Confronting the Wraiths of Blackwood Mansion

Ethan Blackwood sat back in his office chair, staring at the smoke curling from his cigarette. The familiar smell was comforting, yet his mind was anything but at ease. He glanced at the calendar—today was the fifteenth. Midnight was the hour of reckoning. That's when he would summon Liam Blackwood, the secretary of the underworld, using an old ritual he'd perfected over time. Liam had the answers to the mystery of Blackwood Mansion and its dark, haunted history. Ethan figured he could pry some useful information about the wraiths from him.

He'd also been wondering if there would be any reward for vanquishing the restless spirits haunting the mansion. After all, Ethan thought with a chuckle, there had to be some benefit for risking life and limb in that cursed place, right?

Picking up the phone, Ethan dialed his friend Daniel's number. "Hey, man, I was thinking we should head to Blackwood Mansion together. What do you think about going after midnight?"

Daniel's cool, detached voice crackled through the speaker. "I knew you'd join me," he said, sounding both amused and serious. "You might be all over the place, but there's fire in your blood. Look, midnight is too dangerous. It's the peak of the wraiths' power. We need to head there just after dusk. Get off work early, and we'll talk more when we meet up."

The line went dead before Ethan could reply. He sat there, dumbfounded. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?" Ethan muttered, thinking about Daniel's cryptic words. "So I'm a hot-blooded fool, huh? Couldn't he just say that without throwing in the insult?"

Still grumbling, Ethan found himself at the desk of his boss, Nick Sullivan, a man as nosy as they came. "Taking off early? Off to the mansion, I take it?" Nick asked, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Ethan nodded. "Yeah, we're checking it out tonight."

Nick clapped him on the back. "Well, good luck! Just don't forget to tell me all about it when you get back. I need every juicy detail." Ethan shook his head. Nick's gossiping tendencies had always baffled him, but he couldn't deny that he was a good guy at heart.

After a couple of bus transfers, Ethan finally arrived at the funeral home. Daniel was there, directing a family through their mourning rituals like some sort of funeral director. His calm, authoritative presence seemed to command respect, and the people around him scribbled notes diligently.

Ethan watched Daniel for a moment. He had this air of coolness, a quiet strength beneath his sarcastic exterior. The two hadn't been friends for long, but Ethan already felt like they had a bond deeper than most. Daniel didn't have many friends either, which was why Ethan knew he was one of the few people Daniel trusted.

When Daniel spotted Ethan, he finished giving instructions to the family and strode over, his expression softening slightly. "Why the hell do you want to go after midnight?" Daniel asked in a low, serious tone. "And what's this I hear about you calling Liam Blackwood 'Old Liam'? You know he's not just some regular ghost."

Ethan wasn't one to keep secrets from Daniel. He explained his history with Liam and how he'd ended up owing him a debt, one that bound him to these ghostly encounters.

Daniel listened quietly, his expression shifting between surprise and understanding. "So, that's why you're so deeply involved in all of this," he said thoughtfully. "You've been carrying this weight for a long time, haven't you?"

Ethan shrugged. "I just didn't want to be caught in the middle of something without a clue. And besides, hosting 'The Friday Phantom' show? It's a pretty sweet gig. Pays well, and at least it sounds cooler than it really is."

Daniel smirked. "You're too modest, Ethan. Being involved with the secretive 'Shenxiao Sect,' one of the last true schools of Taoist thunder magic? That's something most people would kill for. And sure, Liam helped you out, but this could be fate. You don't just stumble into something like this."

Ethan was floored by Daniel's reaction. The guy was offering him something rare—a partnership. "You don't need to help me, but I'd be grateful," Ethan said, hoping not to sound too desperate. "But if you're willing to share the karma from exorcising those wraiths, I'm in."

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "You really want in on the good karma?" His lips curved into a sly smile. "Fine, I'll sign a contract. Any spirits I send off to the next life from now on will contribute to paying off your debt."

Ethan could hardly believe his ears. "You'd really do that? How do we sign this contract? Let's do it now. Hell, I'll even treat you to pizza after!" He was already thinking about the nearest Pizza Hut.

Daniel, caught off guard by Ethan's enthusiasm, shook his head. "You couldn't even fake being humble if you tried. Alright, let's get it done." With that, Daniel grabbed a yellow parchment from a drawer, wrote a few lines with an ink brush, and handed it to Ethan. "Cut your finger," Daniel instructed, "and drip some blood on the paper. I'll do the same."

Ethan winced but complied, watching in awe as the blood-soaked paper shimmered with an eerie glow. "That's it?" he asked, surprised at how simple the ritual was.

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, that's it. Now bow three times before the shrine to the Earth Store Bodhisattva over there, and we'll burn the paper. Once it's ash, the contract is sealed."

Ethan followed suit, kneeling before the small shrine and offering three bows. When the paper turned to ash, he felt a strange sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He clapped Daniel on the back. "You're the best, man! I'm serious. Pizza's on me tonight."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "You think a few slices of pizza can make up for this? Focus on what we're about to do. The wraiths in Blackwood Mansion are nothing like the spirits you've encountered before."

Ethan's grin faded. "Right, about those wraiths. You think we can handle them?"

Daniel's gaze grew distant. "These aren't ordinary ghosts. They're vengeful spirits—men who died in their prime, under violent circumstances. Their souls cling to this world, consumed by rage. They've been festering in that mansion for over sixty years. It's not going to be easy."

Ethan's earlier confidence wavered. "So...what's the plan?"

"We go in, try to exorcise them peacefully. If that fails, we use force."

The grim determination in Daniel's voice was unmistakable. Ethan gulped, feeling the gravity of the situation settle on him like a lead weight. He had never faced something this dangerous before, and while he trusted Daniel's experience, he couldn't shake the unease creeping up his spine.

"Alright," Ethan said with a shaky breath. "Let's do this."

Daniel rummaged through a nearby box, pulling out an old, wrinkled jacket. "Wear this," he said, handing it to Ethan. "It's enchanted with silk from spirit-weaving silkworms. It'll protect you from most low-level spirits."

Ethan looked at the jacket skeptically. It was the most outdated, unfashionable piece of clothing he'd ever seen. But when he unfolded it, the jacket seemed to smooth itself out, as if some invisible hand had pressed out all the wrinkles. He slipped it on, immediately feeling a chill settle over him—not an ominous one, but a refreshing, protective coolness.

Daniel reached into the box again and produced a bronze mirror. "Here. This is an Eight Trigrams Mirror. It'll help ward off the wraiths. Just don't expect it to do all the work."

Ethan accepted the mirror with a grin. "I like where this is going. Got anything else in that magic box of yours?"

Daniel shook his head, pulling out a small Vajra scepter from his pocket. "This is all I need. I don't rely on tools as much as you do. If you're strong enough, even a blade of grass can defeat an enemy."

"Still, I wouldn't mind taking some of those extra goodies off your hands," Ethan quipped. "Can't hurt to have a few more tricks up my sleeve."

Daniel gave him a serious look. "Power doesn't come from the tools. It comes from within. Remember that."

The weight of Daniel's words settled over Ethan as they prepared for their encounter with the wraiths of Blackwood Mansion. He knew tonight would be the real test—not just of their abilities but of their partnership. And whether they walked out victorious or not, it was clear that both their lives would never be the same after this night.

As the sun set and darkness crept in, the two men gathered their courage and set out toward the haunted mansion, ready to face whatever horrors the night had in store for them.