Once she left, only Caelan and the thing remained. Taking a deep breath, the displaced man turned to the apparition. “You know what the incident is, don’t you?”

“And why the fuck should I tell you anything?”

 Caelan could feel a vein popping on his forehead. “And here I thought you loved the sound of your voice as much as a drill sargeant.”

“Oh, fuck you! You don’t get to be funny after stealing MY body!”

“From the looks of it, the poor thing could use new management.” Caelan said, patting his swollen belly. “Seriously, have you ever heard of a salad?”

“You… you…” He swung a fist at Caelan’s head, the blow passing straight through like smoke. “Damn it all!” While raising an eyebrow, Leopold tried to grab the nearby vase, only for a repeat of his earlier attempt to repeat. “You can’t just steal my body and mock me, you piece of…”

“Careful, wouldn’t want to strain yourself. Oh, wait.”

As much as seeing the little thing throw all manner of profanities at him gave him a warmth feeling, Caelan needed to confirm things before settling on his next course of action. “I know how to save Sofia.”

Leopold froze mid-rant, his flickering form going still. “How do you know that name?” His voice trembled, stripped of its earlier venom.

His suspicious settled, Caelan closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of Sam. “I know many things. Of particular interest to you, where she is and how to save her.”

Leopold floated closer, almost going straight through his own body’s head. “If you are lying, Matron helps me…”

“I don’t lie. Like it or not, I’m your best shot at seeing her again. And you are the only way I can keep this charade without raising suspicion.”

One could see the intense struggle within Leopold, his tiny ghost hands curled into fists as he weights his options. After a time that stretched into infinity, he relented. “Alright. What do you want to know?”

Crossing his arms while leaning against the pillows, Caelan thought on what he should prioritize. “What date is today?”

It seemed as if he was about to question the first inquiry, but kept his mouth shut. “Thirteenth of the Frostwind Cycle.”

“January, then.” Ignoring the look of confusion on his face, Caelan went on. “Then you already got caught for giving the order for the Red Fist to assault Kai Garnier?”

“…”

“Well?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Have you been expelled already after getting caught?”

“A hearing with the fucking headmistress would happen tomorrow, if not for… what happened.”

Looking around the hospital room, Caelan’s had a shiver run down his spine. “What happened?”

Leopold remained silent, a frigid expression covering his demeanor. “I had… an accident, after reading a message from my father.” Leopold’s voice faltered, his spectral form dimming. “And no, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“This could be important.”

“Does that bloody matter?”

Caelan counted to five before continuing. “Leopold, you weren’t supposed to be hospitalized. The more you tell me, the better I can help get my bearings on the situation. So, just say what’s the message about.”

Even saying that, the spirit took some time to answer. "My father disowned me, alright? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

This caused Caelan to flinch. “What?”

“Having the entire student body learn of not just my… animosity to the Garnier guy, but also all the other things I did since I enrolled had him irate enough to do it.”

Holding his head with both hands for a moment, Caealn took a deep breath to calm his accelerated heart. “This isn’t what was supposed to happen.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’d be expelled,” Caelan said, meeting Leopold’s stunned gaze. “But it would’ve been quiet. No public scandal, nothing to anger your father.”

A sharp pause. “He would’ve brought you home. Found some way to use you in his plans, despite the mess you made.”

“How… how in the Abyssal Wastes do you know all this?” As the young man didn’t answer, Leopold raised his voice. “Who are you?”

“Because… this was the story of a video game I played.” Whatever the answer he expected, this clearly made Leopold’s mouth agape. “At least, this is how the story went there.”

“A… videogame? Are you kidding me?”

“Your name is Leopold vorn Sturmfeld, son of Duke Heinrich. Your sister, Sofia—she’s alive.” Caelan paused, watching the specter’s flickering form. “Your father sent her away years ago. That’s all I know… for now.”

This barrage of information on his backstory had Leopold frozen in place. “I can continue if you want.”

“I’m… a bloody fictional character to you?” His voice cracked, swinging between disbelief and rage. “What am I, some sideshow for your entertainment?”

To that, Caelan sighed. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll act as if everything is real, regardless of the truth.”

“Fuck…”

“Leopold, I… WE can help Sofia. Focus on that, freak out later.”

It took a long time before the conflicted man responded. “Fine. Say your piece. But if you’re lying, I swear—"

“Something changed things for you. I don’t know what or how, but if I am to find out what happened, I’ll need you to help me.”

“How? I can’t even touch shit, what can I do that will bloody matter?”

“Teach me. I know a lot of this world, but the game 100% left a lot of small details, that only a native would know. Our situation feels like a Shattered, someone with memories of their past life, so unless we want people to suspect us…”

“You must behave perfectly.” Voice hollow, Leopold’s form dimmed as he sank lower. “Where’s Sofia?”

Caelan hesitated. “She’s under the service of a minor noble on the southern border. Not the easiest life, but safe enough.”

“She’s safe?” The words left him in a whisper, barely audible. His form flickered, shrinking in on itself. “After all this time, she’s… she’s alive? Matron bless… I thought…” It was as if the weight of the world got lifted from the small blob. Curling in a ball, he sobbed a bit. “For years, I thought the worst. That she got sent to some whorehouse, or worse.” Nothing came out of his eyes, but the way his body convulsed up and down felt more than enough. “Matron be blessed, she’s alright!”

“For now.” Before Leopold could unleash whatever barrage of questions he had, Caelan interjected. “In a few years, the minor lords will gather together in open rebellion. In the original storyline, you arrive too late to save her. She dies in your arms, not recognizing you.”

“We have to save her!” Face contorted by despair, the ghost tried to grab the outsider by his shirt, forgetting his inability to do as much. “Please, I’ll do anything!”

“That goes without saying. If your… accident tells us anything, is that we got room for maneuver.” Offering his hand to the tiny specter, Caelan looked at his eyes. “If you help me, we can save not only your sister, but prevent every tragedy from ever occurring.”

For a brief second, Leopold raised his arm, but stopped midway. “Why do you even care about her? Or anyone, for that matter. If what you said is true, we are all just fucking video game characters.”

A flash of Sam smiling while playing games leaning back against his chest came to him. “Someone… I care deeply loved you all.”

“What?”

“She cared about you. All of you.” Caelan had to hold back the tears threatening to come out. “I don’t know if that makes this real, but it makes it matter. And every soldier needs a mission. Guess this is mine now.”

Biting his lips, Leopold looked at the massive hand. Then he passed his arm through it. “Fine. I’ll make sure you… we don’t get caught. Then, we save Sofia.”

“And everyone else.”