Chapter 4: The Council

A scrawny ghoul made its way up a winding staircase, billowing fires reaching up from down below like grasping hands. It stumbled and squeaked before scrambling up to the top step where a white-booted foot promptly came down upon its head.

“Don’t tell me,” the figure said. He was dressed in a full-body, white suit with white belts hanging from the forearms and the lower legs. Thrown around his shoulders and bunched up around his neck was a white cloak. Ghostly white hair reaching down past his lower back complemented his pale, nearly transparent skin. On his face he wore a wicked grin. His eyes, only stark, empty sockets, appeared as depths of nothing with red markings on the bottom lids. He chuckled, “I already know. It seems Sipiyu is on the move.”

The ghoul whimpered and cowered as the white figure glided away from it and over to a rocky ledge. The winds created by the fires billowed up, whipping about his wild hair. “Is that what they call you now? ‘Sipiyu‘? Hahahaha!”

“Lord Veyerus…?”

Veyerus spun around and stepped onto the ghoul’s head. “Enough! That little girl has what I’ve been looking for.”

“E-Eck!”

He knelt down and plucked the monster off of the ground and held it close to his face. His voice softened to a whisper. “…Do you realize how long this moment has eluded me?”

“Well, sir…”

Veyerus tossed the ghoul off to the side as he stood and paced away. “A long time! Now, finally, it is there. I can see it. He must be trying to torment me now…” Veyerus grinned, then continued:

“I believe the next move is mine, Sipiyu.”

- - -

Morning came and Alice woke up earlier than usual. Emily and Hannah slept on as she studied the design of the dream catcher. Her eyes traced the intricate designs of the item in her hands.

It’s made of bones… I wonder what kind. They’re really delicate. Maybe a rabbit?

She flipped the dream catcher over, observing it more.

It’s also made out of…skin? Skin in the middle. Creepy…

The thought forced chills to creep up the girl’s spine. Alice looked at the thing closer. “And hair…”

Emily grunted, rolled over onto her stomach, and flopped her arm across Hannah’s sleeping form. The abrupt contact pulled Hannah from her peaceful sleep.

“Hn…?” she sat up and rubbed her eyes before looking down to Emily’s oddly placed arm. Smiling, Hannah pushed the other girl’s arm out of the way and crawled over her to slip out of bed.

Alice gasped and slapped the dream catcher down into the mass of covers covering her lap.

“Hannah…?” she asked softly.

“Yes, Alice…?” responded Hannah after she slipped her glasses on.

“I was just wondering who was awake down there.” Alice glanced back down to the dream catcher. I wonder if I have to hide this…It’s really important to Sipiyu, so I have to take care of it.

“Alice, are you okay…?” Hannah said. Pulled from her thoughts, Alice scooted towards the end of her bunk and looked down to her friend.

“Why do you ask?” her brows rose in question.

Hannah only sighed and sat down onto the floor as Emily moved around a bit more in her bed. “You’ve been through a lot lately since you’ve been here. If I were you I would be too scared to even leave this room…you’re really brave.”

Alice watched Hannah for a moment then climbed down to join her on the floor. “I wouldn’t say brave,” Alice giggled, “Emily is brave.”

“Stop talking about me…” Emily mumbled from under a pillow. Both girls on the floor chuckled.

Alice continued, “I just…I don’t think I’m ever going to see my parents again, and crying won’t do anything…so what’s the point in making a big fuss over it?” Despite her words, tears welled up in her eyes. Hannah noticed Alice’s distress, and pulled her into a hug.

“Don’t say such things if you don’t mean them, Alice.” Alice hugged Hannah back, “but I have you and Emily now, and Ms. Morgan, too. You are my family, and nothing can change that now.”

Hannah, content, didn‘t respond; however, she could feel something flat and bumpy poking into her chest. After a few seconds, she pulled back. “Alice, what do you have with you?”

Alice gulped.

Should I show her? It shouldn‘t hurt…

She finally held out the dream catcher so Hannah could see. “Just…this.”

“What is it?”

Both girls turned to see Emily pulling her loose t-shirt up her shoulder as she made her way from the bed to the other two. Alice blinked and looked down to the item again. “It’s a dream catcher. I think.”

Hannah watched in curiosity as Emily inquired, “What are you doing with a dream catcher? Where’d you find it?”

Should I lie?

“I didn’t find it,” Alice said. Pausing, she continued with a whisper, “…Sipiyu gave it to me.”

The girl in glasses gasped and the blonde lifted a brow in question. “The ghost? You know, Alice…”

“Hey!” Alice interrupted Emily. “It’s breakfast time, isn’t it?” she smiled as Emily gave her a sly glance. Hannah looked over to the clock on the small desk.

“It is!” she pointed to the time. Finally, the blonde sighed in defeat and headed for the door.

“We’ll continue this later!”

“What?”

“You know what.”

Hannah giggled and ushered both girls out of the door.

The three of them made their way back to the cafeteria where breakfast was being served. Once they finished filling their trays with food they sat down at their usual spot.

“So,” Emily started as she munched on a piece of French toast, “about this guy…He gave you that thing?” She nodded towards the dream catcher hanging around Alice’s neck. The other girl nodded in response as she stared at it, having not touched her food yet.

“Yes.”

Hannah looked from Alice to Emily. “Emily, why don’t we just leave her alone about it?”

“What does it do?” Emily asked, ignoring Hannah.

Alice looked up to her with slightly widened eyes before focusing back on the dream catcher. “It…tells you when ghosts are nearby.”

Emily continued, “Any kind of ghost?”

Alice blinked. “There’s more than one?”

“Of course!” Emily said, swirling around on her cafeteria seat. She grabbed her milk and chugged it down before setting it back onto her tray. “This building is so old; I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more than one kind. I bet we could read about them in the library.”

Alice’s eyes widened. They have a library?

Alice loved the library. Her parents used to accompany her down to Lenor’s public library every Saturday morning. They usually read the news while she would embark on many fantastic adventures with pirates, knights, and even faeries. A good, suspenseful mystery with a brilliant detective also often tickled her fancy. It amazed her how many wild imaginations rested between those covers, but she was always delighted that the authors were willing to share their world through written world. Knowing that the asylum had its own library made Alice feel more at home.

Emily and Hannah looked away from Alice when the echo of two arguing voices resounded from the nearby hallway.

“Ms. Morgan?” Hannah asked.

“And Chef Douglas,” Emily added. Alice followed their gaze curiously as three sets of ears listened in on the conversation.

“No, Katherine, something needs to be done,” said Chef Douglas, obviously upset about something. “We can’t have these accidents happening around so many children. I don’t know what you’re hanging on to, but you need to let it go.”

“Walter, I’m not hanging on to anything,” Katherine retorted. “Whatever he has done is no one’s business but mine.”

“And how can you say that?! Do you think I’m lying?” the chef’s voice rose in annoyance. “He came and attacked me, Katherine! I’ll be damned if you think I’m lying! I heard everything! He even spoke to me!”

Ms. Morgan stood her ground but bowed her head to keep her calm. She knew she wasn’t far from the cafeteria—it was just around the corner in fact—and she didn’t want any of her girls overhearing the conversation, so she ended it quickly.

“Fine. Call a meeting with the other Council members. I doubt there’s anything any of you can do.”

The chef’s mustache twitched in frustration. “I’ll be talking with Alex about this. Maybe he’ll have a solution.” With that said, Chef Douglas walked away from Ms. Morgan. She turned with a weary sigh to watch him leave, thinking:

What do I do? Why are all of these things happening?

The three girls stared at double doors. Ever since the argument died down, they had been waiting to see if Ms. Morgan would come in to join her girls for breakfast like she usually would. As expected, Ms. Morgan finally entered the cafeteria with a warm smile placed meticulously upon her face. She greeted the staff serving the food and filled up her own trey before joining a bunch of other girls a few tables down from Alice, Emily, and Hannah.

Alice frowned. “She must deal with a lot, huh?”

“I don’t see why Chef Douglas was yelling at her. Who were they talking about, anyway?” Emily asked before wiping her mouth with a napkin.

Hannah remained thoughtful silence.

“I don’t know,” Alice finally said. “Maybe they were talking about—”

“I want to meet him.” Emily grinned at Alice. “I’m serious. If he’s truly real, then I want to meet him.”

“But Emily, I don’t know if that’s a good idea!” said Alice as she recalled her less than pleasant experiences in Room 136 and the hallway…

“I don’t care. Something’s going on around here, guys,” Emily whispered as she leaned forwards. “And I want to find out. Alice, you keep seeing this guy and other things, right? And Ms. Morgan is obviously upset about something, and so is Chef Douglas. I say we investigate.”

Hannah sighed, “Let’s wait until after the Council meeting because they’re more than likely going to try and do something.”

- - -

A small and compact room with a round table in the center and ten chairs around it began to quietly fill with people. Each council member took their place around the table. Chef Douglas, Alexander Gale, and Katherine Morgan made up three of the ten members. The others included Charlene Mable, the head lunch mistress, and Edward Richards, the treasurer. Three other men within the council were from outside of the asylum to take note on what was going on inside. Finally, a man named Jeoffrey Bucanon sat in the main chair; he was the head chief of Lenor Asylum. The old figure’s palm came down onto the surface of the table.

“We are here to discuss the recent events here at this asylum. It is to my knowledge that these children could be placed in extreme danger if nothing is done, so I have honored Walter’s request in holding a meeting to see what can be done,” he said.

Chef Douglas nodded in silent gratitude.

Mr. Bucanon went on, “It seems as though the events that happened ten years ago may play a part in this.” The man shifted in his seat before his graying eyes looked to Chef Douglas. “Please report what you have experienced, Walter.”

The chef nodded and sat forward. “Well besides feeling on edge around the asylum…like somebody’s watching me…I was in the kitchen after Ms. Morgan,” he nodded to her, “brought me my new knives, and the damn thing started talking to me.”

Mr. Bucanon nodded. “And?”

“He said he would cover those knives in my blood!” Chef Douglas said glaring up to his superior. “And then proceeded to tell me that he was the least of my worries. I heard a crash in the kitchen afterwards, but couldn’t find the source. Something’s going on in this asylum and I would like for it to be taken care of.” When he settled back in his seat, he shot a quick glare towards Katherine.

“I see.” Mr. Bucanon brought his hands up and touched his fingers together in contemplation. He then looked to Ms. Morgan from across the table. “I’m sorry, Katherine, if any of this is bothering you.”

Katherine shook her head. “No…I am fine, Mr. Bucanon.”

“Talking about your childhood friend must be hard for you. Is there anything that has happened that you can add to the table?”

“Nothing directly, Sir,” she responded, sighing. “I only know about the missing cleavers. And Alice—”

“The new child, correct?” The head chief moved around in his seat again, intrigued. “She’s not causing any problems, is she?”

“No, sir!” Katherine sat up. “She’s a wonderful child; very well-behaved!” She frowned and calmed down. “Alice…” “Yes…?”

“…Alice has seen him, Sir.”

“…Seen Sipiyu?”

“Yes.” Katherine tilted her gaze down to the table. “She told me that she saw him with the cleavers.”

“Where did she see him?”

“…Room 136.”

There was a slight increase in side conversations around the room as Mr. Bucanon shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Katherine sat back, frowning.

“She could be making up stories,” a younger, male voice came forth. Everyone stopped to pay attention to Alexander Gale, the caretaker for the boys at the asylum—and Ian’s father. He had a gentle, comforting appearance. Short, dirty-blond hair, as wild as grass in the wind, curved around his head. Longer strands were in the front while it was cropped shorter in the back. He had a five-o-clock shadow. Weathered, blue-gray eyes stared at the other nine members in the room.

As he turned his attention wards Mr. Gale, Mr. Bucanon inquired, “How so, Alex?”

Alex’s eyes softened a bit. “Alice Cunningham is only ten-years-old. She’s just a little girl. We have to remember that she has just been taken from the love and care of her home and family, and this may be a way to try and attract that same kind of attention—from the other girls, from Katherine…”

“Indeed, but wouldn’t you find this rather odd considering the events ten years ago?” Another member added.

Alex turned to them, his eyes closing for a few seconds. “Do we have any proof that this is linked to then?”

The council members remained silent. Katherine sighed out quietly, resting in her seat for the moment. It has to be… would there be any other reason for his spirit to haunt this asylum? But… they probably don’t realize that he’s always haunted this asylum since those events took place. Katherine rose her head to look to Alexander Gale. Alex has been here for nearly twenty years…

Are they talking about me? A voice spoke out. No one else seemed to hear it.

Katherine sat up again, her eyes slightly widened. Sipiyu…?

It responded. The children aren’t in danger. Only those who interfere will be at risk.

Her eyes narrowed a bit.

“Katherine?” Alex asked when he saw her troubled expression. “Are you okay?”

The young woman looked up to him, silently gulping. “I-I’m fine. Just thinking about what we could do…”

“Mm…well, if the recent events are linked to what happened ten years ago, then we can safely assume that there is something here that will not allow our friend’s soul to be put to rest,” concluded Alex as he sat back.

He’s a smart one, Katherine.

Katherine Morgan felt the chills run up her spine. The room felt as though the temperature dropped nearly ten degrees. She shivered and pulled her arms closer to her body.

“Then let’s find this thing so he can get the bloody hell out!” exclaimed Walter.

“Unfinished business…” Charlene added.

“Whatever it is,” Mr. Bucanon said, “it seems easy in theory to remove that which is the source of our problem, hmm? Let us not provoke the wrath of an angry spirit. Perhaps Katherine can manage to get in touch with our friend. Then, things will settle down and these events will soon be forgotten.”

Chef Douglas grumbled and tapped a few fingers on the table. “Maybe we should move that Cunningham girl to a different building.”

“That is out of the question, Mr. Douglas,” Katherine said firmly, standing up. “I will not remove one of my girls because of—”

“Katherine, calm down.” Alex sighed and brushed a few strands of hair from his face. “It seems as though this meeting hasn’t made much progress…”

Mr. Bucanon remained silent afterwards. “We will call in the exorcist team from the Lenor Chapel and have them purify the dorms, cafeteria, library, and bathing room until we can find a more permanent solution. Caretakers, you will remain with the children when moving them at all times. Also, it is mandatory that you are present with the children at recess outside. Is that understood?”

Katherine and Alex nodded.

“Chef Douglas, you will lock up all tools in the kitchen when they are not in use.”

Walter also nodded, eyebrows drawn together firmly.

“Ms. Mable, you will be an extra set of eyes to watch the children as they eat. Make sure none of them move out of their group.”

“Of course, Sir,” she replied.

“Edward and I will be keeping our eye on them as well but will be handling the situation as it unfolds. I suppose that is it for this meeting.” And with that, Mr. Bucanon stood from his chair and moved to exit the room. The three outside members stood and followed, in which Edward Richards, Charlene Mable, and Chef Walter Douglas pursued.

Alex stayed behind with Katherine. He approached her after the other members left the room and placed both hands on her shoulders. “Katherine…what exactly happened ten years ago?”

“I…” she looked away, frowning. Her hands then removed his from her shoulders. “Please…I don’t want to talk about it.”

Alex’s eyes softened. “I understand.” He turned and left the room, letting the door gently close behind.

What would you do…? He thought, memories floating back to his wife and her beautiful smile. He found himself wandering down the hallway towards the boys’ dormitory, slightly dragging his feet against the floor. About halfway down the hallway he stopped beside a window and looked out.

“Dad?”

Mr. Gale turned to see his son standing a few feet ahead. “Ian…what’s up?” He turned to lean onto his elbow on the windowsill. Ian approached him.

“Nothing,” he said and sighed, leaning against the wall with a light thud. “Just waiting for the new arrival.”

“Ooh, I see.”

“Why’d you look so distant?”

“Is that how I looked?” Ian’s father laughed and looked back out the window.

“…What was she like, Dad?”

Mr. Gale’s eyelids drooped and silence stole over him, leaving Ian to stare at the ceiling; himself, at the gathering clouds looming in the distance outside.

“Cold, Ian. Very cold.”

- - -

Katherine was the only one to remain in the meeting room. The strength that she usually called upon when with her girls left her like a marionette with severed strings. She shivered and felt hot tears drench her eyes. Raising her hand, she wiped her eyes and asked aloud in a trembling voice, “Why…?”

Soon, a brush of air passed by her, bringing the slightest bit of comfort to her. Her tears managed to stop, at least.

I voluntarily put Alice in danger.

“…What?” Katherine said. The voice came back.

I will take care of her.

“Sipiyu…?” she whispered, turning to look around

Trust me.

Gulping, Katherine nodded. “I will.”

The door leading out of the room opened up on its own, and Katherine took it as a hint that she could leave. She retreated from the room, and when she turned to shut the door, it swung to close on its own, latching behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood and she headed down the hallway.

As she turned the corner, a figure became visible against the dark passageway. Sipiyu’s head lowered slightly. “I promise,” he murmured, and turned to disappear into the darkness behind him.

- - -

“What…?! Alice, you’re sick…!?”

That night Emily had decided once again she and her two friends should go patrol the hallways. However, Alice wasn’t feeling up to it this time.

Alice coughed and rubbed her nose before pulling the sheets up past her cheeks. “Yes,” she mumbled from underneath the cloth. “It’s just a cold, but Ms. Morgan told me to stay in bed so no one else gets sick.”

Emily rose a brow. “Oh really?”

“So it looks like we can’t go, Emily,” Alice said. “I’m sorry.”

“Crackers,” Emily said, grinning. She grabbed the flashlight with one hand and Hannah’s arm with the other. “Hannah and I are still going. You stay here and… guard the room or something.”

Alice sat up. “Wait!”

Hannah gasped. “What?! I didn’t volunteer to go, Emily…!”

“I volunteered you, Hannah,” Emily explained, letting her friend go to pull the door open.

Alice leaned over towards the railing of her top bunk and peered down at both girls. Hannah glanced up with a pleading look on her face, but Alice only reciprocated with an apologetic shrug. She then watched Emily tug her friend from the room.

Oh, this is a bad idea. I just know it, Alice thought.

“Emily!” Hannah exclaimed, stumbling along behind her friend. “We shouldn’t be doing this! Alice is sick, we need to help her get better!”

“Are you stupid, Hannah?” Emily asked, glancing back to her frightened friend. “We need to be quiet, remember?” Emily looked ahead and shined the flashlight down the hallway. “There, it’s empty. Happy?” There was no response. Emily grumbled in annoyance and turned to look at Hannah. The petrified look on the brunette forced Emily to take on the more serious tone. “…Hannah? What’s wrong?” Emily dared to crank her head around, following Hannah’s horrific stare.

The blonde gasped as the two found themselves frozen with fear as they stared at the dark figure ahead. Both girls clutched to one another and trembled. The figure stood completely still, arms rested at its sides.

Emily’s flashlight bounced around with the shaking of her hand. “A-Are you…Sipiyu?”

The figure continued to stare.

“A-Answer, please…! We’re friends of Alice…!”

“Where is she?” The figure finally responded, hands clenching down on the cleavers in their grasp. The blades dripped of a red gooey substance.

Emily and Hannah felt an eerie sensation ripple through their bodies at the bloody blades. “She…She…”

Hannah gulped and finished, “…She’s s-sick.”

Sipiyu suddenly crouched down, raising the cleavers into a stance. The girls nearly jumped in place and squeaked in terror, their eyes closing. Emily shouted out, “Don’t hurt us!”

A shadowy figure darted around Emily and Hannah, quickly diving for Sipiyu. The ghost dashed to the side, dodging the figure. It slid back and turned around for a second round. Sipiyu turned to face his back towards the girls.

It’s not after them… He thought.

Emily opened her eyes and noticed he was facing the other way. What’s going on? pondered Emily. Hannah, too, opened her eyes, and saw that something else was taking place.

“Emily, we need to get out of here…”

“No.” Emily said, eyebrows turning inward.

The girls finally got a good look at the monstrous and horrible creature. It dove for Sipiyu but violently met one of the cleavers face-to-face. The blade embedded itself into the ghoul’s forehead. Blood splattered from the gash. Sipiyu then ripped the blade away, forcing more blood out onto the floor and the walls.

Emily and Hannah screamed and moved away from the spray, clinging to one another still.

Sipiyu looked to the ghoul, ready to finish it off, but the sound of approaching footsteps rapidly hitting the floor caught his attention. He sneered in disgust and grabbed the ghoul by the throat, snapped its neck, and vanished.

Soon Ian came running up to Emily and Hannah. “What’s going on…?!”

“Ian!” Emily exclaimed, already feeling a bit safer. “There was—”

“We got lost,” said Hannah, gulping. Her expression said differently. “A-And we just got scared, that’s all.”

“Wait…” Emily turned around, letting go of Hannah slowly. “Where’s all the blood?”

Ian’s eyes widened. “…Blood? Is one of you hurt?”

“No, but…” Emily trailed off. The blood from the ghoul was completely gone.

“Why don’t you two just… go back to bed. Do I have to walk you there?” Ian sighed, placing his hands on his hips.

“No,” Emily mumbled, grabbing Hannah’s arm.

“But thanks anyway,” Hannah added.

Ian watched the two girls head down the hallway, scratching his head. “Odd,” He sighed, then turned and headed in the opposite direction.

Alice was resting in bed until a large hand pressed against her side. She shifted and moved to push it away, but her hand felt nothing. Opening her eyes, Alice turned her head to look—and found Sipiyu at her bedside. Was he standing on something?

“You—” Alice abruptly stopped herself, paling at the sight of a bloody ghoul in his hand. “R-Right…” She said, nearly turning green as she pulled the dream catcher out from under her covers. It set off a dull glow from its strings. The girl grabbed the strings with her other hand and plucked them apart.

The ghoul suddenly burst into hundreds of tiny particles as the white mist came from the dream catcher. The mist enveloped the particles then dissipated, leaving nothing behind.

Alice smiled lightly, “There, all gone.” However, Sipiyu also disappeared. She bent over the railing again to look for him, but the room was empty otherwise. A thought then occurred to Alice.

He’s not going to do that every time he fights one of those things, is he?

- - -

“Such a pity…”

“What, Lord Veyerus?”

The white figure was now walking down the winding stairs that approached the raging fires below. “The council is taking action against Sipiyu and the ghouls I send after him. But no matter…this won’t hinder me.”

The ghoul dragged itself after him, stumbling down a few steps now and then to keep up. “How so?”

Veyerus stopped, allowing the ghoul to continue ahead of him. It slowed and turned around to look to its figure of authority. “Eh, my lord…?”

The entity’s eyes narrowed. “Because I said so.” Veyerus then kicked the ghoul down a few more steps and followed after it, his hands delving into the pockets at his hips. “It seems as though he’s using this human as some form of protection against the dream catcher… the bastard,” Veyerus said and grinned.

The two entities found themselves at the bottom of the stairs and now at the beginning of a long stretch of solid, uneven rock. The fires from before now surrounded them, but from a distance. The path seemed to lead towards an open chasm filled with darkness—and who else knows what.

Veyerus stood and stared at the entrance to the chasm. The lower-ranking ghoul finally dropped at his side, huffing. “Can’t you just go on your own?”

“I was initially planning on it,” Veyerus said, closing his empty eyes. “I don’t need moral support.” He turned to look to the ghoul, but found that it already excused itself. “…Traitor,” Veyerus whispered in a deep, throaty grumble. He then advanced on into the chasm.

Veyerus slid down a steep hill of rotted corpses and dirt, hands remaining in his pockets. He looked ahead to a towering wall up ahead, reaching nearly thousands of feet up into the air. When he arrived at the bottom, he dropped down onto one knee and lowered his head.

“Abaddon, The Falsifier.”

The wall began to shake with pieces of debris falling down onto the cracked ground. A form began to sprout from the wall’s own cracks; a hand, first, and soon a mangled body made of skin and bones. The large figure’s other hand stretched out and the two limbs pushed the head away from the structure. It extended forward until several masses of would-be hair stopped it from going farther, letting the head hang by restraint. What seemed to be black hair fell down over the face of the large being. Suddenly the right hand of the large demonic being reached out into a dark abyss and withdrew holding a large black scythe in its grasp. It raised the scythe up as the figure seemed to be looming above Veyerus, glaring down at the only white figure in the dark realm.

“Oh Falsifier, I have failed to execute the first phase of—”

The scythe in the large demon’s hand suddenly fell down, crashing loudly beside Veyerus. Wind burst from the impact, causing an enormous uproar of dust, rock debris, and fire.

Veyerus’ eyes remained closed as he coughed just lightly. A large sweat bead dripped down his forehead. “It’s not like that.”

The scythe rose and rested back into it’s initial position.

The white figure’s eyes opened again as he stood, looking up to the towering Prince of Darkness. “My position grants me many ways to achieve success, I just haven’t gotten to those methods yet, your highness.” Veyerus grinned, his wicked eyes narrowing. “However, I need your permission for an idea that I have…”

Veyerus‘ ghoul, who had abandoned him when he entered the chasm, was now lying atop the cliffs, attempting to eavesdrop. When it realized Veyerus was heading back in its direction, it scrambled back to wait at the winding staircase.

Veyerus stepped out of the chasm’s top entrance and walked forward towards the lowly ghoul.

“Well, that went well,” the ghoul said.

“Better than expected,” Veyerus responded, dusting himself off.

“You know why he keeps you around, right?” The ghoul scoffed. Veyerus shot a glare in its direction before he started up the winding staircase. His hands stretched out in a taunting fashion as the belts from his outfit drifted along with his hair behind him.

“Of course,” replied the white entity. “He keeps me for my body.”

The ghoul promptly slipped down two or three steps as Veyerus kept walking.

- - -

Ian walked his way to the main office and waited. His father approached soon after. “He’s early,” Ian said.

“There’s nothing I can do,” replied Mr. Gale.

The two stood and waited as they heard the sound of old metal from outside. Then the double doors in front of them opened, and they were greeted with a young child no older than five with a man dressed in black retreating back through the cemetery. The rain from the dark sky fell hard that night.

“DeAundre Coles?” Ian asked.

“Reporting for duty,” replied the boy, smiling under a hooded cloak.