Ilarion

  After we parted ways, Thaid and Ston were the closest to me. I was thinking... It had been half an hour since Thaid left to meet his academy comrades, while Ston had been gone for fifty minutes. Those words echoed in my mind, spoken by our instructor, Olivia:

  "The objective has been completed."

  "The Lich has been eliminated."

  I smiled. Good job, Ston.

  Then another message came:

  "A comrade has been eliminated."

  Who was eliminated? Was it Ston? One of our comrades? I placed my hand under my chin, deep in thought. Even Thaid was late... I called out to Fabian.

  

  
• "Where is the comrades’ chamber?"


  

  Fabian thought for a few seconds, then pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, drawing the path for me.

  

  
• "Alright, Fabian..."


  

  Before I could finish my sentence, Olivia’s voice rang out again, as usual:

  "Final mission: Eliminate the ghost."

  Damn it! Where could a ghost be hiding? Unlike an Orc or a Lich, which would reveal themselves, a ghost would do the opposite... It would stay hidden.

  I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

  

  
• Fabian: "Ilarion, what’s wrong?"


  
• Ilarion: "Fabian, do you trust me?"


  
• Fabian: "Yes, I trust you."


  

  His quick, unwavering response caught me off guard.

  

  
• "Alright, there’s a ghost inside the castle, hiding within a human body."


  

  Fabian's face darkened.

  

  
• 
  
    "How do you know?"
  
    


  
• 
  
    "Well, it was a secret, but since you trust me, I’ll trust you and tell you."
  
    


  
• 
  
    Fabian: "Thank you."
  
    


  
• 
  
    "One of our comrades has telepathic abilities and is in contact with the guild leader. I got this information from him and learned the number of Orcs and the Lich he was facing."
  
    


  

  Fabian's expression grew more serious.

  

  
• "Alright, that makes sense now."


  

  So, the ghost had three easy targets to possess:

  The elderly.

  

  
• "Are there any elderly people in this castle?"


  
• Fabian: "No, all the elderly are in a hospital far from here."


  

  People with low mana or damaged mana circuits.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  

  
• 
  
    Fabian: "Everyone in the castle is a soldier, at the peak of their weapon and magic usage."
  
    


  
• 
  
    Ilarion: "What about the Queen?"
  
    


  
• 
  
    "The Queen can use magic, so that makes it difficult."
  
    


  
• 
  
    Fabian: "Ilarion, I haven’t seen you use magic in battle or in any obvious way."
  
    


  

  I started thinking… I didn’t want to lie to him. If I did, everything I had done to earn his trust would be for nothing.

  

  
• "It’s true, my mana circuits are damaged, but I’m sure the ghost isn’t inside me. You can check."


  

  I extended my hand. Fabian grasped it like a handshake and began channeling mana into my body.

  His light magic was warm, but I felt a slight pain spreading through me. His mana coursed through my body—not as an attack, but as a means of scanning for abnormalities.

  A minute later, Fabian opened his eyes.

  

  
• "Nothing... I’m sorry for doing this."


  
• "It’s fine, it was necessary."


  

  Children.

  

  
• "Are there any children inside the castle?"


  

  Fabian shuddered.

  

  
• 
  
    "Merry… No way! There’s no way the ghost is inside her!"
  
    


  
• 
  
    "Fabian, go check on Merry. Keep it casual, and make sure to expel the ghost if it has taken control of her."
  
    


  

  We split up, heading in different directions. I ran while checking the map.

  As I reached the entrance to the hall, raging flames erupted from one of the rooms, wildly spreading in all directions, consuming everything in their path. I took cover behind one of the pillars—the heat was intense.

  

  
• "What the hell happened?!"


  

  A familiar voice echoed in my mind:

  "A comrade has been eliminated."

  "A comrade has been eliminated."

  "A comrade has been eliminated."

  "A comrade has been eliminated."

  "A comrade has been eliminated."

  "A comrade has been eliminated."

  "A comrade has been eliminated."

  Once the flames died down, everything was charred. The chairs and tables had burned to ashes, and the walls were pitch black.

  Something was stuck to the wall. As I focused, I realized it was the Lich, in terrible condition. A massive axe was embedded in its chest, making it look like a grotesque decoration.

  Then, I heard footsteps…

  Thud… Thud…

  Something was walking through the remains of the fire. The smoke obscured my vision, but a massive figure started to emerge from the haze.

  As it came into view, it looked like a burned mass of muscle. Half of its body was in a horrific state, while the other half was strangely intact. Its right side was horribly disfigured—one side of its face completely burned, distorting its features. Half of its nose was missing, exposing the bones around its eye socket. Its ear was gruesomely severed, blood still dripping. Its mouth revealed a row of jagged teeth, as the lips on its right side had been completely burned away, while the left side remained intact, creating a disturbingly asymmetrical expression.

  Its neck was fine on both sides, but its arm was a mess—barely functional, nothing but thin skin stretched over bone. Its chest was a nightmare, blackened and scorched, with fumes rising from the charred flesh. There was even a gaping hole exposing its oversized heart, twice the size of a normal one, with shattered ribs framing the gruesome sight.

  Its eyes were of two different colors—one sky blue, the other a deep grassy green—but both were lifeless and void of emotion. Its lower body, while in bad shape, had nothing particularly remarkable.

  I let out a mocking chuckle. Thaid had burned this hideous creature, while Ston had finished off the Lich.

  Ilarion’s tone turned colder, sharper. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. When he reopened them, his gaze was devoid of emotion as he stared at the parasite before him.

  "Playtime is over... It’s time to get serious."