Who will keep them safe?
For over a year, lost souls came to me, desperate to be heard. But their visits weren’t just about telling their stories—they were a distraction. While Candle Face’s shadows stood guard, some souls slipped away, taking refuge in my attic.
Now, thirty-one remain. Hidden, but not safe. The Master Shadow is searching for them, and time is running out.
This investigation is no longer about the past. It’s about protecting those who escaped, and finding the people who will shield them from Candle Face and her Master Shadow.
Who will keep them safe?
Candle Face Chronicles has always evolved with each new revelation. It began with two parts: Genesis and The Lost Souls. Now that Genesis has become Isabel: The Forgotten Daughter of La Llorona, and the lost souls no longer visit, the story has entered a new phase: The Fugitives.
At first, I believed the lost souls were coming for help. But now I realize they were buying time. Distracting the Master Shadow while others escaped. Those escapees are now hiding in plain sight, sealed in scrolls, but they're still being hunted.
That realization came the night I packed away my crystal ball and saw something through the glass that changed everything. Shadowy figures, over thirty of them, hiding in my attic. When I went upstairs, they were waiting for me.
These weren’t lost souls seeking testimony. They were something else: Fugitives.
They didn’t speak in words. They imprinted their story—emotionally, visually—directly into my mind. They had used the upstairs portal to escape, and their combined energy had overwhelmed the space. That’s what caused the flickering lights, not a signal, but a surge. Too much spiritual energy in my attic at once. It had drawn the Master Shadow’s attention. That’s why he came. He sensed them.
I hid them in bottles first to shield their energy. It worked, for a while. But it wouldn’t hold. Not against him.
At first, I hid them in bottles to shield their energy. It worked, but the solution didn’t feel right. The glass could break. The cork could fail. I couldn’t risk their energy leaking out. So I moved them. Each Fugitive was transferred into a scroll using the method I learned from Mr. Smoe, a form of spiritual preservation that binds a soul to parchment through ink and intention. The parchment holds their soul. The ink holds their voice. They remain in the scroll by choice, waiting for someone to complete the act they believe will set them free.
Before sealing each one into their scroll, I interviewed them. I asked every Fugitive the same set of questions about who they were, how they died, and what they believe might set them free.
Each scroll ends with a final line. It’s not a riddle or a metaphor. It’s a belief—something the Fugitive carries into death, something they feel might release them. That’s where the freedom begins. The Guardian can follow that belief or simply keep the scroll safe until more clarity comes.
But not all scrolls are easy to interpret. Some names are missing. Some places have changed. In those cases, we may still need the help of the paranormal community. Not to invent a ritual, but to recognize what the spirit is already asking for. The Fugitives are telling us how they can be freed. Sometimes, we just need help understanding what they mean.
But hiding them isn’t the only way to protect them.
The scrolls weren’t made to sit unnoticed.
If you’ve been asked to keep one, it means I trust you. But more than that, the Fugitives need your voice. They escaped Candle Face’s lair for a reason. They didn’t choose safety. They chose exposure. They chose to be seen, remembered, and talked about.
Each scroll contains a final line—a small act or ritual the Fugitive believes might help them pass. Some Guardians may feel called to perform it. Others may choose to wait, to protect the scroll until the wider community can find a better solution. Either choice is valid. The scroll holds the soul until that freedom comes.
This isn’t just about hiding them. It’s about keeping their stories alive until the right moment comes.
Talk about them. Share what you feel. Bring them into your space. Your podcast. Your readings. Your research. Your book clubs. Their presence is part of the protection.
Let’s keep them safe. But let’s also keep them heard.
That’s a fair question. Yes, talking about the Fugitives brings attention. But silence is more dangerous.
The Master Shadow doesn’t track names; he tracks energy. When a scroll sits quietly for too long, its energy settles. That makes it easier to detect. But when the story is shared, talked about, protected across different spaces, it becomes nearly impossible to follow.
This isn’t about exposure. It’s about motion. The scrolls need to stay alive in memory and conversation.
Keep them safe. But don’t keep them quiet.
Some have raised these questions: What if this is exactly what Candle Face wanted?
What if scattering the scrolls only spreads her power?
But I don’t believe that. I believe if the right people protect them, we can stop her from pulling them back.
Still, some in the paranormal community—investigators, mediums, even a few who’ve helped me before—begun to suspect something else entirely.
They ask: "What if these Fugitives aren’t fugitives at all? What if they’re her Shadows in disguise?"
What if they’ve tricked me into spreading them?
And what if I’ve been helping Candle Face all along—first by telling her story, and now by carrying her across the country one scroll at a time?
I don’t want to believe that. I want to believe I’m helping them.
But I also know this: Candle Face doesn’t need to be worshiped to grow stronger. She only needs to be remembered.
And we may not have much time.
He’s already been here—twice. Searching. Watching.
Does Candle Face know they’re missing? Or is the Master Shadow acting on his own? If my suspicion is right, these souls were his responsibility. And this failure isn’t mine. It’s his.
![Silhouetted figure walking through a smoky, desolate landscape beneath bold text reading “This is a fight for freedom”—a symbolic image of a Fugitive soul escaping Candle Face’s lair, risking everything for a second chance at the [after]life.](http://branchingplotbooks.com/cdn/shop/files/This_Is_a_Fight_for_Freedom.jpg?v=1743626076&width=1200)
This is no longer just an investigation.
It’s a fight to free them once and for all.
Will you help?
Thirty-one souls escaped Candle Face’s lair. Some have already been claimed, marked as unavailable within the collection. What remains are the scrolls still seeking a Guardian—someone willing to protect them while we work toward a permanent solution to set them free.
These souls were taken for not believing. Now they speak again, not to warn, but to be remembered. To be found.
This isn’t a product for sale. It’s a responsibility. Scrolls are free to the right Guardian and are available by request only to members of the paranormal community and select readers who understand the weight of what they’re being asked to carry.
There’s no cost to claim a scroll. No shipping fee. If you select a soul, the scroll will be mailed to you at no charge. The only expectation is that you don’t keep it silent. These souls chose exposure over safety. They chose to be seen, remembered, and kept alive through belief—until they can safely pass to the other side.
For more details about Isabel, The Lost Souls, The Fugitives, and The Scrolls of Souls visit my journal. There, you'll find entries that explore their past, document findings, and invite you to take part in the investigations.
