"Devin, I need you to go to the car without me. I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes."
Marcus said quietly to him, intending to get him out of harm's way.
"What? Why would I—"
"Please, it's important. I'll explain later. Don't worry, I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
Marcus cut him off. Although he didn't want to admit it, he considered Devin his friend, his only friend. That was why Marcus didn't want anything to happen to Devin because of him, just like in Mrs. Abernathy's case.
Devin looked confused and concerned, but something in Marcus's expression must have convinced him.
—He could sense the gravity of the situation from the urgency in Marcus's tone.
"Fifteen minutes. Then I'm coming back in."
As soon as Devin reluctantly headed toward the exit, Marcus directed his wheelchair toward the water fountains, moving as quickly as he dared without drawing attention. The spiritual disturbance was intensifying, confirming his suspicions. Something was preparing to strike.
He managed to reach the young Transcendent—a teenager with an E-Rank insignia indicating novice status. Just as the air behind her began to shimmer with an all-too-familiar distortion.
"You there, watch out!"
Marcus shouted, startling the girl. She quizzically turned in Marcus's direction only to hear him shout again.
"Get away from there!"
Confusion crossed her face, but years of Transcendent safety drills had taught her to react to warnings without hesitation. She stepped quickly away from the water fountain just as the shimmer coalesced into a translucent form—elongated limbs, wispy torso, and eyes like burning coals.
—A Vitality Wraith.
It was identical to the one that had killed Mrs. Abernathy.
The creature's attention shifted from the retreating girl to Marcus, its ember eyes fixing on him with what seemed like surprise. Recognition flickered in those burning orb-like eyes, the same recognition he had seen in the creature's eyes when Mrs. Abernathy died.
It knew him. And he knew it.
Without hesitation, Marcus activated his Tempest skill, creating an air pressure blade between his outstretched hands. The Wraith recoiled, clearly perceiving the threat despite its ethereal nature that allowed most attacks to be rendered ineffective.
"Security breach in Section E-3!"
Someone shouted, noticing the manifestation.
"Spectral entity detected!"
The Wraith abruptly lunged toward Marcus with unexpected speed, its elongated fingers reaching for his chest. It seemed to be planning to reenact the scene when it killed Mrs. Abernathy by piercing her chest with its translucent hand.
In response, Marcus remained calm and, with precision, maneuvered around its attacks with his wheelchair. Then, without wasting time, he decisively slashed upward with the air blade, feeling resistance as it cut through the creature's semi-corporeal form. A deep, nearly imperceptible mark appeared on its chest.
"HYAHH—!"
A disturbing, high-pitched keening, the Wraith's equivalent of a scream, filled the air. Most who heard the keening sound of the Wraith felt their mind shook, nearly losing consciousness.
Transcendent Security personnel were converging on their position, their skills activated and ready. The Wraith, wounded but not destroyed, assessed the situation and made a strategic retreat. Its form dissolved into wisps of translucent energy that dispersed through the ventilation system.
"F-Rank, stand down!"
A security officer commanded, approaching Marcus with hands glowing with sealing energy.
"Unauthorized skill use in public areas is a violation of—"
"It was going to attack her,"
Marcus interrupted, gesturing toward the young Transcendent who stood trembling nearby.
"The Wraith was targeting her specifically."
The officer hesitated, then turned to the girl.
"Is that true? Did you sense anything?"
"N-No."
She stammered, then added:
"But I felt cold suddenly, right where he told me to move from. And then I saw it appear..."
Additional security personnel arrived, including a specialist with detection equipment. After scanning the area, she confirmed:
"Spectral residue present. Vitality Wraith signature. Recently dispersed, not destroyed."
The first officer turned back to Marcus, his expression shifting from suspicion to cautious respect.
"How did you detect it before it fully manifested? F-Ranks don't typically have spectral sensitivity."
"I've encountered one before. It killed someone close to me. I've been... studying them since."
Marcus replied truthfully to avoid any complications with the authorities.
This revelation changed the dynamic immediately. The security team shifted into investigation mode, escorting Marcus and the young Transcendent to a debriefing room where they took detailed statements about the incident.
Marcus provided a carefully edited version of events, omitting details related to his Lord of Contracts Origin skill and the true extent of his abilities. He described his encounter with the Wraith that killed Mrs. Abernathy as a traumatic event that had left him with heightened sensitivity to spectral entities.
—This was technically not a lie.
By the time the debriefing concluded, nearly an hour had passed. Marcus, worried about Devin, who had undoubtedly returned to the facility looking for him after the promised fifteen minutes had elapsed, intended to leave immediately after the debriefing.
Sure enough, when he was finally released, he found Devin waiting anxiously in the reception area.
"What happened?"
Devin asked, studying Marcus for anything amiss.
"There was some kind of security alert, and then you disappeared, and no one would tell me anything!"
"I'll explain in the car."
Marcus promised, genuinely exhausted from the confrontation and subsequent questioning. This was his first time being questioned extensively by authorities, and it had mentally drained him to come up with half-truths to convince them during their interrogations.
Once they were alone in Devin's vehicle, Marcus provided a simplified account of the incident, explaining that he had spotted a dangerous entity near a young Transcendent and intervened to save her, resulting in security involvement.
"You fought one of those ghost things?"
Devin asked incredulously.
"With an F-Rank Basic Wind skill?"
This was his first time hearing of someone fighting ghosts with F-Rank capabilities. He had learned from the forums that it took at least a C-Rank Transcendent to even cause slight damage to them.
"It's... evolved somewhat through practice."
Marcus admitted, then added:
"And I didn't destroy it, just drove it away temporarily."
Devin shook his head in amazement, and then a realization dawned on him.
"That's why you've been so focused on skill development, isn't it? Because one of these things hurt someone you cared about?"
"Killed."
Marcus corrected, then added:
"It killed my caregiver, Mrs. Abernathy, three weeks ago. I saw it happen but couldn't do anything to stop it. That's why I bought the skill crystals. It was to make sure I never feel that helpless again."
"..."
Silence hung in the air between them as Devin processed Marcus's reasoning. Finally, he asked:
"So what happens now?"
Marcus stared out the window at the city lights passing by, his mind already analyzing the encounter, identifying weaknesses in his approach, and planning improvements.
"Now I train harder."
He replied, then coldly added:
"Because next time, I won't just drive it away. I'll destroy it completely."
The Wraith had recognized him as he had expected. It had even shown surprise at his newfound abilities, retreating when it found itself surrounded. Today, he had been able to harm it by taking advantage of its ignorance of his powers.
The last time they met, he had been helpless to do anything against it.
—Not this time.
However, this encounter confirmed his suspicion that these entities possessed intelligence and memory. It might even be hunting him specifically now, viewing him as a threat rather than potential prey.
Good. Let it come. He would be ready.
As they approached his apartment building, Marcus opened the system interface one last time that day.
"Status."
[USER STATUS: MARCUS THORNE]
[ORIGIN SKILL: LORD OF CONTRACTS (LEVEL 1)]
[CONTRACTED ALLIES: TEMPEST (LEVEL 4, 12%), WILL (LEVEL 2, 30%), AUTONOMOUS WHEELCHAIR (LEVEL 2, 50%)]
[EXISTENCE POINTS: 0]
[TRANSCENDENT RANK: F]
The confrontation with the Wraith, brief as it had been, had increased his Tempest skill's proficiency by 12%. Combat application, it seemed, accelerated skill development more effectively than practice alone.
An unexpected notification appeared below his status:
[ATTENTION: ORIGIN SKILL, LORD OF CONTRACTS HAS IDENTIFIED A HIGH-COMPATIBILITY POTENTIAL ALLY]
[TARGET: HUMAN - DEVIN MERCER]
[COMPATIBILITY: EXCEPTIONAL]
[EP COST TO ESTABLISH CONTRACT: 200]
[POTENTIAL BENEFITS: LOYAL COMPANION, PHYSICAL ASSISTANCE, EXPANDED MOBILITY OPTIONS]
Marcus glanced at Devin, who was focused on parking the car. The system was suggesting he could contract with a human being, form a supernatural bond that would make Devin his "ally" in a literal sense.
The ethical implications were staggering. Would such a contract override Devin's free will? Would it essentially enslave him to Marcus's whims and purposes? Or would it merely formalize and enhance a partnership that was already developing naturally?
Marcus didn't have the answers to these questions.