The Wheezing Soul Spirit

This ‘world’ does not simply contain those of the living only.

The undying ones also counted, even though their presence is surreal…

******

…

Marco and Scias walked back home to the Town of Areda.

"Phew, we're two minutes early," said Marco smilingly.

"H-Huh?" Scias looked at me. He then checked his pocket for a moment, "Oh... y-yeah, I g-guess we were two minutes early," he put something that shaped like a watch back into his pocket.

"Oho! Scias, did you buy that pocket watch I told you the other day?" Marco asked.

"Oh, shush. It's not your business whether I b-bought it or not..." He stopped Marco from getting closer. His pocket watch now is in his lower left pocket.

"Well, t-then..." Scias simply walks away without saying a farewell.

"Huh... I wonder what that stone-faced bastard up to... oh, well... gotta extract these slimes first," said Marco as he checked his hunting pouch.

He got roughly 800 zennies from this hunting season. "YES!" He shouted out loud. He got enough cash to buy a new weapon, the Arquebus.

"I've used 1000 zennies to buy the Arquebus, now I still have 3500z remaining... gotta save it for later," said Marco to himself. “Let's call it a day,” he added.

And with that, he returned to his house and thus the day ends.

Morning rises in the next day, Marco nearly slammed his head to his house’s brick wall. He woke up upon hearing a strange wheezing noise near his house. To be precise, reaaaallly close.

He bashed open the window from inside my bedroom, only to find a weird hooded guy... that looked like he's using levitation magic or some sort...

"What are you doing here? Trying to pull a fuzzy prank on me? Nu-uh, not gonna work, mate," Marco crosses his arm on the window layout.

"Besides, it is still way early in the morning, I don't like it when—

"....eh....~?" The strange person wheezed over, "So...~ like...~ you can see me...~?" He asked.

"Huh? What are you talking about? I can see you clear as day," Marco replied without a second thought.

"How...~ odd...~" It continues mumbling briefly. "Hey, why would you wear such tattered outfit like that? Are you trying to ‘mimic’ a ghost or something?" Marco asked jokingly.

"But I am...~ a ghost...~" said the floating hooded guy in confusion. Marco didn’t realize that the hooded guy’s eyes were… not normal. His mouth is also abnormal.

"Haha, funny thought you have there. I don't like it when people sneaking around my house like that. Now you're denying your own existence," Marco chuckled in pity towards the hooded guy for making a crazy confession.

"Oi Marco! Who are you talking to?" A townsman shouted from a far. “It’s still damn morning and you’re daydreamin’?!” he added. “Can’t ya see I’m talking to some hooded guy here?” Marco replied with the same tone. “Huah? You serious, man? There’s not even a single piece of a dude there, get some fresh water and sprinkle it on your face before your eyes get nasty, man,” the townsfolk replied.

“Eh?” Marco flinched. He thought that the hooded guy was some strange person. But he realized. This guy was sinisterly strange. The fact that he could see him while others not makes him goosebumps.

"Okay...~ Since you...~ can see me...~ I'll allow you to take one prize...~ from me...~" he suddenly change its tone.

"Which will you need, Money, Equipment, or perhaps Items...~?" he showed a cloud depiction of three types of things.

“Um… dude?” Marco asked. “Yeah~?” the hooded guy replied. “You’re an undead creature? You’re a ghost?” Marco tries to confirm.

“Well, that’s what…~ I am~!” the hooded guy thumbed up with his tattered cloth. His hands are invisible, yet Marco hadn’t realized it.

"Heh, fine, then… I would believe you if you actually could summon me up 4000z," Marco smirked to the hooded guy.

"OK, access granted, pyooooooooooooooooohhhhh~"

The self-acclaimed ghost fades away into thin air... “Ugh, that dude spew off some disgusting smell,” Marco commented as he waves the air in front of him while pinching his nose.

He blinked once. Coins appear in the place where that hooded guy faded out. Marco began to feel a greater visible goosebumps now. Most humans could see undead creatures like zombies, spirits, etc. but not a ghost, ghouls, or soul spirits.

"A-A-Are t-t-t-t-these real?" Marco shivered in his pants.

He totaled 4000 zennies and it is legitimate. It's real, solid coins! "What should I do with these...?" he thought.

"I want to keep it with me... should I ask Scias...? No, no, no. He'll surely give it to the charity institute... But that strange dude said he gave it to me..."

Marco thought briefly, only to end up taking the entire money with me. "I have the thought of these coins were casted a curse magic... But so far all is well, welp, I've decided, I decided to keep it as an addition of my main resources, hehe.”

******

…

Inside a nebulous room, not far from Marco's hometown, the ghostly hooded guy fades in, where in front of it stands a man wearing graphite-gray colored fedora and metal black colored mask covering his nose all the way to his chin, leaving only his eyes. Even his eyes are hard to see by anyone because his bangs covered it most of the time. He has a tidy cyan bob hair-like appearance. He wears a fancy charcoal black suit all the way to his legs. He wears a silver blank cape that covers his back. Although he's mostly covered by his clothing, he appears to have a heather colored skin, he is absolutely not a human.

"I'm back...~" the hooded guy floats in.

"Hoh... you've returned, Ghosty. What did you do this time?" The man asked.

"Oh...~ you won't...~ believe this...~ there is...~ a guy who can~ see me...~" Ghosty replied.

"That's it?" the man frowned.

"No, no, no, no. There's...~ a big mess-thing is going on in the forest...~ That's what I heard from...~ the people...~ in the town...~" Ghosty added.

"And that's?"

"I dunno...~ I only heard...~ hehe."

"Seriously? You shouldave find out about— Ah, nevermind... I'll go find out about it myself."

"Eh...~ Are you sure~? You're not a...~ soul spirit like me...~" Ghosty stated with a wheeze.

"Those folks won't even bother who I am, trust me," the man ensured.

The man left the dimly-lighted room. Ghosty has a thought of cracking up something to do while his 'colleague' is away.

"That...~ human...~ said something about mimic~ a ghost...~ Hmm...~ mimic...~ mimic..."

Ghosty flinches his boneless head 90 degrees upwards like a paper.

"Oh-hwaaaw! Ohohohohow...~ Ah...~ yes~! Mimic Treasure~!" he shouted happily.

"I gotta thank...~ that man...~ later...~ for giving me...~ a ghostly idea...~ hehe...~ but can a ghost...~ make idea...~ though...~?"