While waiting at the bus stop, Aiden’s phone rang.

Grace. Didn’t I meet her in the morning just now? Did something happen?

With a sinking feeling, he picked up the phone. Hoping nothing had actually happened and he was needlessly worrying.

“Big bro?”

Aiden’s brows furrowed. Grace’s voice felt tired, even more worrying was he seemed to hear Mimi crying in the background.

“What happened? Why do I hear Mimi crying?”

“Big bro, what did you give her? She is hitting me!”

“What do you mean?”

His heart sank to the bottom.

Fuck, was something really wrong with her? I knew I should have kept her with me instead of keeping her alone with Grace. Something’s gone wrong now.

“She is crying to see you. She wants to be with you, she hasn’t stopped since you left the house today. I convinced her and played with her but her mind seems to be fixated on you, she has started hitting me because I won’t let her out of the house.”

His thoughts stopped for a moment before a huge sigh left his mouth. With a calmer thought process, he continued listening to her. “Of course, her hands don’t hurt but I just feel she is really serious about seeing you, or staying with you. I don't know what. So I called you so she can have a talk with you, maybe that will satisfy her?”

Aiden agreed, prompting Grace to pass the phone. A second later, he heard a childish voice.

“Big bro? Can you come back?”

Aiden was relieved that it was nothing too serious. He replied in a patient voice. “Mimi, I have some serious work to do. I can’t head home right now.”

“Please? I don’t feel too good.”

“What do you not feel good about? I’ll be home soon, don't worry, we’ll play some games then okay?”

“Noooo, I want to see you now. I just don’t feel good.”

“Do you feel sick? Or unhealthy?”

“Nooo. I just…feel scared…for you. It doesn’t feel good.”

Scared for me?

Aiden smiled and consoled her. “Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to me, I promise you, okay? Please be a good girl, don’t cry.”

Mimi’s crying had already lessened considerably when she got the chance to talk to Aiden. Hearing this, she completely stopped. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke,

“Okayyy. Don’t break the promise, okay?”

“Of course. Now don’t cry okay? I’ll be back home tonight for a while.”

Aiden hung up after a few more pleasantries and boarded the bus which just halted near the bus stop.

Sitting in the back, he took in the sights of the town he had already seen countless times. It took him nearly thirty minutes to finally arrive at his destination.

The bus stop didn’t look too different from the others in the town, he was currently near the opposite side of the gate in the town.

He looked around for a bit, taking in the changes compared to the last time he had visited this place, before opening the map. Ketchup house was still some walking distance away but this was already the closest bus stop so he had no choice.

Nearly five minutes later, he stood face to face with the Ketchup house. From the name, it would seem like some restaurant with special sauces or a store which sold a variety of ketchups and sauces. Well, one would be sorely disappointed if that was so.

The store sold chillies and spices. Aiden had no intention of knowing what devious idea the store owner had when he named the story but he couldn’t help but applaud the uniqueness.

He walked to the back of the store, hoping for a clue or two to find the knife. It was a rather narrow alley with numerous dustbins and garbage littered around. Even the walls were covered in filth, with garbage stuck at various places of protrusion. At times it was difficult to distinguish the wall from the trash.

This place smells.

Aiden scrunched up his nose as he walked through the alley.

If we don’t count the smell, this place wouldn’t be too bad to experiment on my ability. I would have done it someplace better and closer if I knew about the exact sensing range of supers.

But I can’t risk it anymore. I’ve already gone around asking about abilities a lot, this seems way too specific to assume as if I need it to go against the ghost.

That aside, how in hell am I supposed to find a short sword among this mess?

Aiden pulled up his handkerchief and joined two of its opposite corners, making it a triangle to tie around his face like a mask.

Feeling a bit better, he continued walking through the alley, doing a customary search to see if he could see something shiny.

“Uh oh.”

He nearly stumbled upon something. Good thing he didn’t, he had no plans falling face first into the garbage strewn about. But it seems someone did.

When he looked down to see what it was, the garbage moved.

Oh it’s a leg.

He looked at the man who couldn’t be any more dirtier. He had his face into a garbage bag, moving slightly after feeling someone hit his leg.

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Did he take that as his pillow?

“Gawd. You again?”

His voice sounded muffled, but Aiden didn’t plan on replying.

Did he mistake me for someone else? Is he drunk? Must be, no sane person uses a garbage bag as a pillow.

“What? Here to dump another corpse? I saw it… hehehehe. Give me money, or else I will ~”

He slept. He moved for a while, but didn’t wake up again.

Aiden narrowed his eyes.

Someone came to hide a corpse? Well, it wouldn't be strange. This place is far from the town, and is extremely disgusting. Seems plausible.

He didn't pay the man any attention. Redirecting to the task on hand, he continued walking forward.

Just a few seconds later, when he was a bit deep into the alley, he could hear some sounds.

Go or not?

He hesitated for a second before deciding to fuck it. Those two murderers should’ve already left. There should be no other super in the town. No one knew he had an ability. All the advantages were on his side.

He slowly, and cautiously walked towards the source of sound, looking around at every nook and cranny while being fully alert. Finally, he found a small gap in the wall of the alley. He would have missed it had he walked faster or paid less attention to the surroundings.

This is not a gap.

It was actually a makeshift wall made of garbage.

In this area where even walls are covered in filth, this kind of thing is an excellent camouflage.

After he broke a part of the wall and entered, he finally knew what corpse the drunkard was talking about.

A decayed, rotten corpse was nailed to the wall through its head by a short sword.

Aiden’s gaze froze as he looked at the ghost flailing around, thumping its hands and legs against the wall. Its mouth was open, screeching loudly.

Are these the sounds I’ve been hearing?

His legs felt weak, throat suddenly dry, breath halted and heart thumping loudly as his sight refused to move away from the rotten corpse. He barely saved himself from blacking out after resuming breathing.

Of course, he had already seen the short sword and no doubt it was the treasure which that vampire spoke about.

The man that drunkard was talking about was probably this vampire huh. Does that mean he brought the ghost here? Just how strong was he? An Adept? Or a Master perhaps?

No, he couldn’t be that strong. Else the vampire team wouldn’t be annihilated after clashing against the Crimson Devil and the Bureau rescue team.

Does that mean the ghost was weak? What now? Has he already pierced the heart? Destroyed its ability? Or does the ghost still have it? Is this a test to check if I am worthy?

Aiden’s mind furiously processed all the ideas as he kept thinking about what to do.

What if the heart wasn’t destroyed? Does it still retain its ability? Has it already fulfilled its condition?

His hands clenched by his sides as he finally decided to act. Act quick.

If the ghost didn’t have its ability, then all was good. But if it did, he needed to move before he could use its ability on him.

He looked around, finding no sharp objects in the vicinity.

That drunkard! He should have a glass bottle right?!

Just after he thought that, his mind rejected it.

No, I can use my ability. Perfect chance. I doubt a glass shard would be long enough to dodge its arms if it decides to attack me. The ghost is pinned only at the head, the rest of its body can still move.

Aiden rapidly recollected everything Lucas had told him about using abilities. He kept calm, and began thinking about the mysterious feeling.

It didn’t take long, roughly a minute later he could feel it. Using Lucas’ idea, he imagined the mysterious feeling as a dot. Suddenly, he found himself to be focusing on the feeling much better.

He conveyed his intention to use the ability. Indeed, ‘imagined dot’, the mysterious feeling gave way. He quickly thought about a spear, one short enough to be just out of reach of the ghost’ hands.

He didn’t need a long one. From what he knew about abilities, that might consume more aether and his side effect, intense headache, would be even more intense.

He concentrated more on the dot, like Lucas suggested and tried to convey his will of sensing his aether.

It was full. But while he concentrated on that, the manifestation of the spear in his hand faltered, which he had to refocus on.

Intense headache suddenly struck his brain as soon as the spear was made. With what little spare brain power after withstanding the headache, he moved forward with a couple ways to tackle the problem.

That’s when he remembered again.

Think less.

Act quick.

No thinking of ways.

Just stab.

Straight at heart.

His legs moved him towards the ghost as his right hand drew the spear back to gather momentum. At the opportune moment, with his brain devoid of any distracting thoughts, he swung his hand, stabbing the spear with all the force his body could muster.

The spear lodged itself deep into the ghost’s heart. All its movements stopped, as Aiden’s steps faltered. He stumbled backwards before eventually falling onto his butt as he felt drained physically and mentally.

Spear had already dematerialised from the ghost’s body as Aiden’s focus had dispersed as soon as he felt the satisfying sensation of stabbing into flesh. His sight fell onto the empty hole in its chest before a stream of thoughts erupted in his exhausted mind.

Satisfying? Stabbing into flesh? Is this still me?

A part of him was content about his mental stability, his mental resilience, his mental fortitude. But a part of him was concerned.

Was he less human if he felt more distant with the usual emotions of humans?

His internal psychological struggle didn’t last long as a stream of energy disrupted his thought process.

This energy. The fuel! Is it Aether?

He hurriedly concentrated on the dot to know about the situation with his aether. Indeed, his aether had depleted from using his ability but he didn’t know by how much since it was rapidly filling up.

Suddenly though, as his focus was placed on the dot, he could feel that the dot was strengthening.

A stronger, and more firm energy was radiating off the ghost, heading towards his dot before steadily strengthening it.

Aiden’s pupils suddenly dilated as he thought of an interesting guess.

Killing ghosts strengthens the abilities! Is this also why the Bureau doesn’t often assign stronger ghosts to teams which aren’t under their control?

A chuckle left his mouth as he couldn’t help but be disappointed in Bureau by every passing fact he heard about them.

After recovering a bit of energy, he grew more conscious of his surroundings. He was sitting among a pile of garbage, leaning unconsciously into a black garbage bag. He inadvertently remembered about his earlier thought when he had looked at the drunkard.

No sane person uses a garbage bag as a pillow.

He mocked himself before leaning forward, already aware that he was smelling horrible. He had to find an excuse why he smelled so terrible.

He remembered his initial reason for coming here, the short sword nailed into the ghost’s head. If he was not sure before, he was now. The ghost didn’t have any ability left, he was confident he could at least take a short sword from such a ghost.

Just when he had stood up though, the void in him opened.

It’s exactly like that time! The same feeling appeared that day when I was heading towards aunt Hellen’s house from university.

As expected. An extremely familiar situation repeated itself as a line of words materialized in his head.

//Found an ability. Unlock?//