Chapter 43: Ghostly Meeting

They had already finished eating some time ago, as Steven decided to use his uniform jacket as a pillow to sleep on.

Merency did the same across the cave as the sun slowly disappeared on the horizon; there was no reason to move today anymore.

Each day would only drag their enemies down while they stayed healthy or had time to recover.

Just a moment after, he could hear Merency having fallen asleep, but he could only stare at the ceiling.

His headaches had started returning just after eating, and his mana sense was being disturbed once again.

He also felt his connection to any summons and even Elizabeth grow weak, barely noticing them anymore.

He was waiting for it to appear, but even after the moon started rising and sending its eerie light into their cave, it remained empty.

With the pain slowly growing unbearable, Steven thought about casting a barrier to cleanse his head once more.

But he didn’t endure it instead.

As finally some stepped inside the cave, Steven only noticed her after she had already stood beside him.

Staring up at the Topaz class girl, her ghostly body barely seemed to exist at all, not even casting a single shadow.

She had hazelnut brown curls falling over her shoulder; her face looked like it had been carved from marble, every feature perfectly aligned, except for her eyes, which were a perfect but unnatural grey.

"Who are you? And why are you here?" He asked while sitting upright.

As she opened her mouth, not a single word came out of it; instead, it was cast directly in his brain.

"You’re the ones coming to me." As she took a step back, spinning in a circle. "After all, that’s where you all killed me." Her voice sounded genuinely sorrowful.

But Steven didn’t buy one of her words; a vengeful ghost wouldn’t be talking to people so easily.

"Then what do you want?" He asked while inspecting her; she seemed to be wearing a uniform from maybe three years ago, but it was in perfect condition.

"I came here for you, Steven." As a happy smile formed on her lips. Her hair moved despite the lack of wind.

"For me? What do you want from me?" Already forming a small blade of light in the palm of his hand.

"If only you would surrender, then the poor boy and his spirit wouldn’t have suffered." Her voice was flat, as if she were talking about the weather.

"So it was you that possessed him and tried to kill us." He wanted to jump at her but knew it would be useless.

"No, no, you’re misunderstanding me. I only attacked you because they told me to test the new recruit."

She only shook her head in denial. "By myself I would’ve never tried to fight you in my current form."

Steven stared at her, trying to understand her words, but the headache didn’t make it easy. The pain only grew exponentially after her arrival, as if she were trying to possess him too.

As she suddenly grabbed her shirt, pulling it up slightly, revealing her perfect grayish skin with a tattoo on her stomach.

It was a human finger piercing the Roman numeral four.

"You’re part of the fingers too?" he asked, still staring at the tattoo. If she isn’t lying, she isn’t just part of them; no, she was one of their leaders.

"You like what you’re seeing?" She asked in her voice low, pulling it only higher just for a moment later, letting her shirt fall down, hiding her tattoo again. "But yes, I am one of them."

Steven decided to ignore her first sentence. "You got your test, so what do you want from me now?" Something just wasn’t adding up. "And why are you still trying to break my mind?"

"I must admit you are a lot harder to control than expected, but that’s why I am here now." As she stepped closer, lingering over him, her grey eyes felt like they tried to stare into his soul.

"As one of the true fingers, I have a mission for you, and you will take it." He whispered in his ear with her real voice.

He stared at her, his face not moving. "What do I need to do?"

Turning away from him, the girl walked towards the edge of the cliff, looking down.

"Somewhere in this forest are five podests; spill your blood on all of them and destroy them after without being seen." As she raised her finger towards the distance. "Below the stone pillars you saw today should be one."

Steven stood up, walking towards her as his gaze landed on the destroyed pillars. "And after?"

Her smile turned bright as she turned towards him. "Nothing, you just escape fast."

Steven wanted to ask more, but she shook her head before he could. "That will be enough for today."

As with a single step back, her body slowly started dissolving in the air. "See you soon, sweetie."

With that, she disappeared completely, and with it, his headaches too.

As he could finally take a deep breath again, her spell on him had completely disappeared.

Steven thought about his mission and how something like that sounded more than just wrong, nearly like a ritual.

But he had to follow her orders for the greater good in the future.

He was even happy to some part; at least he didn’t have to kill anyone; only destroying some stone should be easy.

He stared up at the moon; he had more than enough time remaining this night, and already knowing the location of one, his target was already set on the ruins.

Picking up his jacket, he was ready and, without waiting, leaped downwards towards the forest.

Checking for any mana around him, he only realized midfall that Merency’s mana was raging.

Like somebody who had been awake and trying to hold back.

But he couldn’t explain it to her.