All Chapters of Threads of Sin: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

When I was 16 years old, I traveled with my sister, Sarah Barnes, to Nectar Valley for the rural settlement program. We arrived late, and the youth dormitory was already full, so Sarah and I were housed with Nutty.Nutty's surname was Walters, and his given name was Nathan, though his formal name was chosen to match the pronunciation of his childhood nickname. In rural areas, there was a custom of giving boys deliberately crude names to ward off evil spirits and help them survive to adulthood.A few years earlier, Nutty's parents had died carrying sandbags to rebuild the burst reservoir dam. His house had a main room with a tile roof and two bedrooms. At night, Nutty and I shared one room while Sarah slept in the inner room.Despite his unfortunate nickname, Nutty was truly a handsome young man. Nearly six feet tall with thick eyebrows and bright eyes, he had finished high school, loved reading, and was generous and straightforward in nature. Both Sarah and I liked Nutty very much.

Chapter 2

Sarah and I were terrified, our faces pale as ghosts, not daring even to breathe loudly. We gripped each other's hands tightly, trembling nonstop.That voice circled around the house several times, sometimes near, sometimes far, but I refused to answer. After a while, the voice disappeared.Sarah and I breathed a sigh of relief, but we still didn't dare move a step. We could only hope Nutty would quickly bring his uncle.Nutty's uncle, Peter Walters, was the village's folk healer. Whenever a child in the village got frightened by spirits, families would seek Peter to perform cleansing rituals.When Sarah and I first arrived, Nutty would tell us stories about his uncle's encounters with ghosts and spirits after finishing work in the evenings. We had always listened to them as mere stories. Now that we had encountered a ghost ourselves, we realized those tales were probably true.Time seemed frozen, unable to flow. In our terror, Sarah and I stared at the door, enduring each minute

Chapter 3

My heart seemed to stop beating instantly. Instinctively, I shook my hand violently, flinging the spider to the ground, then lifted my foot and stomped down hard.Before I could catch my breath, Sarah let out a terrified scream. I looked up at her quickly and saw her staring with wide eyes, fixed on the top of my head.Before I could speak, Sarah had already grabbed a feather duster from nearby and swung it forcefully at me. Pain shot through my head as loud smacking sounds echoed.Just then, something fell from my head. Looking down, I saw two large black scorpions.Sarah's face was pale. She gritted her teeth and stomped on each scorpion, crushing them both.My heart pounded like a drum, my legs went weak, and I collapsed onto the long bench. Sarah also slumped into the wooden reclining chair, gasping for breath.As my terror began to settle, my eyes unconsciously fell on the mess of scorpion remains. I wasn't sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me, but the crushed remains s

Chapter 4

Sarah pulled open the door and rushed out urgently. Peter and I followed close behind. In the distance, we could see the flashlight lying on the ground, its beam cutting across the road. Nutty lay on the ground nearby, clutching a small bag of salt in his hand. Next to him was a dead snake, its head crushed to a bloody pulp.Sarah and I helped Nutty back to the small house. Peter examined the wound on Nutty's leg, and his expression changed dramatically.Worried that Nutty's life might be in danger, I asked Peter, "Is this snake very venomous?"Peter shook his head. "This snake was left behind by the Temptress as it fled back to its lair. The venom has already been absorbed by the Temptress as nourishment. The snake isn't poisonous anymore, so the bite won't harm him."Despite his words, Peter still wore a grim expression, as if he had more to say but was holding back. After a while, Peter finally spoke up. "Nutty, tell me honestly. When you encountered that snake, did you feel a

Chapter 5

There was nothing I could do except hope that Nutty would pedal faster so we could escape this terrifying fog and get away from that disturbing voice.But the bicycle gradually slowed down. I thought Nutty was too tired to keep pedaling and was about to suggest we switch places. Instead, he stopped the bike completely.He turned around and stared at me with a strange expression on his face. His eyes gleamed with a feral intensity, and his breathing became rapid."Nutty, what's wrong with you?"His appearance terrified me. Nutty didn't answer. He grabbed one of my hands and started dragging me toward the grass. I desperately crouched down and grabbed a tree root with my other hand, not wanting to be dragged away.However, Nutty was tall and strong from years of farm work. With his brute strength, I was no match for him. He quickly dragged me into the grass.My arms were cut by the tall grass, and blood was seeping out. The pain brought me back to my senses from the terror and pani

Chapter 6

Shirley had always enjoyed flirting with men. Sarah never liked her, so I didn't like her either.Before we could answer, Shirley looked at Gus and asked, "Are you heading back to the village too? Is someone's house haunted?"Nutty was about to speak when Gus lightly bumped his arm and quickly said, "Nothing like that. Tomorrow is the anniversary of Nutty's parents' death. He asked me to come back and perform a ceremony."Shirley seemed to be asking just out of politeness and didn't really care about the matter. Before Gus had even finished speaking, she looked at me. "Alex, why don't you ride in the truck?"Noticing her flirtatious manner, I felt disgusted and blurted out, "I'm not riding with you!"Shirley raised an eyebrow, and a sarcastic smile played at the corners of her mouth. She was about to retort when Nutty quickly said, "Shirley, I'll ride in your truck. Let Alex take the bicycle with Gus."Gus nodded. "That's the arrangement then. Alex, you pedal and I'll sit on the

Chapter 7

Gus formed a gesture with his fingers and said sternly, "Stand back."He struck through the air with one hand, and the main door swung inward with a loud bang. Gus and I rushed into the main room, only to witness a terrifying scene.Peter lay collapsed on the ground, his hands covered in wounds, with blood pooled everywhere. Nearby, Sarah had fainted, and her face was splattered with blood."Sarah! Peter!" I lunged forward, shaking one and then the other.Neither of them responded. I was so worried I nearly started crying.Gus bent down and checked both their breathing. "They're alright. Go close the door first."I hurried to close the door. When I turned back, Peter and Sarah were lying on the reclining chair and daybed respectively.Gus sat cross-legged beside Peter, chanting under his breath while continuously forming hand seals. Before long, Peter slowly awakened. Opening his eyes and seeing Gus, joy filled his expression. "Gus, you've finally come.""What happened here?"

Chapter 8

I had already witnessed Gus' abilities, and his calm, composed demeanor immediately put my mind at ease. But after I told Sarah about the enchantment, she nearly went crazy with worry.She clasped her hands together and paced frantically. "But Nutty... what if Nutty fell under Shirley's spell?"Just then, there was a knock at the door. While we were all anxious, Gus remained calm and told Sarah to open the door, saying Nutty had returned.Sarah rushed to open the door, and sure enough, it was him. She breathed a sigh of relief but then looked very unhappy, frowning as she complained, "Where have you been? I was worried sick!"Nutty scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I... well, I'm back now, aren't I?"Gus walked forward and raised his hand to stop their chatter, asking, "Nutty, did you find the Temptress's lair?""Found it. Come on, I'll take you there right now."The four of us followed Nutty around the cottage, through the village path, and into the mountain fo

Chapter 9

Seeing my face turn instantly pale, Gus quickly said, "Don't worry. Peter and I will be lying in ambush nearby. As soon as the Temptress appears, we'll immediately strike and kill it."Although I was afraid after hearing this, I still nodded firmly. "Alright. I'll do it."Gus reached out and patted my head. "Very good."Gus and Peter then hid near the cave, set up their wards, and prepared for battle. I approached the Temptress' lair step by step, shouting anxiously and helplessly, "Nutty! Nutty, where are you?"The red light from the cave entrance began emanating thick fog that spread continuously outward.Nutty's voice came from within the fog. "Alex, Alex, I'm here. Where are you? Alex? Alex!"I didn't respond, but kept calling Nutty's name while circling around the cave. The Temptress lost patience and crawled out of the cave, and that was when I finally saw its true form.It was a massive spider, easily over six feet tall. Its body was covered in a black shell that gleamed

Chapter 10

Then, a cool sensation surged through my body. The boiling lava within me gradually calmed and transformed into a peaceful blue sea. The feverish heat in my body gradually subsided.I fell asleep. I had no idea how much time had passed before I woke up. Gus was sitting beside my bed with a grave expression.He looked at me with complex eyes and said slowly, "Alex, you played no small part in destroying the Temptress.""The Temptress is dead?"My heart leaped with joy, and I tried to sit up. But my whole body was weak, so I had to lie back down.Gus patted my shoulder reassuringly. "You were severely injured and haven't recovered yet. You need to rest for a while."Gus looked at me for a few more seconds, then asked, "Alex, I see you have good potential. I'd like to take you as my apprentice. You could come with me to the community center to learn folklore studies. What do you say?""Yes!" I was overjoyed and answered without hesitation.Of course I would go to the community cen

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