I spun to face him. “I’m going to see a ghost about a plot!” I exclaimed happily then turned and hurried into the secret passage revealed by the open bookcase.

As I hurried into the darkened passageway and down the spiral stairs, I heard Eshaan’s voice cry out “Lily, wait! It’s too-“

There was a soft ‘thud’ sound and the world filled with mist, a cloying familiar chill wrapping around my body.

Oh dear. I thought. Here we go again. The Wake opened around me, and once more I found myself in the echoing shadowy realm that followed behind the World.

As I descended the twisting spiral staircase into the depths below, torches along the walls flickered into life, glittering with an eerie blue flame.

The sounds of moans and clanking filled the air, along with occasional shrieks, and a voice moaning “turn back!”.

I stopped, smiling, and then clapped loudly and enthusiastically.

“This is wonderful! Wonderful!” I said. I meant it too, I didn’t know how hard any of this was to pull off, but I genuinely admired the artistic effort that went into it.

The shade of a monanin woman shimmered into existence on the landing near me, draped in elaborate gothic dress, black lace with trailing skirts and spiderweb gloves, a black lace veil covering her eyes.

She clasped her hands to her bosom and gushed “Oh thank you! I worked so hard on it! I’m glad you like it!”

I giggled, and then smiled down at her. “Like it?! I’m in awe! You captured the whole feel!”

I spun around and clapped my hands, before facing her.

“So! What is it? Unrequited love? Unsent letter?” I frowned at her, then snapped my fingers. “Wait! Of course, you have an unpublished novel!”

The ghost took a step back from me, her eyes wide. “You…?!”

She suddenly rushed forward and grabbed my hands in hers. “You’ve come to kill me!? At last, the sweet cup of death! You’ve come to send me onto the Great beyond, on the final journey! How marvelous! Oh, how I have longed to taste that sweet nectar of nepenthe! Such sights I shall see! Such wonders beyond the veil…”

I coughed to cover my surprise; my eyes wide. “You… seem very enthusiastic about this.” I said hesitantly.

“Oh yes!” She cried rapturously, twirling in a circle that made the moth eaten shrouds of her skirt swirl around her. “How I have longed to see the final visions! To experience the growing dark…! I thought when I breathed my last those hundred years ago, that I would taste the sweet darkness of that final cup on my lips! But I was denied!” She raised her fists to the ceiling and shook them. “I only catch the whisper of it from this pale shadow of the true darkness!”

“Urm…” I said, unsure what to say.

“Alas!” The ghost draped her arm dramatically across her face, her sleeves veiling her eyes. “The cruel fates have conspired against me! I have appeased my sorrows with these pitiful few scribblings!”

She gestured behind her, where reams of paper lay neatly stacked and ordered atop each other in neat mounds, a gothic candelabra resting precariously at the very peak.

“But now! You have come! Oh sweet release, grant me that final dark drink, oh priestess of light!”

“Uh…” I said dumbly. “Well… um… aren’t you supposed to tell me some sort of clue?” I fumbled, feeling utterly at sea. Where’s the angst? Where’s the… well no, she’s definitely got the angst. A bit too much frankly… along with some truly ham acting!

“Oh!” The monanin ghost took a step back, lowering her hands to stare at me frankly. She pursed her lips. “Is this… perhaps the fee for the ferryman?” she said with confusion. “Do you collect the coins for the ferryman?” Her eyes widened. “Are you his tragic lover, doomed to never feel his touch, even as you carry the coins to his side?!” She gushed with enthusiasm, clasping her hands together and rushing forward to take up mine in hers.

I gaped at her, my mouth making little fish gulping motions.

“Sorry. Sorry!” I finally got my brain in gear. “I just… you’re really not at all what I was expecting.” I took a deep breath and replied “I’m afraid that… well, no. I’m… I suppose you could say I’m a messenger from the other side, but that sounds-”

“Oooh! A ghostly vision from the far shores!? Do you come from the distant realms?!”

I sighed. I really didn’t want to lean into it… one more try.

“No.” I gently removed my hands from hers. “I’m just looking for the source of the System. My friends would like you to stop making moaning noises, moving books, and making the walls bleed.”

The ghost took a step back, disappointment clearly evident on her face. “Oh.” She paused, then added “Then why did you say you were a messenger?”

I sighed. “It’s a long story, but the super short version is ‘reincarnation is real, but it’s in another world’.”

“Amazing! The ferryman conveys you to another life?! Did you hear the haunted wail of the beyond in the boat?!”

I rolled my eyes and gave up. “The beyond calls you!” I said in my best melodramatic voice. “The shackles which bind you here, I am that which can set you free! Let me loose your bonds that you might drink from the dark waters of nepenthe!”

The ghost sat frozen, staring at me with her eyes wide. For a moment, I was genuinely worried that I’d overplayed my hand. Was she going to mock me? Was my prose that bad? I knew my acting wasn’t up to snuff… being so bad at lying really sucks!

“I knew it!” She suddenly shouted. “At last, I shall drink from the dark river! I will be reborn into a new vessel, fresh from the decaying shell of darkness that this world has wrapped around my soul!”

I did my very best not to cringe. It wasn’t very good, but apparently the ghost didn’t mind in the slightest.

“Urm. Yes! Yes, brave soul, I am here to ferry you beyond! But first, I must unwrap the shackles that bind you!” I declaimed with prose so purple it was probably ultraviolet.

Think. Thinkthinkthink… what would the ghost know? What would it have to say? What does the plot think we’re here for?

“Tell us of the hidden secrets of the Ancients, the forgotten knowledge that none but the dead remember! Tell of the movements of past and future that shackle us both! Speak of your passions and hidden projects, that I might share them with the world!”

I crossed my fingers behind my back, hoping.

“Oh! Yes, of course! You want to know about the hidden Key that was found and lost and found again! And how wise you are to know my poor manuscript revolves around such a thing!” The ghost clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture.

“Tell me beautiful ferry maiden, will you ensure my manuscripts are read!? Truly! I have only written thirty four of them, but I am sure they are worthy!”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

I struggled to keep a straight face. Thirty four?! Spirits bless me, just how much fanfiction has she written?!

“I… I give you my word as… as psychopomp to the departed! The world shall see your work!”

Even if it’s only one other person. I thought to myself.

“Oh rapture! I can feel the shackles holding me falling away already!” Please, come!” The ghost turned and hurried into the misty corridors and mazelike passages of Eideth’s manor that made up the fractured reality of this part of the Wake.

As we walked, the ghost talked about what she had witnessed. There was a lot of it, more than two hundred years of it.

She started “When I died, I was two hundred and four…” she said with the air of remanence, and I groaned inwardly. I could tell I was in for a very long story. I was, regrettably, right. The only interesting thing was that this wannabe novelist had died of old age, her stories unpublished, and since her death she’d written more.

“…and so the first artifact of the Ancients came to this place.” She said, and I jerked into awareness.

“That was the plot of my 8th novel, you’ll recall.” She said.

I absolutely did not recall; all the tedious plot details had blended together in my head. Honestly, I was starting to dread trying to get the books published, they sounded like the worst level of amateur writing.

“…so the Artifact was uncovered in the underhome ruins during an Empire sponsored archeological expedition and brought to my manor house… of course I suppose it wasn’t my manor house by then, but I still think of it as mine you know! And then the smugglers used it for its properties, something to do with secrets and forbidden lore, I think. It doubtless granted them such wicked powers!” the ghost twirled happily, clearly giddy with the prospect. “This formed the backbone of my next three novels, I was positively inspired by the idea!”

“And then adventurers came and ousted the smugglers!” She added. “I was quite proud of the help I gave them! A few carefully dropped clues, a moved book or three, and my little pranks had unnerved the ruffians something fierce by then!

Ah, there’s my mother’s involvement. I thought, nodding quietly.

“The church was very interested in the whole affair, shameful as it was, doubtless they wished to guard against the corruption of the Ancients once more. There was some sort of hubbub with the Hecate city council, I think there was a diplomatic incident of some sort. And the device was returned to the undercity.”

I pressed my lips together firmly. Ah yes. Definitely my mother’s delicate touch.

“And then things got so dreadfully quiet for a long time, but that was fine, because I was consumed by the fires of creative passion! Not needing to sleep is such a boon for the artistic spirit, I find!”

She stopped in mid monologue and frowned. I noticed that she was quite a bit more transparent than before. She certainly hadn’t slowed her speech any.

“Of course, now that I think about it, I remember feeling it moving again. Down towards the Church’s little island. I suppose they must have picked it up again, though I don’t know why.”

“Uh, do you know when that was?” I pounced on this piece of information.

“Oh quite recently! Not more than a month ago, I’m quite sure!”

I ground my teeth together. Deacon. Of course.

I plastered an awkward smile on my face. “Please go on.”

“Well that’s it really. Which is convenient, because here’s where I stored my manuscripts!”

She gestured with pride to an alcove carved into the rock below the manor. Floor to ceiling it was covered with books, with neatly stacked reams of paper filling shelf after shelf.

The ghost nodded in satisfaction; her form almost completely gone now.

“With your promise, I pass to my final rest!”

She looked at me expectantly.

“Oh! Ah, yes of course, your worries have been heard, your time among the shades of the past is done! Your work shall be heard, passed amongst the living to see and remember!”

The ghost sighed in relief, and faded even further. “Well. There they are. You should find the books easy to transport, I think Trumblethin & Co still publish books on consignment, do look them up. Thank you, maiden of the far shores! You have eased my burden, and paved the way for this soul to find its newest home! Somewhere, other worlds await! I shall grant them glorious stories and prose!”

A glowing beam of light descend from above, and the ghost vanished into a twinkling of lights whirling up into it.

I tapped my lips in thought, then jerked. “Oh honeysuckle! I forgot to ask her name!” I stomped my foot in frustration.

I hurried over to the manuscripts and started stacking them up. There were a lot of them. Maybe one of them has her name?

Around me, I could feel the Wake pushing at me, a gentle nudge slowly growing to a larger shove that was slowly but surely ejecting me back into the World. I snatched up as many of the manuscripts as I could, wondering sadly if any of the scrolls and tomes I could see were of any value.

“I should have waited for Soriya and the others.” I thought, and then I was pushed back into the World. The alcove that the ghost had occupied was quiet and dank, the shelves filled with nothing but mold and damp dust of ages. The desk that she had written at was cobwebbed, the drawers open and hanging loose. I carefully edged around the broken remains of a chair and cabinet, hoping I might find some trace of a name, but there was none. I took a deep breath and slowly inched my way back the way I had come. It was a lot less pleasant, which was saying something, since I’d arrived via the Wake! It was clear that whoever she had been, nobody had been to her private sanctuary since she had died.

I grinned to myself. “A ghost who died in her sleep of old age, held in place by unpublished fanfiction. Well that’s a first for me.”

Eventually, as I inched my way down the uneven passageway holding the heavy reams of paper, I heard the sounds of Eshaan and Soriya calling after me. I hollered back to them as loudly as I could, letting them know I was alright.

When we finally joined up, Eshaan was all concern and courtesy, while Soriya was her usual self, laughing hysterically at the complete ruin of dust and cobwebs that coated me from head to toe. Her laughter only got louder when I told her what the reams of paper were.

She managed to stop laughing long enough to ask “So, do you think she wrote any Yuri for you?”

I blushed scarlet. “She wrote it because it meant a lot to her, that it was a passion she had for the craft!”

“I’m not hearing a no~” Soriya trilled. The only reason I didn’t step on her foot was because she took a third of the manuscripts from me. Eshaan took another third and we made our way back to the library where the rest of the crew was waiting, along with Eideth and Rangrim.

“So!?” Lakshmi almost pounced on me. “What did you learn!?” She demanded eagerly.

Camaxtli almost showed emotion as he said “Indeed. I am most curious as well. I am very sorry to have missed an excursion into this realm that is completely outside my operational experiences.”

Daniyel tipped his head to the side. “Did you not call it ‘mythical’ when we first met?” he said curiously.

Camaxtli nodded amiably. “Indeed I did. And while the possibility remains that some elaborate staged prank is being played on me, the residue of unknown etheric energies layered on these manuscripts is indicative that a new paradigm is more likely to be true. This is…” he hesitated, and licked his lips, his eyes shimmering with color. “This is… exciting.” He said, as though tasting the word for the first time.

I perked up at that, then gingerly laid my part of the manuscripts on a nearby table, which groaned from the weight. I sighed in relief, and flopped into a nearby chair.

Over the next few hours, I laid out what I had learned for Eideth and Rangrim.

“Thirty four novels?!” Eideth chewed on the words as though unsure what to do with them.

“Yes. Apparently, she’d been writing for more than 200 years. “Not exactly a speed demon, but a novel every six years is pretty good, I suppose?”

“I’m more interested in this artifact that she found!” Eshaan gushed. “So your mother knew about the artifact? It went to the church and then came back!?”

I nodded “And then left again. Apparently, the amount of time she’d spent near it connected it to her in some way. It certainly didn’t return here, but it does explain why Deacon wanted it.”

Soriya nodded. “Yes! An arcanum of knowledge!” Her eyes sparkled. “I can’t wait to meet it!”

“Well if it’s on Narses Isle, then we just need to go get it!” Lakshmi declared.

Eshaan pumped his fist enthusiastically. “Yeah! We’ll show that stupid Shadow Trio that they can’t hide from justice!”

My eyes went wide, and I felt my heartrate speed up. “No! Nonono!” I waved my hands frantically in front of me. “Bad idea! We need to go very far away from it!”

Lakshmi frowned at me in confusion. “I don’t understand, we know Deacon has one of your Arcana, those System keys, and he’s the bad guy! We’re sky pirates, we can totally steal it from him!”

“NO!” I shouted, feeling the panic setting in.

Everything got silent as everyone stared at me.

“Ok…” Eshaan said slowly. He walked over and took my hand in his. “Lily, why don’t you tell us what’s going on?”

I took several deep breaths. I noticed that Soriya wasn’t saying anything… but there was no question she knew what was going on. The level and quiet look she sent me conveyed her meaning well enough. She was leaving it up to me, whatever I did, she’d back me.

“It’s… not… I think… we should gather more of the Keys before we tackle the church directly.”

Eshaan blinked. “Lily, if it’s strength you’re worried about, even the church’s elite guard are barely level 25. We could handle them!”

I held up my hand and pressed my fingers to his lips.

“Just… please. I think we should learn more before we try to jump to the final showdown!” I said.

Lakshmi shook her head in disagreement. “Bad idea, Lily. You never give an enemy time to consolidate their position! We need to strike now, when we know they won’t be expecting us-”

“I don’t want to die!” I screamed, feeling the terror vibrating in my chest.

The stunned silence went on for a long moment, before my cheeks heated with a furious blush.

“I don’t want to die.” I said more quietly. “And if we go to the Church now, especially after I’ve just kissed Eshaan under the evergleam trees, then I don’t think I’m smart enough to avoid it!”