The system's voice faded, leaving me standing there, scowling at the glowing screen. My stomach let out a loud, undeniable growl.
The spirit beside me snickered, though his voice carried an icy chill. "Hungry already?"
"Shut it," I muttered, rubbing my face. "You'd be too if you hadn't eaten in... well, however long it's been."
The kitchen was still tense, but the frost had completely disappeared. The head chef's suspicious gaze softened—probably because his pans weren't frozen solid anymore. He gestured vaguely toward a long table where some dishes sat cooling.
"You want food? Help yourself. Just… don't let the boss catch you."
"The boss?" I arched a brow.
The chef waved me off. "Don't ask. Just grab something before you get booted out of here."
Fair enough. I was halfway to the table when I realized the spirit was floating silently at my side, his form flickering slightly. He seemed less imposing now, though the blue glow in his eyes hadn't faded.
"What's your name?" I asked over my shoulder.
The spirit paused mid-hover, as if startled. "Name?"
"Yeah. You had one, didn't you?" I grabbed a small roasted duck leg from the table, tearing off a bite. The flavors exploded in my mouth—salty, savory, perfectly seasoned. "Holy hell, this is good."
The spirit watched me for a long moment before murmuring, "Baelian."
I froze, my teeth halfway through the meat. I glanced at him. "Baelian, huh?"
"Yes." His voice was quiet, distant. "It has been a long time since anyone spoke it aloud."
"Well, Baelian, welcome to… whatever this arrangement is. You're stuck with me now." I chewed thoughtfully, gesturing with the half-eaten leg. "You don't happen to know anything about this 'Third Nomination,' do you?"
Baelian tilted his head, the faintest smirk tugging at the corner of his ghostly mouth. "If I did, I wouldn't tell you. Where's the fun in that?"
I groaned, dropping onto a nearby crate to sit. The adrenaline was starting to wear off, leaving me utterly drained. I had no idea how long I'd been running through these ridiculous trials, but I could already feel exhaustion pulling at me.
"Fine, keep your secrets," I grumbled.
Baelian floated closer, folding his arms as he studied me. "Why did you choose to save me?"
The question caught me off guard. I paused, the words sticking in my throat. I could have gone with the easy answer—that I didn't want to be like the others who exorcised spirits without a second thought. But I didn't.
"Because you weren't hurting anyone," I said finally. "You were just… stuck. Like everyone else down here."
Baelian's flickering form stilled, his gaze locking onto mine. Something passed between us—an unspoken understanding.
"You are strange, Lu Shian," he said softly.
"Yeah, well," I muttered, finishing the duck leg. "I've heard that before."
Before I could sink into the brief moment of calm, the system chimed again—clear, cold, and obnoxiously cheerful.
[Third Nomination: Preparing.]
[Teleportation will begin in 30 seconds.]
I nearly choked. "Are you serious? I just sat down!"
The chefs, who had cautiously gone back to work, jumped at my outburst. The head chef turned to me. "What's your problem now?"
"None of your business, cleaver guy!" I shot back, already on my feet. The screen in front of me began counting down. 25 seconds. 24.
Baelian chuckled, floating up beside me. "Looks like your break is over."
"I hate this system," I muttered. "I hate it so much."
Baelian seemed thoroughly amused by my misery. "Where are you headed this time?"
"Good question," I said through gritted teeth. "Why don't you come along and find out?"
Baelian blinked in surprise, his form flickering again. "You want me to follow you?"
"Of course I do." I gave him a side glance. "You're mine now, remember? You're part of my team. I'm not leaving you here to sulk in some kitchen."
Something changed in Baelian's expression—so faint I almost missed it. It wasn't gratitude, exactly, but a small crack in the icy bitterness that clung to him like a shroud.
"Very well," he said quietly. "Lead on, Master."
"Stop calling me that."
The countdown reached zero, and I felt the now-familiar tug of teleportation. The kitchen dissolved around me, Baelian's spirit form fading into mist as he followed.
[Third Nomination: Welcome to the Mausoleum of Trials.]
The words echoed ominously as the world snapped back into focus. I staggered slightly, landing on cold stone. My breath misted in front of me.
"Great. More cold places," I muttered, glancing around.
We were standing in the middle of a massive underground hall. Towering stone pillars reached into the shadows above, and ancient carvings covered every surface. The air was heavy with the scent of dust, decay, and something else—something sharp and metallic.
Baelian hovered silently beside me, his form dim against the darkness. "This place…"
"What?" I asked, eyeing him.
"I have heard of it." His voice was low, wary. "The Mausoleum of Trials. It is a place of judgment for the strong."
I frowned. "Judgment?"
Before he could answer, the system chimed again.
[Third Nomination: The Trial of Shadows.]
[Objective: Survive the Spirits of Regret.]
My blood ran cold. Spirits of regret?
"What does that mean?" I muttered, gripping my fists.
The answer came immediately. From the shadows, figures began to emerge—thin, twisted forms with glowing eyes that pierced the darkness. They moved unnaturally, their limbs jerking as though they were being puppeteered.
And then I heard it.
Whispers. Soft, insidious, like claws scraping at the edges of my mind.
"You failed them…"
"You could have saved us…"
"It's your fault…"
I froze, my chest tightening. The voices weren't random. They were familiar—achingly so.
My hands trembled. "No…"
Baelian floated in front of me, his gaze sharp. "Lu Shian! Don't listen to them."
I staggered back, the whispers growing louder, clawing at the memories I'd buried so deep. Faces flashed in my mind—my brother's, my father's, countless others I'd tried to forget. The weight of it threatened to drag me under.
Baelian's voice cut through the noise, clear and steady. "Focus. They are not real."
I forced myself to take a shaky breath, my knuckles white. "They feel real."
"And yet you are still here." Baelian hovered closer, his icy aura snapping me back to the present. "You have faced worse. Prove to them, and to yourself, that they do not control you."
I felt the weight of the whispers closing in around me, threatening to drown out everything. The twisted forms of the spirits of regret lurched toward me with eerie, unnatural movements. Their eyes glowed with the kind of hunger that only the past could feed—vicious, relentless. But they didn't scare me. Not anymore.
Baelian's voice was a lifeline, steady and cold, "Focus, Lu Shian. They are not real. You are."
I took a deep breath, the cold air rushing into my lungs like ice water. My pulse raced, but I could feel my magic stirring within me, rising to the surface like a dormant beast awakened. The energy crackled in the air, filling me with the familiar surge of power.
With a sharp motion, I raised my hands, and a burst of violet energy shot from my palms, streaking toward the nearest spirit. The blast hit the creature with an explosive force, and it dissipated into a cloud of black smoke, screeching as it faded.
"Not real," I muttered to myself, clenching my fists.
But they kept coming. More of them, whispering, clawing at my mind. Their twisted forms blurred as they shifted, always trying to wrap themselves around my thoughts, dragging me back to places I didn't want to go.
"You failed them…"
I swallowed hard, ignoring the icy pang in my chest. I was done with this. My hands clenched tighter as the energy surged, blasting away another spirit. It crumbled into the shadows, its agonized screech filling the hall.
The spirits lunged again, their voices rising in a cacophony of guilt and accusation.
I blocked out the noise. Focused only on the power in my veins, the heat of it burning away the fog of doubt. I had faced worse. I had survived worse. These spirits had nothing on me.
With a growl, I thrust my palms forward, sending a shockwave of magic tearing through the cavern. The spirits disintegrated in an instant, their forms vanishing like smoke caught in a fierce wind.
And then there was silence.
The oppressive weight of the trial lifted, the shadows receding into nothingness. I stood alone in the mausoleum, the dust swirling around me as the last echoes of the spirits faded into oblivion.
[Trial of Shadows: Complete.]
The system's voice rang out, colder than before.
[You have completed the Third Nomination. Reward granted.]
The air shifted, a sudden chill crawling up my spine as the screen appeared before me, its contents flashing in rapid succession.
Rewards: Exorcist's Soulstone: Increases spiritual resilience by 35%. Shadowstep Skill: Grants the ability to move between shadows. 500,000 Nether Golds
I blinked at the rewards, taking a moment to process them. The Soulstone felt like it was pulsing with energy, a strange sensation of power thrumming under my skin. The Shadowstep Skill was a nice addition—something I'd put to good use if I ever needed to make a quick getaway. But the Nether Golds caught my attention.
I couldn't help but smirk. "Not bad for a day's work."
But before I could enjoy my victory for long, the system chimed again, the words flashing red in front of me.
[Your soul will now be summoned to the Exorcist World.]
I couldn't dwell on it for long. The pull was too strong now, overwhelming, dragging me away from the Mausoleum. I took a step forward, my body freezing mid-motion as the world around me began to dissolve.
When my feet finally touched solid ground again, I staggered slightly, disoriented. The air was thick with a different kind of pressure, one that gnawed at my skin, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. I blinked, taking in my surroundings.
The Exorcist World.
The sky above was a bruised purple, heavy with ominous clouds that swirled violently, like the very air was alive with tension. The ground beneath me was cracked and barren, the remnants of ancient ruins scattered across the landscape. The scent of decay and sulfur lingered in the air, and the distant howls of what could only be described as creatures of nightmare echoed across the horizon.
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. "So this was it, this is what they're saying?"
Thel Yang's blue eyes flickered, and for the first time since we'd met, there was something like understanding there. "You survive," she said simply.