Jack was the normal specter again. Intangible. But he felt utterly drained. His spectral energy reserves were dangerously low.
He looked at the scene. The dead monstrous dog. A heap of unnatural flesh and broken bone. Mr. Boulder. Still rigid and silent. His mind was still trapped in hellish illusion.
He looked at Spider. The small, unseen presence. Hovering nearby. And Weedy. Bound but safe. Staring at him in fear and astonishnt.
"Alright, Girl!" Jack's voice reached Weedy. It was a low hum in the strange frequency. "Hold still!"
He focused the telekinetic aspect of his [Mysterious Anomaly]. It wasn't subtle. Ropes snapped. Leather straps tore. The bindings around Weedy's wrists and ankles disintegrated into useless scraps.
The girl scrambled backward. Pressing herself against the damp stone wall. Still half-expecting the specter to attack him.
"Listen closely!" Jack instructed. His voice was firm. Cutting through her fear. "Get out of here. Up the stairs. Out the back door. Don't stop running until you're far away."
Weedy flinched but nodded. Her eyes were still glued to his translucent form.
"Go to the City Enforcers!" Jack instructed. "Or the rcenary Union. Tell them about Mr. Boulder. Tell them what he did to the street kids. Kidnapping them. Killing them. And feeding them... to that beast."
He gestured vaguely towards the monstrous dog carcass. "Tell them he tried to do it to you too."
Weedy swallowed hard, nodding again.
"And if they ask who helped you..." Jack added. Feeling the familiar, self-serving smirk touch the lips. "Tell them it was a transcendent specter. Jack Mystery. Don't worry about keeping it a secret. I don't mind people know ne. Go!"
The girl didn't hesitate this ti. With a desperate scramble, she was on her feet. And darting for the stairs. Her small fra swallowed by the darkness within monts.
Jack heard the faint sound of her footsteps receding. Then the creak of a door opening and closing sowhere above. She was gone. Good.
His attention turned back to the cellar. The dead monster dog. A heap of unnatural flesh and muscle. Mr. Boulder. Frozen in a silent scream. And Spider.
"Well, Spider." Jack said. Addressing the unseen ghost boy. "She's safe. The beast is dead."
He floated closer to Mr. Boulder. The air around the still-living man thick with the psychic residue of Jack's illusion. "Now for him. What do you want to happen to him?"
Spider appeared in his ghost form. "He killed us. Chopped us up. Fed us to that thing." His voice was sharp and clear. Despite its ethereal nature.
"Yeah, I got that part." Jack said dryly. "He's getting a taste of his own dicine, right now. Trapped in his head. Experiencing... similar things."
He wouldn't elaborate on the specifics of the hell he had manufactured. It was tailor-made for Boulder's particular sins.
"I can keep him like this." He said. "Turn him into a drooling vegetable his whole life. Or I can make the ntal effects... permanent. Or I can make him physically tortured. Or I can just kill him like he did to your friends. Your call, Kid. You represent the victims here."
A mont of silence stretched. Jack waited. He had options. Many options. And Spider's decision would dictate the final thod.
"Death." Spider stated finally. His voice was devoid of emotion. Chillingly blunt. "He should just die. Like us."
Jack didn't argue. It was simple. Direct. Satisfying in its finality.
"Alright!" Jack said. He focused his remaining spectral energy. Drawing upon the deep, dark well of [Mysterious Anomaly].
The energy coiled within him. Coalescing into a focused point. This wasn't just illusion anymore. This was forcing the illusion, the ntal trauma, into physical existence. Turning nightmare into bodily failure.
He aid the condensed energy at Mr. Boulder's head. There was no sound from the butcher. Still locked in his internal horror. Just a sudden, violent tremor that wracked his body.
His eyes, wide and unseeing, bulged. Veins stood out on his neck and forehead. Like thick cords. A low, gurgling sound escaped his lips. Quickly cut off as his body convulsed one last ti. Violently.
Then, stillness. Absolute stillness. The psychic residue around him dissipated. Replaced by the cold certainty of death. Mr. Boulder's face, liberated from the illusion in his final second, was a mask of utter, bewildered terror.
He was dead. Just like Spider wanted.
Jack let out a spectral sigh. This whole thing had taken more out of him than he anticipated. His energy reserves were practically scraping the bottom. He needed to rest. To recover. Being a specter wasn't easy when you pushed your limits.
He looked at the scene again. The two corpses. Human. And beast. The empty space where Weedy had been. And then, he looked at Spider.
He expected Spider's presence to fade. The ghost released by the completion of his vengeance. But the ghost boy was still there. Solid, for a ghost. Still anchored to this plane.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to for the genuine story.
Jack turned his spectral attention to the boy. "Revenge served, Kid. The monster and the man. Both dead. Why are you still hanging around?"
Spider's translucent form flickered into slightly more visibility. A faint outline in the gloom. He hovered near the dead dog.
"It wasn't just revenge." Spider said in a matter-of-fact tone. "We... we all had dreams, you know? Back when we were alive. and the others. We wanted to see the world. Get on a ship. See the ocean. See other cities. We talked about it every night."
He drifted closer to Jack. "We thought... maybe after... maybe we could still do that. Together. But... they're gone. Disappeared. Like smoke."
Jack felt a familiar pang of sympathy. Well, not exactly. More like emphatic understanding. Unfinished business.
Many ghosts were bound by it. But usually, it was a specific task. A specific person. Or object. A dream of travel wasn't exactly sothing you could tie up neatly.
"So you're sticking around for that?" Jack asked. Blunt as ever. "To see the world?"
"Yeah." Spider confird. "Only... it's hard. Being like this. Can't touch things. Just float around. And... there are things out there. Things that hurt ghosts."
Jack knew that. He'd encountered more than a few entities. Living and dead. That could prey on spectral beings. Ghosts weren't invincible. Far from it. They were just vulnerable in a different way.
"Well, good luck with that." Jack said honestly. He couldn't help with a spectral world tour. His own existence was complicated enough. "Be careful, though! Ghost aren't the top of the food chain out here."
Spider drifted closer still. "You're strong." He said. His voice carried a rare note of sothing other than sarcasm. Was that hope?
"You fought that thing. You just... blasted it." He nodded towards the demon dog's corpse. "Can you... can you teach how to do that? How to fight?"
Jack paused. Teach a ghost? He had never considered it. Most of his powers were inherent. Tied to his specific rebirth and traits. [Mysterious Anomaly] was unique to him.
His incarnation forms were unique. But he did have knowledge. Knowledge gained from his previous life. From observing this new world. And from learning... Mystic Arts.
He thought about Spider. A kid who had been dealt a brutal hand in life and death. Left behind. Anchored by a dream.
If he was determined to explore this world, he would need to survive it. And Jack... Jack had a soft spot for the innocent. For the victims.
"So of what I can do..." Jack said. Choosing his words carefully. "... is just being . Born with it, I guess. Or happened to due to incidents. I can't teach you that."
Spider's faint form seed to deflate a little.
"But..." Jack continued. Seeing the disappointnt. "Power in this world cos from a lot of places. Not all of it is inborn or a result of so weird accident. So of it is learned. Knowledge. Skills. That, I can teach you."
Spider perked up. "Like what?"
"Like Mystic Arts." Jack said. "Spells. Runes. Alchemy. Ways to interact with the world, even as a ghost. Ways to defend yourself. Maybe even... exert yourself."
Teaching a ghost mystic arts would be... interesting. Unconventional. But Jack liked unconventional. And it gave him a small, personal project. A way to balance the scales a little more.
"Okay!" Jack said, making the decision. "I'll teach you. But you have to be smart about it. No showing off. No getting caught. And it's on my schedule."
"Anything!" Spider agreed instantly.
"Alright," Jack said. "Here's the plan. You know about the rcenary Union?"
Spider nodded. "Seen it. Big stone building."
"Yeah." Jack said. "They have a library. Full of books. It's the best place I can think of right now to access the kind of information we'll need."
He considered the logistics. Spectral form. Invisible. Easy enough to get in.
"Every night," Jack instructed. "Midnight. Be at the rcenary Union Library. Get inside. I'll et you there. I can spare an hour, maybe two, depending on what else I'm doing. We'll do this stealthily. You understand? No one sees you. No one knows we're doing this."
"Got it." Spider said, sounding surprisingly serious. "Midnight. rcenary Union Library. Invisible."
"Good." Jack said. He still felt the spectral exhaustion. But it was manageable now that he wasn't actively using power. "For tonight, just process things. And think about what I'm telling you now. It's important if you want to understand this world and how to survive in it."
Jack began to explain. His voice was low and steady. Filling the grim cellar with spectral knowledge.
"This world... it's full of transcendent beings. People, creatures, things that have power far beyond the normal. They're not all the sa. Not by a long shot. Humans, mostly, get their power from a few main sources."
He listed them out.
"First, there's Mystic Art. That's what I can teach you. It's learned knowledge. Spells, rituals, runes, alchemy. Arcane stuff. It's about understanding the fundantal energies of the world and how to manipulate them with practiced techniques and components. Takes study, practice, and often talent, but anyone can learn the basics."
Jack continued. "Then there's Supernatural Power. This is different. It's inherent. You're born with it, or it manifests suddenly. It's a specific, unique ability. Telekinesis, manipulating elents, enhanced senses, regeneration, mind control... things like that. It's personal. Nobody can teach this."
"Next is Force of Faith." He continued. "Power drawn from belief. Priests, clerics, druids... they gain power through devotion to gods, spirits, or nature. It's about channeling divine energy, receiving blessings, performing miracles. The stronger the faith, often the stronger the power. It's not about you, it's about who or what you believe in."
He paused before continuing. "Fourth is Eldritch Contract. This is dangerous. Power gained by making deals with entities from beyond our reality. Demons, cosmic horrors, forces from other dinsions."
Jack's tone hardened slightly on this point. "You get imnse power, but there's always a price. Always a catch. It's usually soul-binding, corrupting, or demanding impossible tasks. Don't ever ss with this unless you're completely desperate. And probably insane."
"Finally, there's Steamrune Engineering." He said "This is more physical, but no less potent. It's about fusing ancient runic magic with modern steam-powered technology. Creating enchanted machines, weapons, armor. It requires knowledge of both runes and engineering. Many people in rcenary Union were Steamrune Engineers."
He looked at Spider seriously. And warned him. "Almost everyone in rcenary Union are transcendent. They could harm you. Don't co to that place during the day. Don't explore the place. Just go to its library in the first floor near midnight. Invisible"
Jack let the list and his warning hang in the air of the cellar. Five main paths for human power. Each distinct, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
Mystic Art was learnable. Supernatural Power was innate. Faith was granted. Contracts were risky. Steamrune was crafted.
"Understand?" Jack asked.
Spider's faint outline seed to be absorbing the information. "Yeah." He said. "So... you can teach about the first one. Mystic Art."
"That's right," Jack affird. "It's a start. It won't make you a walking arsenal overnight. But it'll give you tools. Ways to interact. Ways to defend yourself if sothing tries to... well, eat you."
Jack looked at his new student. His spectral energy was critically low. He needed to rest. In a safe place.
"Alright, Spider," Jack said. "Lesson one is over. Be careful tonight. And rember. Midnight. Library. Don't be late."
Jack focused his will. His spectral form shimring and fading. He left the cellar silent once more. Save for the lingering chill. And the presence of a small, determined ghost floating amongst the dead.
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