Elena's fingers lingered on the contours of the organs, her touch delicate yet assured. Cal watched as one crumbled after being exhausted of energy, his blue eyes narrowing as he tried to dissect the act.

"Thanks," she said, finally breaking the silence. Her voice was steady, betraying none of the intrigue that sparked behind her violet eyes.

"Seems that’s in order," Cal replied, cautious. He made a mental note of her demeanor after absorbing. She seemed unaffected.

Elena's gaze met his—a flicker of something enigmatic passing through. "How curious," she said simply, but her eyes hinted at layers unspoken.

Cal's pulse quickened as her violet eyes glinted with mischief, a stark contrast to the dim, eerie glow of the bioluminescent moss creeping along the jagged stone.

"It seems like you are caught off guard?" she asked, a sly smile curling her lips.

"Never," Cal retorted, though his surprise was betrayed by a slight arch of an eyebrow. He masked his reaction quickly, schooling his features into neutrality. “Well… aside from your first arrow. And… I suppose the second.”

Elena chuckled, but continued ignoring the banter, "surely, you didn’t think you were the only ghost lurking in these parts?" Elena’s voice danced through the still air, playful and light.

"Are there many more like us?" Cal said, then quickly followed “here?” catching on to her tone, yet he remained defensive, ready for anything.

"You’re the first I’ve met on Hetar, but ghosts always drift here and there from unintegrated space after their strength maxes out, staying out of sight, so I’m not surprised" Elena continued, circling him like a predator assessing its prey. "Seeking new challenges, new... alliances."

Her words were casual, but Cal sensed the underlying steel. She knew things—things he needed to understand if he was going to survive this strange convergence of worlds.

Cal's mind whirred with the implications of Elena's casual revelations. Ghosts. Maxed-out warriors. Unintegrated space. The terms clung to him, puzzle pieces begging to be placed. He filed them away silently, a mental note etched for later scrutiny.

"Your tale," he said, voice steady as his gaze locked onto hers. "Why does it lead you here?" Cal began gathering his belongings and packing them away.

Elena’s form outlined by the faint luminescence replied, "Mara," she breathed, the name carrying a weight that seemed to darken even the adjacent luminescent pond.

“What about her?”

“You could say I was the last hired thug.”

"That doesn’t explain… ah, the strange debt I felt?" Cal's brow creased in skepticism.

"Karmic healer." A wry smile twisted her lips. "A prison of debts and obligations."

"You escaped, then?" His eyes narrowed, searching hers. It was all making more sense now. The antlers were equivalent to her price.

"Thanks to you." Gratitude laced her words, but her eyes remained veiled, unreadable.

Cal nodded, accepting the thanks with a silent vow to unravel Mara's true nature.

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She sighed, her voice threading through the cold air. "Mara's healing isn't free. It binds you, each cure a shackle."

"Imagine," she said, her gaze piercing into his, "every wound patched, every ailment erased, adds to an invisible ledger.”

"That is very controlling," he concluded, the concept chilling.

"Exactly." Elena pushed off from the wall, her movements fluid. "Most healers demand a price. Mara... she demands more, whether by choice or not."

Elena continued. "Service. Loyalty. A life pledged to her balance," Elena explained, her lips a tight line. "To leave, I had to settle my account. What a terrifyingly cruel ability. Imagine if I was unstructured."

"Settle how?" Cal's question hung between them, heavy with implication.

“How is being unstructured relevant, Cal?” Temp chimed in silently.

Elena's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Let's just say we're square now. And that's all in the past." Her words were dismissive, but the tension in her shoulders sang a different tale.

"Will we have to look over our shoulder?" he asked, his words cutting through the stillness.

“Mara’s debt likely acts on the soul it’s a type of contract ability. I haven’t seen anything like it back in Anu’aris, though.” Cal answered Temp.

Elena met his inquiry with a level stare, one that held the weight of untold stories. "Mara won't be a concern for us," she finally said, her voice steady. "Believe me, I've taken care of it. It's a long story," she said, the hint of a smirk playing at the corner of her mouth. "One for another time."

Cal frowned but nodded, storing away the question for later excavation. Her assurance was firm, yet it left a trail of ambiguity that gnawed at his instincts.

"Despite everything, I think Mara is not... was not always this way," Elena continued after a pause. Her violet eyes seemed to soften, reflecting a glimmer of reluctant empathy. "She's good at heart. Her ability is truly a cruel gift."

"Good at heart? With her web of debts and control?" Skepticism laced his reply, though Cal couldn't entirely dismiss her words.

"Everyone has reasons for their choices," Elena said, shrugging lightly. "Even if those choices become twisted along the way."

The air between them held a new charge, one of unspoken understanding and mutual wariness. Cal considered her words, aware that behind every action lay a complex network of motives. Elena had revealed a sliver of her past, but the full spectrum remained cloaked in shadows.

The silence stretched thin between them, a tangible entity that neither seemed in a hurry to break. Elena tilted her head, her violet eyes scrutinizing Cal from beneath long lashes. She leaned forward slightly, the air around her charged with an unspoken challenge.

"I am very curious though. Is this really all you've got? For a ghost on the ladder…" she asked, her voice a low purr. "You're not exactly... formidable. Have you been squandering your attributes. Why don’t you use your skills?"

Cal's lips quirked upward, unfazed by her probing. He crossed his arms over his chest, muscles tensing subtly under the fabric of his shirt. "I'm still figuring out this system," he admitted casually. "Curiosity is a strong suit of mine."

"Is it now?" Her eyebrow arched, mocking. A breeze ruffled through her long black hair, lending her an ethereal quality. "And what has that curiosity unearthed? You were fighting like a brute. I’m surprised you’re still alive."

The corners of his mouth twitched, reluctantly admitting. "Well, I haven’t added any skills yet." Hoping this truth would cover his apparent weakness.

Her steps faltered, the tease fading from her expression. She studied him anew, reassessing the man before her with a newfound intensity. "Are you still a mortal," she echoed, the word hanging in the air, heavy with implications.

"Are you not?" Cal said, the truth laid bare between them, wrapped in the guise of jest.

Elena's violet eyes widened, the playful glint replaced by a flicker of astonishment. She stepped back, appraising Cal with a new lens, her head tilting to one side as if trying to solve an enigma.

Elena let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and shook her head, her laughter a soft chime in the growing dusk. "You are full of surprises, Temp."

She continued, "maybe you aren't as smart as I thought," she sighed, the disappointment in her voice almost tangible. "You have gained way too many attributes. Why do you think the system limits attributes in the first place?"

Her question hung in the air like a challenge, a riddle meant to provoke deeper thought. Cal's mind raced, his earlier confidence now edged with doubt. He hadn't considered the implications of gaining too much strength.

"Too many? " he admitted, his response measured and careful.

"I don't understand how you got here in the first place," she said, her tone laced with curiosity. "This is a reward set up by Hetar for its elites after they passed a trial of conquest. It’s meant for stage one warriors."