Fighting the living was one thing but fighting ghosts was another entirely. Ciylia was doing her best not to let the transparent monstrosities touch her. One had already passed through her body and it created a vomit-inducing chill throughout the thief's core. Luckily, Fern cleaned it with the wave of water he created before Gene punched the druid in the gut and then booted him across the room.

Meowlynn and Blaine were doing their best to light the candles again and Aliya was doing a great job at fighting these spirits but Ciylia was struggling. She couldn't hit them as her arrows just passed through them. The elf knew she needed to use magic to stand a chance but she specialized in magic that made her more stealthy or caused a wound to bleed more. How was she supposed to know that one day in her life she would be fighting a fucking ghost!

It wasn't just any ghost either, it was the ghost of Shield. What the hell was that ice-wielding monster doing inside Fern? The only upside was that it didn't seem like his ghost form could cast magic but the spirit relentlessly hounded the forest elf. Ciylia guessed it was because she killed him but deep down she blamed Gene. Shield should have realized he died because the monk gave the rest of the team hope. Where the hell was that hope now?

The forest elf kept running around watched as the room slowly became illuminated. She witnessed Gene mounted on top of Fern and pinning him down as if he was a dirty prostitute. Aliya had just finished banishing the other ghost in the room that seemed to attack Kira. A small comfort was knowing that she wasn't the only targeted person.

"Get away from that thing," yelled Meowlynn.

Without hesitating, the thief grabbed some dirt, slashed it across her face, and mutter the words, "The wind moves quickly in the forest." Her legs felt a burst of much-needed energy and she dashed as fast as she could away. A massive explosion happened right behind her, engulfing that section of the room.

Gene was consumed by the fire with extensive burns across his back as he had protected the druid from the brunt of the blast. Fern was unconscious again and all the candles were finally lit once more but that ghost wasn't gone yet. It smirked at Ciylia as it tried to embrace her in a kiss.

She could feel her life being sucked out of her mouth. A ray of light collided with Shield's spectral form but he didn't let up. Ciylia could feel the end coming to her. Her mind started to slip away but then it stopped. It was as if time froze in the moment as Ciylia stared at Shield's spectral face that was filled with anger, confusion, and sadness.

Blaine tore through the transparent body with his flaming and radiant scimitars. Before Shield vanished, the forest elf mouthed, "Not this time." With the ghost defeated, the elf collapsed on the floor.

The archbishop of the Shining Dragon entered the room, "Well done." The ancient man made his way to where Fern was.

"This was a great success," announced the elderly human happily. "Now, I need you to leave as I extract the pendant from his chest."

Everyone looked at Fern's chest and saw half of the pendent was sticking of a bloodless hole. The black wing didn't seem to be as attractive as it was before, and the black seemed a bit faded. Even after all that work, the damn item was still stuck in the half-elf. It felt like their efforts were wasted. Ciylia had expected the cursed item to dislodge itself from the druid's body or shattered into a fine harmless. Neither thing happened so it ruined the joyous moment for the thief.

"So what now," ask Ciylia's leader.

"Now you leave to get some rest," instructed the archbishop. "I will keep Fern here for another day after I remove the symbol for observation. I'll make sure the corruption hasn't harmed him and is fully cleansed. All of you did a fantastic job."

Gene walked over to Fern and held the druid's face. The monk muttered something before rejoining the group. "Take care of him," said Gene before walking out the door.

Shortly after, everyone followed the monk into the chapel. A few healers were standing by to help the party after their exhausting fight. Eager to get rid of this feeling of being drained, Ciylia found a healer not doing anything and walked up to her. "I could use a bit of help."

The Shining Dragon cleric smile and rested her hands on Ciylia, filling her with a sense of calm. Soon her energy was restored and her body felt lighter, including her head. "Just a small side effect," explained the healer. "Be sure to get plenty of rest tonight."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The elf returned to the Cadamem Hunt with the rest of the Jellybeans, except Fern, and went directly to their sleeping quarters. Ciylia entered the private room she had which was one of the best parts about the Cadamem Hunt was that it was huge and most hunters could get their own rooms. Ciylia dropped into the bed that rested near the window. If she never had to fight another undead creature in her life it would be too soon.

Laying on the bed, she reached down into one of the pouches on her belt and grabbed the weird orb that showed her the image of the five-headed dragon. She tried to focus on it like she did when she first got it but nothing happened. The only thing the thief accomplished was making herself more mentally exhausted. Soon sleep surprisingly swept her into a sweet slumber.

Ciylia's mind went blank, when she opened her eyes she was in a body that wasn't hers. Instead of her normal elvish form, she was a small human girl. She was wearing purple robes with black trimmings that fit her perfectly. A chain necklace hung around her neck with a large tooth resting in the center of it.

She was standing just outside a small town, a warm breeze was blowing through her hair, and played with the bottom of her robes. The summer sun was beating down the fields that were next to the towns. Burning flesh and wood traveled gently on the wind with a hint of lavender. Wyverns and dragons the size of humans were roasting the buildings and chewing off the limbs of people.

A man was trying to flee when a small red dragon leaped down from the top of the house closest to the would-be survivor. The massive scaled beast swiped its claws at the man and removed his right leg. Collapsing to the ground, the man began crawling as his leg landed limply to his side. Tears poured down his face as he screamed for his life, crawling with all his might. The winged lizard jumped on the man’s back and dug its claws into the man’s shoulders.

“Please,” begged the dying man. “I want to live!” The small red dragon opened its maw and spewed flames all over the man. His flesh sizzled like freshly fried bacon, a bit of brain matter flowing out of his ears. After taking a long whiff of his meal, the dragon finally sunk its teeth into the cooked meat and gleefully ate away.

A mind that was separate from Ciylia's felt a sense of joy and pride as she watched the town get destroyed. A mother's love and happiness filled her breasts as she watched the dragon devour its prey. A sickening feeling overwhelmed Ciylia, she was not comfortable sharing a body with someone else. In an attempt to defy the other occupant of this shared body, Ciylia ran directly into the crumbling town.

Two whelps were toying with a woman, blasting the space around her with ice and acid. They were a bit smaller than their red brother but were less direct with their hunting methods. The second mind wants to watch the small dragon rip the woman to shreds, and in truth, Ciylia didn't really care but her need to defy this second personality was greater.

A weird staff appeared in the girl's hand as Ciylia pointed it at the whelps and yelled, "Stop!" The winged creatures quickly tucked their tail like dogs that were being scolded. Ciylia looked around and saw that all the dragons and wyverns had stopped their assault and stared at her or at least the body she was in.

"Leave," commanded Ciylia. The winged beasts all whimpered before they flew away. If there was one thing Ciylia realized at this moment, it was that she enjoyed having power. The second mind screamed in rage and shunted the forest elf's mind out of the body.

Cilyia's vision went black for a moment but soon returned, again in another body. This time she was in the body of a king sitting within an empty throne room. In the corner of the room, resting on deep purple velvet cloths, was a large green egg. The thief couldn't sense another mind within this body but she was consumed by a sense of pride. Curiosity got the better of the treasure-loving side of Ciylia and she went to examine the egg. She couldn't help but wonder how much the egg could be worth, especially if it contained was she thought it did.

How did this king acquire a dragon's egg? Ciylia scanned the room to search for any indication of what kingdom this was or where the castle could be located. The more she tried to focus on the room's features, the blurrier they became. Only the egg seemed to keep its pristine shape, practically glowing with all its splendor. Ciylia walked up and touched the magnificent treasure.

Rapid images flood Ciylia's mind and threaten to cause her brain to explode. Visions of destruction and chaos flooded her mind. Villages and cities crumbled at equal speeds. A massive green dragon spewed poison and toxins out of its fearsome maw. Bodies swelled and then exploded, others choking on their vomit as their bodies shriveled. The dragon turned its sights on Ciylia and sprayed the poison at her. The last thing she saw before her vision faded was a woman riding on the back of the monster.

Opening her eyes, Ciylia was sitting in her room again. The giant ball she snagged from the old lady was sending a burning sensation through her palms. Instead of fleeing from the pain, Ciylia focused on the orb. She gently closed her eyes and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Somewhere above her, a colossal dragon was circling. The thief could only sense that it was there but didn't know much else about it.

Ciylia raced out of the hunt to look for it but the clouds in the sky obscured her chances to see it. "Fuck," she yelled before storming back inside to her room. She could feel the beast circling but had no way to prove it or see it. It was like some twisted joke. But in that moment of frustration, she decided something.

She was going to find a dragon and she was going to control it just like in the dream. Even if it took hundreds of more years. Now that she had tasted that power and felt the presence of a dragon she was going to reveal dragons to the world as real. And she was going to make those fairytale creatures give her whatever she wanted. She was going to be a queen.