The woman stood in the main hall, her black cloak dripping with rain.
Ethan studied her from across the room. She was older than he expected—perhaps forty, with sharp features and eyes that had seen too much. Her hands were rough, calloused from years of labor. A servant’s hands.
"You asked for me," Ethan said. "I’m here."
The woman pulled back her hood.
Her face was scarred—a thin line running from her left ear to her jaw. But her eyes were sharp, calculating. The eyes of someone who had survived by being invisible.
"My name is Mira. I served the Ashford Family for fifteen years."
Eleanor stepped forward. "A servant?"
"A spy," Mira corrected. "I was placed in the Ashford household by the Blackwood Family when I was young. I’ve been feeding information back for over a decade."
The hall fell silent.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. "We have no record of you."
"Because I was a secret. Only the previous Patriarch knew about me. When he died, my reports stopped being answered."
She looked at Eleanor. "I thought the family had abandoned me. I thought I had been forgotten."
Eleanor’s expression was unreadable. "You were not forgotten. We simply... lost track."
Mira’s lips twisted. "Lost track. Of course."
She reached into her cloak and withdrew a scroll. "This is why I’m here. Victor Ashford has made a deal with the demons."
The scroll was passed to Ethan.
He unrolled it and read.
His blood ran cold.
"This is..."
"A contract," Mira said. "Signed in blood. Victor Ashford has agreed to provide the demons with sacrifices, cultivators from the surrounding families. iIn exchange for power."
Eleanor took the scroll, her hands trembling.
"Three hundred cultivators. Over the past five years."
"Yes."
"And the Blackwood Family?"
Mira’s eyes met Eleanor’s.
"You were the final sacrifice. Victor planned to destroy your family completely. The spiritual vein was just the excuse. He needs your bloodline to complete his deal."
『 Story Credibility: 60% 』
『 Outsider Faith: 18 』
『 New Information Unlocked: The Ashford Conspiracy 』
Ethan sat in silence, processing what he had just learned.
Victor Ashford was not just a rival. He was a traitor. A man who had sold his own people to demons for power.
"We need to expose him," Ethan said.
"We have no proof that anyone will believe," Eleanor replied. "This scroll could be forged."
"It’s not."
Everyone turned.
Lily stood in the doorway. Her face was pale, but her eyes were determined.
"The sword told me," she said. "Arthur knows Victor. He fought against demons before. He can sense them."
Ethan frowned. "Arthur spoke to you?"
Lily nodded. "He’s been speaking to me for days. He says Victor is corrupt. He says the demons have marked him."
She paused.
"He also says we’re running out of time."
That night, Ethan gathered the family in the main hall.
The crowd was larger than before. Word had spread about the Ashford conspiracy. Fear had turned to anger. Anger had turned to resolve.
"We have two days," Ethan said. "Two days before the Ashford Family comes to collect."
He held up Arthur’s sword.
"But we are not defenseless. We have our ancestors. We have our history. And we have our faith."
He looked at the crowd.
"The Iron Ghost is coming back. But he needs a vessel. Someone who believes in him enough to channel his power."
Silence.
Then Lily stepped forward.
"I’ll do it."
Ethan’s heart stopped.
"Lily, no."
"Why not?" she demanded. "I believe in Arthur. I’ve seen him. I’ve spoken to him. He chose me."
"You’re twelve years old."
"And I’m the only one here who isn’t afraid."
She looked at him, her eyes burning.
"You told me stories about the Iron Ghost. You told me he died protecting his family. Now it’s my turn to protect mine."
Ethan stared at her.
He wanted to refuse. He wanted to protect her. But he saw the determination in her eyes, the same determination he had seen in Arthur’s memories.
"You could die," he said quietly.
Lily smiled.
"Then I’ll die like Arthur did. Fighting."
『 Lily has volunteered to become the vessel for partial manifestation. 』
『 This will accelerate Arthur’s return. 』
『 But the cost may be permanent. 』
『 Do you accept? 』
Ethan closed his eyes.
Then he nodded.
"I accept."
The ritual was performed at dawn.
Lily stood in the center of the hidden chamber, Arthur’s sword in her hands. The family gathered around her, their faces illuminated by candlelight.
Ethan stood before her.
"Are you ready?"
Lily nodded.
"I’m ready."
He placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Then let’s bring him back."
The moment Ethan’s spiritual energy flowed into Lily, something changed.
The air in the chamber shifted. The candles flickered. The sword in Lily’s hands began to glow not brightly, but steadily.
And then..
A voice.
Not Arthur’s voice.
Not the system’s voice.
A new voice. A presence.
Something that had been waiting.
"Finally."
Lily’s eyes snapped open.
They were no longer brown. They were silver, the color of moonlight.
And when she spoke, her voice was not her own.
"You called me, and I came. But the price is not yet paid."
The family stared in horror.
Lily..no, Arthur stepped forward.
"I can only manifest for a short time. Enough to prove that I am real. Enough to strengthen your belief."
She looked at Ethan.
"Use it wisely."
That night, for the first time in three hundred years, the Iron Ghost walked the mountain.
Arthur, now in Lily’s body. Stood at the gates of the Blackwood estate, his presence radiating power. The family gathered to watch. The villagers from Greystone had come, too, drawn by rumors of a miracle.
The spectral warrior raised Arthur’s sword.
And spoke.
"I am Arthur Blackwood. The Iron Ghost. I have returned."
The crowd gasped.
Some fell to their knees. Others wept. Others simply stared in awe.
『 Outsider Faith: 35 』
『 Story Credibility: 75% 』
『 Arthur Blackwood’s manifestation progress: 75% 』
『 Milestone Reached: Partial Manifestation 』
But the moment could not last.
After only a few minutes, Lily’s body began to tremble. Her silver eyes flickered.
"Ethan..." Her voice was her own again. "I can’t..."
She collapsed.
Ethan caught her before she hit the ground.
"Lily!"
She was breathing—barely. Her face was pale. Her pulse was weak.
"She needs rest," Eleanor said. "The manifestation took too much out of her."
Ethan carried her inside.
But even as he did, he felt something else.
A presence watching.
A coldness in the shadows.
『 Warning: Silas Blackwood’s manifestation progress has increased. 』
『 He is coming. 』
The next morning, Ethan sat beside Lily’s bed.
She was still unconscious. Her breathing was steady now, but she had not woken.
"She’s strong," Eleanor said. "She’ll recover."
"She’s twelve years old. She shouldn’t have had to do this."
"She chose to. You didn’t force her."
Ethan didn’t answer.
A knock on the door drew his attention.
Thomas stood in the doorway.
"You need to see this."
Ethan followed him to the main hall.
The family was gathered around the message stone—a device used for long-distance communication. It was glowing.
"There’s a message," Thomas said. "From the Ashford Family."
Ethan activated the stone.
Silas Crane’s voice filled the hall.
"Blackwood Family. Your time is up. Victor Ashford and his forces are marching on your mountain. They will arrive by nightfall."
The message ended.
Silence.
Then Ethan spoke.
"We don’t have two days. We have hours."
He looked at the family.
"Prepare for battle."
『 Story Credibility: 75% 』
『 Family Faith: 80 』
『 Outsider Faith: 35 』
『 World Rebuttal: 30% 』
『 Ancestral Debt: None active 』
『 Arthur Blackwood’s manifestation progress: 75% 』
『 Silas Blackwood’s manifestation progress: 45% 』
『 Next Milestone: 100% Credibility — Full Manifestation 』
『 The Ashford Family attacks at nightfall. 』