The air hung heavy with the lingering presence of poltergeists. Jin stood a few paces ahead, his katana resting casually on his shoulder. The fiery glow of the blade had dimmed, but the tension between us had not.Miranda broke the silence first. "All right, Samurai Jack. Spill. Who the hell is Malik, and why do you have the presence of someone stuck between worlds? Jin didn't turn, his voice calm and measured, slicing through the chill. "I can't tell you anything about Malik."I floated closer, crossing my arms. "Why not? "His dark eyes locked onto mine briefly before he spoke, his tone sharper this time. "Because he brought me here after I died. And even if he hadn't, I wouldn't betray him."Miranda scoffed; her voice tinged with sarcasm. "Sounds like your average manipulative asshole. What makes him so special? "Jin finally turned to face us, his expression grim and unyielding. "He pulled me from the void—between life and death. Gave me purpose after I lost everything."That shut us both up.Miranda blinked, trying to process. "So, he brought you back to life?"Jin nodded. "Alive, breathing, and dangerous. Malik knows how to make deals. He gave me a reason to exist, something I hadn't had in a long time."I frowned. "And you're okay with that?"Jin's voice softened, but his eyes darkened. "You don't have to be okay with something to do something."Before we could press him further, Jin's head tilted slightly, as if listening to something only he could hear. Without a word, he began moving deeper into the graveyard, his steps purposeful.The moon's red glow barely lit the twisting paths between headstones. Jin raised a hand, silently signaling us to stop. Ahead, the faint flicker of pale blue light pulsed weakly.As we moved closer, a figure came into view—a young woman sitting on the ground, clutching something to her chest. Her form was translucent, her movements jittery like static on a broken screen."She's a spirit," I whispered.Jin stepped forward; his voice steady but uncharacteristically gentle. "Who are you?"The spirit looked up; her wide eyes filled with fear. "I... I don't know. I don't remember."Miranda knelt beside her; her tone softer than usual. "It's okay. We're here to help. What are you holding?"The spirit hesitated, then slowly opened her hands to reveal a small, tarnished locket glowing faintly despite the grime that covered it.Jin's expression tightened as he leaned down. "That's not yours, is it?"The spirit shook her head, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. "I found it. It... it called to me.""That locket is important," Jin said, his voice low, his grip tightening on his katana.Miranda flinched as if the locket might bite her. "Wait, what? How?""It's a tether," Jin explained. "A tool Malik uses to bind spirits to him. If she keeps holding it, she won't be able to move on."The spirit clutched the locket tighter, her sobs breaking the silence. "I don't want to disappear!"Jin extended his hand, his tone soft but commanding. "You won't disappear. I'll help you. But you have to trust me."She hesitated, her translucent hands trembling. Finally, she handed him the locket. Jin took it carefully, his katana glowing faintly as he inspected the object."You did well to let go," he said softly. The spirit stopped crying and managed a fragile smile. Jin reached out, gently patting her head. "Your family is fine. They moved to Colorado. Your son is happy, and thriving in school I was told he got accepted to Stanford. The spirit's form began to glow brighter, her tears replaced with relief. As she faded into the light, her final words lingered in the air: "Thank you, sir I had him so young I thought I would ruin his life."Without a word, Jin turned and walked toward a hill at the graveyard's edge, the locket clutched tightly in his hand. Miranda and I exchanged uncertain glances before following him. wondering how he knew what to say.At the top of the hill, the scene grew even stranger. An unconscious human woman lay sprawled on the ground, and beside her, a grotesque, ice-white monster twitched weakly. Jin knelt by the creature and plunged his hand into its chest, pulling out a glowing green orb that pulsed faintly. Then, with chilling precision, Jin plunged his hand into the human woman's chest. Miranda and I froze in horror as he tore her heart out in one swift motion."What have you done?" I yelled, my voice cracking.Jin didn't look at me, his focus entirely on the glowing orb. Miranda's face was pale as she turned to me, her expression unreadable. But her eyes silently pleaded: Don't push him.Jin wiped his napkin on his coat as if he hadn't just committed something unthinkable. He pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and waited. After a moment, he handed the phone to Miranda.She hesitated, but when she put it to her ear, the color drained from her face. The voice on the other end was muffled, but Miranda nodded mutely, her hand trembling."I understand," she whispered before handing the phone back to Jin."He said you have 320 seconds"She turned to him, her voice shaking. "I thought you don't kill women."Jin's voice was cold, his gaze fixed on the woman's body. "I said I didn't like it. Not that I wouldn't." He drew another object from his coat—a swirling blue sphere. Pressing the two orbs together, he fused them with a faint glow The tension mounted as Jin worked, sweat beading on his brow. The woman stirred faintly, a flicker of life returning. Relief hit me—until Jin's expression turned grim, and he plunged his hand back into her chest."What are you doing?!" I shouted, my voice cracking.Jin didn't answer just the replacing heart from her chest with the fused orb. Her body convulsed before falling still. For a long, tense moment, we watched in silence.Then the woman woke up and gasped, sitting up suddenly. She winced, rubbing her chest. "Dammit, Hojin. You could've been gentler—I still feel your hand going through me."Miranda and I froze, our expressions mirroring confusion and shock.Jin sheathed his katana, his face unreadable. "Let's go. I'm not in the mood for another fight tonight."The woman turned to us, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips. "Hi, I'm Yuki. Nice to meet you. Hope we cross paths again."Before we could respond, Jin and Yuki disappeared into the darkness. A bright light flared, revealing another figure stepping forward.It was Anhur."What the hell are you two doing in a graveyard?"