Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

All the houses in the ghost village were made of the same kind of wood as the large forest that surrounded it.

The foundation of each of the houses was made of carved stone, and moss covered much of the sides of the houses.

The forgotten look of the place, as well as its total absence of lighting, was clear evidence that no human being had lived there for at least several years.

Since this village was in the middle of a forest with tall trees, the roof of the houses was practically intact, but all the rest of the houses were in ruins, except for the fourth house, which seemed to be completely untouched by the passage of time.

Like Kaizen, Nairo also sensed that there was something in the fourth house, but she didn't say anything to him. Instead, she looked at Kaizen to check if he had already noticed it, and when she realized that he was already looking at the house in question, she smiled and said:

"Come on. It's time to get to work."

Kaizen nodded and they made their way to the fourth house down the village's only street.

The terrain of this village was uneven, the houses a little apart from each other, and since the pine trees covered much of the sunlight that reached there, the ground was damp, so they proceeded leisurely.

With each step into the village, the fog became thicker, and Kaizen began to feel a growing chill running down his spine. He didn't shy away or hesitate, except that he suddenly began to hear murmurs. At first, these murmurs were so low that Kaizen's mind unconsciously ignored them and he thought they were just forest noises, however, when they passed in front of the second house, he heard a murmur in his right ear, a murmur so clear that he could not ignore it.

"Hel...p..."

Kaizen stopped walking and looked to his right. The house next to him was small, like a small cottage of no more than one or two rooms. All the wooden windows were broken and their wood was already rotting.

Soon, Nairo realized that Kaizen stopped in the middle of the road. "What happened, big guy? Don't tell me you're finally scared?" She asked, approaching him again.

Still staring at the cottage windows, Kaizen inquired:

"Didn't you hear that too?"

Nairo frowned and clenched his eyes. "Did you hear someone calling for you?"

"Not for me, but for help. A whisper." Kaizen said and pointed to the small cottage, "Let's take a look inside here."

"But the orders were clear that our target is in the largest house in the village, and I have no doubt that is right." Nairo said.

"I'm not part of your little group of hunters, so I don't follow your orders. If you are in such a hurry, go yourself and kill whatever that target is. If there is a soul that needs help and I can help, I won't hesitate to do it," Kaizen said, and then he opened the low wooden gate to enter the garden of the cottage.

Nairo took a deep breath and followed him, but still looked very suspicious.

Inside the garden, there were many wild flowers and weeds. Kaizen and Nairo approached the front door, and then Psyker heard more clearly this time.

"Help me."

"Let's go inside." Kaizen said, and didn't even ask if Nairo heard the second whisper, because she didn't sketch any reaction.

The door to the cottage was old, so it creaked as it slowly opened as it was pushed open by Kaizen. The interior was a complete blackout, and Kaizen snapped two fingers to create a small flame that would illuminate the room enough for the pair.

Nairo was surprised. "Hey, since when can you do that? That would have made things a little easier along the way."

"I just didn't want to waste mana pointlessly, now follow me if you want."

The interior of the house was small, there was no furniture, and everything seemed to have been damp and abandoned for a long time. However, when Kaizen approached the far corner of the house and saw that there was one more room, he saw a dim light and entered the room.

Inside the room was an old man sitting in a wooden chair, dressed in a simple black robe and old pants. He had his head held high and smiled meekly when he saw his visitor. However, in literally a blink of an eye, the man disappeared into the Psyker.

Kaizen stopped at the entrance to the room, unable to tell whether what he just saw was real or an illusion of his mind. Yet the candelabra on the table was still lit, so Kaizen moved closer and saw that the dim light of the fire was just enough to illuminate a phrase engraved on the table.

"The souls of my family she imprisons, so I am not afraid of her. The candlestick is the key. The chandelier is my body. Use the chandelier." Kaizen read aloud.

Nairo was puzzled. "What is it?"

"I don't know yet. For now, just something that is carved into some table, but it could be something important."

"And you really believe that could be something else? I mean, it was probably someone who came over here and left that chandelier lit, someone from the city maybe..."

"I know I heard someone and I'm not crazy. It could be something important or not, but before I figure that out, I need you to tell me what exactly happened in this village and what our target is, no more mysteries or little secrets."

Nairo sighed, "All right, I was going to say it anyway. Our target is an evil spirit that is possessing the village chief's manor. I don't know what happened here either, but they say the village chief's wife cursed everyone when her husband died."

"I have never dealt with something like this.... How can I kill this spirit?" Kaizen asked, already leaving the cottage.

"There is no way to kill an evil spirit, she is immaterial. You must play her game until you can figure out her name and exorcise her. She will play with your psychology, try to manipulate you, and some evil spirits may even use illusions, all while gradually she will suck out your life-force."

"In other words, if I'm not fast and smart enough I'll die. All right, I accept the challenge. I like it." He said, looking at the manor near the end of the village. In her right hand, the candelabra flame was dim and flickering, but no matter how much the cold night wind blew, the flame would not go out.

...

Edited by: DrHitsuji

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