**Crack! Crack!... Crack!**
The barrier shattered completely as all eight mercenaries surrounded the boy, prioritizing his safety.
The temperature in the room dropped drastically, ice began to form, and their breaths turned foggy in the cold air.
A woman in a wedding dress appeared, hovering before them. Covered in a veil, she chanted what sounded like wedding vows.
The bride's ghost pointed her pale finger at Aiden, intensifying his anxiety and diminishing his will to survive.
She screeched loudly, causing the eardrums of the chief of security, who was guiding the mercenaries, to burst. He fell to the ground, screaming while clutching his bleeding ears.
The bride's ghost let out another screech, summoning lesser ghosts to do her bidding. The lesser ghosts charged at the mercenaries with reckless abandon, their eyes hollow.
Golden runes spun around the sorcerer's arms, while red runes glowed on the sorcerer's apprentice's arm. Using the runes, they created a zone that slowed and weakened the lesser ghosts while warming the room.
This made it easier for the group to handle the numbers and allowed them to focus more on the primary threat.
The tasks were divided among the mercenaries and sorcerers. Two of the mercenaries were assigned to protect Aiden, utilizing their defensive soul abilities. Three others dealt with the lesser ghosts alongside the sorcerer's apprentice. Meanwhile, Cain and the sorcerer, Nathaniel, focused on the bride's ghost.
No one dared to object, as Nathaniel and Cain were respected figures in the supernatural community.
Once the plan was finalized, Cain charged in with his guns drawn while Nathaniel cast spells from a distance.
They drew the bride's attention, distracting her from Aiden. Although the temperature was manageable, the others struggled to keep pace with Cain and Nathaniel.
The two of them, however, were focused solely on their task. While Nathaniel had concern for his apprentice, he was confident in the young man's abilities.
Cain was overpowering the ghost, needing just one clean strike to take her down. But the ghost, sensing the danger, charged at Aiden. If she couldn't be with him, then no one could.
To her surprise, she was halted. One of the mercenaries, wielding a soul ability to manipulate chains made of soul energy, effectively restrained her. In that brief moment, Cain seized his chance.
He beheaded the ghost, causing her to disintegrate into dust. The only remnant left was a black bead the size of a hand.
With the bride's ghost defeated, all the lesser ghosts faded into ashes, leaving behind smaller black beads, now the size of a finger.
The mercenaries and sorcerers were impressed by their loot, as not all ghosts of her caliber dropped an essence stone this large.
After distributing the spoils according to each person's contributions, they took a moment to rest, indifferent to the dead bodies scattered throughout the building.
As they prepared to leave, they realized that their pilot was missing, leaving them no choice but to spend the night on the island.
It wasn't so bad, as there were plenty of expensive items around, including Marc's favorite—wine.
He consumed nearly all the wine in the private bar before noticing Aiden approaching him, looking embarrassed.
Aiden straightened himself and took a moment to thank everyone for their assistance. Then he approached Cain privately to ask a simple question:
"Would you consider making me your apprentice?"