Seeing such an eerie and morbid sight, I felt a shiver run through my spine.
Why was there an abnormal clearing far into the dark forest, with souls flying up into the sky and falling back down?
[Pretty sight isn't it?]
My body froze in an instant and I immediately calmed my face down and made myself look calm and composed.
But the same adventurer woman who was walking along the small village's streets was perceptive, why and how did she know?
[Don't worry kid, you aren't the first human that could see the dead.]
She laughed a melodious tone and stood beside me, watching the spectacle that was happening far, far away.
I decided to put a little bit of trust in this ghost, breaking several principles of being the son of a shaman.
Forgive me, grandmother.
I let out a sigh and turned around to look at her.
Since I was still twelve, I was rather short and she towered above me. But in reality she's atleast 5"5, and a few extra inches due to her floating.
Finally, I asked, "What's up with...that? And why are there spirits all over the dark forest?"
The woman smiled, and miraculously gave her ghostly form some color. Tender looking skin with black hair and pale white eyes, she had a gray cloak on and it was easy to tell that she had a nice body.
[Gave up on pretending, boy?] She teased and made the colors of her body fade, now back to her pale, blue ish, white body.
There was not a lot of spirits that could give themselves their original color, but maybe this world had some frequently... Maybe.
Before she returned to her ghostly colors I took sight of a familiar emblem that was attached to her cloak.
It was gold, and had shapes in them. One was a wand being held by what looks to be a man or woman, while the other was an elf and she held a staff.
That was the emblems of the mage association from long ago, though they were still alive and running, there was not a lot of mages left due to Mana and Magical Energy being used in new weapons, like guns and modified swords and bows, canons, etc.
"You were a mage?" I asked while still facing her, I decided to peer through her soul real quick to see her soul and her Mana/ Magical Energy.
Her soul was the usual for the harmless ghosts, like a pale blue fire. Her Mana was the same, a ball of flames that were colored white was all over her ghostly body.
Everyone had their own different Mana/Magical Energy colors, Life Essence was pure, glittery, and shiny gold that spread through out someone's body.
This ghost woman was dead so there was none of that.
Finally she answered my question with a smile, saying, [Ahh the clearing... That place is known as the graveyard of souls.]
[As you can apparently see, thousands or maybe even more spirits were inside the forest, they cannot or just do not want to leave.]
[They believe that they can find their God when they pray hard enough in the area around it, fly high to the sky, only to vanish with only their crippling Magical Energy left.]
She said and sighed, looking at the mortifying and bizarre rituals that were happening from afar.
Indeed, it was rather a bizarre belief.
There was no way that spirits would give up on their eternal slumber for this ritual.
Something is definitely wrong... However.
Taking a long glance at the spirit beside me, I then asked:
"Then how come you wander freely, and not inside the forest?"
She gave me a funny look and sighed amusedly, like my question was a stupid one.
[I don't believe in those righteous gods, nor will I be tricked into something like that.]
She paused, then added in a rather sad tone, [I'm a necromancer after all. I would know the best when it comes to the supernatural, not those poor souls being eaten...]
Eaten?
I tried focusing on each soul that flew up, my eyes narrowing on it as I continued to observe.
Indeed, they were being eaten!
Something horrendous was sucking out whatever Mana and Magical Energy was left in their souls, leaving only a tiny bit, only for them to die and be nonexistent.
I nodded as if understanding her words, she emphasized the word "eaten" so subtly that I almost didn't catch it.
Now the real question is...
"What the hell is eating them?" I asked and turned to the ghost beside me once more.
She smiled and stood straight up, her feet were inches off the ground so she was flying. She had an intrigued look on her face as she addressed me:
[I'll take you half way to the graveyard of souls, but I'll leave everything else to you. Good luck though, it seems you haven't awakened yet kiddo.]
Walking, or floating forward, she gestured for me to follow with her arms as the deceased spirit of an adventurer was about to lead me to something that could probably get me killed.