Charlie stared at the new page in complete confusion.
He had never expected Madison Montgomery to appear inside the Book of Containment, especially when every previous sign suggested that a supernatural entity had to be defeated before it could truly be contained.
Heather had followed that pattern perfectly, yet Madison was still very much alive.
Charlie lowered his gaze toward the woman resting against him.
Madison’s breathing was calm, her body temperature was normal, and there was no question that she remained a living person.
If that was true, then what exactly had the Book done to her?
A thought suddenly occurred to him, and Charlie focused on the Status section.
Heather’s page clearly displayed Contained, while Madison’s entry now showed something different.
[Status: Special Containment]
“So there are different forms of containment?” Charlie muttered.
The word special immediately made him wonder whether it was connected to the unusual circumstances under which Madison had been recorded.
He looked down at her again and carefully focused on what he could sense.
Something had changed.
Charlie’s awareness of Madison was much clearer than before.
Even with his eyes closed, he could sense that she was beside him, and instinct told him that the connection would remain even if they were separated by a considerable distance.
He could not read her thoughts, control her choices, or determine every detail of her condition, but he could somehow recognize her presence.
Was that what Special Containment meant?
Charlie’s imagination immediately began wandering.
If a living Salem witch could enter the Book this way, then perhaps other supernatural beings could as well.
A sophisticated vampire, a powerful werewolf, a dangerous demon, or even an unusual female spirit might someday qualify under similar conditions.
He abruptly stopped himself.
“Absolutely not.”
Charlie glared at the Book as though the entire train of thought were its fault.
“You’re the one who suddenly developed this ridiculous feature.
Don’t drag me into it.”
Then he looked back at Madison’s page.
On second thought, perhaps the feature was not entirely ridiculous.
The two abilities listed beneath Madison’s name were glowing faintly.
[Telekinesis]
[Pyrokinesis]
Charlie immediately understood the implication.
Unlike Heather’s abilities, which had been unavailable to his living body, Madison’s powers could apparently be awakened by spending Containment Points.
His eyes brightened.
He had felt slightly disappointed after Heather’s containment because Evil Spirit Possession and Evil Spirit Curse were useless to him.
Now the Book had presented two abilities he understood extremely well, and both were among Madison’s most useful gifts.
Special Containment did more than establish a connection.
It allowed him to acquire the subject’s powers.
Charlie immediately began considering the possibilities before catching himself once again.
Thoughts involving vampires, werewolves, demons, and other unusual supernatural women were becoming far too easy to imagine.
“Focus.”
A second ability would cost even more, which meant he could not simply purchase both.
Charlie had earned eighty points from containing Heather after previously gaining twenty from her two curse manifestations.
However, he had already spent twenty points increasing his Physical Body from 1.2 to 1.4, leaving him with sixty.
He could choose only one.
Telekinesis was extraordinarily versatile.
Madison had used it to throw people across rooms, stop weapons in midair, slam Heather through walls, and manipulate objects without touching them.
Against ordinary humans, Charlie would have chosen it without hesitation.
Pyrokinesis offered a different advantage.
Fire had proven remarkably effective against supernatural entities.
Fiona had nearly destroyed Heather’s curse manifestation by igniting it with a glance, and Madison’s newly awakened flames had burned through Heather’s physical corpse during their final confrontation.
Since Charlie expected most of his future enemies to be supernatural rather than ordinary criminals, the choice gradually became obvious.
He selected Pyrokinesis.
[50 Containment Points consumed.]
The pages of the Book began turning on their own.
Knowledge and instinct flowed directly into Charlie’s mind, giving him an understanding of the ability without requiring months or years of practice.
When the process ended, using fire felt almost as natural as moving one of his own hands.
Charlie opened his eyes and looked toward the curtain across the room.
A flicker appeared in his pupils.
Flames suddenly erupted across the fabric.
Charlie immediately shifted his attention, and the fire vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Only a blackened section of curtain remained behind, proving that the flames had been real rather than some illusion.
“Not bad.”
He studied the damage with satisfaction.
Wherever he focused his attention, he could ignite a flame, though his control was nowhere near Fiona’s ability to light every candle in a room with a casual gesture.
Even so, it was more than useful enough for combat.
Charlie raised one hand and concentrated.
A small flame appeared above his palm.
His satisfaction quickly faded when he compared it to what Madison had produced earlier.
Fiona’s pyrokinesis was vastly stronger, and even Madison could sustain hotter, larger flames than Charlie currently managed.
“So I received the ability, but not her full strength.”
The fire above his palm steadily weakened until it disappeared on its own.
Charlie rubbed his forehead as a wave of fatigue passed through him, immediately recognizing that the ability had consumed a noticeable amount of Spirituality.
That answered another question.
“The strength of an ability depends on Spirituality.”
His current Spirituality of 0.2 was still extremely low compared with an experienced witch.
The higher that attribute became, the stronger and longer-lasting his supernatural abilities should become.
Charlie rested until the drained feeling disappeared.
Once his Spirituality recovered, he used the remaining ten Containment Points without hesitation.
[Spirituality: 0.2 → 0.3]
His personal page immediately updated.
[Number: 000]
[Type: Human]
[Physical Body: 1.4]
[Spirituality: 0.3]
[Ability: Pyrokinesis]
[Containment Points: 0]
Compared with the ordinary young man who had first awakened inside this world, Charlie had changed considerably.
Even without drawing his Glock, his improved body alone would give him an advantage against many ordinary people, and now he possessed his first genuine supernatural ability as well.
He summoned another flame.
The improvement was not dramatic, but the fire was slightly stronger and easier to maintain than before.
That small difference confirmed his theory that Spirituality directly influenced the power behind supernatural abilities.
Physical Body could not be ignored either.
Charlie was still human.
A bullet could kill him, and the same was true for Madison despite all her magical talent.
Witches possessed extraordinary gifts, yet most still lived carefully within modern society because supernatural power did not automatically make flesh immune to guns, knives, or accidents.
Ghosts and evil spirits were different.
Many had little reason left, could not be seen by ordinary people, and often ignored conventional weapons entirely.
Heather had been exactly that kind of opponent, which was why defeating her had required both witchcraft and the Book of Containment.
Charlie dismissed the flame after completing several more tests.
Just then, Madison stirred beside him.
She opened her eyes, shifted closer, and wrapped herself comfortably around Charlie without the slightest embarrassment.
A satisfied smile appeared on her face as she looked at him.
“Darling, you were amazing.”
Charlie could not deny that hearing those words from someone as beautiful and demanding as Madison was pleasant.
For the moment, Heather, curses, containment assignments, and supernatural threats all felt pleasantly distant.
He wrapped an arm around Madison’s waist.
“I can do better.”
Madison raised an eyebrow.
“Want to prove it?”
“Of course.”
After resting, she had apparently recovered completely.
The excitement in her expression made it clear that she had no intention of spending the remainder of the day quietly.
Charlie took a deep breath.
He was beginning to appreciate this version of American life.
They did not leave Green Township immediately after defeating Heather.
With the homeowners still absent and the property comfortable enough to use, Charlie and Madison spent the rest of the day relaxing after everything they had endured.
By the time evening approached, nearly every part of the empty house showed some sign that the two unexpected guests had made themselves comfortable.
The living room, bedroom, bathroom, balcony, and even the lawn outside had all been put to enthusiastic use.
Charlie considered it a small reward for ending the evil spirit that had terrorized the area.
Surely the owners would forgive them once they learned what had happened.