worked, he felt it.

The wind shifted strangely. The trees rustled..despite the absence of wind.

Then… a voice.

"Mbah Wiryooo…"

Uncle Wiryo stiffened, whipping his head around.

No one was there.

The voice came from inside his head.

"You think you can erase this ritual?"

His grip on the hoe tightened.

Then...

Footsteps. Light, quick.

He turned sharply. Nothing.

His blood ran cold.

He took a step back, but then....

A pale hand burst from the soil.

Uncle Wiryo staggered, breath hitching. He watched as a gaunt, dirt-covered figure clawed its way out, its empty face and pitch-black eyes staring blankly.

It slowly rose, its head tilting unnaturally, as if its bones were missing.

Then...

It smiled.

A smile that should not belong to something like that.

Uncle Wiryo clenched his jaw. He reached into his pocket, grabbing a small pouch, then hurled a handful of salt at the creature while chanting an exorcism.

The entity winced, stepping back slightly...yet its smile remained.

"You ain't getting rid of me that easy…"

Its voice was not human. It was deep, distorted...like a whisper echoing from an endless abyss.

Uncle Wiryo knew he had to leave.

He quickly scattered more salt, uttered a final prayer

The wind howled..

And the entity vanished.

But the eerie cold lingered.

****

Back at Lucy's house…

Morning came.

But the night had felt endless.

Lucy stirred, sunlight filtering through her window. She exhaled in relief. Maybe everything that happened had just been a nightmare.

But then...

She looked down at the floor.

Her breath hitched.

The blood circle...though faint..was still there.

Almost invisible. But still there.

A chill ran down her spine.

Then...she glanced at her mirror.

Her reflection..

Was smiling at her.

But she wasn't smiling.

Lucy held her breath.

Then, her reflection mouthed the words.....

"I'm still here."