SECOND MISSION  

"Wait, let me take a minute to understand this, you're a ghost, are you not?" Lysander asked him.

"I guess you can say that." Eryndor responded.

The familiarity with the term was just not forthcoming. Maybe, he just did not want to be addressed as a ghost.

"Of course I can say that. Look at you! But wait, I noticed you at the beating site, they could not see you now, could they?" Lysander asked him.

"Yes. Apparently for some reason, you're the only one that can see me." Eryndor responded.

Lysander backed away from the cell rungs, his eyes widened like they could pop out of their sockets.

"Listen, man, I don't know why you're here but I think you got the wrong person. I've never killed a person in my life unless you're the ghost of one of the numerous ants I have sent off to the great beyond. Only then can I let you come for me." Lysander said to him, he was already beginning to sweat on his temples as cold shivers ran down his spine.

"Relax, man. I'm just here to find you." Eryndor said to him.

"Find me? Why? Did I perhaps steal from you before?" Lysander asked him, his head rummaging over what the odds were that a ghost had come to haunt him.

"Steal? Listen, as much as I would say your thievery adventures might be worth a laugh or two, I'm not here to collect vengeance on you or anything. Besides, why do you have to assume the worst every time?" Eryndor asked him.

"Well, let's just say that only the worst things have ever happened to me." Lysander said as his eyes fell.

Eryndor noticed his eyes and how the young man seemed like there was something haunting him within. Looking at Lysander, he could see a young man bearing a weight that was far bigger than him and all he could do was let out a sigh. He drew closer to the young man, not realising that he had even passed through the cell rungs.

"Listen, for what it's worth, I'm supposed to be your mentor of sorts." He said to him,

"My mentor?" Lysander asked him and then looked up. A gasp escaped him as he suddenly realised that Eryndor was in his cell.

"What? What happened?" Eryndor asked him.

"You're in here with me. That's scary." Lysander pointed out.

Eryndor looked behind him and could see the cell rungs and then he smiled, returning his gaze to the subject.

"I guess I can pass through things too. That's lovely." Eryndor said 

"So, my mentor, eh? Why? I never asked for a mentor." Lysander said to him as he started approaching Eryndor.

He came to stand in front of the ghost as he reached and touched his arm. Then his hands started traveling up as he reached for Eryndor's cheek. 

He was marvelled.

"Well, do we need to ask for everything before it..." He ceased speaking as he caught Lysander's hand around the wrist. "What are you doing?"

"Wow, you can hold me too and you're solid. How come that plank passed through you and how did you pass through the cell?" Lysander asked him, as he was bemused.

Eryndor looked down at Lysander's hand that he was holding. For some reason, his own hand was not as transparent as before.

"I don't know. Seems somehow I get solid around you. Like with the trampoline at the market." Eryndor said softly.

Lysander hearing this felt hot around the cheeks. It was the searing feeling of embarrassment spreading through him at the moment that he was barely able to endure.

"You were that thing! Dude! Do you get off embarrassing people?" He demanded.

"Well, I didn't ask you to be a scared puppy dog of a man." Eryndor responded.

"What did you just say?" Lysander asked him.

"You heard me. You should have seen how you looked when running. I had a good laugh off that." Eryndor responded.

"Let's never speak about that again. Please?" Lysander asked him, feeling hot all over.

"Alright." Eryndor said, yet the sides of his lips were quivering with the need to express his amusement.

"So, what's the plan?" Lysander asked him.

"The plan is to..." Eryndor was speaking when he was cut short.

[Mission update. Click the option below for details. 

<<TASK STATUS NEW TASK>>]

The system's screen suddenly popped up and Eryndor was excited at this point to see what the update was.

"Woah, what is that?" Lysander suddenly asked, his mouth open as he seemed bedazzled staring up at the screen.

For a good one minute, Eryndor was confused as he stared from Lysander to the screen and back to Lysander again.

"Wait, you see that?" He asked him.

"That? You mean the blueish screen thingy with the notes on it? Yes I do. What is it?" Lysander asked him.

"Well, it's my...my...see, it's something I use to keep track." He responded.

Of course he did not want to tell Eryndor that it was a system designed for his punishment. It made him feel like he would be disregarded or worse.

But Lysander did not really care about that answer. He was so fascinated by this thing that he wanted to explore it instead.

"Wow. If I had something like this to keep track of, man I'd be a god. What does this button do?" He asked as he struck it.

"Don't touch anything!" Eryndor was saying but it was already too late as Lysander already did it. He selected the 'TASK STATUS' update.

[Congratulations Eryndor.

MISSION: Find redemptive subject 

HINT: The man with purple eyes and stringed instrument.

STATUS: Completed

REWARD: New skill in skill set.]

"Purple eyes? You knew my eyes colour already? Wow. Yours in deep blue or I might have thought you were my long lost father but who's to say. My mom had these beautiful brown eyes, if there's a mix...." Lysander started yapping nonstop from excitement.

Meanwhile, Eryndor was burning on the inside from pain. The moment Lysander started speaking about his father, all he could feel was this tightening feeling around his chest as he recalled how he had betrayed the said father. It was too much for him to bear that he had to cut him off.

"I'm not your father! Stop making assumptions!!" He yelled and turned away as he started walking towards the cell rungs.

Lysander had been taken back from his sudden outburst. He felt cold suddenly as he wondered what had changed in the atmosphere.

"I'm sorry. I only thought..." He started.

Eryndor turned to glare at him.

"That's what humans keep doing. Thoughts! Keep thinking until they make an irreparable mistake. For once, stop thinking!" He yelled at him.

The more he yelled at the young man, the more he felt the churn within himself and the realization that he was actually referring to himself.

'What am I doing yelling at him? I was the one who thought the Eunuch was lying. I was the one who betrayed his trust to Lui, that bastard I made Emperor.' He thought to himself yet again.

He looked at the young man who stood there looking at him with a shocking expression spread on his face. He clearly had not been expecting this sort of reaction from the man.

"Listen, I'm truly sorry about all this. It's not you. It's me. Know what, I'll just step outside and get a little air then when I return, we'll see..." He was saying as he went towards the cell rungs.

"I understand. I mean I talk a lot especially when I'm excited and nervous. Makes me want to keep..." Lysander started again when suddenly,

BANG!!!

"Ouch!" Eryndor cried out as he held his forehead with his hands.

"Wait, ghosts feel pain?" Lysander asked him.

"Shut up!!!" Eryndor yelled at him in pain.

"Okay. I mean, I would shut up but didn't you come in through that? You practically floated in, what happened?" He asked him.

Eryndor was taken aback as he rose up and stared at the cell. A dawning feeling spread through him as he stood straight. He made his way towards the cell and tried to put his hand through, he was met with the solid bars and he was shocked.

"What? What's happening?" He muttered.

"Looks to me like you can't get through." Lysander said to him.

"I know that already, okay? Stop stating the obvious!" Eryndor yelled.

"Alright. Zilch. Not another word from me." Lysander responded as he used an imaginary zip to close his mouth.

For a moment, Eryndor seemed to be struggling to recollect.

"What happened?" He muttered.

Lysander put his hand up as Eryndor turned to look his way. Seeing his hands up, Eryndor closed his eyes shut tightly in disappointment as he looked away.

"What?" He demanded with a hoarse tone.

"I know I'm supposed to shut up but your task thing said you had a new skill, and a new mission. Why not check? It might have answers for you though." Lysander said to him.

Why had he not thought about that? Eryndor wondered.

"Fine. Turn around and no peeking." Eryndor said to him.

Lysander hesitated but when he saw the look on the ghost's face, he shrugged as he turned, hanging his shoulder sadly.

He tapped on the 'BACK' option and he was back to the first screen congratulating him. Then he selected 'NEW TASK'

[MISSION: Save redemptive subject 

HINTS: Breakout of jail.]

'That's it?' Eryndor thought as he found the home screen option. Then he selected 'SKILLS'

[New skill updated!!!

Solid state when close to the redemptive subject. To view the subject's profile, go to the home screen and select profiles and then select the subject's name.]

"This was your fault." Eryndor muttered.

"What? Me?" Lysander asked, still backing him.