"You...you...you..." Kael was too spooked to speak coherently and kept staring at the man dangling on the door with his eyes wide.

"Interesting," the man muttered and vanished before appearing in front of Kael.

The unexpected action and the sudden proximity with the stranger scared the crap out of Kael and he screamed at the top of his voice, alarming not just the people inside the castle, but the ones outside as well.

"Are you nuts?" Justin, who was nearby, rebuked once he got out of his fright. "Why did you scream like a retard?"

Kael didn't hear a word he said. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the man who was smiling creepily at him.

"Why are you looking at me as if you have seen a ghost?" the man questioned, amusement swirling in his eyes.

Kael's face lost all its color and stepped away from him. "You-you- who are you?"

"Calm down, kid. It's no use getting scared." The man tried to calm him down. But Kael was too mortified to accept his words of comfort. So, his words only served the opposite purpose.

Kael turned on his heels and sprinted towards the door. He didn't want to stay inside the castle even for a second more.

Seeing his prey run away, the man's smile vanished, and he appeared before Kael out of thin air, forcing him to force a break to his run. Kael almost lost his footing due to the impact.

"You..."

"Calm down, kid. I mean you no harm."

"But..."

"You are hyperventilating. Take a deep breath first," the man ordered.

Even though Kael wanted to run away from the place, he still followed his instructions and sucked in a deep breath.

"Good. Now, slowly breathe out," the man continued once Kael did as he said. "Breathe in, breathe out."

Kael eventually calmed down and he wasn't hyperventilating anymore. But that didn't mean he wasn't scared by any means. He was shit scared, alright.

"Kid, there is no use in being agitated," the man said when he saw Kael's wary eyes.

"What do you mean?" Kael squinted as he observed the man who seemed to be like nothing from this world.

"I mean I am just the beginning. You have a lot to deal with," he replied mysteriously, igniting Kael's confusion and curiosity.

"I don't understand." Kael shook his head and his blank look made the man smile.

"Mind having a walk with me?" the man tilted his head, giving him a friendly attitude. Seeing Kael hesitate, he continued, "Don't worry. I won't harm you."

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Kael wasn't convinced. But he still decided to entertain the man. From his body language, it was certain the strange man wouldn't allow him to leave the place until he had a chat with him.

"Fine." Kael agreed begrudgingly.

"Let's go somewhere secluded." The man glanced at the undesirable people around him before leading Kael away from them.

"Wait! Can others see you?" Kael questioned, not forgetting to memorize the path they were going on. What if the man tried to silence him and he had to trace his footsteps back while escaping? He couldn't afford to lower his guards before the strange man.

The man stopped walking and gave him a cryptic look. "What do you think?"

Kael didn't have a positive response to it. The man was dressed strangely as if he had stepped out of a historical movie. If the others could see him, they would have reacted by now.

The man clasped his hands behind his back and smirked as he began walking again, prompting Kael to walk behind him.

Kael was on high alert. He wasn't in the mood to admire the place and splendor around him. Instead, he was focused on keeping himself awake. Since the others couldn't see the man, didn't that mean he wasn't a human?

Just the mere thought was enough to make his legs weak and he was just short of collapsing. Only he knew how much strength he had used to remain standing.

The man didn't speak and Kael didn't ask as they continued walking until they reached a grand staircase.

"Let's go up. The others might not come there. We can converse in peace."

Kael didn't object. He realized his words had no value. The man would do as he wanted and force him to follow his words as well.

The man didn't stop until they reached the third floor. The manorial castle was structured such that the main hall was visible from the third floor.

"I know you're suspicious about my intentions. So, let's speak here." The man finally stopped and Kael let out a sigh of relief discreetly and nodded.

"You must have a lot of questions you want to ask me. Before we proceed, it's a basic courtesy to know each other's names. I'm Darius Valkorin. May I know your name?"

"I'm Kael."

"Kael, ask your questions?"

"What are you?" Kael's words left his lips before he could control himself.

"You must have an inkling by now." Darius didn't reply directly.

"You're a ghost," Kael declared. Even though he was certain, it still spooked him when he spoke about it.

"I wouldn't call myself a ghost. You can say I'm a spirit," Darius corrected.

"Is there a difference?" Kael wasn't sure why he wasn't running for his life yet. Why was he here chit-chatting with a ghost or 'spirit' in Darius' words?

"There is, son. You'll find out in the future." Darius smiled mysteriously at him.

"Why am I able to see you? Why can't the others?" Kael still couldn't fathom what was happening. Why weren't the others as terrified as he was?

"That's because you have activated your power which makes us visible to you." Darius looked at him as if he was staring at a gullible boy.

"Don't tell me!" Kael's mind exploded in realization and his jaw dropped.

"It looks like you caught onto it."

"I can see ghosts. Is that my power?" Kael was horrified. He was already blown out of his mind from meeting one ghost. He wasn't keen on meeting a lot more.

"Well, that could be one of them." The man tapped his chin and studied Kael who looked like a lost lamb before him.

"What do you mean?"

"I think you can not just see ghosts but exorcise them as well."

"What the fuck!" Kael cussed, unable to believe his ears.

"Language, kid," the man chided him. But Kael was in no mood to heed his scolding. His mind was reeling from what he had just heard.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Not at all. I'm one hundred percent serious." Darius raised his chin as if to show how serious he was.

"Unbelievable. I'm a what?" Kael lost his composure at the end and glowered at Darius as if it was all his fault.

"Kid, you're scaring me now. Calm down." Darius moved forward and tried to touch Kael. But his transparent hands ended up grabbing air.

"I won't accept it. This is not what I want. I can't be an exorcist. I will never be an exorcist."

"Well...." Darius scratched his head helplessly. "I don't think you have a choice, kid."

"What do you mean?" Kael narrowed his eyes and gave him a look, forgetting that that man before him was a spirit.

"You cannot extricate yourself from the power you awakened. You're stuck with it for life."