Chapter 18: A Flashback and a Warning

Isao's warning hung in the air, leaving a chill that had nothing to do with his divine presence. The next day, he was back to his usual infuriating self, but his words had changed things. There was a new tension in our party, a sense that we were no longer just bumbling through quests, but hurtling towards something dangerous.

We were tasked with clearing out a crypt that had become infested with wraiths. As we delved into the dusty, cobweb-filled darkness, Isao seemed particularly amused.

"Ah, this brings back memories," he said wistfully. "So much ambient undeath. It's very nostalgic."

The wraiths were tricky, their incorporeal forms hard for Rina's mace to hit. Luna's holy magic was effective, but slow. We were struggling. During a lull in the fight, Isao floated over to me, ignoring the spectral horrors around us.

"You know, this reminds me of your sixth life," he commented conversationally.

"My what?" I said, distracted by a wraith trying to phase through my head.

"Life number six. The one where you were a royal exorcist. You were quite good at it, actually. Very dramatic. Lots of chanting and holy symbols." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You died in a rather ironic way. Tripped over your own holy robes and fell into a vat of cursed ectoplasm. Very messy."

"I have no memory of that," I said, ducking as a ghostly claw swiped at me.

"Of course not," he said. "Your memories are wiped with each reincarnation. It's standard procedure. Keeps the soul from accumulating too much psychological baggage. But I remember all of them, Aka-chan."

He looked at me, and for a fleeting moment, the playful mask dropped. His amethyst eyes held a strange mix of sorrow and something else… something that looked almost like affection.

"You were so determined that time," he murmured. "You truly believed you could banish all the darkness in the world. It was a noble, and ridiculously foolish, endeavor."

The moment passed. His charming smile returned. "You had a special technique for dealing with incorporeal beings. Something about focusing your inner life force into a physical blow. You called it the 'Soul Jab.' A terribly uncreative name, but effective."

He was trying to help. In his own, roundabout, annoying way, he was giving me a clue. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the chaos of the battle. I didn't have divine power anymore, but I was still a soul. A very old, very experienced soul. I focused, trying to feel that core of energy deep within me.

I opened my eyes, locked onto the nearest wraith, and punched. It wasn't a strong punch. By mortal standards, it was pathetic. But as my fist connected with the wraith's smoky form, there was a flash of white light. The creature shrieked and dissipated into nothingness.

It worked.

My party stared at me in shock.

"Whoa," Kenta said. "Where did that come from?"

"She's full of surprises," Isao said, winking at me.

We cleared the crypt in record time after that. My 'Soul Jab' was surprisingly effective. As we stepped out into the sunlight, Isao gave me a look.

"See?" he said. "You're more capable than you think. You just need the right… motivation." He looked towards the horizon, his smile fading slightly. "You're going to need every trick you remember, and a few you don't. The dragon that's coming? It's just the appetizer."