Spell 19 - Ghost

Ren stopped near the bent archway where the figure had appeared just moments ago. Ahead, a set of doors stood open wide, leading to the library's terrace. Its large floor was leaning into the pavement outside, partially sustained by a set of ivy strands that had somehow grown next to it.

And there, right at the far edge, stood a child.

Ren stopped as he saw him, still breathing hard from all the running. The kid was thin, barefoot and had long golden hair that reached his shoulders. He stood with his back to them, motionless, as Ren and Kagami stepped into the open space. They weren't careful about being quiet, so the boy should have heard noise by now. Still, he didn't move from that spot, not even to look back at them.

"Hey, are you alright?" Ren finally spoke, trying to keep his voice as gentle as he could.

Only then did they see some movement. A twitching in the boy's limbs and a slight tilt of the head. After that, he turned toward them.

His features were delicate, like those of any child his age. But the eyes... the eyes were strange. They looked wider than one would think human proportions allowed. They were also golden but with black filaments spiraling inward from the edges, like murky water being injected into a cleaner one. That distinct motion kept unfolding inside them over and over.

Ren stopped as he realized something was clearly wrong with that picture.

Kagami stepped up beside him. Her pupils narrowed as she analyzed. "Look at the pattern in the irises," she pointed out.

Ren opened his mouth to ask what she thought about it, but then the boy did the same. His lips parted slightly, like he might say something, but nothing came out. His jaw just hung open for a few moments with nothing happening. Until the sound did come out.

The scream that broke from his lungs was ragged, as if it was coming from a place that wasn't built for producing sound, but suddenly did, overlapping onto itself. And it was really loud. Louder than a tiny set of human lungs would be able to produce. It pierced through the open space and echoed down the street until it disappeared into nothingness.

Ren staggered back from it, as he definitely wasn't expecting that to happen. But in spite of his surprise, he did recognize that sound. The night before, back at the old house where they had taken shelter, they had heard the same sound echoing through the streets. It was the same screech. At the time, he couldn't see where it was coming from and what made it, but now this was giving it a shape. Even if it was that of a small child.

"That's... what we heard last night," Ren said with a lower voice than usual.

"Yes. He's a ghost," Kagami nodded, and there was no mistaking it.

Ren looked at her, trying to shake the ringing in his ears.

"That's a ghost?"

"People usually think ghosts have rotten appearances, but that's a common misconception."

She didn't take her eyes off the boy as she spoke.

"Ghosts are still human in a way, except their souls are stuck, usually because of an incomplete pact. They don't age, don't pass on. They just remain attached to whatever ritual bound them in the first place. And they loop on that. Over and over."

Suddenly a new sound cut in before either of them could react. It was the crunch of broken pavement under footsteps each time growing closer and closer. Ren's attention moved away from the boy as the sound spread across the terrace.

Then, slowly, other figures emerged from behind pylons, walls, walking out of the shadows. They were all dressed in garments that looked old and ceremonial. Centuries old, even.

None of them spoke a word. They just gathered around in dozens. And as they moved, they formed a ring around the tilted terrace where Ren and Kagami stood.

"Are we... safe?" Ren asked, turning slowly and scanning every direction. 

"Ghosts aren't violent," Kagami said. "They shouldn't even be aware of us. All they know is their pacts."

Then, the first boy they'd seen took a few steps toward where they were.

Ren frowned, as he didn't like that.

The boy's arm suddenly bent as if it had no bones at all. The flesh stretched into an organic-looking vine, which then lunged forward with terrifying speed. Ren moved instinctively to the side. The vine slammed into the wall behind him, hitting it with so much force that it cracked the stone into pieces.

He turned towards Kagami. "Not violent?!"

"That..." and her voice faltered for a moment, "...shouldn't have happened," she replied, although her attitude showed no visible surprise. Not that Ren actually expected otherwise.

Then the other ghosts started approaching as well. So Ren didn't wait for more. It was really time to get out of there.

Since the entrance back to the library was basically blocked by a wall of ghosts, the only alternative Ren was left with was the streets below. Even if he disliked the idea terribly. It was too exposed and too unknown to him, frankly, but there was little time to figure out what else he could do. 

He took a narrow street between a couple of old buildings covered by overgrown vines and bushes. The path curved downwards, which made it easier for him to run, but then, of course, for the other ones as well.

Ren glanced back for just a second and saw that, sure enough, the ghosts were following. They seemed to have a difficult time running, as Ren saw them dragging their feet with an awkward motion. That gave him an advantage, but he had no understanding of how sharp their other senses were, which would have allowed them to find him regardless of the distance.

He ran left, then right again. Moved over a couple of fallen walls.

Then, one of the ghost vines lashed across the gap in front of him. He ducked just in time, but it went too close and grazed the fabric at his shoulder. 

Okay, so they compensated for distance with those vine-looking things. Great.