The Ghost Hunter

Lena and Garin departed early in the gray morning, the ash-filled sky casting long shadows across the fractured world. As an Anchored ghost, Garin had responsibilities to maintain order within his small village of ghosts. He carried himself with the stern authority of someone who had long since accepted his role as a reluctant leader in this broken existence. On the other hand, Lena volunteered for patrol duty, looking for any newly emerged danger zones—or worse, void tear. Her willingness to put herself in harm's way spoke volumes, though Ren often wondered if it was out of duty or anger.

If he were honest, Lena had every right to hate him. His meddling in the past had made things worse more than once. Each attempt to fix a catastrophic event seemed to birth new scars in the timeline and, with them, new danger spots—places where reality itself had frayed.

Daniel, watching them leave, turned to Ren. "She doesn't like you much, does she?"

Ren sighed. "I wouldn't like me either if I were her. Every trip I take into the past risks unraveling what little stability this world has left."

"Danger spots," Daniel said, the term unfamiliar to him. "What exactly are those?"

Ren glanced at the horizon, his spectral form flickering faintly. "They're holes in space-time," he explained. "Places where the fabric of reality is so thin that it starts to collapse.

Sometimes, they stabilize on their own. Other times… they don't."

Daniel's expression darkened as he absorbed the explanation. "And when they don't?"

Ren hesitated. "That's when bad things happen. Natural disasters, extreme energy fluctuations, and more."

A sudden wave of cold fear washed over Ren as if on cue, so sharp and overwhelming that it felt like it would tear him apart. He staggered, urgently grabbing Daniel's arm, making the other ghost's form flicker.

"We need to go. Now!" Ren hissed, dragging Daniel toward the door.

Daniel, alarmed but trusting Ren's instincts, didn't argue. They barely made it outside when a deafening crack split the air. Above the house, a void tear ripped open, its jagged edges crackling with chaotic energy. The structure beneath it groaned before splitting cleanly in half, the collapsing walls kicking up plumes of ash and debris.

From the tear emerged a monstrous form, twisting and writhing as it pulled itself into the world. Its body was an abomination of shadow and jagged limbs, its hollow eyes burning with a pale, otherworldly light.

"A hunter," Ren whispered, his voice trembling.

Daniel's face hardened. "We're running, right?"

Ren nodded frantically. "Run. Now."

The two ghosts fled through the ashen wasteland, their forms flickering as they moved.

Behind them, the hunter gave chase, its elongated limbs scything through the air with terrifying speed. It moved with an unnatural grace, its hollow gaze locked onto its prey.

"Why is it coming out of a void tear?" Ren shouted over the sound of their desperate flight. "They've never done that before!"

"Does it matter?" Daniel shot back, narrowly dodging a low-hanging beam. "If that thing touches us, we're done!"

Hunters were the bane of all ghosts, feared even by the Anchored. One touch from their shadowed claws and a ghost's soul was annihilated—erased completely, with no hope of lingering.

The ground beneath them shifted, loose debris threatening to trip them with every step. Ren leaped over a crumbling section of road, his spectral form barely stabilizing as he landed. Daniel followed, his movements more fluid but no less frantic.

The hunter closed the distance, its limbs stretching impossibly long as it swiped at them. Ren ducked, feeling the air ripple as the claws missed him by inches.

"This way!" Ren shouted, veering toward a narrow alley between two crumbling buildings.

The tight space forced the hunter to slow, its massive form struggling to maneuver in the confined space.

"You better have a plan!" Daniel yelled, glancing over his shoulder.

"Survive first, plan later!" Ren shot back.

They burst out of the alley and into an open courtyard. The hunter followed, its body contorting unnaturally to squeeze through the narrow passage. Ren scanned the area frantically, searching for anything to buy them time.

"Over there!" he pointed to a partially collapsed tower on the courtyard's edge. "If we can get inside, we might be able to slow it down!"

Daniel didn't hesitate, leading the way toward the tower. They entered through a jagged hole in the wall, and the interior was a maze of broken staircases and fallen beams. Ren stumbled as he followed, his energy waning from the exertion.

The hunter's shriek echoed through the courtyard, a sound that pierced through their very essence. It didn't hesitate, slamming into the side of the tower with enough force to shake the structure. Dust and debris rained down as Ren and Daniel scrambled upward.

"This thing isn't giving up!" Daniel shouted, helping Ren over a massive piece of rubble.

"They never do," Ren muttered, his voice tight with fear. "But it has to have a weakness. They all do."

The hunter began clawing its way into the tower, its elongated limbs tearing through the walls as if they were paper. The two ghosts reached a higher platform, momentarily safe but with nowhere to climb.

Ren looked around desperately. "We need to collapse the tower."

Daniel stared at him. "Are you serious? We're in the tower!"

"Do you have a better idea?" Ren snapped. He gestured to the unstable beams supporting the structure. "If we can bring it down while we're still mobile, we might be able to escape while it's trapped."

Daniel hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. Let's do it."

They began pulling at the beams together, using their limited energy to weaken the already crumbling structure. Sensing their intent, the hunter shrieked and surged upward, its claws narrowly missing Ren as he darted out of the way.

"Hurry!" Ren shouted.

With a final wrenching crack, the beams gave way. The tower groaned before collapsing, a cloud of ash and debris filling the air. Ren passed through the falling debris effortlessly, his perfect control allowing him to escape the chaos unharmed. Daniel, lacking the same finesse, dove out of the way just in time, landing hard on the ground as the tower crumbled behind him.

The hunter was buried beneath the rubble, its shrieks muffled but still audible. Ren didn't wait to see if it would free itself.

"Keep moving!" he urged, dragging Daniel along.

They didn't stop running until they were miles away, the faint sound of the hunter's cries finally fading into silence. Only then did they collapse, their forms dim from exhaustion.

"Why...was that thing here?" Daniel panted, his voice shaking.

Ren shook his head. "I don't know. But if hunters come through void tears now… we're in more trouble than I thought."

They sat silently for a moment, the weight of their near escape settling over them. The ash-filled wind whistled through the ruins, a haunting reminder of the dangers looming.

"We need to warn the others," Ren said, his voice resolute. "This changes everything."

Daniel nodded, his expression grim. "Let's just hope they're ready."