"Do you know her?"

"Yeah, she's in one of my classes."

"...You need to be careful."

"I know. We'll keep an eye on her from a safe distance."

"Do you think she knows you're working with the lab?"

"I doubt it. I've been discrete."

Luke and Hannah sat in a dimly lit café, the aroma of coffee lingering in the air. The evening had worn on, the café now nearing its closing hour. A waiter had started stacking chairs in a corner, the barmaid wiping down the counter, her movements efficient and rhythmic. Little by little, the café emptied, and Hannah and Luke got ready to leave.

As they walked onto the busy street, their conversation continued.

"But... walking around the university at night and talking about killing people... it seems too odd," Hannah murmured, full of doubts.

Luke turned to her, curious. "Odd how?"

"It just doesn't make sense. A skilled agent who's slipped through the lab's fingers making such a dumb mistake?" Hannah tried to explain.

Luke sighed. "That's all we have for now, and it's suspicious enough to deserve our attention. Anyway, we won't take any risks before we're completely sure that she is indeed the killer," Luke reassured her.

Hannah nodded, lost in thought, pondering over the young girl’s ghost that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, offering a dubious lead. To her, it all seemed like a wild goose chase.

A brisk twenty-minute walk later, they found themselves in front of the towering campus.

"We start tailing her tomorrow," said Luke. Hannah nodded silently. She then wished Luke a good night and headed towards her accommodation. Luke did the same.

Different academic disciplines had their designated housing buildings. The building Luke called home stood ten stories tall.

He entered the glass door that served as an entry, and then took the elevator, riding up to his seventh-floor apartment.

While the university was highly regarded for its academic prestige, its housing did not fall short. The spacious, well-equipped apartments were a testament to that.

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Luke's place had a large bed, a modern kitchen, a bathroom fitted with a state-of-the-art shower.

His favorite feature, however, was the balcony that gave him an expansive view of the campus, with the city lights twinkling in the distance.

He opened his fridge, poured himself a glass of iced tea, and then stepped onto his balcony. Leaning against the black metal railing, he stared out into the horizon, his mind drifting back to his previous life.

"Living high above the ground is still a strange feeling," Luke thought, "after spending months attached to the earth, tending to graves..."

[Two months earlier.]

In a valley on a plateau, the skeletal remains of a castle stood tall, its ancient stones speaking tales of bygone days. Now, it housed a cemetery within its towering walls.

A circle of ghosts hovered in front of the cemetery, two figures standing at the center — a young man, Lug, and an imposing ghost. The ghost was panting, a knee touching the ground.

"Ahahaha... you've become strong, very strong, half-ghost..." the ghost spoke, his voice echoing through the cold air. Lug smiled at him, a twinkle in his eyes.

"I guess I’ve improved," Lug chuckled. The ghost rose to his feet, eliciting cheers from the specters around them.

"You've proven yourself, and for that… I have something for you," the imposing ghost declared. Lug looked surprised. There had been no prior mention of any reward for victory. No matter, Lug was too tired to think, he followed the ghost.

Near the trees at the bottom of the plateau, the ghost abruptly halted. Pointing at the ground, he commanded, "Here, dig."

With that, he sat down against a nearby tree, watching with an inscrutable expression as Lug began to dig into the hard soil. Despite the confusion swirling in his mind, Lug knew better than to question the ghost’s strange command. With the power of reinforcement, his hands broke through the earth easily.

Minutes turned into what seemed like hours, and before long, Lug found himself standing in a two-meter-deep hole. Suddenly, his fingers brushed against something solid.

"I... I think I found something," he said, climbing out of the hole with a long object wrapped in thick fabric. He carried it to the ghost who looked at him, eyes glowing with pride.

"This is for you. Use it wisely," the ghost intoned, watching as Lug unwrapped the object to reveal a sword. Its black scabbard gleamed under the faint sunlight, the hilt crafted from gleaming metal.

Without wasting a moment, Lug unsheathed the sword, revealing a shining blade that seemed to hum in his hand.

With a few swift movements, he proved the deadly potential of the weapon. Turning back to the ghost, he couldn't help but ask, "Incredible... Thank you... But why was this sword here?"

"This was my sword in life," the ghost responded solemnly, his voice echoing with memories of a distant past. He was a spectral relic, a former general who had fallen in battle centuries ago.

"But it would be in terrible condition if it were that old," Lug reasoned, examining the pristine blade.

"True. But before I fell, I instructed one of my lieutenants to bury it here," the ghost explained, gesturing towards the tree under which he sat. "After my death, I used my psychic energy to preserve it. I'm glad to see it was not in vain. This blade is the symbol of a battle against darkness, against evil. It needs to stay alive." Explained the ghost.

The blade hummed in Lug's hand, not just with physical vibration, but something more ethereal. "May this sword serve as a beacon of hope for your allies and invoke fear in your enemies," the ghost concluded, making a sign of the cross on Lug's forehead.

With a sense of fulfillment, the ghost faded into the darkness, leaving Lug alone with the moonlight reflecting off his new weapon. The intense training of the past months had led him to this very moment. He felt on top of the world, though little did he know, the world was about to flip him upside down.