The ghost paused and seeming unable to put it in words. It waved at him to turn to a fresh page. As he obliged it swiftly pressed its ghostly hand to the page again. Its hand was more defined now, long nails he hadn’t noticed before now jabbed the page. Scholarly diagrams of the body unfurled. Specifically, it was marking the channels of magic that ran thorough the body of any capable of casting.

“Yours are damaged.”

“My magic veins? I have those??”

“It is inherent to you.”

Ah the whole celestial bloodline thing. Okay, that does make sense. The thing the spirit wanted -that only he had- was to do with that. Perhaps his magic had been stunted from the illness that had nearly killed the original Orion. The original never went on missions, so the issue went unfixed. Could this ghost really help him? He didn’t sense any malicious energy. If this ghost had become a demon already. It would probably have just happily gobbled his energy up for itself. His energy must be a feast compared to the villagers. It could get a pool built in if it ate him.

His hand resting besides his journal, is gently taken hold of by the spirit. He doesn’t know what to expect. The chill of its touch sends shivers down his back. It turns his hand palm upward. Massaging in the place one would usually check for a pulse. This feels stupid why is he trusting this thing. Letting it do whatever- then he can feel what it’s doing. A sudden flow of warm energy starts seeping into him.

The table starts to seem less polished. The abandoned tea cup begins to show cracks. A thick layer of dust comes to rest on the room. All it’s stolen energy. Is it sharing it with him?

“I see you are two.”

Note looks up from his hand. Can it see into his soul? He doesn’t know how to defend himself against magic stuff like this. It knows he’s not the original occupant of this body?

“I see you are scared and kind. Perhaps too kind. For that I am grateful.”

The ghost’s shape was clearer now, he could see it smile at him as its voice whispered into his head. Long white hair stretched out down its back, strands of the hair seemed to cling to the study. As it fed energy into his veins the strands started to fall. The pages of the study’s books yellowed and crumbled. Note felt something settle into his core. His veins had been opened and magic was already starting to seep in.

“You without faith. I have opened a door neither of you were destined for.”

“Uh. Thanks? I think. What comes next?”

“I will teach you a spell. It is above you now. It will deplete the energy I have shared.”

“So, I’ll cast it only this once.”

“Nothing is certain. Grow and you might be able to cast it again.”

The spirit on the other open page of his notes wrote out a spell. It was in that strange foreign but familiar language. The same language, as the tablet that Reign had tested his and Lise’s blood with. The spells name was simple in its celestial script, it was called Release.

The loud sound of wood splintering sounded. As jagged plant growth burst through the study door. Note barley kept a hold on his journal as Ravan dashed in behind the spikes grabbing him and dragging him away from the study. He was shocked to see the rain had stopped and night had fallen. He couldn’t have been in there that long? Did time pass differently in the spirits domain. Had the energy transferring taken so much time. Perhaps his friends had only been able to break through, because the ghost had given him a chunk of its power.

“Hey thanks, sorry I didn’t notice the time.”

Note barley got out his words before Ravan smacked his head. He glared at him as he deftly began checking every inch for injury. I guess the whole concealing wounds thing was still fresh for Ravan. Note had to stop him from stripping him on the spot.

Xian was still focusing on the spikes. Leading them to form a perimeter around them. The spirit had returned to the window. Its feet were bare as it stood staring into the night sky. The wind hadn’t eased, clouds slowly began to cover the moon.

Note felt a chill run down his spine, ‘when it’s dark, something else’.

The ghost was suddenly more solid as the moonlight dimmed. Then the night was darkness. Of their group only Xian would be able to still see at this point.

“By the way. The ghost is nice except when in the dark. It’s turning into something. And it might have taught me a way to… Well, I never really asked. Dispel it? Give it peace?”

Ravan’s dagger unsheathed hovering between them, giving off its faint light. Allowing them to see their immediate surroundings again.

“You mean it painted a big target on you. Great.” Ravan sighed pulling out his sword.

“Well, I would have already cast it if you hadn’t barged in.”

“Apologies should we leave you for dead next time?”

“Focus” Xian cut in.

Note caught sight of something slithering around the edges of the dagger’s light. Xian seemed to be tracking it’s movements.

“If you can, start casting. The clouds are still moving.” Xian shot a look to Ravan before suddenly taking on a hulking form and barreling into something in the dark.

Note tried to register the bear but worse form he’d just witnessed. The sounds of a fight began to ring out in the night. As growls that must be Xian mixed with unsettling hissing that seemed to echo from within every corner of the house. Crashing that could only be further destruction being delt to the house made the creature screech out in displeasure. Xian was distracting it. Until either the moon briefly peaked out or Note finished casting the spell.

Ravan moved his dagger closer as Note began trying to read the spell in the low light. Why did he have to be so damn night blind. He re-read the spell a few times muttering it to himself. As if hearing him the creature in the dark suddenly remembered them. The scuffle rose in action, as a sudden sickening crunch then crash rang out. The spikes around them suddenly shrivelled up and died. Note felt his throat tighten. Was that crunch Xian?

Ravan started circling him struggling to see past their line of sight. It had gone eerily quiet. Ravan focused his head twitching with every sound that Note couldn’t hear. Suddenly he lashed out barley knocking the maw of a horrible monstrosity off its course. Note tried to quell his panic. His mind running around every thought but the spell.

“Please”

The moon had barley begun peaking around the clouds. The voice that whispered in his head weighed him down with its despair. The feeling grounded him, drowned out his own fear. A language that had belonged to some ancient ancestor poured out of him.

In the faint shifting moonlight the pale ghost shifted from shadowed mass to spectre from moment to moment. Trying to keep itself at bay. As the incantation reached its end, a sudden release of energy knocked Note off his feet. He struggled to rise; Ravan was also pulling himself back up. The pale spirit stood before them serene, radiating a faint light. The light seemed to be leaking from them. They looked human now truly, a scholarly ancient person with a look of relief on their face. They pointed in a direction as their body faded into light.

Ravan’s dagger flew in that direction illuminating an unconscious blood covered Xian. Note rushed through the dark stumbling over rubble he couldn’t see. He felt his hand begin to burn with energy. When he reached Xian, he pressed his hand to his chest. He felt his magic pass into the battered body. Xian’s eye’s fluttered open. Note let out a breath of relief he hadn’t noticed he was holding. Ravan pulled out his flask and passed it to him.

“I don’t know how you just did that magic, but your nearly as pale as that ghost.”

Note had assumed the water was for Xian already lifting it to him. Xian weakly pushed the flask back to him. He didn’t have the energy to nag but his eyes still glinted at him as if agreeing with Ravan. Note drank, suddenly he felt like a dehydrated raisin. His ears were ringing as the world began to sway.

When he woke again, he was back at the inn. Xian was bandaged up, peacefully asleep besides him. Ravan was less peacefully dozing, seemingly haven fallen asleep sitting at their bedside. First aid supplies strewn about around him. A few plasters haphazardly applied to his own injuries.

Note gently brushed Ravan’s hair out of his face, pulling the bedsheet over him as much as he could. Seeing his team, a bit battered but breathing Note let out a quiet sigh.