* * *
As the female ghost fled, phasing through the bus wall, Arion could only watch helplessly as the spirit escaped from him.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the scene, his quick punch – intended for the fleeing spirit – had left a dent in the side of the unconscious driver.
The man lay there, mouth agape and eyes wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling of the bus. Saliva dribbled down the side of the middle-aged lips.
'Is he fine?' Arion wondered as he looked at the driver.
"Yes, fortunately, he is alive, at least…" Shera replied, her voice urgent and laced with tension.
"Quick, catch up to the ghost! I managed to leave a mark on it. But be careful of the floating baby too; it can leave a curse."
With a nod, Arion bolted out of the bus, the door creaking ominously as he flung it open.
The other students, drawn by the commotion, began to emerge from their seats, their expressions shifting from confusion to horror as they took in the sight of their unconscious driver.
"What happened? Huh, what the hell… Did he do this to our driver?" one student exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief.
"No idea," another replied, shaking his head in shock.
"Damn, the door is locked! What the f*ck?" someone shouted, banging on the door in frustration.
"It must be that damn Arion! What did he do? Bloody hell!" another student cursed, panic creeping into their voices.
Ignoring the chaos behind him, Arion sprinted toward the forest.
Nesa then cast a simple Rune Magic, {Agility}, to give him a boost. It wasn't as miraculous as the {Accelerate} rune he had experienced that night, but it still enhanced his movements nonetheless, allowing him to run faster.
He needed every bit of speed he could muster, especially since he was pursuing a spirit capable of flying.
From the information shared by Shera, he recalled that ghosts usually had limitations when it came to flying. They couldn't reach high altitudes due to ancient rules set by the Celestials. They could only float and fly slightly above the surface.
However, there were exceptions, and one of those was their ability to shift through space, which drained a lot of their energy and was one of the most dangerous aspects of a spirit's capabilities.
"I'm sharing a small part of my senses with you so you can determine its position in a wider range," Shera explained, her tone serious.
"But beware, there's a limited time for this. So, you better end this fast and get back to the group. I started to get tired."
As she finished speaking, Arion felt a surge of awareness, allowing him to perceive the female spirit's location within the forest.
It wasn't as detailed as the {Soul Wave} rune she had applied to him during the academy attack, which required more Soul Essence than she could currently supply, but it was a significant help in his current situation, especially given the distance Shera could cover with her senses.
Finally, he got close enough to see the ghostly dress fluttering in the wind.
But out of nowhere, the female spirit suddenly appeared right in front of him – her black, rotten, sharpened fingernails poised to strike.
Arion barely managed to dodge to the side, thanks to his hellish training in the Flow of the Air regime that kicked in just in time.
'Oh, you're coming at me on your own, huh? How brave,' he thought, surprised by the spirit's audacity.
Both of his hands ignited with an invisible fire, the Soul Essence swirling around his hands.
'So, we need to catch this spirit and bring it to the guard captain as proof, right?' he asked, his mind racing with the plan.
"Yes," Shera confirmed, her voice steady.
Arion spread his legs in a somewhat casual stance, readying himself to confront this female spirit.
* * *
But, contrary to Arion's expectations, the female ghost instead swiftly ran away from him.
It created quite a distance while he and Shera remained stupefied by its sudden unexpected action.
"Damn," Arion muttered to himself.
Awakened from her daze, Shera angrily invoked Rune Magic, casting {Slow} on the fleeing female ghost.
The spell took the spirit by surprise, its movements were suddenly hindered by an unseen force.
While the outside world continued at its usual pace, a shimmering barrier enveloped the ghost, slowing down its time and altering the very fabric of reality in that small section of the world.
It was a complex Rune Magic that drew upon some of her Soul Essence, a precious resource she had only recently recovered after spending days inside her special realm, combined with a fraction of energy she managed to get from her true self form.
Not wanting to waste her hard-earned Soul Essence, which had only just begun to replenish, she hurriedly sent her thoughts to Arion, explaining that the magic would only last for no more than two seconds at most – that it wouldn't hold for long.
But that was all the time he needed. Together, they swiftly assessed the situation, their minds racing to devise a plan to end this encounter fast.
As they approached the decelerated female spirit, Arion deftly maneuvered past its translucent form.
In a quick turn, he delivered a punch straight to its face, his fist engulfed in translucent flames that countered the effects of the {Slow} magic.
The flames then seared the ghost's pale visage, leaving behind charred skin and a trail of smoke that lingered in the air.
The Spirit let out a slow, agonized scream, its face a grotesque mask of pain.
Another punch followed shortly in quick succession, aimed at the baby swaddled in tattered white clothes, with not only the sight that sent a chill down his spine – but the sensation he had on his clenched fist when it landed also unsettling in so many ways to him.
It felt like he punched the corpse of a skinny baby.
*Craa*
*Wah, wah, wah*
As the {Slow} magic wore off, the ghost's wail mingling with the baby cries pierced the air, a sound so unsettling – with the echoes eerily bounced around the trees
It made the hairs on the back of Arion's neck stand on end.
"Okay, I admit that is creepy," Arion thought inside his mind.
In a moment of synchronized movement, Arion and Shera combined their actions, with Shera casting Magic Rune, {Rope} – to ensnare the female ghost.
An illusionary, transparent red rope subsequently materialized before them, moving with a life of its own as it coiled around the ghost and its baby, layer upon layer, seemingly endless in length.
The rope twisted around the two, rendering the spirit incapable of floating or fleeing.
With the end of the rope firmly in his grasp, Arion rested it on his shoulder and began to drag the female spirit and its baby toward his original group.
He aimed to present them to the guard captain as a prove of its existence before opening his mind, all the while planning to tie down a few more spirits that might be currently running rampant, attacking and possessing the students on the buses.
"I just hope there aren't too many more of these things," he muttered, glancing back at the ghost, which was now struggling against its bindings. "And I hope there are no casualties either."
His thoughts drifted to the village, a gnawing worry settling in his gut.
According to Shera, the spirits had been emerging from the homes of the villagers.
The implication was grim; there was a high probability that the people inside were already dead.
"Let's just get this over with," Shera said, her voice steady.
"We need to find out what's happening before it gets worse."
*
(A/N: Skip if desired)
1. {Agility}: This Rune is like a double shot of espresso for your reflexes! It enhances the agility and dexterity of the target, making them as nimble as a cat on a hot tin roof.
With this Rune, you'll be flipping, twisting, and dodging like a circus performer – good luck trying to hit someone who's suddenly mastered the art of acrobatics! Enemies will be left swinging in the air, wondering if they accidentally signed up for the wrong cliché of a fight.
2. {Slow}: This Rune is the ultimate party pooper! It significantly reduces the speed and reaction time of a target, making them feel like they're stuck in molasses while the rest of the world zips by.
Imagine trying to catch a bus but moving at the speed of a sloth on a lazy Sunday. Shera uses this Rune to create a time dilation effect, so while her enemies are moving in slow motion, she's practically doing the cha-cha around them. It's like watching a bad action movie in slow-mo – except the bad guys are the ones who are about to get a face full of reality!
3. {Rope}: This Rune conjures an illusionary and transparent red rope that's perfect for those awkward moments when you need to tie someone up but forgot your actual rope at home.
It can bind, restrain, or pull objects and creatures, making it the go-to choice, for capturing foes or securing items in place. Think of it as the magical equivalent of a really persistent cat – no matter how much they squirm, they just can't escape!
Just be careful not to use it on your friends during a game of tug-of-war; you might end up with a very confused group of allies wondering why they're suddenly bound together like a human pretzel!