Legacy

"You..you...you... you are Eryndor Valkorin?" Lionel was too stunned to speak properly. He kept gaping at the man as if he was a ghost.

Eryndor smiled in acknowledgment. His eyes twinkled with kindness as he looked at his descendant gently. His soft gaze held emotions that Lionel couldn't decipher. Yet, surprisingly, he felt a sense of familiarity with him as if he had known him for a long time.

"I am, although I would prefer you call me Elder," Eryndor remarked, stroking his beard. "After all, I am more than a few centuries old."

Now, Lionel was scared. His expression morphed into terror and he moved a few steps away, prepared to run for his life. His face lost all its color and he was close to having a heart attack.

"Your efforts will be in vain, Lionel. You may try to run, but you cannot. I will always find you," Eryndor informed as if reading his mind.

"How is it possible?" Lionel was shocked out of his mind. He thought of ways to leave the place without alerting the man, but he couldn't find a way. The man would catch him in a blink. He was after all a.. ghost.

"You may want to sit down. Let us have a good conversation, shall we? I have something to tell you." Eryndor pointed towards the couch and Lionel subconsciously nodded.

Did he even have a choice?

Lionel took one of the couches and sat still, his body tense and straight. He kept his legs close as if he was facing someone formidable. He didn't dare relax even for a moment.

Eryndor sighed and sat far away from one of the other couches. He understood Lionel's fear. He had seen the same expression every time he made his presence known, only that the people had been different.

"You may have some questions. Before you start, shall I speak first? It might answer some of them." Eryndor allowed Lionel to choose, showing him that he meant no harm.

Lionel nodded again, his tongue paralyzed to speak. His body was slowly turning cold and he felt suffocated. But he didn't show it.

"You have already read the diary. So, you more or less must have an inkling as to what our conversation might be related to." Eryndor started without beating around the bush.

"Wait a minute!" Lionel intervened, ignoring the old man's obvious expression of annoyance.

"Don't tell me." The young man's eyes widened when a notion hit his mind. "The power you mentioned in the diary - has it got to do with ghosts?"

Eryndor dismissed Lionel's impudence and his lack of respect for him. His smile widened and he nodded. "You are wise."

"Will I start seeing ghosts from now onwards?" 

Lionel hoped for the man to deny it, to give him a negative answer. He was already spooked with one ghost, he couldn't handle more.

Alas, his prayers fell on deaf ears.

"Yes. You will carry on my legacy from today."

Can he deny this legacy? Lionel didn't want such a scary legacy.

"You know the techniques to deal with the ghosts. Why are you still frightened?"

Eryndor could not grasp why the young man seemed as if he was close to death. His crying face didn't evoke any pity. Instead, he only found it amusing.

"I am a normal person. It would be strange of me if I weren't scared," Lionel sassed, not caring that the man before him was his ancestor.

"I would be pleased if you respected me, son. I am your elder," Eryndor warned, not entertaining his impertinence anymore.

Lionel wanted to complain. But he bit his tongue and remained silent when he saw the old man's no-nonsense demeanor.

"Why did I get this power all of a sudden..." Lionel was about to stop. But when he noticed the old man's stern face, he added, "Elder?"

Satisfied, Eryndor smiled to himself. "Because your grandfather is no more."

Lionel didn't understand for a moment. But the truth soon dawned upon him and he jumped to his feet as if his butt was on fire.

"Holy shit! Is that what it is?"

"Language, son," Eryndor admonished, his expression turning dark instantly. "Where did you learn such foul words from?"

"Sorry." Lionel snuck out his tongue but didn't stray away from the conversation. "Grandpa had these powers too, didn't he? Is that why he'd behave mysteriously sometimes?"

"More or less."

"Do only the people from the Valkorin family have this power?" Lionel recalled what he had read on the first page of the diary.

"I presume so," Eryndor agreed.

"Why didn't Grandpa tell me? At least I could have prepared myself for it."

"He just didn't want to scare. This matter is not normal, after all, and you were still young."

"True that." Lionel didn't deny it this time. 

"Can I forsake this power?" Lionel didn't want to have such power at all. Who in their sane minds would want to deal with ghosts on a day-to-day basis?

Wait, were ghosts real? Lionel's question vanished as quickly as it had sprung in his mind. They had to be. Otherwise, how could the man who had died years ago be sitting before him?

"You can..."

Lionel's eyes lit up.

"After you die. Until then, no one can separate this power from you."

Lionel's shoulder sagged and he felt terrible. 'Could someone kill me right now? I don't want to live anymore?'

"Child, the power is not as bad as you think." Eryndor tried to persuade him.

"Elder, it's easy for you to say. I don't want to be greeted by ghosts as soon as I wake up in the morning." 

A scene immediately played in his mind and Lionel saw himself waking up and staring at a creepy-looking ghost whose face was peeling off and blood was dripping. The scene was so terrifying that he closed his eyes and shook his head as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Child, I have experienced all that you are imagining. But it is not that terrible."

Eryndor felt bad for him. Given a chance, he did not want to put his descendants through the misery. But he was helpless. They had to bear the power their family was destined to have.

"Elder..." Lionel sighed, not having any words of argument.

"Lionel, I understand your troubles. But the world needs you, child. They need your power, to save them."

"But..."

"And trust me when I say you can overpower the evil spirits. Please."

Lionel's heart softened at the old man's desperate pleas. He saw how helpless he looked and couldn't help but feel terrible for him.

"I understand, Elder," he relented finally.

"Good, child. Good."

Lionel suddenly felt as if he had been tricked. The old man, who had a sad expression a second ago, was beaming with joy as if he had conquered the world.

'Can I take back my words?' he wondered.

"Now that you have accepted who you have become, I have a few words of advice."

'Can I not listen to them?' Lionel didn't want to listen to him. But he had no choice.

"You must be feeling a strange kind of warmth in you," Eryndor started and Lionel nodded, his eyes widening in surprise.

"That is your qi. It was dormant all these years. It is active now. You must start cultivating from today, child. The more you cultivate the more powerful you will become."

"How will my qi help me deal with the ghosts?"

"More than ghosts, I would prefer to call them spirits. As for your question, positive qi which is called yang will suppress negative qi or yin."

Although the old man didn't explain it explicitly, Lionel understood what he was saying. 

"You will have positive qi until you follow a righteous path. Anything that has your spiritual energy like the talisman you draw or the spells you chant will eliminate the evil."

Everything fell into place instantly and Lionel's confusions were cleared all at once. All the questions he had in mind were answered as well.

"You have read the diary. You know what to do. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes, Elder." Lionel nodded when a question popped into his mind suddenly.

Eryndor waited patiently. Not once did he show any frustration towards him, and this alone was enough for Lionel to revere him.

"Will you be with me from now on?"

Even though it was the first time they were meeting, Lionel felt a strange kind of relief in his presence. He wouldn't be alone when he dealt with the malicious spirits.

"No, child. My time here is about to end. Once I am done here, I will not appear before you again."

"Elder..." Lionel's heart dropped and he looked at the man pleadingly. "It is our fate, child. We cannot do anything about it."

"Elder, I...I..."

"Lionel, I understand your thoughts and apprehensions. But you have nothing to worry about. You are meant to do good deeds. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been granted this power," Eryndor explained, his body slowly turning transparent and Lionel almost teared up.

"My time to leave is nearing. Do you have any other questions?"

"Yes, Elder. Should I keep my powers hidden from others?"

"That is up to you, Lionel. It will not hinder you in any way. But I suggest you remain low as much as possible."

"Yes, Elder." 

Eryndor's body was almost invisible. He had a few more seconds at most.

"My time is up, Lionel. Be brave and protect the innocent. The world needs you."

With that, Eryndor disappeared completely and the room turned warm for a moment before returning to normal.

Lionel stared blankly at the spot Eryndor had been a moment ago. It took a few seconds to return to normal and once his brain started working again, he smacked his forehead in dismay.

"I forgot to ask the most important question," he gritted his teeth, annoyed at himself for being stupid. "What am I going to do if none of the techniques mentioned in the diary will eliminate the evil spirit?"