"Hahaha, that little rat sure packs a slap." Tom, the ghost hitching a ride in Elias's body, snickered, his voice echoed in Elias head.

I can't decide if it's good or bad that only I can hear him. Elias grimaced, ignoring the disembodied laughter, his hand reached out to rub his aching cheek, where a clear palm print had made its home.

While walking Elias passed by a newspaper stall, some of the headlines caught his attention. Realizing he had no money on him, he quietly swiped a newspaper while the owner was preoccupied arguing with a kid nearby.

"Aye, why you nicking from the common folk, ya bloody pillock? Give it back, ya shite ead." Tom chimed.

Ignoring the ghost in his head, Elias opened the newspaper scanning for some interesting headlines.

"Let's see here, regional news. Tense skirmishes end in the elves backing off at the border. Wonderboy of Rayton defends another frontier village from monsters coming from the endless jungle. Rayton's beloved Howl family plans to go for the upcoming elections."

Ah useless. There's always hit and runs with elves at the border, always a hero from the iron order slaying a big monster. Shaking his head Elias flipped to a new page.

"Another murder at the outskirts of Rayton. Infamous murder street has witnessed another cold blooded incident. The culprit was the victim's boyfriend, Howard; During his arrest he kept claiming that it was the voices that made him do it."

Elias paused, he had already been reading everything aloud so he asked, "Is this one of the targets, crimson mist mentioned?"

"Ya catch on quick, eh. Yeah, the lady's been feeling proper disturbed by that street. My guess? Some haunt gone rogue, but you're the expert, ain't ya?" Tom answered.

Elias didn't notice Thomas manifesting beside him. A fist landed on the back of his head, pushing his face through the newspaper.

"What the fuck. You fuck." Throwing the ripped newspaper down. Elias balled his hands to throwdown only to stop. He saw nothing.

The gears in his head turned as he focused, letting mana travel to his eyes. A greenish glint lit up in his eyes and he saw a blurry Tom in his ghostly glory, facing him in broad daylight on the busy street as if that was most normal thing in the world.

"You?" Elias looked around to find a few wary glances directed at him. That was the problem though they stared at him and not the ghost prancing around. Bringing his attention back from the people to the ghost.

Massaging his throbbing head, Elias blurted out, "How the fuck are you walking around?"

"This how." Thomas replied while slapping Elias with all the might of a grown man. Elias almost fell sideways, the ghost did not hold back.

"Son of a whore!" Elias yelled as he too threw a punch at Thomas. Elias couldn't believe his eyes as he saw his fist landing on the dead man's face. He felt the stiff edges of hardened skin around his knuckles. His punch actually connected with a ghost.

"Ahaha right on, ya git." Thomas unphased at being decked, punched back.

An unforgettable sight, the living fighting the dead in the middle of the city streets. Or at least it would have been, the people only saw Elias gnashing his teeth, his legs digging in the cobblestone as he interlocked his fingers with empty air wrestling with nothing.

"Hey junkie, get the fuck out." A passerby yelled at him.

Seeing that his little skirmish with the invisible man was garnering attention Elias dipped, hurrying back to his place. If he was to do anything about the deal he had struck, he needed to do it now.

Back on track after a quick jog, Elias smiled, spotting the plump woman standing outside the bakery, her hands on her hips. Bowing his head a little he greeted her, "Morning Aunt Bertha, business good?"

The plump woman, Bertha offered him a short nod herself, "Mornin lad, business is good. But did ya get in some trouble or somethin?"

"Aunt Bertha, I would never. Why do you ask." Elias asked, taken aback.

"Ye don't lie to me now. A group of hooligans came knockin round earlier, asking if I knew where the Thorn family lived."

Oh for fucks sake, not again. Elias thought before he asked, "Was there a man with a crooked nose among them?"

Aunt Bertha came forward, seizing Elias by the ear, "I knew it! Ya did something didn't you? Why else would hooligans with crooked noses be looking for you."

"Ai, ai, ai. Auntie stop." Elias groaned, freeing his ears from another twisting.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Don't worry Auntie, It's not that serious, I better go check what's going on." Elias blurred out before making a quick escape.

Elias spotted his building from afar. What he also spotted was a mob standing in front of the entrance to the building. He felt a headache coming on. The grimoire was in his apartment and he needed to do a lot of research, not mess around with fake wannabe gangsters of the city.

"Ay lad, how about I make you an offer." Tom whispered.

Elias stopped rubbing his forehead, "Go on."

"Let me in the driving seat, yeah? I'll sort those sods blocking ya way, real quick." Or so the voice in Elias's head said.

"No deal. You think I don't remember what you spirits did to that Tyre fellow. I buried that guy just this morning for hell's sake." Elias covered his mouth while speaking, to hide the fact that he was talking to an invisible ghost. Here's to hoping the people walking around the road don't report me for being crazy.

"By the g- ahem. I told ya, that was all Evelyn's doing. And besides, none of these blokes look as tough as your little mouse girl, do they?" Tom replied instantly, sounding wronged by the fact he got blamed for causing the man's death.

Elias however was deep in his own thoughts. Letting a ghost possess him sounded like a bad idea from the get go. Yet that crescent nosed bastard, Reynard was pushing it now.

"There's about ten guys, can you take care of all of them?" Elias asked, his hand still on his mouth.

"Fuck yeah." Tom replied, his voice barely able to hold back his excitement.

"How much time?" Elias pressed on.

"Five minutes." Tom said confidently.

"Alright, swear on your real name. No harm to my body and you will leave my body after five minutes are up." To leave no doubts in the interpretation of time, Elias pointed at the clock tower visible in the distance. "I can clearly tell from here it's five past twelve, so no messing around."

There was a pause from the ghost in his head. Elias shook his head at that. These ghosts are dangerous. If he had just said go ahead, then he might have lost his body right quick.

"Geez. Alright, five minutes." Came the reply from Tom.

Elias laughed, "Swear on your real name Tom. I'm not giving you the reins till I feel some mana fluctuating."

"Shite. I, Thomas, swear on my real name to bugger off from Elias's body after I give ten hooligans a proper beating." Tom, nay, Thomas the ghost took the oath.

"Fuck you. You leave my body after five minutes are up, not beating a specified number of hooligans." Elias grit his teeth, "Also what are you doing swearing on your own name. Mention grim in that oath or fuck off. I will find another way to get back home."

"Fine. Stop bloody chiming like a church bell, will ya!?" Tom shouted, making Elias groan.

"I, Thomas, swear by my name to leave Elias's body in five minutes, I'll do me best to not harm Elias. Let Grim the reaper of souls be my witness." Thomas recited.

Elias felt a cold touch on his neck, the sickle had been placed near his neck. Even after knowing that the target wasn't him, he still couldn't help but swallow down his fear. Do not take the higher beings name in vain, they say.

Elias realised that fact last night when Lily was made to take her oath and soon after he did the same.

"Here we go then." Elias said as he felt the control of his body go. Surreal was the only way he could describe the experience.

Elias retained his five senses, he saw the sight of the hooligans getting closer real fast. He heard the sounds of his steps. There was the unpleasant feeling of his shin landing and cracking a pair of nuts between the first guy's legs.

From there it was mayhem, Elias saw his arms move quick as lightning dropping one guy after the other. Like a spectator in his own body he felt his knuckles creaking, the air entering his lungs with practiced breaths but all of it came to him, sanitised.

The one sided beatdown continued, Elias, who had been counting the time in his mind got worried. They were only two minutes in and the hooligans numbers were dropped down to one. And he knew the remaining one with the crooked nose all too well.

"B-bastard how did - how did you?" Reynard spoke incoherently, his guys were all knocked out by the time he grasped what was going on. He staggered back when he saw his most hated enemy walk to him.

"H-hey! Stop right there! I know who you are, Elias Thorn. If you do anything to me my fam-" Elias grabbed him by the throat, making him squeal the last bits of the word.

"Ya family will do whut, lil shite." Thomas, possessing Elias, shouted in Reymond's face.

Reymond squealed again trying to free the hand on his throat. Yet before he could land some desperate blows Elias let go of him.

Reymond coughed, "Go - good, now let me go and I wi-"

Elias felt the miniscule amount of his own mana flow to his shin. Being in the spectator seat he still managed to cringe as he felt another pair of nuts crack.

Reymond dropped to his knees, his thighs closely shut together. He groaned out some unintelligible words. Elias who had lost his count wondered how much time had passed, he could only gues that they were around the four minutes mark.

Thomas also knew the fun was about the end. Instead of stopping he grabbed Reymond's head and kneed him in the face. When the crooked nosed gang leader fell on the cobblestone trail.

Elias straddled Reymond on his chest, bringing both his hands on the man's neck he squeezed with all his might.

"No, no, no. What are you doing he's gonna fucking die!" From the spectator seat Elias screamed unable to control his body as he watched the fight, helpless.

Thomas spoke through Elias' mouth, "Promised nothing about killing anyone now, eh."

Elias saw Reynard under him thrashing around weakly, the after effects of being hit so many times. Seconds passed by the light in Reynard's eyes dimming with it.

"Thomas stop! I can't go to jail for this." Elias struggled to take back control but it was all futile, he had no idea how.

Just when Elias thought the man under him was done for. He regained control over his body. Letting go of the hands squeezing the dear life out of the pinned Reynard instantly.

Elias brought his finger under the crooked nose of Reymond. There was breath although very shallow it was there. Unconscious, thank the gods.

Elias stood up, his face hardened, ignoring the crowd that had gathered around him. He walked and the crowd cleared a path for him, clearly afraid of him. Instead of going into his apartment he took a detour around the building, he wasn’t going to go home letting the crowd know where he lived, dealing with police was the last thing he wanted to do. Thankfully the five minutes ran out before he killed the man.

Elias walked, silent, he thought that he could make deals with these ghosts, faithfully reap some mutual profits, maybe even be friends.

But now, he tightened his fist, it ached from the punches he threw under possession. He was done with all this bullshit, these beast bloods, that crooked nose bastard and these ghosts.

“Time to hit the books.” Elias mumbled.