“I can’t believe you talked me into this shit,” Aelius said, standing in his officer uniform, clad in all black leathers. His red hair that reached his shoulders was pulled back in a hair tie—surprisingly well kept for this sudden windy night. Zhen Xue looked over at his friend, revealing another furrowed brow. “What happened to your hair?” Aelius asked again. 

Ah, yes. The handful of white hair within his long dark brown locks.

It made an appearance during a particularly vivid dream one night, like he wasn’t already a step away from death's door in this city overrun by ghosts. His world was less magical than his fairytales and more ‘I’m about to eat you alive.’

Zhen Xue attempted to not roll his eyes and failed miserably, not caring in the slightest. He supposed after receiving ‘I don’t know,’ for the umpteenth time, Aelius would no longer settle for that response. “If I told you I’m changing my identity to become your great grandfather, would you believe me then?”

Without a lick of amusement, Aelius’ rich brown eyes narrowed at him before proceeding to study the haunted manor beyond the thick iron gates ahead. The apprehension on his features reached an all time high, twisting with some minor disgust at the cobweb overhead that hung on the ancient doorway. “Are you sure this is the place?”

Gods… If Aelius wasn’t actually useful at keeping him alive, Zhen Xue would’ve put in more effort to avoid him, though he suspected that wouldn’t do much good. “There are only four manors within our local vicinity that have reported an abnormal death count. Three we already visited after you made sure to pointedly follow me,” he added with a touch of sarcasm. “Of course I’m certain this is the right place.” 

At his tone, Aelius made a childish, mocking expression before crossing over the threshold. “No matter the time of day, you are always a delight to be around.”

Zhen Xue snorted, thinking to himself he could say the same, before following after him into the abandoned garden. As an atheist, he didn’t believe in the supernatural—hell, he didn’t believe in ghosts until a couple years ago, but now, he made sure every gossip or whispered rumor was his business. He could no longer afford to ignore the evidence, not since that time when… 

His mind snapped back to the garden, pushing that thought away. 

Right. Now wasn’t the time for that. 

There was a legend surrounding this particular manor. Fortunately for him, the residents of Notting Hill’s Lancaster Road were abundantly bored and loved to be nosy. A young blond woman from the states acquired the lease to this abysmal… What could he even call it? This was no longer a home. It was a graveyard of dead things—uprooted fallen trees, wilted flower bushes, grass so tall they had to crawl over some parts, and most of the upstairs on the home itself was simply gone. 

“Let's go ghost hunting, you had said while barging through my front door. It will be fun, you said,” Aelius continued monotonously, pulling his coat free from where it snagged on a bush.

“Is that uniform just for show?”

Aelius grunted in displeasure, shoving the weeds aside with such velocity Zhen Xue grinned.

He broke into a cough, hiding his laughter as they reached the porch, but he had to agree with him. The vegetation was terrible. Vines protruded from places they shouldn’t, suffocating any form of plant growth. Who would want to live here? The owner must need bifocals or lived in such poverty prior to the move to even care. Or… they were a high level spirit—a ghost that can take an appearance—which is exactly what they were about to find out.

Aelius sighed heavily at the spiders crawling along the outer wall, which is why Zhen Xue took the opportunity to irritate him further. “Would I be this calm if we were in danger? I’ve done my research and you know when I say that, I’m the best source you’ve had regarding anomalies. She’s only after orphans and suffering children.”

“Both of which we once were,” he argued with a groan. “We are the perfect five-course meal, whether I put a label on our foreheads that says free appetizers! Come and get some, no extra charge!”

It was an effort not to laugh. He wasn’t wrong, but that’s exactly what would play to their advantage. 

Aelius’ rich brown eyes narrowed, turning frigid as he grumbled something under his breath. “You think I don’t know what you’re planning? That’s precisely why I’m bothered! Goddammit, Zhen Xue.”

Of course he knew, which was exactly why Zhen Xue teased him. This nagging ‘old’ man wouldn’t let him go anywhere by himself. Zhen Xue gave a tiny shrug, removing a piece of foliage from the sleeve of his winter coat.

Aelius stared like he was debating whether to actually leave him behind. “Move aside unless you want to get knocked on your ass and you know I will do it.” He pushed open the weighted doors as Zhen Xue sidestepped out of the way. Dust flew around them from the movement, hinges creaking loudly in the silence.

Zhen Xue followed at an unhurried pace, finding the interior similarly decayed—broken tables and chairs, glass shattered across what he suspected was once a beautiful rug but now a scrap of fabric. He tried the light switch, but after viewing the pathetic excuse for a light bulb, decided that it wasn’t worth the effort. 

He reached into his coat pocket, pulling out two flashlights and wordlessly handed one wordlessly to Aelius. His thumb slid against the switch, light casting an ominous shadow across Aelius’ features, making the white of his eyes glow. “Did you bring what I asked?”

His eyebrows rose, nearly touching his hairline. “Toadstool and liverwurst?”

“Yes.”

“No,” he said flatly, turning away. “Who has that lying around?”

With a heavy sigh to gather his patience, he moved past him deeper into the lobby. To his right a ruggedly old staircase appeared leading to the second floor. “So, how are we going to do this? Should we split up like usual?”

“I’ll handle that,” Aelius said, stepping past him. “You can search the basement.”

“You’re joking, right?” Aelius tilted his chin, encouraging him to turn around and so he did. There was a hole in the floor with a staircase that led down into gloomy blackness. “There’s a basement?” he repeated with disbelief. The map didn’t mention a lower level.

Aelius shook his head, laughing as he mounted the staircase. “Keep yourself safe,” he added with half a smile. “If you’re gone, who will enjoy my cooking?”

Zhen Xue found his smile contagious. “That alone would be a crime,” he agreed. Aelius might be three years older than him at twenty six, but this man was a nagging uncle in every sense of the word. His smile finally fell when he disappeared onto the second floor. Aelius probably expected him to reach out if things went wrong.

But he wouldn’t. Not when he knew Aelius was going somewhere safe, while he was entering the real danger. The chances of the map being wrong were slim, which meant whatever was haunting this property was indeed a high level spirit. His chest squeezed in both eagerness and anxiety. This could be the one he’s been looking for. 

Dammit. He should’ve come alone, but… he could breathe a bit easier with Aelius not far away. He gripped the flashlight, descending the staircase down into the darkness.

The floorboards creaked under his leather boots and as he traveled, not even the wind could be heard any longer, only the sound of his controlled breath.

At some point during the descent, he no longer needed his flashlight. A soft glow emitted at the bottom, leaking through the floorboards overhead. It guided him the rest of the way, reflecting against the floral wallpaper. 

The staircase opened up into a long hallway full of rooms—some open, while others were closed. When his feet hit the last step, he paused, taking in the room to his right with stacked boxes and broken objects scattered around. His eyes glazed over a golden hand mirror, taking note that it was in slightly better shape then everything else.

He clutched the small cross necklace around his neck. An atheist, he reminded himself, but religious artifacts warded off evil spirits, so of course he carried one around. He turned away from the storage room, taking measured steps down the hallway. There was a room with a hazy glow at the end—one that made the hair on his neck stand up on end.

That was where he needed to go.

A door slammed behind him, sending his heartbeat into his throat. 

“Your blood,” a voice said—an echo like time. “The blood of something that doesn’t belong.”

Another door slammed shut, making him retreat a step. He needed to know what was inside that room.

“Give it to me,” the voice hissed. “Let me cure my child.”

Move. He needed to move now. He ran towards the room, heart pounding in his chest.

The ground quaked beneath him, but he didn't stumble once. A hunched over woman with long inky hair and pale skin emerged from the room he was after. 

Not the right ghost. Color drained from his face as he couldn’t stop his momentum. 

“Get down,” a voice rasped sharply—a man with a sweet voice that sounded familiar.

Before he could collide with the spirit, he dropped down, and out of the way in time to see a silver masked man step forward. He threw a match over their heads, arriving confidently at his side. The room set ablaze with fire.

The creature screamed with such force, Zhen Xue thought his ears would bleed. Through his pain, he unraveled into panic. He needed to get answers from that thing! “Don’t kill it—” Zhen Xue tried, but found his voice lost in the wails of the ghost.

“My child…” they cried. “Not my child.”

An unsettling chill washed over him. Maybe he didn’t need answers from this thing that bad. He could find another high level spirit, even though they were rare. There’s no way it will answer his questions now after burning what he assumed was the child’s bedroom.

He reflexively took a shuttered breath, a wave of regret washing over him at the scene. There was nothing to see inside that room—nothing alive anyway.

He turned around to the stranger, exhaling in relief the danger passed, but found a new puzzle presented to him.

If things weren’t serious Zhen Xue might have laughed at how the supposed blond woman who bought the lease was actually a man, but he could understand the confusion.

Even with a mask, he was beautiful.

And probably a high level ghost, he mentally berated himself. Best to stay away and not get involved. As that thought crossed his mind, he realized too late the hair on the back of his neck stiffen, alerting him of danger. Those blue eyes in front of him widened in alarm. 

The man moved with such grace, snatching his hand like the action was natural, pulling him towards the stairs. Zhen Xue didn’t stumble once, focused on trying to understand what he saw. 

“She didn’t disappear…” the man commented with a huff, clearly just as irritated.

That’s true. They won’t make it up the narrow stairs without being caught. He’d been hunting ghosts for the past three years and used all his knowledge in this moment, thinking how they could survive. “The mirror,” he breathed. It was a gamble, but a good one. He didn’t wait for a response, pulling the silver masked man into the adjacent room from the stairs. 

The golden mirror laid beside the boxes where he found it. 

He threw his weight into every step, determination driving him on adrenaline alone. His body was jerked to a halt, a hand gripping the back of his coat.

He released the masked man’s hand, slipping out of his coat, maintaining his speed. 

An angry cry bellowed behind him, but he didn’t dare look back. 

He slid to his knees, snatching the mirror within the same movement. Then threw it against the wall with such velocity that even the golden case shattered, fragments flying between him and the creature. 

The ghost’s hand paused mid air, nails nearly reaching the masked man’s handsome face, but missed—frozen by some unseen force.

Zhen Xue sat back on his heels, sighing in relief. 

He did it. 

They were safe. 

The creature would disperse any second, and with a sinking feeling in his chest, he knew so would his chance for answers. At least that’s what he thought as he let his guard down to catch his breath.. 

Those soulless black eyes slid to him with an uncanny accuracy, head tilting with a slight crack of bones and he froze, fear ripping through him like no other.

That wasn’t the right object.