Lightning

Just a bolt of lightning, snaking down through the thick clouds like a viper. It came so suddenly. Cathy shifted into reverse, hit the gas, and the lightning struck right in front of the car. With a loud crash, a tuft of grass in front of the vehicle suddenly burst into flames, the flickering light a stark reminder of the immediate danger they faced.

"Damn it!" Cathy exclaimed. She quickly shifted into drive, and without a moment's hesitation, the car sped down the highway. Yet another bolt of lightning slashed through the clouds, lunging at them like a venomous snake ready to strike.

With a swift jerk of the steering wheel, the car narrowly avoided the lightning. The vehicle swerved and swayed, teetering on the brink of capsizing. Fortunately, Cathy managed to regain control of the steering wheel in time.

"You're insane—" Royce yelled at Cathy.

Just as Cathy was about to respond, another bolt of lightning shot out from the clouds, aiming straight at their car. Once again, Cathy made a desperate attempt to swerve the vehicle, but this time the lightning struck the car's side tire. With a resounding explosion, the car stalled, the tire burst, and as Cathy turned the steering wheel, the vehicle flipped sideways onto the grassy roadside, sliding a considerable distance before it finally came to a halt.

With a loud thud, the driver's side door was kicked open, and Cathy crawled out of the wreck. She then reached in to pull the dazed Royce out from the other side.

"You're insane—" Royce yelled again at Cathy, his forehead bleeding from the impact. Cathy extended her hand, intending to wipe his wound, but he brushed her aside. Covering his forehead, he said, "I'm fine. But why is the lightning targeting us…"

"It's the witch—"

Before Cathy could finish her sentence, another bolt of lightning lunged towards Royce.

"No—" Cathy tried to push Royce out of the way, but it was too late. The lightning bolt was too fast, reaching Royce in a split second.

Cathy's eyes widened in disbelief. The lightning had struck Royce and flung her away.

"Royce—" She yelled, scrambling back to her feet, only to see Royce standing unharmed. The lightning bolt that had seemingly hit him vanished as if it had melted away, leaving him untouched despite the apparent direct hit to his chest.

To Cathy's astonishment, Royce slowly pulled a yellow, triangular-shaped paper from his pocket. The moment he held it up, the talisman emitted a beam of light that traced an arc in the sky before disappearing into the thick cloud cover.

Cathy and Royce both looked up to the sky, captivated by the spectacle. The yellow triangular talisman in Royce's hand had transformed into a beam of light and disappeared into the clouds. Inside the dense cloud, it looked like bolts of lightning were intertwining, their bright flashes piercing through the clouds.

In just a few seconds, the dense black clouds suddenly dispersed, and a ray of sunlight shone through the gap, casting their shadows on the ground.

"My God, Royce, what...what did you just do?" Cathy exclaimed, turning to look at Royce in surprise. "How...how did you do that?"

Regaining his senses, Royce stammered, "It was Mr. Jason, it was Mr. Jason—"

"Who? Mr. Jason? The Asian guy?" Cathy remembered Jason.

"Yes, yes, it's him. I knew he wouldn't just stand by. Oh my God, what should I do?" Royce turned to Cathy, "Tell me, what should I do?"

"Go find Mr. Jason, let him help you. Otherwise, even if I manage to get you out of here, it will only be a temporary reprieve," Cathy said resolutely, "My job today was to take you to the witch, but I can't take you away. However, if it's not me, others will certainly be tasked with this…"

"I understand, I understand!" Royce looked at Cathy as if he had made up his mind, asking, "If...if Mr. Jason can help me, what about you?"

"I'll figure something out!" Cathy's face fell at his words.

Indeed, Mr. Jason could help Royce, but why would he help Cathy?

Royce looked at her steadily, slowly reaching out a hand to gently touch Cathy's cheek. With a raspy voice, he softly asked, "Do you love me?" Cathy was startled, a subconscious awareness washing over her. Without hesitation, she responded, "Yes, I love you. It's precisely because I love you that I let you go!"

"So… come with me to see Mr. Jason," Royce spoke with determination, firmly taking Cathy's hand. "Let's go see Mr. Jason together. Let's ask him for help!"

Cathy hesitated for a moment, but then tightly grasped Royce's hand as well, "Take me with you, no matter what I may become in the future, take me away from that damned devil…"

As the winds blew and the clouds dispersed, the once dark sky had become completely clear, revealing the radiant sun above. Previously, while sitting in his room, Jason had sensed the unusual shift in the atmosphere.

The news anchor on the television was broadcasting the weather update. In California, such sudden weather changes were rare. The television screen was facing the sky as Jason, through his window, observed the thick dark clouds at the horizon swiftly coming together, followed by streaks of lightning striking the ground.

Subsequently, a beam of light seemed to dart upwards from the ground into the clouds, causing them to flash repeatedly until the clouds finally parted, allowing the sunlight to shine down once more.

He had already predicted the outcome, leaving him visibly dumbfounded. Initially, he thought Royce would use this spell against Cathy, but now it seemed that she was not his intended target. Royce had always had feelings for Cathy. With a faint sigh and shake of his head, he realized that this situation was becoming even more interesting.

For now, he remained seated in his room, waiting.

Jason knew he was waiting for Royce and Cathy. During this time, Nina also paid him a visit but Jason didn't want her involvement, so he dismissed her rather casually, leaving her with a belly full of complaints, suspecting Jason of hiding something from her.

He sat there, engrossed in a book, not knowing how much time had passed until he heard a soft knock at the door. "Come in. I knew you two would come," Jason said. As he spoke, the door swung open to reveal Royce and Cathy, the latter peeking out from behind him.

Jason gestured for them to enter and they cautiously stepped in. Royce kept holding Cathy's hand, never letting go. Once he made a decision, he stood by it. As for Cathy's strange behavior, he didn't see it as the main issue.

"It seems you've made up your mind!" Jason glanced at their intertwined hands and motioned for them to sit.

The two immediately sat down, Cathy anxiously watching Jason. She knew their fate was now in this man's hands.

"I recognized you from the start," Jason said, looking at Cathy. "You know who's behind you."

"Yes, a witch is behind me," Cathy admitted. After carefully considering her words, she recounted her experience to Jason again and then pleaded, "Please, help us."

Jason simply nodded, "I've prepared something for you." With that, he pulled out two yellow paper talismans from his pocket. One for Royce, one for Cathy.

Aware of the potency of Jason's talismans from previous encounters, Royce immediately accepted his. Upon unfolding the talisman, he saw it was cut into the shape of a toad, while Cathy's was in the shape of a small sword.

"When there's no other option, drop a little of your own blood on it," Jason said to the two. He then turned to Cathy and added, "The curse on you can only be broken with the blood of a witch. Use this sword."