Chapter 1: The Haunted Alley

Ren adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses, his breath shallow as he ventured deeper into the shadowy alley. The decrepit tavern ahead loomed like a forgotten relic of the past, its blackened silhouette blending with the oppressive darkness. Rumors called it haunted, abandoned not just by people but by time itself. Yet here he was, clutching a trembling flashlight in his right hand, his grip so tight it hurt. In his left, his phone was pressed against his ear.

"Jia… are you absolutely sure this is the place?" His voice cracked under the weight of his anxiety.

"Yes," Jia replied, her tone infuriatingly casual. "I'm positive. My backpack's there."

A cold gust of wind swept through the alley, carrying the faint scent of mildew and decay. It brushed against Ren's neck, sending a shiver down his spine and ruffling his untidy red hair. He froze, his eyes darting into the pitch-black void ahead.

"What the hell were you doing here?!" he hissed, his words barely audible over the sound of his own heartbeat. "This place is a freaking ghost town! Literally!"

"For the last time," Jia sighed, her voice tinged with exasperation, "I sometimes hang out there during the day. It's quiet, okay? And besides, ghosts aren't real!"

Ren clenched his jaw. No such thing as ghosts? Yeah, sure. Then why wasn't she here getting her backpack herself?

A faint creak echoed from somewhere behind him. He whipped around, his flashlight's beam flickering as it jumped across the cracked walls and rusted barrels.

"What was that?" he whispered, his voice barely above a tremor.

"What was what?" Jia asked, her voice oblivious to the growing tension.

"I heard something—"

Before he could finish, a sudden, invisible force slammed into his back, sending him sprawling onto the cold, hard ground. His phone skittered away into the darkness, Jia's voice fading into static.

"Ren?! Are you there?!"

Ren scrambled for his flashlight, his heart pounding. His skin crawled as an icy breeze brushed past him again, carrying with it an almost inaudible whisper. He spun around just in time to see a jagged crack appear in the wall where he had just been standing.

Adrenaline surged through his body.

"Ghosts are freaking REEEAAAALLLLLL!" he screamed, bolting to his feet.

"Ren! What's going on?!" Jia's distant voice barely registered as he darted through the alley, dodging crumbling pillars and discarded debris.

"I don't wanna die yet!" he cried, his voice breaking, but his panic carried him straight into a dead end. A solid, unyielding wall loomed ahead, blocking his escape.

"Oh, come on!" he groaned, spinning around, his flashlight trembling in his grasp.

From the shadows, a skeletal figure emerged. Its hollow, ashen form was cloaked in tattered remnants of clothes that might have been fashionable decades ago. Glowing red embers burned in the sockets where its eyes should have been.

"I want…" the ghost rasped, its voice like dry leaves scraping against stone. "I want… I want… I want…"

Ren's breath caught in his throat. His flashlight trembled as he raised it defensively.

"Stay back!" he warned, though his tone lacked conviction.

The ghost advanced, dragging its brittle frame closer. "I WANT!"

Just as Ren braced for the worst, a sharp whistle cut through the air. THWACK! The ghost's head jerked violently to the side, and its brittle body crumpled to the ground.

"Hello, motherfucker."

Ren spun around, his flashlight catching the source of the voice. A girl strode toward him, her dark hair flowing like liquid shadows and her crimson eyes glinting with an unsettling mix of mischief and focus.

She couldn't have been more than a year or two older than him, but there was something about her presence that demanded attention. She held a sturdy, well-worn bat over her shoulder, its surface riddled with strange carvings that glowed faintly in the dark.

Her outfit—a skimpy black dress— was distractingly short, though Ren tried not to notice the red underwear peeking out.

Unlike Ren, she didn't seem even remotely fazed by the apparition.

"Who… who the hell are you?!" Ren stammered, his voice cracking.

The girl ignored him, her crimson gaze fixed on the ghost. "Release the girl," she commanded, her tone sharp and unyielding.

"And what if I don't?" the ghost hissed, its shattered skull twisting grotesquely as it grinned.

The girl didn't waste words. She lunged, her bat slicing through the air with terrifying precision. The crack of impact echoed through the alley, followed by the sound of brittle bones shattering.

In a blur, she was behind the ghost, landing another strike that sent it skidding across the ground. Ren could barely keep up, his mind reeling as he tried to process what he was seeing.

The girl pulled a small talisman from her pocket, its surface covered in intricate symbols that seemed to pulse faintly. "The possession's fresh. The girl's aura is still intact. This should be enough to sever the link."

The ghost screeched, lunging toward Ren in a final act of desperation.

"Oh no, you don't," the girl muttered, tossing the talisman. Purple flames erupted from the paper, engulfing the ghost. Its shrill cries filled the air as its form dissolved into ash.

In its place lay an unconscious schoolgirl, her body limp but otherwise unharmed.

Ren stood frozen, his mind blank as the dark-haired girl turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "What? Never seen an exorcist before?"

He opened his mouth, but a guttural roar from the shadows cut him off. The ground trembled beneath their feet.

From the darkness emerged another figure—this one humanoid, but its skin was translucent, glowing faintly like molten glass. Its veins pulsed with flickers of light, and its movements were unnervingly fluid, like it was swimming through the air rather than walking.

"This one's fused," the girl muttered, her crimson eyes narrowing.

"What does that mean?" Ren asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"It means," she replied, her tone turning grim, "we're dealing with a Resonant Echo. Symbiotic host, no separation possible."

Ren blinked, uncomprehending. "A… what?"

The creature raised a hand, and arcs of lightning danced across its translucent skin. The air crackled with raw energy.

"Shit," the girl cursed under her breath. "It's a Type-Thirteen Amplifier. Full integration. We're screwed."

"What does that mean?!" Ren cried, his voice rising in panic.

The girl didn't answer. She grabbed the unconscious girl on the floor and backed away slowly. "It means we run. Now!"