An upscale community in North Las Vegas.
Dean and Alvin, carrying a red wooden box, stood outside a brick-red villa and gently knocked on the door.
Crunch——
A black-haired lady wearing glasses walked out from behind the door. She had an ordinary appearance, a quiet temperament, and thin crow's feet at the corners of her eyes. She was already quite old, but the V-neck black shirt and earth-colored suit pants made her look capable and refreshing. , full of a professional temperament.
Time has taken away her appearance, but it cannot take away her elegant temperament.
"Hello, are you Ms. Marlene Dailey?"
"Well, you...are you Dean from the Lake Mead incident? The high school student with a sense of justice?"
"Well, I'm Dean and he's Alvin Garcia and we were looking for an expert in psychics and Holden Ford recommended you to us."
"Well, Holden called me. I did do some research on this aspect. Welcome to my home, please come in."
The lady led the two of them through the entrance hall where the exquisite shoe cabinet was placed, and sat down on the sofa in the center of the living room. Dean put down the box and looked around.
The living room is spacious, bright and well-lit, but without complicated and luxurious decorations, it is very simple and elegant.
The solid wood floors and tables give people a very calm feeling, revealing the simplicity and freshness of nature, allowing them to relax unconsciously.
"Coffee, Coke, or orange juice?"
"Just give us two glasses of water."
The lady took some water and put it in front of the two of them. She sat down on the sofa opposite them, put her hands in front of her abdomen, and swept her eyes calmly over their faces, grinning with a gentle smile.
"Well... tell me, why are you two here? But let me declare in advance that I am just a recorder interested in psychic rituals, occultism, and psychology. I am not a professional psychic. Due to my limited talent, I Without special abilities, if you want me to conduct a channeling ceremony, then I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”
Dean stared at the "shadow" floating in front of the lady, nodded quietly, and took it back.
She was completely unaware of the "shadow" so close to her, she could only be an ordinary person.
"We just have some simple questions to ask you." Alvin drank some water and sat up straight, his posture a little reserved and stiff. After living on the streets for many years, he hadn't entered such a beautiful house for a long time, and he was a little worried about dirtying the other person's house.
"Mr. Alvin, relax. There is no danger in my home. I consider myself a qualified listener. Feel free to tell me what's on your mind. I promise to keep it secret."
Alvin suddenly heard the sound of nature, and the lady suddenly became amiable in his eyes, "Do you know Panon Garcia, or have you heard this name from somewhere?"
Ma Lin tightened her slender eyebrows, but then quickly loosened them.
"Sorry, I've never heard of him."
Disappointment flashed across Alvin's face and he continued,
"What about Alexander Raphael?"
"That psychic master who passed away two years ago? We have interacted with each other at several exchange meetings."
Ma Lin leaned back slightly on the sofa and looked into Alvin's eyes sincerely. "Although he is not young, he is still energetic, with a full and loud voice and amazing mobility. He is crazy about all matters of occultism and psychics." , my mind is filled with all kinds of innovative and bold ideas.”
"He's a psychic fanatic."
"Before we discuss the topic of psychics in depth, I have a question for you two." Ma Lin observed the expressions of the two of them. "Do you believe that ghosts exist in this world? Or do you regard them as absurd and imaginary creations, nonsense? talk."
"Please be sure to answer honestly. This will affect the way I answer next. I will avoid making you two feel uncomfortable."
Alvin was silent.
And Dean instantly understood that if he said he didn't believe it or was vague, then this expert would definitely use a set of scientific explanations to fool him!
"I know for sure because a friend of mine had a ghostly encounter."
"Oh? Tell me more specifically," Ma Lin's eyes lit up, "Can I write it down?"
"Of course." Dean fabricated. "My friend once witnessed a person who died due to bullying turn into an invisible ghost and take revenge."
Dean took his past experiences and changed them into a ghost's revenge story, removing the sensitive content.
Ma Lin nodded repeatedly and looked pleased.
Alvin looked at his companion who kept talking in surprise, and suddenly realized that this Dean and Holden, who firmly believed in science, did not have the same style of action at all.
five minutes later.
Ma Lin put away the notebook with satisfaction, and looked at Dean with a hint of recognition.
"You and I are the same kind of people, so I won't be secretive about the rest of the conversation. Where did you just say it?"
"Alexandre Raphael aspired to reform the occult."
"Yes, as far as I know, he has been improving the Soul Ouija Board to enhance its effect."
Dean glanced at the red box. Could it be that the wooden board inside has been strengthened? It's more powerful than an ordinary board, so it makes the "Shadow" afraid?
"Also, I heard from other mediums that Alexander was trying to...well...control a ghost."
"Can't psychics control ghosts?" Dean was curious.
Ma Lin shook her head and smiled, "Most mediums can only use rituals to briefly summon ghosts, which is far from controllable."
Dean suddenly realized that he possessed the "Shadow of the Past", which already surpassed most psychic mediums.
"Alexander refined the necromancy for this purpose."
"Do you know the specific steps of these improvement rituals?"
Ma Lin shook her head regretfully, "That is Alexander's private secret and has never been shared with the outside world."
Dean and Alvin were both a little disappointed;
"Then what is he like as a person? In addition to his wide acquaintances, what is his attitude towards ordinary people."
"He is very helpful. He charges lower fees than most of his colleagues to help others communicate with their deceased relatives, and most of the people who seek help are satisfied and comforted."
"As a result, he is well-known and respected throughout the psychic community."
So Alexander is an out-and-out good guy?
The idea just came to Dean's mind, but he immediately rejected it.
Knowing people, knowing faces, but not knowing their hearts, one cannot draw hasty conclusions just based on Ma Lin's superficial words.
"Then is there anything special about Alexander that is different from ordinary people?"
Ma Lin picked up the steaming coffee on the table and blew on it.
"Let me think about it, well, like most mediums, he suffers from insomnia. He can't sleep well because he is too excited."
Insomnia.
Dean thought of the old man's bloodshot and bulging eyeballs in that photo.
"Do most mediums suffer from insomnia?"
"This involves the psychic's talent that I mentioned before... Do you need to know about it?"
Dean and Alvin made a listening look.
"Well, the psychic world is mixed with good and bad, and there are countless scum that are fraudulent. It can be said that 99% of them are actors. So many angry people denounce all psychics as liars."
"Although I have not witnessed psychics with my own eyes, I firmly believe that psychics are a special and rare group. Based on my many years of research, visits, and information collected...the reason why they have such powerful abilities is because of two aspects. The talent…”
Ma Lin paused and took a sip of coffee, with a hint of envy in her eyes.
"The first is spiritual energy that is far beyond ordinary people, so powerful that it can even interfere with reality. They skillfully use this energy to call the souls from the world of the deceased, and then ignite the energy as a beacon to guide the souls. direction."
spiritual energy,
Dean's head moved.
It refers to spiritual attributes.
"Second... they have special spiritual vision and can sense the existence of ghosts. They can observe ghosts with only their naked eyes."
Ma Lin paused, and her face exuded a look as dazzling as the sun.
"This world is composed of countless energies. Planets, animals, human bodies, spirits, and even souls are all a kind of energy, but the frequencies of these energies are different. Ordinary people can only hear, see, and perceive the energy located in the Energy in the normal frequency range.”
"Psychics can keenly sense the energy of ghosts and evil spirits. They can see these ethereal existences and communicate with them."
"I would like to add that not only psychics can see ghosts. Under certain special rituals or opportunities, people who have a deep bond with ghosts, their relatives, lovers, and close friends can also see them. "
"You can also see the soul by using a jiban that has been blessed by the blood of a powerful psychic for many years."
Different energy frequencies, sensory abilities.
Isn’t this a perceptual property?
A realization dawned on Dean.
Therefore, the prerequisite for becoming a psychic is extraordinary mental and sensory attributes.
Just hearing the news made the visit worth it.
"Spiritual energy and keen perception make up the mysterious profession of psychic." Ma Lin expressed the same understanding, "But these two talents are both a gift and a curse."
"How to say?"
"Excessive mental energy also means that thoughts will be extremely active and uncontrolled."
"If there is no timely professional training to actively control these thoughts or let go of oneself, then a large number of novel fantasies will emerge in the mind of the medium all the time. In severe cases, these fantasies may even be mistaken for reality. Hallucinations."
"He will always be in a state of high spirits, tireless and unable to sleep."
"But if the mental energy is too large, professional training will be ineffective, insomnia will be inevitable, and in severe cases, mental disorders may even occur."
So having too high mental attributes can actually have negative effects?
Dean frowned, thinking about his experience of continuous inexplicable insomnia after raising his spirits a little. Could it be that his 13 o'clock was considered abnormal and he was starting to have negative symptoms?
Think of this.
If I continue to add only mental attributes in the future, will I suffer from mental illness?
Dean exhaled, there was no use worrying so much now.
"Wait a minute, you just mentioned that being too high will make you tireless and difficult to sleep?" Dean quickly took out the soul Ouija board and pointed out the pale eyes and "Sleepless Man" symbol on it.
"This pupil-shaped pattern is quite interesting, but I don't recognize it." Ma Lin raised her glasses and looked at the drop-shaped tablet with surprise. "I have never heard of a soul Ouija board called 'Sleepless One'." Brands, more commonly known as Psychic, Dharma King, Dawn Star..."
"If it were a brand, it couldn't be deliberately so inconspicuous."
"To me, this seems to be the symbol of an organization or gathering, the Sleepless Ones. Literally speaking, their members may suffer from the same mental over-excitation as psychics."
"Do you two mind if I take some notes?"
"Well, please do as you please."
An organization?
Dean took these words to heart.
…
"Back to the topic. Excessive spiritual energy can cause the medium to suffer from insomnia or hallucinations. And the trouble that extraordinary perception brings to the medium is even more terrifying."
"Some psychics have been able to see with their naked eyes some ghosts that stay in the world for special reasons since they were young."
"Think about it, young and ignorant children, but they are repeatedly frightened by strange spirits. Even if they tell this strange experience, no one will understand it. Ordinary people will isolate and alienate them out of fear."
"Therefore, many mediums will take the initiative to become autistic when they are young. They seem to have weird tempers, withdrawn personalities, are not understood by others, and suffer from nightmares."
Dean's eyes became very subtle.
Ma Lin finally concluded,
"Their spiritual world is much richer than ordinary people, and they have rich emotions, but they are afraid to express them and are sentimental. Compared to communicating with outsiders, they prefer to remain silent in their own world. In the eyes of some ignorant outsiders, It’s like they have some mental illness.”
When Dean heard this, a strong sense of familiarity came to his heart.
He turned his head, and almost at the same time, Alvin also looked at him, blinked his eyes, and made a mouth shape——
Panon.
The various symptoms described by Marlene are exactly the same as those of Alvin's autistic brother!
…
"Ma'am, wait a moment while I gather my thoughts."
Dean took a sip of water and turned to Alvin.
"Did your brother mention it? Insomnia? Being able to see dirty things?"
Alvin nodded, "When he was a child, he often couldn't sleep and talked to himself in the air. He called those strange things living in the air. But I didn't pay attention at first. Later, when he got older, he stopped talking to himself. He mentioned it to me and David, and it turned into talking to himself.”
This means that--
Is it possible that Panon has the gift of a psychic?
This thought came to Dean's mind, and the progress jumped to 45%.
"Ms. Ma Lin, are there many people with psychic talents?"
"I can only talk about my personal opinion. It only happens to one person in hundreds of thousands."
"Can a mature psychic tell whether others have 'talent'?"
The lady nodded,
"Of course, I didn't say that psychics can perceive energy of various frequencies. For example, the energy field of ordinary people is light yellow in the eyes of psychics, while the energy field of talented people is eye-catching deep red, which is clearly visible at a glance .”
Dean suddenly clenched his fists, and his eyes suddenly became clear as if the clouds were turning away and the sun was shining brightly.
Panon has psychic talents.
Alexander, the master medium, died in Panon's house.
This is definitely not a coincidence.
Alexander must have met Panon at some point, on the street, in a bank, or elsewhere, and noticed that he was different.
Then he took the initiative to find Panon in order to achieve some unknown purpose.
Introduce him to the path of mediumship, or involve him in modified mediumship rituals?
It is impossible to know exactly what happened between the two, but it must be deeply involved...
Dean reasoned.
The system was shaken.
The investigation progress suddenly increased from 45% to 50%!
Then summoning the ghost of Alexander Raphael will definitely know the whereabouts of Panon!
…
"So Ms. Marlene..." Dean controlled his excitement and asked, "I have another question. Suppose I have to deal with an evil spirit, what should I do?"
"Huh? Why do you ask that?" Ma Lin glanced at Dean with some displeasure. "Usually, ghosts that stay in the world, or are summoned by spiritual mediums through rituals to reunite with their loved ones, are not harmful to the living. They are very 'simple', with only a few obsessions in their hearts, and generally they can only stay in the summoning place, and will disappear automatically in a very short period of time."
"Then there are exceptions."
Alvin asked,
Ma Lin hesitated for a while.
"It is indeed recorded in some information that a very small number of people were mentally ill and cruel during their lifetime. They suffered inhuman torture before death and were filled with unwillingness and resentment. After death, they turned into resentful spirits or evil spirits."
"They are full of malice towards life. Once they arrive at the summoning field, they will kill and create panic." Ma Lin's expression was solemn and her tone was frighteningly cold. "It can easily take away the lives of ordinary people, and it is very harmful to psychics and exorcists." It’s also very difficult.”
"Evil spirits cannot be deduced by common sense, and most physical methods are very ineffective against them."
Ma Lin paused and said seriously,
“But according to the previous summary in the data, they have some weaknesses, and there are several ways to exploit them:
Destroy it by continually burning it with fire;
disturbing and weakening it with loud, noisy noise;
Find a way to resolve its obsession, calm down its resentment, and let it return to the world of the deceased;
Crush it with powerful psychic energy, but that's nearly impossible. "
Yes, Shadow is afraid of fire.
Dean nodded and wrote down all these methods in his notebook.
"But if it is... the deceased with special spiritual energy, such as a psychic, the evil spirits transformed by their death will become more difficult to deal with once they get rid of the shackles of the body, staying in reality longer, turning the house where the summons is located into It’s so dark.”
Ma Lin took a deep breath, her tone full of fear,
"You have to remember that the more powerful a ghost is, the more complex its thoughts are, the closer it is to living people, and can even communicate with humans, but 'dead people are too noisy and are not born to lie.' You use the soul Ouija board during the psychic ritual As long as the ghost chooses to answer the questions it poses, it can only give out the truth.”
…
Dean nodded, his heart boiling with curiosity.
What level is my "Shadow of the Past" among ghosts? Weak, ordinary, or powerful?
But when Dean thought about his "shadow"'s short dwell time and dull thinking, it should be considered ordinary at best?
…
"Well, Ms. Marlene, thank you for your generous answer, we have one last question."
Alvin didn't look very good, and he had obviously summarized some bad points from the woman's description.
"How do we summon a ghost?"
"You? I'm afraid not." Ma Lin shook her head. "The channeling ceremony must be hosted by at least one medium or a person with strong spiritual energy to open the 'channel'. Ordinary people trying to do it are just playing Halloween games."
"Do you know any psychics?" Dean asked, "I mean the ones with real talents and learning."
"Real psychics are very rare and in high demand. I can try to make an appointment for you, but I can't guarantee that they are actually effective. And you have to queue up for at least six months to make an appointment and prepare a large amount of money, more than 20,000 US dollars, as a reward."
"It's such a pity that I can't wait that long, let alone get the money."
Alvin refused.
And Dean changed his eyes. His thirteen-point spirit must be stronger than ordinary people. Maybe he could try to host a psychic ceremony.
He spoke,
"Actually, we have already found the person who will conduct the ceremony."
"I have to remind you that it is very dangerous for talented amateurs to summon rashly." Ma Lin looked at Dean with a solemn expression and a stern tone. "What if you accidentally summon an evil spirit, or something even more evil?" If something happens, everyone will die."
"Can you..." Dean requested,
"Sorry, I can't accompany you. I am a faithful recorder. My principle is not to directly participate in the spiritual ceremony."
Hearing this, Alvin exchanged a look with Dean, and a sad smile appeared on his lips, "Okay, I understand, but can you tell us the real ceremony? I just want to see my relatives for the last time, and we will make adequate preparations. Prepare."
Ma Lin sighed,
"It's okay to tell you, but it's best not to spread it... Even if you spread it, ordinary people won't be able to use it."
"First of all, you must have a soul Ouija board... It is best to have a Ouija board that has been used by psychics for many years. It has been repeatedly soaked with spiritual energy and can help you better open the channel..." Ma Lin put the teardrop-shaped piece of sleepless He raised his sash in front of his face, his eyes close to the glass,
"Through certain special lenses, ghosts can also be observed with the naked eye."
oh?
Dean breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had taken back the "Shadow" because of the "Shadow"'s fear of the shackles.
"Secondly, the blood of psychics or psychics is applied to smear boards and Ouija boards..."
Ma Lin continued,
"After the sun goes down."
"The room where the ghost was when it died must be in a dark, quiet, and claustrophobic environment. It is basically impossible to successfully summon a ghost who dies outdoors..."
"Incense... burn sage..."
"Bath... cleanse your body... focus your mind."
“The Ouija board was placed on the laps of everyone involved.”
"Ritual prayers..."
…
Time passed slowly during the narration. After getting the answer, the two people expressed their sincere gratitude again and quickly turned around and left.
Beside the door, Marlene Daley leaned against the door frame and looked worriedly at the white Bronco going away.
"Don't get into trouble."
…
