I set out the very next morning.
I didn't tell anyone where I was going. Not that there was anyone to tell.
I packed light, grabbed my phone, wallet, and a small notebook, and left the house while the sky was still pale and half-awake.
The train ride took six hours.
Six long, uncomfortable hours of staring out the window, watching cities blur into fields and then back into cities again.
I didn't sleep much.
By the time I reached the city, my body felt tired, but my mind was wide awake.
Finding the building wasn't hard.
It had been a big case back then.
Even now, if you searched carefully, old news articles still showed up.
The address was clearly mentioned in more than one place.
I followed the map on my phone and soon stood in front of it.
The building was exactly where it was supposed to be.
But it wasn't what I expected.
The structure was the same as the pictures. Tall. Wide. Plain. But the atmosphere felt completely different.
There was no heavy pressure in the air.
No whispering.
No shadows lingering where they shouldn't.
It felt… normal.
Peaceful, even.
Children were playing near the entrance. A woman leaned over her balcony, talking on the phone. Someone was watering plants near the gate.
I stood there for a while, just watching.
There were no angry spirits clinging to the walls. No evil presence hanging over the place.
Nothing.
Families were living here again. The walls were freshly painted. The windows were clean.
There were flower pots and welcome mats near the doors.
If I didn't know the history, I would have never guessed anything terrible had happened here.
I took a step closer and looked around more carefully, using my senses the way Grandma had taught me.
Not forcing anything. Just being aware.
Still nothing.
I frowned.
If there had been a powerful evil spirit attached to this building once, there should have been some trace left behind. Even after exorcism, places usually carried a faint residue.
But I couldn't sense anything.
Just some Dumbo ghosts lingering around.
Going in and out with people. drifting through things,
My next problem was obvious.
I had come all this way to find the girl.
And I had no idea where to start.
This city was huge.
I didn't know her name for sure. I didn't know where she lived.
The only connection I had was this building.
So I decided to start there.
I approached the watchman standing near the gate.
He was middle-aged, wearing a uniform that looked slightly too big for him. He glanced at me with mild annoyance.
"Excuse me," I said politely.
He glanced up at me, then down again. "What do you want?"
"I was asking about the families who lived here earlier. A long time ago," I said. "Do you know anything about them?"
He frowned slightly, as if trying to remember something.
Then he shook his head. "No idea. I've only been working here for three years."
"What about the incident?" I asked carefully. "The tragedy that happened here before?"
His expression changed.
Annoyance flickered across his face.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said shortly. "And even if something happened, it's not my concern. Don't go around asking such things."
He waved his hand at me. "Go on. Don't disturb people."
I stepped back, biting my tongue.
That was expected.
The only information I managed to gather was from the guard after annoying him a bit more was that that the building had been bought by a rich investor years ago.
The place had been renovated, rebranded, and rented out again.
People had moved on.
The fear had faded.
I stood there for a while longer, unsure of what to do next.
This city was huge.
Finding one person based on a single online post felt impossible.
The building was my only connection.
And it wasn't helping.
"Child, are you asking around about this building?"
The voice came from behind me.
I turned around and saw a woman standing a few steps away.
She looked to be in her mid-fifties.
She wore simple casual clothes, nothing flashy. A light-colored kurta, comfortable pants, and sandals. In one hand, she held a grocery bag filled with vegetables.
Her hair was tied back loosely, and her face carried the calm expression of someone who had lived a long, ordinary life.
She wasn't smiling, but she wasn't hostile either.
Just curious.
"Um… yes," I replied carefully.
She studied me for a moment, her eyes moving from my face to my bag and back again, clearly trying to figure out what I was doing here.
"What are you looking for?" she asked.
I hesitated.
Then I lied.
"My relatives used to live here," I said. "I wanted to see if I could find out where they moved."
I didn't like lying, but no one was going to take a teenage boy seriously if I told them the truth. And asking directly about a fifteen-year-old tragedy would only bring unwanted attention.
It was obvious from the guard's response.
She raised an eyebrow slightly. "Relatives? When did you last talk to them?"
"It's been about fifteen years," I answered. "My parents miss them. They wanted to find them and I just want to share their burden and ease their worries."
I smiled I bit reluctantly.
I didn't really liked my parents or had any connection with them but This was the best excuse i could think of.
The woman's expression softened.
"Aww, that's very sweet of you," she said, gently patting my shoulder. "But I don't think you'll find them here. No one from that time lives in this building anymore."
"Not even the owner?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
She shook her head. "The old owner sold this place a long time ago. The new one renovated it and rented it out again. He's not from this city either. The new owner wouldn't know anything about the old tenants."
"How are you so sure?" I asked.
She smiled slightly. "Because I've lived in this city all my life."
She adjusted the grocery bag on her arm.
"Come," she said suddenly. "I'll take you to my café. You can ask me whatever you want there."
She turned and started walking, as if it was already decided.
I blinked. "Your café?"
"Yes," she said over her shoulder. "It's not far."
I hesitated for a second.
Following a stranger wasn't exactly smart.
But I had no choice than to follow her.
I had already found whatever I could from the building, which was not very helpful.
There was nothing different about it. It was same as any other building you can find.
I had imagined the the building might have some ritual energy or some signs like spells or matras, not that I have any idea what it would look or feel like.