The Slayer of Souls

A young American woman named Tressa Norne has spent four long years haunted by a nameless dread that clings to her thoughts like a shadow. As the steamer Nan‑yang Maru pulls away from the dimming lights of Yuen‑San, the oppressive sense of foreboding finally begins to lift, leaving her to wonder whether her soul has merely been bound or irrevocably broken.

On board the ship she meets a kindly Englishwoman who offers companionship, yet Tressa prefers solitude, finding solace on the quiet hurricane deck beneath a moonlit sky. There she cradles a four‑string lute, humming ancient songs from distant lands—melodies of horsemen, demons, and forgotten lovers—that echo the strange world she has left behind. As the sea swallows the Asian coast, a fragile peace settles over her, hinting that the true test of her newfound freedom may still lie ahead.