The shopkeeper scratched his chin and gestured vaguely down the street. "There's one a bit further down, past the blacksmith's shop. Would take at least a whole day to walk there on foot. Getting near to the main city," he said, oblivious to her discomfort and pointing down the crowded street.
Melina squinted, her sharp eyes piercing through the layers of buildings until they settled on a large, crumbling house surrounded by an overgrown courtyard. The structure looked as if it might collapse at any moment, its roof sagging and its walls streaked with grime.
"That's... a house?" Melina blurted out, her brow furrowing in confusion.
The shopkeeper glanced at her in astonishment. "Wait, you can see it all the way from here?"
"Yes, quite easily," Melina replied with a casual shrug, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The shopkeeper chuckled nervously, shaking his head. "Well, if you're interested, you can have it. The owner died years ago, and everyone says it's haunted." He waved his hand dismissively, clearly uninterested in the subject.
"Thank you!" Melina said brightly, her face lighting up with a radiant smile. She turned and began walking toward the house, though her pleasant demeanor quickly faded as the smell of unwashed bodies and stale air followed her through the busy streets.
"Ugh," she muttered, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "How many times a day do these people bathe? Once a year?"
After a while, Melina found herself standing before the house. She came here so fast since she walked faster than normal people. It looked even worse up close, with shattered windows and ivy creeping through the cracks in the stone walls. The wooden door hung crookedly on its hinges, and the air around the place seemed colder.
As she stood there, she noticed the wary stares of passersby. A group of townsfolk whispered amongst themselves, glancing at her nervously.
"Miss, are you sure you know what you're doing?" a man finally asked, stepping forward. He was middle-aged, with a worried expression etched deeply into his face. "That house... it's haunted. People who go in never come out alive."
"I know," Melina said calmly, her bright, confident smile never wavering. "But I'll be fine. Is there anyone I need to pay for the building?"
The man blinked, taken aback by her nonchalance. "Pay? No... nobody's claimed it in years. Anyone who goes in... well..." He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "Their dead bodies usually end up being dumped outside. You really shouldn't—"
"Alright!" Melina cut him off cheerfully, clasping her hands together. Without another word, she strode toward the door, ignoring the hushed murmurs that erupted behind her.
"Another one walking to their death," a woman sighed, shaking her head before turning away.
Melina paused for a moment, glancing over her shoulder with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Don't worry," she said, loud enough for them all to hear. "This house might be haunted, but the ghosts should be more afraid of me."
With that, she pushed open the creaking door and stepped inside, leaving the people watching to stare in silence and shake their heads.
"Hmm, so this house is haunted, huh," Melina mused, her voice calm as her eyes swept across the dark, gloomy compound. The air was thick with a cold purple fog and faint voices seemed to echo from the shadows.
"It does look haunted," she muttered, placing a hand on her hip. "Guess I'll give a purification spell a try."
Melina clasped her hands together, her palms glowing with a warm, golden light that began to spread beneath her feet. "Purify!" she declared, her voice firm.
Golden light surged through the mansion, illuminating every corner. Shadows coiled and writhed as dark miasma shaped like humanoid figures emerged, screeching in agony. Their forms twisted and flickered, their cries filling the air as the light began to dissolve them.
The once-tormented spirits now had white bodies, their faces filled with surprise.
Melina let out a small sigh of satisfaction. "That should do it—"
A sudden movement behind her caught her attention. Without hesitation, she spun around and kicked, her foot connecting with something solid. The force sent a massive beast skidding across the floor.