Ghosts

"Hey, Eden, are undead alive? I mean, the name says you're un-dead. That implies you aren't alive, but you're obviously moving around, so... how does that work?" Roman asked.

Eden crossed her arms; she had an expression of pure anger. Roman had been asking about night creatures and undead for over an hour now.

"Why don't you just read a book?" Eden said.

I was about to ask something myself, intrigued by the same question, but I held my tongue.

"Well, I hate reading. That's boring." Roman said.

Eden was about to reply, but the carriage stopped in place. Roman turned his head to the driver to see that he had a shocked expression on his face. Roman walked out of the carriage in an instant, ready to unsheathe his sword.

I and Eden did the same, walking out and seeing what happened.

The dirt road felt harsh as I looked in front of the carriage to see three dog-like creatures. They were eating a dead reindeer, then their heads systematically turned to us. Their eyes were like savage beasts.

Their size was much bigger than a normal dog, and their heads had multiple horns, and their mouths had multiple rows of teeth, which had meat stuck to them.

Nobody talked; Roman dashed to them with his sword in hand. Eden stayed back, just looking, saving her energy, not wanting to waste it.

I went forward with Roman, attacking the beasts with air bullets. The bullets tore through their fur, but the beasts seemed to shrug off the impacts as if they were nothing.

Roman's sword cut through one of them cleanly; however, as he stopped, another one jumped at him. I fired another air bullet, striking the creature mid-air and knocking it off its trajectory. Roman stabbed him before he fell to the ground.

The last beast lunged for me. I tried to form an air slash, but I was too slow—it was just inches from my face. Then, its head was cut open as a blood slash attacked it from the side.

My breath was fast; I looked back at Eden, who had a relaxed look on her face. I smiled.

Roman swung his sword to clean the blood off and looked around. "It seems like beasts are becoming more bold, going into main roads where it's protected."

My head locked onto the bodies on the ground; they started dissolving into the ground, leaving behind their horns. A grin spread across Roman's face as he collected the horns, tossing them into a bag he retrieved from the carriage.

Seeing this, I got reminded of how many adventurers came to the bakery back in Nerton. They all looked so ragged and tough when putting coins on the table. Their hands always had scars.

As Eden was getting up, she looked at Roman and asked, "Do you really need that much money?"

Roman thought about it and answered, "No, but an extra amount is always better."

"Uh-huh."

I sit down, taking a breath, and then I look at the forest outside. We are nearing Nerton, and this place reminded me of something. I looked at Eden and said, "This is where we escaped from the Froste knights."

Her eyes moved to look around. "Oh yeah, that was a long time ago."

"Wait, you two fought the Froste knights?" Roman was surprised.

I took the initiative and explained, "We met Gilbert back in Nerton; he detected us somehow, which led to a cat-and-mouse game between us and the knights."

Roman then looked at us. "Man, Gilbert scares the shit out of me. I don't want to meet him ever again; you can never predict what he's going to do." His voice was shaky.

"Why did you join the Froste knights in the first place? I believe that they are the worst family to work for." Eden said.

Roman looked out from the door's window, letting the sounds of leaves rustling come in. "My father was a knight for them before me. I just wanted to follow his path, even if they aren't the best. I guess it's my choice."

"Andor was a knight?" My eyes widened. I can't imagine Andor holding a sword at all. Did he fight beasts before?

Roman had a nostalgic look in his eyes as he spoke with a smile. "That was ages ago. After my mother's death, he wanted nothing to do with fighting anymore. So he opened the tavern that you worked in."

"I'd love to see him fight one day," I said, imagining him in armor.

Roman laughed, then asked me, "Taro, you've never mentioned where you're from. You don't have a home to go back to?"

Before I could open my mouth, Eden pushed. "He'll say it when he wants to." Her expression was one of deep thinking, as she remembered meeting Taro for the first time. Going to the bakery where he worked, she knew that when he left his home, it took a toll on him. So she never brought it up again.

The drive took most of the day, and we arrived at Nerton at sunset. We stepped out onto the familiar stone streets. The familiar feeling hit me as my heart felt like it was sinking deeper. We stopped near the river where Eden and I met Gilbert for the first time.

Around us, there seemed to be a lot more guards than usual. I guess they were notified about the vampire situation as well.

"Alright, first things first: let's find an inn. Then, we can investigate the duke's manor!" Roman declared, raising a hand with cheerful determination.

We walked on the familiar streets, the same smell. The same merchants and people were around, still doing the same things; however, there were new faces, and some old ones were gone.

As I kept moving, I looked to my side to see a rough-looking middle-aged man who was haggling with a merchant. Mr. Sionn his face looked older than before, but his energy seemed to be better.

While we kept walking down the road, I noticed we were getting closer to the adventurer's guild, the same one I had burned down back then. Or, at least, the place where it used to stand. In its place was a new building, taller and cleaner than before.

The walls looked fresh. A big sign hung over the entrance, proudly showing it was still an adventurer’s guild. But the people inside were different now. They didn’t have the rough, dangerous look of thugs anymore.

Instead, most of them looked like proper adventurers.

I was a few steps behind Roman and Eden, so I sprinted to their side. Roman stopped near an inn where he said he would arrange rooms for us. So I took the chance and walked instinctively to the street where I first came here.

Eden followed me. She once told me she could sometimes feel my intentions, a faint pull guiding her. She said it was the same feeling she'd had when I offered her my arm in the dungeon.

With every step, my heart hammered faster against my ribs. I couldn't control myself or my emotions. I then saw it, a familiar building that I was stuck to.

I walked closer; the sky had become completely dark now. A lump formed in my throat. I stared at the building. The "Closed" sign was gone.

The lights inside were on, but the counter and containers that held the freshly baked bread were gone. A family was inside; I saw a child playing with a toy where I once served bread to customers.

My mouth opened for a bit, my hands shaking. Memories overwhelmed my mind; a blurry face of an old woman was there in every single scene. Marik, that's what I used to go by, the boy that Dorothea remembers until now.

I wasn't Marik, yet I somehow became attached to her in a deeper way than I thought. I didn't spend much time with her, yet she moved me this much. She was a kind, strong woman, a mother to the person who never had one.

For a moment, I didn't know who or what I was mourning. It felt more like a dream, a long, beautiful dream.

Eden quietly placed a hand on my shoulder, noticing my disconnect. She didn't say anything.

I felt empty; the world seemed to fade to grey. "I never got to say goodbye," I mumbled, my hand instinctively clenching over my heart.