An eerie blue flame suddenly ignited from within Shirley, eventually subsuming her entirely. Apart from agonizing screams and futile struggles, she was utterly helpless. Even her attempts to resist were confined to a limited area by Jason.
Jason coldly observed the scene, as the flames swallowed Shirley. He watched as she flailed her arms in the fire, her flesh melting away, revealing the raw redness of her bones.
"Save her, save her, save her and I'll tell you who..." Jenny suddenly started yelling at Jason. Her voice was grating, yet it clearly conveyed her intent. As she watched Shirley being consumed by the fire, she felt despair and pleaded to Jason with her eyes.
With a thought, Jason traced a charm in the air with his finger. Instantly, a golden light flashed and the charm transformed into a golden net, descending onto the flaming figure of Shirley.
The flames extinguished abruptly. Smoke rose from Shirley's body. Parts of her muscles had sloughed off, revealing bare bones that were already turning a ghostly white. The flesh on her mouth had also melted away, exposing her almost dislodged teeth. Half of her face was seared, emitting a thin wisp of smoke.
However, her body still twitched slightly. But each twitch brought immense pain, and her mouth never stopped uttering screams.
"My god—Shirley—" Jenny was about to rush towards her, but she heard a cold voice.
"If you want her to die faster, you can go help her."
Jenny halted her outstretched hand mid-air, looking at Jason, "Please, save her. I know you can do it, only you can..."
Jason shook his head, "No one can save her now. It's better for her to die than to live like this. Besides, she's a cursed soul. Death might be a good thing for her."
Looking at Shirley, it did seem to be the case. She moved her lips slightly towards Jenny, as if trying to say something, but she never managed to utter a word before she fell silent. Her body slowly turned into a pile of bleached bones.
Jenny's gaze was somewhat vacant, as if foreseeing her imminent fate. She finally found the courage to face Jason, her eyes filled with contempt, "Are you satisfied now? Shirley is dead, but the one that should die isn't her, or me,"
"So, can you tell me that name now?" Jason looked at her coldly. He never had any sympathy for these cursed souls because he knew there were many who had died at their hands.
"You wouldn't want to know this name. She can summon gods, create illusions, lay curses, she's omnipotent, can do anything she wishes..." Jenny smirked at Jason, "I know you're powerful, but... don't seek your own destruction."
"How do you know I'm seeking destruction?" Jason shook his head slightly, but decided not to argue about this. "You can go now, I've suddenly lost interest in you."
"Go? Where can I go?" Jenny gave Jason a self-mocking laugh, "I leaked her secret, and according to the agreement I signed with her, I will be burned to death like Shirley... Ha, this is my fate... Damn, why us..."
"How many of you are there? I mean, like you and Shirley, cursed souls..." Jason suddenly asked. If they were just cursed souls being used, then surely there were more than just these two.
"We have..." Jenny hadn't finished her sentence when a burst of fire erupted from within her body. This blaze was even more intense and violent than the one that consumed Shirley. In an instant, it engulfed her, and the crackling of burning filled the air.
Jason didn't save her this time. He knew that even if he did, Jenny wouldn't survive. This flame, like his Samadhi true fire, was very domineering. Once it latched on, no matter how long it had been burning, it meant sure death. Perhaps, burning was her inevitable end. The fire quickly reduced Jenny to nothing. Despite her screams and struggles, her suffering was shorter than Shirley's.
In the end, all that remained was a handful of ash-colored ashes. These were placed alongside Shirley's charred bones. The final resting place of two cursed souls made Jason shake his head. He flicked his finger, a wisp of flame sprang out and landed on Shirley's bones, reducing them to white ashes.
With a wave of his hand, a gust of wind swept away the ashes, blowing them clean out of the window. They scattered into the night sky, filling it with particles of their demise. However, it seemed that even if Jenny didn't spill the beans, Jason knew there must be many more souls cursed like her and Shirley. They all shared a common characteristic - they transformed into human forms and used their beauty to lure men. As for what they needed the men to do, the sight of Jack made it all too clear.
Men's spirit and body, and their willpower.
Summoning gods, creating illusions, casting curses, perhaps even poisoning, and transforming into various shapes, offering all kinds of temptations. There was only one type of person who could do this.
In his hundred-plus years of life, Jason was well-versed in the western world's individuals endowed with such mysterious power. There was only one - a witch.
Yes, only a witch could have such abilities. Only a witch could force people or souls into signing contracts trading their souls, compelling these cursed souls to perform unspeakable acts for her. This was the wickedness of witches. Of course, not every witch possessed such abilities; their powers greatly varied.
However, the witch who had commanded Shirley and Jenny, who Jason had encountered, must be quite a formidable one. At least in Jason's experience so far, he had not met any as powerful.
Jason wasn't one to obsess over details, he did not feel the need to elucidate everything.
"Knock, knock, knock," someone was at the door.
"Come in, Nina. I know you have a key. You can let yourself in!" Jason said without looking back, grabbing his towel and rewrapping it around his lower body.
The door opened, and indeed, it was Nina at the door. She glanced around the room, then at a half-naked Jason. Her eyes sparkled a little, and she walked over with a grin, poking his chest muscle - firm and solid. She giggled, looking around the room again.
"What are you looking for, Nina?" Jason asked her, chuckling. "Stop looking, I don't hide girls around here. So there's nothing here, except me and the towel around my waist."
"You made too much noise. Apart from you hiding a girl, I can't think of any other reason. Someone complained about you just now!" Nina huffed, having decided there was nothing worth inspecting. The room was only so big. She shook her head in confusion and headed towards the exit.
"I assure you, the person who complained must have been hallucinating, or perhaps he wanted to date a girl, but... you know, his heart got broken—I kind of sympathize with him." Jason shrugged at Nina, "Don't forget tomorrow's morning coffee—"
"I remember someone wants to meet you tomorrow." Nina said, heading out the door.
"Let that guy go to hell!" Jason shouted after her, "Nothing is better than having coffee with a beautiful woman."
Nina was pleased to hear this. As she exited, she gave Jason a glance, murmuring under her breath, "Damn that stupid towel. Why won't it fall off?"
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, nothing at all!" Nina hastily descended the stairs, her cheeks flushed as if she was fleeing.