* * *
'F*ck.'
'F*ck.'
'F*ck…'
Was all Solome could scream inside his mind.
Solome swiftly closed his eyes again, telling himself internally, 'Must be the wind. All is just my silly imagination. Yes. That's it. My imagination.'
Of course, the way he did that seemed normal, with the indifferent expression that was always etched on his face. He appeared casual – as if someone who simply tired and wanted to sleep.
Meanwhile, Shera's voice echoed in Arion's mind, a whisper that sent chills down his spine. "Be extra careful, Arion. Something is unsettlingly close to us."
'Yeah. I can feel it too. Hey, can I ask something?' he replied, his heart racing.
"Go ahead."
'Is a ghost or something like that real?'
"Of course. But stay in your seat. Don't look over. She is now looking at you four from the window. Don't show her that you are aware of her position. Distract that guy, especially Nesa. Both of them can see it," Shera affirmed, her tone serious.
Goosebumps quickly rose from the soles of Arion's feet to the top of his head.
He shuddered from the unknown cold and fear.
'Goddayum. So, it's real.'
"Hey, Nesa. Look over here," Arion said, trying to keep his voice steady as he conjured a small flame at the tip of his index finger.
The fire flickered brightly, a stark contrast to the eerie atmosphere surrounding them.
Without looking over, he tapped Solome's stiff shoulder, which was frozen in place, eyes closed, and face still directed toward the outside world.
Solome turned his head away from the window, feigning annoyance. But his pale lips and the reply that usually stuck in his throat betrayed his tumultuous feelings.
"What is it?" he grumbled, trying to sound irritated.
"Look, fire magic. Cool, right?" Arion said, forcing a grin.
"Huh, not bad," Solome replied, his voice lacking its usual indifference.
Rhea and Nesa, who heard Solome's unexpected response, exchanged surprised glances. They never expected him to engage when it came from Arion.
Shera's voice cut through Arion's thoughts again.
"I already isolated the whole room you all are in. But still, try not to talk loudly. Whisper, but don't let it be apparent that you're communicating about that Evil Spirit. I only used a thin membrane of Ether with layers of spells to fool that spirit. She won't blatantly get inside since it would be impolite for a spirit to intrude on those unaware of her presence. Explain to them slowly. This spirit is powerful. One wrong step and someone's lifespan could be reduced to nil."
'Can you do something about it, Shera?' Arion asked her.
"I'm not sure myself. I suggest we don't take risks if that Spirit won't attack us. The ghost isn't as strong as the guy that night, but the Soul Essence needed to activate all the runes, combined with the forcefully activated Muladhara state, while I keep healing your body from the aftereffects, has already left me almost dried out. Your Soul Flame is also still too weak to burn it completely," Shera explained.
'But you seem fine using magic in your realm.'
"It's different. The realm is part of me. I can use any spells to cast magic there since it is part of my real self, which is still somewhat connected with the current me. That means I can generate enough power to do what I want, with some limitations. But not outside in reality. I'm really weak now. That is also another reason why I hurry you to get stronger. There is a lot of turbulence in the 13 Realms right now. A Spirit isn't supposed to be here in the First Realm, especially a malicious one. Except…"
"Except…" she resumed.
"Someone. Or something summoned it here."
"So, what can we do?" Arion asked.
"We wait. Do not provoke it. There is someone among the guards strong enough to banish it back to the Spirit's Realm. But the problem is…" Shera suddenly fell silent, hesitating whether to reveal the history or not.
'What is the problem?' Arion asked curiously.
*
Meanwhile, on the outside where he sat, Arion said with a low voice with hints of urgency to the rest of the group, trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy.
"All of you, act normal. Don't do anything that seems odd. Just converse as usual. If you have something important and urgent, use a voice that is as low as possible and make your behavior as normal as you can. Don't turn to the window. Again, I warn you all. Do not turn to the window or consciously glance at it. And if you still see something, don't scream or act surprised. Stay calm. Act like you see nothing. If you have a question, I will answer you later. But we need to wait. Now, act."
After hearing Arion's urgent whisper, the group swallowed the words they wanted to ask.
It was because somehow, one way or another – they could all feel the coldness surrounding them, a palpable tension that made their skin crawl.
There was also a gaze somewhere unseen, pricking sharply at their skin – as if a pair of eyes were looming, watching, and observing them with malicious, eerie intent.
So, the four of them forced smiles and engaged in conversation, trying to maintain a facade of normalcy.
Even Solome, who was usually indifferent, found himself unable to refuse the act.
He finally acknowledged that what he had seen at the window was not a figment of his imagination. Nesa's words had not been a lie. There was indeed something close, watching them intently.
Fortunately, Solome was tempered in the art of pretentiousness – much like Arion.
Even if he was scared, his face still looked unphased when he recalled that female face he had glimpsed earlier.
The curses swirling in his mind did not betray him, remaining hidden behind his calm demeanor.
He had learned to stiffen his facial expression, ensuring that his inner thoughts remained unreadable. It was a courtesy of his childhood that now proved somewhat useful in saving his skin by a hair's breadth.
As they continued their forced conversation, the atmosphere thickened with tension – thick and suffocating, each of them acutely aware of the unseen eyes watching them, waiting for the right moment to strike.
*
Meanwhile, Shera continued her explanation to Arion – who was still acting alongside the others.
"So, the problem is that the guard can't see or sense the spirit."
'Why? Isn't he strong? Is there no magic that can make someone capable of seeing spirits?' Arion asked, his mind racing.
"There is," Shera replied, her voice low and serious.
"But it was erased from the minds of all staying in The Present as per the decision of all Celestials and Primordials. I don't really know who is to blame for the whole conflict, but before you Humans learned to use Etherweaving, the main magic art your race used was actually… Spiritism. It was a magic where you created a Spirit Pact with the native spirits. It connected you Humans to the 8th Realm, Ralshya, where the good spirits are called Numens. The evil spirits, which are frowned upon for contracting, are known as Ghosts, Djinns, or Wraiths. The users of Spirit Pacts were known as Atmayans, the Spirit Contractors. And it's one of the special magic arts that weirdly only Humans soul could learn."
Taking a deep breath, Shera continued, "But there were conflicts that occurred ages ago, claiming numerous lives across the realms. So, the Celestials and all the Primordials decided to punish Humans by erasing all records of the Spiritism magic art from the realms and replacing it with Etherweaving only that was created to fight against The Void Serpent. We also took away all the magic that allowed any race in the 13 Realms to see spirits ever again, except for some irregular people born with special aptitude. Meanwhile, the 8th Realm, Ralshya, has been locked away for ten thousand years for their crimes, and the connection between the realms has been severed for them."
Hearing this whole shocking history lesson from Shera, Arion lost his concentration for a brief moment.
It was only for a fraction of a second though, for the time dilation between the real world and his mind was no joke.
An hour outside could feel like a day inside.
He had trained himself to shift his focus, but the reality of what he was learning was still rather overwhelming.
'Then why is an evil spirit here?' he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"It means someone has managed to open the locks and reconnect the 8th Realm with the 1st Realm here. Or worse, the connection might extend to all the other realms too," she said, worry filling her entire being.
The thought of her friends in Ralshya, whom she often visited as an avatar, weighed heavily on her heart.
The problem right now wasn't just the connection. If only the Numens were here, they would be fine, as they were known to be peaceful even after the punishment.
Few of them had even thanked the Celestials for banishing the Evil Kings who had enslaved their realm. But the other spirits were a different story.
* * *
"So, how do we proceed from here? Any plan?" Arion asked, a headache forming as the weight of the problems grew heavier with each revelation.
"We need to wait and pray that the ghost still adheres to the Rules of the Spirits. Otherwise, a lot of students here will be doomed. I could expel her so she can't touch you, but the others won't be so lucky. Surely, you don't want any innocents swept away during this dangerous time, right?"
"Of course! Aren't we on an expedition to handle the turbulence you said before? It would be lame if I can't even save my fellow students,' Arion replied, his voice filled with conviction and fiery determination.
"Good. If the evil spirit leaves, find that guard and think of a way to touch his temple with your hand. I will use a simple spell to break the vows for a few minutes at most, so he can see the ghost and banish it back to the Spirit Realms."
"Good enough. Let's do it."
*
Meanwhile, in the bus the four of them were currently in – the pressure and coldness surrounding them slowly diminished, and warmth began to return to the atmosphere.
The gaze that had seemed to linger on them vanished into thin air.
Subconsciously, Rhea touched her chest and sighed in relief from the tense situation.
Unknown to her, the female ghost had indeed disappeared from the window.
But now, she was lying, floating beneath the bus, her ear pressed against the underside of Arion's compartment.
Her eyes widened, feeling suspicious of the four inside that she had observed for the past few minutes. The baby, wrapped in white cloth, was still cradled in her arm.
After hearing Rhea's sigh of relief, the female spirit grinned maliciously, her intentions dark and foreboding.
*