After his numerous failed attempts to conclude his sentence, Ariana felt a strange sensation. It was then she noticed the hand she held was deathly cold, trembling subtly, devoid of any warmth.

Asense of uneasiness swept over her. Turning her gaze to Theodore, she found him ghostly white, his eyes devoid of any spark, his lips carrying a hint of a purplish hue.

“Theodore? Theodore!" Fear seized her at the sight of him like this, an apprehension creeping in that something wasn't right. She clutched his hand and softly tapped his cool cheek, her voice trembling with dread.

"Theodore, what's going on? I won't question any further, alright? Respond to me, Theodore!”

But he remained still, seemingly oblivious to her pleas, his voice mechanically repeating Marley's name.

Darkness seemed to consume Theodore.

There he stood, his mind a void, his nerves taut, seeming as though he might shatter at any given moment.

A shrill sound echoed in his ear, akin to tinnitus, or maybe the scream of a woman.

A figure emerged beside him.

Marley's pale, lifeless face smiled creepily, lacking any signs of life and casting an eerie glow as if she had clawed her way out of the underworld.

"Tell her," Marley whispered, her lips curved upward in a smile that stretched beyond imagination.

She danced around Theodore, her words sounding like a demonic incantation from the abyss.

"Let her know, let her know who I am.”

“Reveal it!" Marley's voice steadily grew in volume, her tone intense, punctuated by bouts of manic laughter.

"Tell her! Tell her! Theodore! Can you admit to the crimes you've committed? You're nothing more than a despicable murderer!"

The shrill sound almost split Theodore's eardrums. Shivering, his hand instinctively sought his medicine in his clothing, but found nothing.

His hand shook, and instead of the cool bottle, he felt soft fingertips.

Suddenly, a dazzling light cut through the darkness, chasing away the deranged specter and yanking him from the frigid abyss into the sunshine.

The world turned bright in an instant.

Warmth graced his lips, a familiar solace, a sunbeam guiding him back to the realm of the living.