Ghosts?!

Peony grimaced and quickly forced Malleus's palm open. She traced the words in old language, "Breathe. They are ghosts from my culture. Like to eat souls. If soul eaten, there will be no reincarnation. Immediate death. Weak to lightning. Careful. Inside cave. Signal. Ambush."

He was surprised that she knew the old language he had studied about long ago. Not many continues to use this writing anymore, yet she could with ease. Thinking about her words, he quickly nodded. As she watched the ghosts go deeper into the caves, she silently grabbed his hand and pulled him after her as they hid from one place to the next.

"Do you remember who killed you? Was it one of those guys from outside?" The old man grumbled in disdain at being dragged away.

"I can't say. But they are connected. One of those guys carried a emblem on their arm that matches with their shirt. You remember? The ones that stole our spirit stone and killed our puppet?" The teenager responded, "Then one of them suddenly spoke our tongue and took our lives!"

"Hmph! Since they have the audacity, we shall return the favor!" The lean guy with the ugly face added angrily.

The old man sighed, "We just freed ourselves from the poison and now here we are talking about a mission that should be of no importance."

"What mission?! I just want my revenge!" The teen shouted angrily and punched the wall managing to put a dent into it!

Malleus was stunned! Weren't they ghosts? How could they be able to put a dent into the wall like that?!

"Ghosts different from mortals. Body made up of mana from soul but needs devour other souls to keep producing mana." Peony continued writing vaguely, "If they hit you with that mana, your mana will become corrupted. Worse than blot. Feel like blood boiling and rotting from the marrow. Called death qi for us."

So that was why they needed to ambush them! He wrote, "What are they saying?"

"Died by my hands. Wanted revenge on me and those who stole magic stones they hid in this cave." She scowled, "Ace, Deuce, Yuu and Grim."

"Yuu doesn't even have the abilities to fight them. Steal?" Malleus responded in bewilderment, "Why did you kill them?"

"They respond to theft with wanting their lives. Got angrier after learning the phantom they controlled here was destroyed. I killed them in response." She responded, "First kills in a long while."

"Well, you put us in a difficult situation." Malleus frowned in dismay.

"I know, right?" Peony shook her head in irritation, "Should've captured them and make them my lab mice."

"Can you not use such cruel means?"

"Who told them to try to take what's already mine?" She pouted.

"Since when was Yuu yours?" Malleus bit back a sigh looking rather distraught over the child's delusion.

"Since he became MY dorm leader." Peony shrugged.

"Since when can a student make a dorm leader theirs?!"

"If it hasn't been done so before then I'm simply the first." Peony sneered.

Upset and annoyed, Malleus opened his mouth instinctively, "You-!"

"What was that?!"

"Behind that pillar!"

She quickly slammed her hands over his mouth and dragged him away to a rock. She glared at him as she mouthed, "Idiot!"

Their ambush plan was ruined because someone couldn't keep their mouth shut! He pointed at her back in annoyance as she rolled her eyes.

Malleus pointed to the old man to which Peony grimaced and pulled back that hand just in time to avoid a swipe.

"Curses! I really thought there was something there!" The old man scowled with his eyes turned completely white and glowing.

Malleus was surprised! It was one thing for a fae to teleport but he had never seen ghosts, much less mortals, do the same and, seeing the claws and sharp teeth of the ghost, he realized just how much more vicious they are compared to their own ghosts! No wonder Peony was never bothered with the appearances of the ghosts of Ramshackle dorm!

"Something's here…" The lean man growled.

"Shut up already and stop stating the obvious." The teen grumbled.

Peony grimaced as they realized that the element of surprise was already gone. Noticing her wary expression, Malleus frowned. He needed to make a distraction so they may get another chance. He casted his magic towards a nearby rock causing it to shake! However, rather than turning their attention to it, the lean man pointed in their direction, "The light came from this way!"

Peony grasped Malleus and made a dash deeper into the caves. Stunned, Malleus opened his mouth, How did they realize-!"

"They can sense the direction of mana. Even if you shot mana from your hand, they can still track it down by sight!" Peony grimaced.

"You can see mana?!"

Dragging him into another tunnel, she grimaced, "Cultivators that can't see mana are those who can't became cultivators. As such, they are mistreated by cultivators majority of the time for such reason. This includes those who lost the abilities to bend mana to their will. Hence, seeing mana is one of the major requirements to becoming a cultivator. Ghosts and spirit beasts are no different."

"And you never thought to tell me that before?" Malleus scowled irritably.

"Forgot."

As they hurried deeper into the tunnels, Lotus continued, "All souls have scent. And those scents are what attracts these ghosts. The more special your soul is the stronger whichever scent it may have. Some have a scent that attracts them and some not very much. The masks help covers this up for us temporarily, but I never expected them to be ghosts.

"There was never a problem like this before, why now?"

"Ghosts are only formed from strong emotional attachment to something much like other ghosts here. However, the ghosts of cultivators are potentially much more dangerous. Compared to the ghosts we know, these actively hunts for souls to stay strong and in existence. Without it, they will perish. Even after completing the goal, they will not disappear." Peony explained, "Problem is… the reason they still stay here despite being ghosts…"

"What are they after…" Malleus muttered to himself.

"Something that will keep them alive." Peony muttered with a grimace as she utilized her eyes to scan the area.

It was completely dark save for the sparkle of mana fragments nearby from smaller magic stone fragments. Finally, she stopped as one of the lights grew deeper.

"Be on your guard! I'm gonna set up a trap right now."

"Now?!" Malleus turned to her voice in bewilderment.

"Just do it!"

With a grimace, Malleus summoned his lightning magic and shot it out before them creating many sparks!

The ghosts thought they had been catching up to them only to be startled back in surprise by the attack with a quiver running down their spines! Lightning! This was the lightning element! Their natural enemy! Of all the things they had to come across!

Seeing that they backed off quickly, Malleus did this a few more times before Peony dragged him away swiftly.

"Why is the lightning to effective against them?" Malleus questioned in confusion.

"Ghosts are weak to a few things, one of which are lightning." Peony grimaced as she looked around hurriedly, "There!"

She quickly pointed to a large boulder, "Help me move this!"

Malleus didn't complain this time as he moved the boulder aside revealing a large cave. Peony then pulled Malleus with her into the caves. He helped her push it shut before looking around as she drew a magic circle on the back of the boulder. His eyes widen in disbelief after he lit a magic light orb, "These are-!"

Covering the walls of the caves were an abundance of magic stones of all sizes! From the size of the thumb to as long as a person! Malleus touched these stones in bewilderment before noticing Peony sit down into a meditative state.

"Is this really the best time and place for this?" Malleus frowned.

"I've trapped the ghosts in these tunnels and kept them outside from here. Technically they are stuck, if we want to destroy them now, I need to gather enough strength to bring out the power of my other contracted beast that's in slumber."

"Is it that powerful?"

"Usually, however, without its awakening, I can't utilize its full strength and I had to do this recently so it won't be as effective as before, but…" Peony sucked in a breath of cold air as she is about to begin absorbing the mana from the stones, "If we use the lightning and my fire, it would be more than enough to finish them off. For ghosts… This will teach them their last lesson."

"What about the door?" Malleus glanced over to the boulder hesitantly.

"It will hold up long enough."

With that, she began her meditation, circulating the spiritual energy in her body, and trying to get them into the ancient contract from long ago.

As soon as she became silent, Malleus watched curiously as she began her meditation. It was an unusual sight seeing her so serious compared to when she usually remained quiet in a corner reading or writing stuff. Sweat formed and slid down her brow as he could feel the heat rising within the caves! What was going on?! All at once, the magic stones lit up and he could see traces of mana flow into Peony as the body temperature around her rose higher! Was this actually cultivating?! The temperature around them is getting highs and higher as she continued cultivating!

As the temperature rose, Malleus checked the time, to his surprise, an hour had passed since they were trapped in here! Normally, a human could not last for such a long time in such severe heat, but what about cultivators? Concerned, Malleus glanced over to Peony hesitantly. The interior of the caves was heating up to the point where he thought the stones may as well melt and he was starting to get thirst himself. Yet, Peony sat there meditating as he watched on trying to rest and gather his thoughts. The students were still outside doing their tasks peacefully unaware of the dangers lurking underneath them and here they were stuck with the dangers! He could tell the teachers this and cancel the trip all together, but that would expose the princess and ruin Lilia's fun as well. Not to mention, he was looking forward to this trip as well. Then there was also his grandmother. He can't tell what she has in mind, but he doesn't dare to go against her wishes. If she decides to support the princess, there's little he can do against her.

Thinking this, Malleus hesitated when he heard a coughing fit. Looking up, his eyes wide in disbelief as he jumped to his feet, "Peony!"