"Construction?"

Karla nodded, the ghost flying closer to inspect the humans. It didn't seem any possessed magic abilities as none were able to perceive the spirit flying through them. Luizitine dared to creep closer, mentally dawning his disguise of Justin. With any luck, they would not ask too many questions as to why he was wandering the haunted junkyard.

"Pardon me, good people!" he called.

Several of the construction members immediately stopped, one dropping their tools as they approached with hands waving.

"Woah woah, kid, you can't be here," he said. "This is a construction zone. You gotta leave."

He was more blunt than most Earth humans, his imposing figure halting like a wall as he grabbed Luiz's shoulder. The hellspawn resisted the urge to rip the hand off. Not with so many witnesses to tie him back to the kill.

"Unhand me," he said, slapping the hand away. "How dare you. What is the meaning of this?"

The man fixed a scowl, the thick stubble of his chin and wrinkled cheeks telling Luiz he must have been quite a bit older. An elder, perhaps? Whatever the case, this was his domain the man had simply walked in on, asserting his dominance as if he owned the place. Trying to make him leave. In any other world, that would have been grounds for war.

"Kid, don't make me call the cops," the man groaned. "You gotta leave so we can work."

"On what? Your manners, I hope?"

He looked over the man's shoulder, noticing Karla signaling to him. He sucked in a breath.

"This isn't over," he said.

With those words, he turned to follow his ghost minion, who was flying towards the junkyard entryway. There were several vehicles parked around the area, but none looked to have been occupied. Slashing one down to size was tempting, but he opted for caution over emotion. Until he knew the crux of the situation, he'd have to choose his actions carefully. The last thing they needed was a witch hunt.

"Well?" he asked.

"They're construction workers," Karla explained. "They always come by every so often since a lot of people wanna build over this place. Usually, I can scare 'em away, but..."

"But?"

Karla pointed towards the vehicles. Specifically to a large metallic sign behind carted in the back of one. He remembered seeing ones similar on the roads and in the city. A large expanse of flowers and grassland spread across the frame. Trees and small children dotted the landscape. Below it all were words that made the hellspawn angry only rise further.

Future Site of South Angelas Park

His gaze narrowed at the small lettering printed in the corner.

Sponsored by Mayor Tupwell.

A smiling elder with flat brown hair hovered over that name. He was winking back at them.

"Future Site? Tupwell? Karla, what is the meaning of this? Is this not your junkyard?"

"Technically, it belongs to the city. And if the Mayor's getting involved, then the city's finally decided to evict me."

She slumped to the ground, Luizitine glaring at the sign.

A city-controlled junkyard. Curses. Of course, it was too easy to think he could claim such a vast hunting ground without pushback. In the old world, the king ruled over every piece of land near his castle. The scraps outside his jurisdiction would be subject to wildlife, bandits, or whoever else they were too busy to deal with. He'd assumed the junkyard had been a similar case, Karla being the guardian who'd taken charge of the land. Evidently, the powers at be were still too alien.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Karla," he said. "Does this Mayor Tupwell rule the land?"

"Huh? I mean, he's the mayor. Why?"

"If this Tupwell is anything like the kings I've faced, I wouldn't be so quick to give in to despair. Humans are frail creatures protected by numbers. Monarchs are no different. Perhaps if we pay this man a visit, we may be able to...persuade him to reconsider."

Karla jumped up. "What? You mean you're gonna- y'know." She drew a line over her neck, sticking her tongue out with a gagging sound.

"I don't believe that will be necessary. This is a strange land I've yet to fully grasp, but all worlds tend to follow similar structures." He gestured to the workers. "There are humans at the bottom who will always answer to the humans at the top. And should those humans at the top disappear, it will create chaos for every one of them. I'd rather avoid invoking a resource war. Or a civil one."

"Oh. Then what are you gonna do?"

The hellspawn smiled a wide grin.

"Persuasion, Karla."

He opened his phone, pulling up the GPS app as he went to leave the junkyard.

"Now show me how to reach this, Mayor Tupwell."

"Huh?" Karla flew after him. "Wait, what about Gingee?"

"It's riskier if they come. You realize Gingee has no tact."

The ghost gave a silent nod in response, lowering herself so she could point out how to use the GPS.

***

As it turned out, the mayor's office was a long distance from the junkyard. Though the sun was still high when they left, it was setting by the time they reached the building. The tower of white stone and windows didn't look like the home of a monarch. In fact, if not for the sign at the front, Luizitine would have mistaken it for a shop of some sort. There were no watch towers or traps or even archers on the roof.

"Humans can truly just walk in?" he asked. "Where are the guards?"

"Those are the guards."

Karla pointed to two heavy-set men standing next to one of the human-made contraptions. The machine had the appearance of a doorway with a black surface attached to the side. It wasn't any table he recognized. A sign attached informed him to place all items atop its surface, of which Karla explained only applied to his phone.

"Please step through the scanner, sir," one guard said without looking up. He was too busy reading a small paperbound book. A Thousand Ways to Drum? His partner seemed a bit more observant, watching as Luizitine stepped forward. He didn't feel anything going through the doorway, though he did notice the black surface moving of its own accord. It stopped when he picked up his phone.

"Can I help you get anywhere, sir?" the attentive guard asked.

"Mayor Tupwell's office?"

"Up the stairs and to the right."

He followed the man's direction, spotting a stretch of steps that curved further up the building. Not exactly the spiraling staircase of a castle. Humans truly were unscrupulous in this new world. Karla flew on ahead, the two reuniting after a brief climb.

"This place is so barren," the hellspawn said. "Is this how monarchs are treated on Earth?"

"Technically speaking, the mayor's not a monarch. He's in charge, yeah, but...well...there's this thing called democracy."

As they walked, Luiz became increasingly aware of structural weak points. A spirit like Karla could easily come and go as she wished, which meant there were no barriers at play. He didn't feel his grip on magic weakening, either. It would only take a single spell to render the place obsolete. From him or some other entity. They'd have to change that when he took over.

Karla floated in front of a glass door engraved with their target's name. Office of Mayor Tupwell. When he looked through the glass, he only saw a counter and a small woman jotting something down. He looked to Karla. With a shrug, they both entered the mayor's domain.

A shock ran through Luizitine's body.

The hair of his skin stood up, senses throwing up warnings the moment he stepped foot in Mayor Tupwell's office. He felt a chill down his skin. Like he had just been doused with some icy liquid. As the sensation passed, he heard a gasp from his side.

"What the?"

Karla was floating next to him, staring at her hands. They were visible. Clearly visible. The shock across her face mirrored his own.

"I take it you're the junkyard ghost?"

They both looked ahead, eyes landing on the small woman, who had since stopped writing. She was staring directly at them. Both of them. Her brown eyes betrayed no malice, the woman resting her folded hands on the desk.

"The mayor will be with you shortly," she said. "Please have a seat, if you would."

The woman gestured towards the cushioned chairs aligned against the wall. Neither of which the hellspawn was eager to sit upon.

What's going on? This woman.

He stared over her, eyes scanning for the anomaly. For how it was she could see Karla. How it was she could force her into revealing herself. A few humans should have been able to see her, sure, but bringing her out of hiding was something else entirely. Something that there was only one man he'd known to do so in the previous world. But this woman. He could tell by how calm she remained in the face of him. How she didn't try to immediately blow a hole through his chest.

She wasn't the wizard. She was someone else with holy magic.