It took less than fifteen minutes to reach the restaurant. It could've been faster if Chloe could walk normally from the start. But I understand her condition. Fortunately, Chloe could walk normally after we moved a bit away from the park.
The restaurant I meant was actually a casual diner that only served fast food. What set this restaurant apart from other fast-food chains was its variety of sauces.
I know not many people, especially in this country, liked various types of sauce. Usually, they just liked one or two sauce types. But, as teenagers often say, 'Mix it, enjoy it' this restaurant did target the teenagers.
However, every Saturday night, this restaurant was always empty. I once asked one of the waitresses out of curiosity about why this restaurant was quiet on Saturday nights when it was always bustling every other night. The waitress said, "You know, young people prefer to explore when they're on vacation."
That's why this restaurant became my favorite on Saturday nights, quiet yet delicious food.
Based on that, I thought this restaurant could be a good place to talk and discuss the ghost world issues with Chloe. Enjoying delicious food and talking about something weird without worrying that our conversation would be heard by others.
When we arrived at the restaurant, Chloe picked a seat in the farthest corner of the room to avoid the waiters from listening in. I agreed and liked Chloe's choice of seat.
On the touchscreen at the table, I ordered my favorite menu, while Chloe just went with my recommendation, which is my favorite, hehe. After we ordered and I paid with my mom's bank card, the estimated time showed on the screen, five minutes.
"So, how are you feeling now? Are you better?" I asked to start a conversation.
"Better. It usually took half an hour or more, but now it's much better. Seems like it's thanks to the life aura you gave off."
I looked into her half-closed eyes because of tiredness, "Actually, I wanted to ask many things. But seeing your condition, I'll ask later."
Chloe smiled again, but this time her smile was faint and brief. "Thanks, you're understanding. But after eating, I'll feel better, so feel free to ask your question."
I nodded.
Like always, in any restaurant, drinks were always served first before the food. I don't know why they do that, but I think it's their marketing strategy to get us to order more drinks.
I drank my drink, and so did Chloe. Chloe's drink was even finished in a flash, and kind of embarrassed, she asked for another of the same drink.
We just sat quietly waiting for our food and Chloe's drink to served.
I didn't want to start a conversation or engage with Chloe at a time like this because besides Chloe not being able to or finding it difficult to reply, I'm sure Chloe also had a hard time to get any interaction from me.
When the food was served, we eagerly started eating. I usually really enjoyed my food, appreciating every single bite. But it seemed like Chloe wasn't quite into it.
Chloe, to me, is the kind of person who eats without caring about taste. They've become numb. Why? Because they eat so quickly —maybe they don't even chew it. How not to be quick, Chloe even ordered food again when I had just finished half of my portion.
"Sorry." That was the only word that came out of her mouth.
I could understand that. Maybe even really got it if I felt the same feeling drained and hunger after going into the ghost world. I mean, ghosts are people who have died, and one of the death aura is hunger, so wouldn't it be automatic that if you enter the ghost world, you'd be super hungry. Right?
In the end, we just focused on our food to getting energy before starting a conversation that might be very serious later. It didn't take more than half an hour for us to finish our foods, excluding the extra time Chloe took for her additional food.
After eating, and the waiter took away all the eating utensils, except our glasses that still had drinks in them. We finally had time to talk.
"So, do you want me to start from where?" Chloe asked while wiping her mouth.
"I don't know, I was confused too."
"What if from the beginning?"
"Hmm... Okay, so what really happened."
"I told you before, I felt the death aura from the shadow you saw, so I rushed to help it from becoming a vengeful ghost."
I stayed quiet for a moment to think and took a sip of my drink. "I don't remember you mentioning that you felt the death aura before."
"Really didn't?"
I shook my head, then Chloe continued. "Maybe my mind was a mess because I was tired. So, that's it, I felt the death aura, so I thought someone would become a vengeful ghost, and I hurried to help him."
There's something odd for me lately. I've been hearing these two words a lot, 'life aura' and especially 'death aura.' It's like these two things are really important. What's odd is, I've never felt these auras before. I felt the death aura for the first time when I met Leina, and the life aura when I met that unique teenager.
What's even odder is that I couldn't feel the death aura like Chloe did. I mean, when Chloe talked about feeling that death aura, I didn't feel it at all. The same goes for Desmon, he said he couldn't feel the life aura from me, even though Chloe said she felt a strong life aura coming from me. Odd, right?
I fixed my facial expression and body movements as best as I could to not show that I didn't believe her explanation. "Sorry. It's not that I didn't believe you, but I didn't feel any death aura at all before."
Chloe's face seemed quite surprised to me, so I quickly added, "Again, sorry, but maybe there's something you could explain. Was I insensitive, or what?"
"Hahaha..." Chloe just laughed and smiled, "I wasn't offended at all. You don't need to apologize."
I replied with a relieved smile because I was worried she might get offended.
"Yeah, that's normal. Not everyone can feel the death aura and the life aura. Normally, for those who don't have the same aura, it's harder, unless the radiation of the death aura or the life aura is extremely strong."
I understood Chloe's explanation a bit, but I was still confused. "So, what you're saying is, only those with the death aura can feel the death aura?"
"Kind of. If you know about resonance, maybe you'd get it better," said Chloe before she drank her drink to refresh her throat.
Chloe's last words helped me understand better. Resonance is when one thing vibrates because another thing with the same frequency vibrates. So, in this case, it's like Chloe's death aura was also able to detect the death aura from other people or ghosts because they had the same type of aura.
This might also explain why Desmon couldn't feel my life aura because our aura types were different. And it also explains why I could feel the life aura from the unique teenager at the Maneuvers coffee shop earlier.
"But there's one thing that confused me. Why could you, who had the death aura, feel my life aura, but Desmon couldn't feel my life aura? Do I really have a life aura or maybe there's something unusual about Desmon?" I asked after I made sure Chloe finished her drink so she could talk.
"Wait, couldn't Desmon feel your life aura?" Chloe asked back.
"Yeah. Was there something weird?"
"No, I just thought your life aura was very strong at first, but it seems I was wrong," Chloe replied and then silent for a moment.
"So, what do you mean I didn't have a life aura?"
"No, no like that. All living humans basically had a life aura, that's why it's called a life aura. And all ghosts, who were once living humans, had the same thing, they all had a death aura. But there was something strange-"
I was so silly for not understanding that. Of course, it's called a life aura because it comes from a living person, and that's why it's called a death aura because it comes from someone who's already dead, like a ghost.
While waiting for Chloe to think, I took another sip of my drink.
"This might not be certain... but I think I couldn't actually sense your life aura." Chloe continued.
"What do you mean? So, what actually-"
"I had three possibilities, and maybe they were all wrong. First, I was still alive, so I still had a life aura that I previously thought had disappeared from frequently entering the ghost world. So, maybe it was my life aura that actually resonated with your life aura."
Stolen story; please report.
"It could be, that makes sense."
Chloe took a sip, which I could tell she was actually putting together words. "Secondly, what I felt wasn't your life aura, but I sensed the resonance of my phantom, Leina's death aura. However, since Leina's death aura is very different from the life aura, I could feel that difference significantly."
The second possibility also sounded make sense to me. Clearly, the bond between Leina and Chloe had become incredibly strong. Even remembering Chloe's previous story, she told she could feeling Leina's presence before realizing that it came from the life aura. It's possible that Chloe couldn't feel my life aura, just like Desmon, except for that one time when my life aura felt so noticeable because it was so different from Leina's death aura that Chloe felt.
"So, you mean, my life aura felt so strong when near Leina's death aura?" I asked to make sure I got it right.
"Something like that, you could imagine seeing a small dot of light surrounded by total darkness. Even though it's just a dot, that light can light up around you, making it easier for you to see, right?"
A great analogy. Like when you were in a dark place and you turned on a flashlight, even though the light only came from the flashlight, it was able to light up the surroundings and make it easier for us to see around.
So, in conclusion, I did have a life aura like any other living person, which wasn't strong. Basically, both Chloe and Desmon couldn't feel it. However, during the incident on the bridge, because Leina's death aura surrounded me, or in other words, Leina's darkness covered my light. Chloe thought the light was quite strong as it brighten Leina's darkness, but it wasn't, it was just a tiny dot of light.
I waited for Chloe to explain the third possibility, but after a while, she still didn't explain it.
"So, what happened next?" I asked.
Chloe shifted her gaze towards the window, seemingly avoiding eye contact with me, "The third, hmm... actually, this doesn't sound good. It's about Desmon, do you still want to hear it?"
Desmon?
If Chloe said it wasn't good, then something was wrong with Desmon. So, as his friend, of course, I had to listen to her.
"Sure, what's wrong? Is something wrong with Desmon?" I asked.
"Before that, I wanna ask something, just to be sure," Chloe said, looking back at me. "Do you know why he died?"
The reason Desmon died. He didn't like me talking about it because it brought back his trauma. But at least he once mentioned it to me, well, he didn't really tell me.
At that time, I was telling Desmon about one of the movies I had just finished watching. In the part where the main protagonist was trapped, drowned, and betrayed by her friends, Desmon showed signs of trauma.
Desmon went berserk and even tried to attack me, but I managed to dodge and calm him down. Slowly, Desmon became calmer, and that's when he accidentally told me that he had been pranked by his schoolmate until he drowned.
That's why he was deeply shaken by anything related to school, including my school friends, but slowly, his trauma got better. He said since meeting me, he started to adapt.
Chloe stayed silent after hearing my story, "So, that's how it went."
"So, what was wrong with Desmon?" I asked.
"This was just my assumption, I could be wrong. But do you know what what makes different a vengeful ghost from another ghost?"
I think I understand where Chloe's conversation is heading. "Wasn't a vengeful ghost wanted to take revenge on someone who did something wrong toward them when they were alive?"
Chloe nodded to show she agreed, "But you might not know that not all vengeful ghosts were vengeful ghosts from the beginning when they became ghosts."
"What do you mean?"
"Many people were treated badly and then died, becoming ghosts. Those who became ghosts didn't turn into vengeful ghosts yet, because their memories got a little distorted when they died."
I asked again after getting a chance when Chloe paused to take a drink, "When did they become vengeful ghosts?"
Chloe answered, but this time her gaze was completely focused on my eyes, not to intimidate but seems like to see how I reacted to her words. "When their memories were restored. They usually went through some messed-up stuff, like trauma for humans. But, once their memories were restored, they completely turned into vengeful ghosts."
I don't know why, but I felt a really strong punch suddenly hitting my chest.
No way, my only friend could turn into a really dangerous vengeful ghost. Desmon was the only one who could cheer me up —well, besides my mom— and now he might become a creature that could harm me.
"Are you okay?" Chloe asked, clearly noticing the change in emotions within me as she had anticipated this.
I tried to calm myself by taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly, before answering to Chloe's concern. But still, I couldn't answer her with words, so I just nodded my head.
Chloe reached out her hand to the table and touched my hand on the table, "At least you were still able to stay calm for now. At least Desmon didn't turn into a vengeful ghost yet."
I looked at her hopefully, at least she misjudged or at least there was something I could do. "Are you sure that Desmon could become a vengeful ghost? Are you not mistaken about it?"
"I might be wrong, as I've said before. But your previous story about Desmon actually made me more sure."
"What did you mean?"
"Desmon seemed to be gradually regaining his memories, but as you said, after meeting you, he could adapt to his trauma. In other words, it seems like your life aura did help him reduce that trauma and come to accept what he experienced in his life."
"I didn't quite get it." I might have understood it if my mind hadn't been messed up by the fear of Desmon becoming a vengeful ghost.
"Do you remember what happened earlier in the park?"
"Yeah, you helped the ghost from turning into a vengeful ghost, so what does that have to do with Desmon?"
"You did the same thing with Desmon. You helped Desmon not to turn into vengeful ghosts with your life aura. In other words, your life aura held Desmon's trauma and prevented him from turning into vengeful ghosts."
I silent for a moment, and so did Chloe, giving me time to process that information.
When I really thought about it, it actually made sense. The first time I met Desmon, he felt quite dangerous, but he managed to calm himself when facing me, and Desmon admitted to that.$
I told Chloe about my first meet with Desmon and Desmon's words about being tied to me, which made him unable to leave my house, even though the tie had been broken.
If someone were to ask why I suddenly told this, I wouldn't know. Somehow, I felt comfortable and trusted Chloe, so without realizing it, I told about it.
After hearing my story, Chloe nodded and leaned back in her chair, "I'll consider Desmon lucky. In my opinion —and I tell you that I could be wrong— Desmon, while at your school, was probably recalling his troubled past when he was alive. In other words, he was in the process of becoming a vengeful ghost-"
Chloe's story aligned with what Desmon had told. If I remember correctly, Desmon did mention that he hurt some students at my school before my arrival. So indeed, he was in the process of becoming a vengeful ghost.
"-but as I said, Desmon was lucky to meet you. Your life aura, at the very least, slowed down that process. So Desmon didn't become a vengeful ghost, and that's all thanks to you." Chloe smiled again, as if praising something I wasn't fully aware of.
"But what about the tie that Desmon mentioned, saying he wasn't free and was stuck to my house after meeting me?" I asked while turning my hand that Chloe was touching, so our hands were held.
"Honestly, I've never directly seen a case like yours, I've only read about it. So, I might be wrong. But in my opinion, there isn't an actual tie between you two. It's just that Desmon unintentionally tied himself to you," Chloe replied.
As usual, Chloe sometimes give explanations that weren't very clear, so I had to ask again about her meaning. "What do you mean?"
Chloe silent for a moment. It seemed Chloe struggled to explain it to me. Was I too foolish, or was Chloe being too complicated? I didn't know.
"What does Desmon want as a ghost according to you?" Chloe asked back.
This time, I was the one left silent because of her question.
Honestly, even though we had been friends for a while, I had never asked about what Desmon wanted after he became a ghost. I was more interested in his past. If Chloe were to ask about Desmon's dreams, I could surely answer. But as for what he wanted after becoming a ghost, I couldn't answer that.
"I don't know. I've never asked," I replied.
"Typically, a ghost only has three desires. Firstly, if they died peacefully, they'd want to return to the afterlife, if you believe in that. Secondly, if there's an unfulfilled desire from their living days, they'd want that as a ghost. Lastly, if someone did something wrong that caused their death, they'd seek revenge, becoming a vengeful ghost," Chloe explained.
Chloe then tried to take a sip from her drink, but she didn't realize her glass had been empty for a while. So, I pushed my drink towards her, "Do you want mine?"
"No, thank you. Hmm... for Desmon, at least we can rule out the first and third desires."
"Okay, but I'm still confused. I mean, what's the connection between Desmon's desires and his tie to me?" I asked again because Chloe's explanation was still unclear to me.
"His desires during Desmon's life are what tied him to you," Chloe said.
"But his dreams during his life were to become a scientist. I don't see how that connects to me," I said.
Chloe pulled her hand back, placing both elbows on the table and holding her head up with her palms, leaning toward me. "Are you sure, you don't know?"
I did the same, for some reason, I don't know why. "I don't know about what?"
Chloe changed her position again, this time leaning back on her chair while turning her gaze towards the window. "I thought you were his friend, but you're unaware of his true desire."
"What is it?" I asked as quickly as I could. I felt a bit offended when Chloe mentioned my friendship with Desmon, as if she was saying I didn't care about him.
"According to you, why do you think he was pranked by his classmates to the point of drowning?" Chloe directed her gaze back at me.
I didn't answer, I just stayed silent, shaking my head to indicate I didn't know.
"You should understand, he was also bullied in his life. Perhaps more tragically than you. He felt a deep loneliness, and his biggest and true desire was just to have a friend."
It felt like a tight rope was tied around my neck, making it hard for me to breathe.
It felt like hundreds of boxing robots were punching my chest, making it feel squeezed.
I understood why Chloe suddenly pulled back her hand from mine, turned her face away from mine, and said that I didn't seem to care about Desmon. Because I indeed didn't care and was too foolish to understand.
Even though Chloe's explanation was very clear that Desmon desired a friend just like he did when he was alive, I still had questions about why he was tied to me.
I wanted to ask her, but my breath was hard to control, and my chest still felt tight. So, I just leaned back for a moment.
Chloe noticed I needed time, so she only tapped on the table to order another drink, giving me some time to calm myself.
"But Desmon has many friends in the ghost world, why is he tied to me instead of his ghost friends?" I asked.
"Because of his desire. Do you still not get it?" Chloe paused for a moment. "He wanted a friend during his life, and that desire remained even after he became a ghost. In other words, he still wanted for a living friend."
I still found it hard to control my breathing, and my chest still felt tight. So, I stayed silent. I didn't want to make myself look more foolish or not caring again and again.
"At least that's what I think. I could be wrong, but it might explain why Desmon is tied to you, because he's tied to his desire, and you, being his living friend with a life aura, fulfilled that desire."
"So..." I tried to summarize, but I couldn't finish because I was having trouble breathing.
Chloe recognized my limitations and helped me summarize, "So, actually, Desmon felt your life aura, and your life aura made his desire come true, tied him to you. Also, because Desmon's desire came true, he forgot his grudge, and by forgetting it, he didn't become a vengeful ghost. In other words, your life aura saved Desmon from becoming a vengeful ghost."
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