This is a tale of the birth and evolution of the Trance Witch—the most powerful and most perilous of all witch kinds. Forged not through study but survival, Trance Witches walk the threshold between flesh and spirit. By surrendering their bodies in controlled trances, they allow unrested souls to cross into the living world, granting the dead one final chance to complete what binds them. In doing so, they bring peace to wandering spirits and maintain the fragile balance between life and death. Each trance is an act of sacrifice, for every possession leaves its mark. Beyond the mortal veil lies the Shadow World, ruled by Death, keeper of all souls once they are finally laid to rest. Within Death’s vast Library, an endless archive of lives, regrets, and endings, a singular spirit is granted rare access. Known only as the Spirit One, he grows enthralled by the knowledge and power held among the shelves. But fascination breeds ambition. Through a secret bargain with Death, the Spirit One entwines himself with the lineage of the Trance Witch, offering guidance, strength, and protection—while concealing a design of his own. By mastering the trance within the Trance Witch, he seeks to bend both living and dead to his will, turning a gift of mercy into one of horror. This is a story of power earned through loss, of bargains struck in shadow, and of the terrible cost of becoming the bridge between worlds.