The sun was gradually rising.
All the illusions had come to an end, and everything revealed its true face in the bright light. The sight before the two girls astonished them, leaving them bewildered and incredulous.
They were standing in a small town covered in weeds. Abandoned houses, factories, and rusty machines were scattered around. In the distance, there was a dense forest.
The scattered bones from last night lay on the ground in disarray.
"What is this... What's going on?" The two girls stared at the desolate town in astonishment.
Jason smiled faintly and said, "There are many abandoned towns like this in America, but they have been submerged in the traces of history. Do you know why?"
"I'm not sure, I'm not familiar with these things," Denise shook her head.
Sofia pondered for a moment and said, "Let's start with the history of America. Over the past hundred years, America experienced rapid economic development, starting with the Industrial Revolution. Many people went west in search of gold or to mine for oil. Once a gold or oil mine was discovered, a town would quickly form. People of all kinds would come, starting with workers and machinery, followed by those in trade."
"I think I understand now. Once the minerals are depleted, workers leave, and people gradually abandon the town," Denise nodded. That's how it was in America's history. There are indeed many such towns, but now they have been utilized to lure Sofia to this place.
"The cemetery of this town should be over there. It has been abandoned for many years, with no one to pay respects or take care of it," Jason looked at the scattered bones on the ground and shook his head. "These people have been dead for many years, abandoned here like this. It's not right. Let's collect their remains and bury them."
In the morning, the three of them collected the bones and brought them to the abandoned cemetery. As expected, it was a graveyard. The buildings that had been transformed into the illusion of a town, such as the church, were now revealed to be a desolate burial ground.
They buried the bones there. Jason erected a wooden board as a gravestone.
After resting for a while, Denise suddenly called out, "Jason!" She had discovered two cars not far from the cemetery. One was Sofia's, and the other was the one Denise had driven.
These two cars were originally parked in the motel's parking lot, but now it seemed that the so-called motel was just an illusion near the cemetery.
The two cars drove out one after another and left the desolate town. After driving more than twenty miles on a rough road, they merged onto a highway and continued forward.
Jason drove alone in the front, followed by Denise and Sofia in the other car.
When two women were together, there was always something to talk about. And indeed, they had things to discuss. Denise was curious about Sofia, and Sofia was also interested in Denise.
"Let me ask you a question." Denise suddenly turned to Sofia, sitting in the passenger seat, and said, "What do you think of Jason?"
Sofia was taken aback and looked at Denise, asking, "In what way?"
"In every way!" Denise grinned, tilting her head and looking at Sofia. "Don't you have any feelings for him? I mean, don't you have a crush on Jason?"
"A crush on Jason?" Sofia was about to deny it, but the words stopped at her lips. She had never considered this question before. But after experiencing some things, she suddenly realized that deep down, she was actually looking forward to Jason's presence. Could this be considered having a crush on him?
Seeing Sofia fall silent, Denise shook her head and sighed, "A man like him is definitely someone women would have a crush on. If you really like him, you should tell him. But... you're so beautiful, I'm sure he's also attracted to you. To be honest, I'm a bit jealous of you."
"Jealous of me? Do you have a crush on him?" Sofia sensitively asked.
"I'm jealous of you being so beautiful," Denise blinked mischievously and smiled. "I'll learn dark magic from him. He called me a witch, so I'll become a witch. I want to become a witch that he will have a crush on."
"So, you'll always be by his side?" Sofia glanced at her, shaking her head. "That will put you in danger. Father Omar wanted to kill me, but he was just a tool in someone else's hands. The person wielding the knife hasn't appeared yet, and they're even more formidable."
"Don't forget, I'm a witch!" Denise looked at Sofia and said, "There's nothing I need to fear anymore. It's better than being alone."
Sofia remained silent on this matter. The two girls had their own thoughts.
Jason drove alone, unaware of what the two girls in the car behind were discussing. He focused on driving, with the black cat crouching on the passenger seat.
They arrived at a larger town, much bigger than Harold. It seemed busy and lively. The number of vehicles on this road had noticeably increased.
Jason drove into the town and parked next to a restaurant. When the car behind arrived, he said to the two girls who got out, "Let's have dinner here and then stay. I have a feeling we might find the clues we're looking for here. See this?"
Jason flipped his hand, and a staff appeared in his hand. He held it in the middle and handed it to Sofia, saying, "Take a look at this. Maybe we'll find something that surprises us."
"Is this Father Omar's staff?" Sofia asked.
"Yes, it is," Jason replied, walking towards the restaurant.
Sofia examined the staff closely while Denise beside her also curiously looked at it. Although she remembered that Omar had a staff at the time, she was too nervous to pay attention to it. Now that Jason took it out, she suddenly realized.
"Is there anything special about it?" Denise, an impatient person, asked Sofia.
Sofia couldn't help but smile and said, "Why not ask him directly? As you said, he's the one who's going to teach you dark magic. I think he probably knows all the secrets of this staff."
Indeed, Jason knew some things about the staff.
This staff was different from the magic wand the witch used last time. It looked longer and had a more peculiar shape. It could even be used as a weapon because one end of the staff was sharp enough to kill.
Finally, they had a proper steak dinner and had a bit of wine. Then, they stayed in a nearby hotel. This time, they only booked one room, which made the female receptionist give them several curious looks. She was puzzled but ultimately didn't say anything.
"Her eyes are almost killing people," Denise chuckled as they went upstairs together. "She must be thinking what a lucky bastard he is, ending up in bed with two beautiful women..."
"Don't think so dirty," Sofia frowned, not liking Jason being described that way.
However, Jason didn't care about these things. For him, it didn't matter if they stayed together or not. In fact, he had no problem staying alone. After arriving in the room, they found that it was quite large, much bigger than the average motel room in a small town. Even with three people, it didn't feel crowded.
There were two beds: one for Jason and one for the two girls.
"There's someone we're looking for here," Jason poured himself a cup of coffee and sat on the nearby sofa. "I can sense that the staff has become restless. Maybe we can find its true owner, who knows?"