Chapter 261: Mothers (8)

Perseus POV

"Mother...? The sun goddess?!" Terrence exclaimed

And I then hear some footsteps heading my way, yet I can't sense their presence...it's a ghost, isn't it? That right now is some siren or a phantom who can imitate the voice of someone we know to lure us in and kill us, my complaining of characters stupidly and purposely walking into a haunted house has now come to haunt me.

"Hmm, who's there?" the voice asked as they come closer and closer.

Oh great, just what I needed. Another supernatural encounter in my already bizarre life. Here I am, minding my own business, and now I start hearing these phantom footsteps approaching.

I swear, it's like I have a sign on my back that says, 'Hello, all restless spirits! Come haunt me! I have a great soul for you to feast on!'.

I mean, seriously, why can't I attract something useful, like money or good luck? No, it's always the spooky stuff and deadly stuff. Alright, where's the guy with the chainsaw? Come on, turn it on, I want to use it as the lullaby for my death.

So, what are my options here? Option one: Run away screaming like a banshee. Yeah, that'll do wonders for my street cred. 'Hey, have you heard about that guy who ran from a ghost like a bitch despite being one of the strongest guys in the world?'.

Nope, not gonna be that guy.

Option two: Stand my ground and confront the ghost guardian head-on. Oh sure, because nothing says bravery like a snarky comment and a heart attack in progress. 'Hey there, ghost buddy, did you know you've got a mint leaf in between your teeth? You might wanna clean that up before you feast on my delicate soul.'.

Option three: Negotiate. Yeah, that's it. I'll sit down with this otherworldly intruder and discuss the terms and conditions of its haunting. Maybe we can come to a compromise. I'll provide a cozy ghost-friendly corner in my house, complete with floating chairs and all, and in return, it promises to keep the moaning and wailing to a minimum during my nap time.

Seems fair, right? No rent or anything.

And I then see this see-through woman in the form of Dawn walking out of the hallway. Unlike the one I knew, this ghost Dawn is wearing a bit of an older fashion dress and she doesn't wear any shoes, which is great, I usually do that too, but this house may contain traps, I ain't walking barefoot.

"Don't get close, you'd never know what they'll look like next."

"That's rich." Ruka replied, "You can become a cat and a girl."

"Yes, and I can also make myself see-through, but that's not the point here, that ghost is impersonating your own mother for Maple's sake."

"Oh, Ruka." the ghost Dawn said as she observed our group "And Paw, what are you doing here?"

"She can read our minds and through our memories as well, this ghost is good."

Paw is Buddy's last name, was given by the sun goddess, while the first is given by Trevor, as much as he wants to take full credit for the cute name that suits this adorable abomination, Maple talked with him and Buddy said that the last name was given by his creator.

And this ghost is some sort of impersonator, but I somehow can't detect any illusion or falsehood, or anything negative that will set off my inner radar.

"Ah, you seem to recognize who I am." Ghost Dawn said as she turned to me "That's unusual, I've walked amongst mortals many times, and I don't think any of them has recognized me for who I am."

"Well, first expel who you are before I'm forced to exorcise you."

"Exorcise...?" she gave me a questioning look before her expression slowly shifted to one of realization, "Ah, I'm not a ghost, I'm merely a memory fragment that is left to watch over my home."

"Right, as if I would believe in the word of a ghost like you, even if I can't detect any lies in your words, I will still exorcise you, now where's my cross?"

"A cross? Are you a believer in the anti-magic cult?" Mark asked

"Alright, so you're mom's memory fragment?" Ruka asked for confirmation

"Merely a copy of a majority of the original's memories." ghost Dawn replied "I did help in my own making by providing my memories, and Jerah just molded a spirit guardian in my current image...and why have you actually got a cross out, what is that for?"

"Just in case, you'll never know."

Ruka then tried to smack my head, but I dodged it completely.

"My father created us the same way, be respectful." she chided "If you're not weird for the rest of the conversation, I'll go on a date with you after this."

Ruka POV

Don't embarrass me, she's telling the truth, I remember seeing my dad work on this once, but I didn't know that this was it. If Mom helped out more, this 'ghost' would have a more solid form like us roses.

At least he's quiet now.

"So can I just call you mom as usual?"

"Sure." the ghost replied

"I retained most of Dawn's memories, I am almost an exact copy, take a seat." she gestured to the sofas as we all then took a seat.

Perseus just took out some precooked bacon and eat them while occasionally to the fox as it lay on his lap.

"You are his next guardian, I see." she said to Perseus "Trevor started with good intentions, but it was disappointing to see him turn so twisted, I hoped for humans and demons to finally reunite, not to distance any further."

"So what's your last memory before being placed here?"

"Well, it would be a bit before I left." she answered "Have you missed me for that long?"

"Yes, quite a long time, I've got no news of you, Leilah went missing, and then you guys did, everyone searched everywhere for you."