Out of the darkness.
I have to…
get out of the darkness.
But why?
The darkness protected me.
Pain.
Am I bleeding?
Disjointed, chaotic thoughts raced through his mind.
The Ghost didn’t know if he was still alive; he felt only pain and another feeling he didn’t want to admit to himself.
He wanted to return to the darkness, to the bottom of that mine.
It was damp and warm there, there were rats to eat and mud to hide in.
He didn’t want to endure this torment…
they shouldn’t have done this to him.
But a voice whispered to him, urging him to reject this thought.
‘Out of the darkness, Ghost, that is not the fate you deserve,’ it said.
Fate?
This unfamiliar word burst into his already confused thoughts, making them even more deranged.
The next moment, countless visions crashed down upon him.
They writhed and snarled, sinking their sharp claws into him, proclaiming their truth.
“You have no choice, child, no choice!” They roared, their voices thundering like bells, like midnight thunder.
“Foolish dreams!
The predetermined cannot be changed, you must submit!
You are destined to wallow in blood, to cover yourself in infamy, only then can you become…” Become what?
The Ghost stared blankly at the distorted images when, suddenly, he was blinded by a light.
…
“Awake?” The Ghost sat up sharply and began gasping for air.
Without thinking, he jumped up and, guided by his sense of smell, crawled on all fours into the most familiar corner.
Only after trembling for a good ten seconds did he realize who had called out to him.
And where he was.
Kariel sat in the darkness, looking at him impassively.
“Were you leaning against the wall, Ghost?” .”..What?” “I’m asking, were you leaning against the wall?” “Yes,” the Ghost replied, his voice trembling.
“I was leaning against the wall.” His shoulders were shaking continuously.
The terror induced by the visions hadn’t subsided yet.
He didn’t understand what it was, and didn’t want to.
He just wanted to forget.
“Come here,” Kariel said.
“Don’t lean against the wall, it’s bad for your wounds.” “No, I don’t want to…” The Ghost instinctively wanted to refuse.
He didn’t want to leave this corner.
It felt as comfortable to him as the bottom of the mine.
But all instincts vanished the moment he saw Kariel’s eyes.
The neon light, filtering through the holes in the rickety door, scattered into many irregular, jagged specks.
They fell on half of Kariel’s face, making his pale face look like a grotesque painting.
His eyes were glowing.
The Ghost’s trembling stopped.
“Come here, Ghost,” Kariel repeated quietly.
“Don’t lean against the wall.” This time, the Ghost obeyed.
Hunched over, he cautiously came out of the corner.
The pain in his back prevented him from walking straight, and something sticky ran down his spine.
‘Blood, my blood,’ the Ghost thought.
He pressed his lips together.
He was in a lot of pain.
“You have serious wounds,” Kariel said, tilting his head to the side, looking a bit distracted.
“You were hit with a hook shooter.
They use that thing for hunting.
You got lucky.” “Hunting?” “Yeah.
Outside the city, there are a lot of people who were kicked out for not paying.
They barely survived, but it came at a cost — they turned into beasts.” “And so the aristocrats came up with a new amusement.
The bandits like to join in too, but not with the aristocrats.
They call it ‘following the trend.’ Funny, isn’t it?” He laughed, but there wasn’t a trace of amusement in his eyes.
“It’s not funny,” the Ghost said quietly.
“What’s a hook shooter?” “It’s a nasty thing, Ghost,” Kariel said, shaking his head with a smirk.
“When it hits, it explodes, the tip shatters into a dozen fragments, and each one has cruel barbs.
It digs into the flesh and bones of the victim, penetrating as deep as it can.
So your back is a terrible sight right now.” ‘Am I going to die?’ the Ghost asked silently.
He was silent, but the expression on his face was more eloquent than any words.
“No, you won’t die,” Kariel replied.
“In fact, within a few hours at most, your bleeding wounds will already start knitting together, Ghost.” .”..” The Ghost didn’t answer, just silently sat on the floor.
He looked dejected, and Kariel didn’t miss it.
He was rarely wrong.
Almost never.
“Are you upset?” Kariel asked.
The Ghost looked up, glanced at him, then lowered his head again.
.”..That question…
I’m never going to get an answer to it?” “Yes.” .”..I forgot to close the window,” the Ghost said with annoyance.
“They…
reacted so fast.” “Making excuses, Ghost?” “No.” .”..” .”..I was careless.” Kariel couldn’t help but laugh at the Ghost’s reaction, but there was little genuine joy in that laugh.
It was more of a laugh of self-mockery.
“You got shot by a weapon that could tear an adult man apart, you fell from a roof ten meters high, you were dragged along the ground…” he thought.
“Your flesh was ripped by the force of three linked motorcycles, and then you lost almost a bucket of blood under acid rain.” “And you’re still alive.
What’s more, perfectly healthy.” “Your wounds will heal in a few hours.” “You’re a terrible monster, Ghost, but you have a heart that only humans have.” “And what am I supposed to do with you?” The smile slowly faded from his face.
Kariel fell silent, looking at the Ghost, and his face slowly grew calm.
After a while, he spoke again.
“For a beginner, you did well.
You got past the guards and rooftop sentries, opened the window without making a sound…” “Killing those three leaders took you less than a minute.
All of that is very good.” “But don’t look at me like that, Ghost,” Kariel said calmly.
“I’m not praising you.
You’re not a beginner anymore.” The Ghost nodded dejectedly, agreeing with Kariel’s words.
He didn’t argue, because he knew — Kariel was right.
Kariel was always right.
He lowered his head again.
“Six months ago, you started this work.
You’re not a beginner, Ghost.
You’ve already killed many who deserved death, but you still haven’t learned the most important thing in this business.” “You must always be cautious, Ghost.
Remember my words: always remain cautious.” “If killing the one before you will lead to your exposure, don’t do it.
If the enemy is hiding, wait until he appears, and only then act.
If you don’t know what lurks in the darkness… don’t enter it.” “But…” “No ‘buts,’ Ghost,” Kariel said softly.
“Listen.
If you don’t understand, remember.
Sooner or later you’ll understand, you have to understand… I have little time left to continue.
You must learn everything.” The Ghost’s eyes went wide.
For the first time, he looked so caught off guard.
“What does that mean?” he asked quickly.
“Why don’t you have time?
Are you leaving?” “No, I’m not leaving.
I don’t have time because I’m going to die soon,” Kariel replied calmly.
“But you’re perfectly healthy!” The Ghost spoke anxiously: “I can see, I know many things, Kariel — you won’t die, I know that, just as I know how long I’ve lived!
And do you know how long you’ve lived?” Kariel didn’t answer.
The Ghost’s faltering speech made him smile again — a pale smile.
Then he changed the subject.
“Do you know what a time bomb is, Ghost?” “It’s a funny little thing.
A regular bomb explodes a few seconds after activation.
But a time bomb doesn’t.” “You manually set the time on it, a ticking countdown… and when it reaches zero, it explodes.” The Ghost watched him with extreme unease, waiting for his next words.
“And I… I have such a countdown,” Kariel said.
“There are two problems.
First: I don’t know when it will end.
I can’t see the exact numbers, only a vague feeling.” “Second: I’m far more dangerous than a time bomb, I can feel it… and you do too, Ghost, remember?
You said the power I use is dangerous… yes, it really is dangerous.” At these words, the Ghost bared his teeth in anger.
His teeth were straight and white.
His face, stained by acid rain and his own blood, was dirty.
But Kariel saw the truth.
Beneath that filth, the Ghost was perfect.
Without a doubt, he was not human.
But now, he was furious.
“You said people set time bombs!” the Ghost roared.
“A countdown?
Who set a countdown on you?
I’ll find him, I’ll kill him!” A wave of anger washed over him.
Kariel squinted, feeling a clear, terrifying threat.
The Ghost bore no hostility toward him; in fact, his rage was directed at protecting Kariel.
But even the echoes of that rage made Kariel instinctively reach for his blade.
“Perfection, perfection, Ghost.
You will surely be able to change this world.” “Calm down, Ghost,” Kariel said with a smile.
“No one set a countdown on me.
In fact, if you’re looking for someone to blame, I can only be the one.” “…What?” Kariel didn’t answer his question — or rather, he explained, but in his own way.
“In this world, everything has its price, Ghost.
Sometimes it’s obvious, sometimes it’s hidden.” “For example, the power I use.
It’s convenient, fast, so powerful that it doesn’t obey the laws of reality.
It can even summon a wandering soul from the depths of space…” “And the price is usually tied to such things.” “It’s changing me, Ghost,” Kariel said softly, almost as if in a dream.
“I can feel these gradual changes… and, based on my experience, I’ll have to pay a monstrous price for such immense power.” The Ghost looked at him with bewilderment, completely not understanding what he was talking about.
Well, that was probably for the best.
Kariel didn’t want to spill the whole truth in half an hour.
Some things the Ghost had to understand through action.
He was already wary of this world.
But for a world like Nostramo, his wariness wasn’t enough.
He was still too naive.
He had to treat his enemies with absolute cruelty, and, before striking, consider them the most terrible monsters in the world.
His attitude toward the world should depend on how the world treated him.
If the world kissed you with pain, you didn’t have to answer with a song.
But burning the world to the ground wasn’t worth it either.
“Rest, Ghost.” Kariel stood up.
“Your first solo hunt wasn’t a complete failure, but you didn’t succeed either.
As for answering your question… I’ll think about it later.” “Where are you going?” the Ghost asked.
Kariel turned around with a crooked grin: “Where do you think?
Return the bikes?
The night on Nostramo never ends, Ghost, and your failed hunt obviously needs finishing.” The Ghost silently watched him go.
For the first time, the dark corner stopped feeling so cozy.