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“Hello?”
A chill voice greeted, soft wind caused the thin curtains to flutter, revealing the dark sky behind the glass window. Yuder Aile stood completely still in his place, as if glued to the carpet he had laid down not even six hours ago.
Scattered on the carpet was a wooden board, originally one piece, it had somehow managed to break into multiple parts, almost like a puzzle. Yuder starred in bewilderment, unable to even blink.
With a flicker, the blub he had gotten just the other day, dimmed down until the only source of light was the only window in this place.
Yuder wasn't sure if he was seeing things. Maybe he was. After all, it's been a good while since he had last slept properly. Too busy moving and settling into a large city. Not to mention the late night bustling of the city made a country bumpkin like Yuder feel completely unwelcomed to this place, rendering him incapable of sleeping.
Maybe He should leave the rest of the unpacking for the next day.
“You seemed surprised, well almost everyone is when they see me but it's been about a few hundred years since someone last looked me eye to eye.”
A voice, void of life and warmth spoke in an amused tone, laden with mischief, instinctively, the dark haired man took a step backwards, only to stop when he felt the hard wall behind his back.
The hair on his neck stood up straight, a shiver ran down his spine. The voice, much clearer this time than the last, spoke with a sense of faux concern. Similar to the voice that was becoming more and more clear, the blurry silhouette too was gaining a proper shape.
“It's alright, I mean no harm, I’m as harmless as the dead can be.”
A hand, donned in a pristine white glove moved around in the air, trying to reassure Yuder. The dark haired man could only blankly look at the moving arm that was without a body.
Just what the hell was this.
“I’m curious though, how did you end up summoning me?”
The thing mumbled as the thing that felt like fog slowly disappeared, tardily revealing the figure of a human male, with holes in the figure, Rips and tears, just looking at this made Yuder’s head pound.
“Hm?”
Yuder felt his vision blur, stamps of black appearing in his sight. Sweat pooled at the back of his neck, throat dryer than ever.
What was going on?
“I see.”
The figure began flickering again, the holes widened and began fluctuating all over.
“It is indeed difficult for humans to handle the raw energy of spirits.”
The figure slowly began fading away, the gloves hand flicked like a light being turned on and off. The more it started disappearing, the better Yuder started feeling.
“I don't know what will happen…..but you will get….to it…”
Finally, like scattering dust, the form scattered away. Like a mirage, like it was never there to begin with. The invisible force pressing him down was gone just like that. For an unknown amount of time, Yuder stood in silence, trying to understand what had just happened.
A cold wind blew in through the window, causing the curtains to flutter, as the cool made contact with Yuder’s skin, he involuntarily shivered, despite wearing thick clothes because of the winter, it felt like the cold had penetrated through the layers of fabric to touch his skin.
“...”
Yuder glanced at the broken piece of wood scattered on the carpet. What used to be an old wooden box was now broken beyond the point of recovery. If he didn't see it beforehand, Yuder wouldn't have been able to tell what it used to be.
…Maybe he should call it a night.
___
Yuder woke up to the sound of car honks and barking dogs. The noise of the city greeted him instead of the sound of chirping birds or rustling leaves that he was used to.
The young man glanced at the old wall clock, the shortest hand pointing towards ‘10’ while the longer one indicated that he was already behind schedule, rather fortunate that he didn't have to go to work today,
The young man got up from the bed, feeling slightly light-headed as he slowly made his way outside the room, throat dry with thirst.
His apartment wasn’t that big. One master bedroom, a small guest room that he used as the storage room and a kitchen that merged in with the living room area.
Today was a dull morning, the sky blurred out with dark clouds.
Yuder’s eyes widened as he strolls into the living room. Memories of last night rushed in almost instantly, making Yuder let out a small wince. He had thought- no, he was almost sure that what he saw was a dream, a hallucination caused by his overworked mind. Though it seemed that he had simply been mistaken, or maybe just denied reality because he was not a freak who claimed to have seen humans pop out of thin air- he did not believe in ghosts, never had seen one in all his years of living.
“Goodmorning, it’s quite noisy outside, hopefully it didn’t not disturb your sleep?”
Blonde hair darker than the wheat Yuder grew up seeing nearly every autumn, eyes like the fire he prepared every winter night to save himself from freezing up and clothes he only ever saw in history books; extravagant, lavish and very impractical to wear.
“Who are you- and why are you in my house?”
The man tilted his head, offering Yuder a curious look, he leaned back on the couch, taking up an enormous amount of space. The trespasser was too relaxed, so much so that Yuder almost doubted if he himself was the real intruder.
“Hm, you don’t know either?”
“What do you mean?”
Why would Yuder know how this man, one he had never seen before, found his way into Yuder’s apartment? While he admitted that the locks weren’t really the most secure, he certainly didn’t expect someone to break into his house this soon- and without alerting him.
“You are the one who summoned me, or at least I think it was you.”
“What do you mean by summon?”
Yuder found it hard to understand the intruder’s words. Despite speaking the same language, the young man found it difficu;t to intercept what he was saying. If he had to compare it, it was like how when translating dialogs using automated software, some words were translated incorrectly, changing the original intent of a sentence.
“Summoning, it’s like inviting people to your house but for ghosts.”
“I didn’t invite anyone to my house.”
“Summoning isn't always consensual”
Yuder lets out a deep, audible breath, it feels like something heavy is pounding on his head. The absurdity of this situation feels simply baffling.
“If this is summoning, then what does that make you?”
“A ghost, in simple words.”
“And how can I get rid of you?”
Something, Yuder doesn't know what, presses onto his skin, i like trying to hold him down, but the pressure isn’t exactly on his body, it goes deeper, beyond that-
“I do not know.”
The man- the ghost answers, deep red eyes staring at Yuder’s barely held up figure. It scans him for something, sending a cold shiver running down Yuder’s spine.
“But I can help you find out.”
It says, in a tone so bewitching that Yuder almost nods ‘yes’, nearly forgetting that he is talking to a ghost.
“How can I trust you?”
“Hmm”
It placed its hand on its chin. White fabric covered both its hands. The gloves look uncomfortable, even to Yuder’s untrained eyes.
“You don’t have to, but then you won’t be able to get rid of me.”
The ghost speaks calmly, in contrast to Yuder whose headache elevated with each passing seconds. It was right, barely ten minutes passed yet Yuder already wanted this thing out of his house but he didn’t have a single clue on how to get rid of it.
“Why can’t you just leave?”
“It’s a little complicated. But think of it like locking a door and losing the key. Even if the door is right in front of me, I can’t leave because I don't have the key.”
It explained in a metaphorical way, one that seemed completely illogical to Yuder. This whole situation was. How had he even managed to summon a ghost barely after moving, and how can he get rid of it?
“Don’t worry”
The ghost hums, an enticing smile adorning it’s lips.
“I’ll definitely help you.”
_____
Yuder had still clung to the last strand of hope, praying to the sun god that he was indeed just lovely stressed due to moving into a new place. That it was a long dream that would end if Yuder just waited a little longer.
But after a week, Yuder was forced to admit. It was, indeed, not a dream. This was his new reality.
“What are you doing?”
Yuder questioned as he entered the kitchen, the smell of warm eggs wafting around the entire house. The ghost smiles, eyes closed in delight as he places the plate of steaming eggs and a toasted bread on the dinner table.
“I made you breakfast.”
Kishiar says as he floats- walks over to Yuder and pulls out a chair for him. All while the dark haired man can only look at the healthy complexion of the ghost. The dead do not pulse blood, yet this one’s face is far from sickly.
“...I wasn't aware ghosts could touch things.”
“Me neither, but I guess we learn new things everyday.”
Kishiar offered him a sweet smile as he pulled the plate in front of Yuder with a swift move of his gloved hand.
“Is that one of your ghostly tricks too?”
“Hm, Maybe?”
And Kishar doesn't give him a straight response, the ghost speaks in an enigmatic way that Yuder found hard to understand. What was the point of hiding answers behind unnecessary and puzzling words?
Kishiar does not move to sit in front of Yuder, he stays by the man’s side, leaning on the table as red eyes scrutinise his face as he forks up a small piece of egg, looking at it with slight suspicion before putting it in his mouth. It could be laced with poison but Yuder concluded that if Kishiar wanted to kill him, these were better ways than poison, especially for an enigmatic ghost like him.
“How is it?”
The ghost asks, as if almost excited about Yuder’s feedback.
“..Not bad.”
Not bad indeed. It's nothing too special, just some simple egg with salt and pepper but Yuder finds it tasting different than when he normally makes it, despite using the same ingredients. Perhaps this is another one of Kishiar’s ghostly abilities.
“I’m glad, I have never cooked before.”
“I see.”
It wasn’t much of a surprise, from his clothes, Kishiar seemed like he was of high status, when he was alive at least.
“Oh, you got some crumbles stuck…”
Kishiar mumbled as he reached out towards Yuder, gloved fingers reaching for the corner of his lips, an action too sudden for Yuder to stop him and-
“..!”
“?”
Kishiar’s hand goes right through his face, Yuder doesn't feel a thing as he blankly stares into Kishiar’s surprised red eyes. It was clear that Kishir too hadn’t expected this to happen.
“Well, it seems that there is a limit to the things i can touch.”
Kishiar says sheepishly as he takes his hand back. There is a strange emotion in his bright eyes but Yuder doesn’t notice, too preoccupied with this new discovery.
“So you can touch things, but not me?”
Yuder judged as Kishiar strolled away from him and over to the seat in front of Yuder.
“Likely, While I’m not sure…It likely has to do something with you being alive and me dead.”
Kishiar went on to elaborate more on his theory. While many might have believed that ghosts were much stronger than ordinary humans due to not being bound to a human body, it was not really true. In a way, the soul is too weak to actually touch anything, it can only lead the human limbs around to move, walk and touch. In that sense, without the body, ghosts cannot grasp anything.
“But if it’s true, why were you able to touch the utensils and pull back the chair?”
“That, I do not know.”
Yuder furrowed his eyebrows at the nonchalant behaviour of the ghost man. The dark haired man’s head feels light, as if he is about to come down with yet another migrain.
“Don’t worry, It can be a little overwhelming. Besides, it isn’t really ideal for two souls to be in the same room with only one human body”
“...? Why is that?”
Instead of replying, the blonde offers Yuder a soft smile, making it clear that he had no intention of elaborating more.
“...”
Ah, Yuder should really rest now.
________
“Kishiar la Orr.”
In the last few hundred years, there was only one individual who bore that name.
The second prince of the then Orr empire, The 10th duke of Peletta, and the founding commander of the now disbanded cavalry. After nearly a month of research, that’s how much Yuder was able to find out about the ghost that's haunting his house.
“That was my name, yes.”
The ghost affirmed as it stands before Yuder, looking no short of a human, just like Yuder himself. The dark haired man had thought about it alot, but indeed, Kishiar did not look like a ghost, had it not been for how they met, Yuder would think of him as a human who enjoyed cosplaying.
It’s been two months since he summoned Kishiar la orr.
It's been two months since his health has started to spiral downwards.
“How did you end up becoming a ghost?”
“Well I died.”
“You died, that’s all?”
Kishiar doesn't give Yuder an answer, the blonde turns his head towards the window, looking out at the darkened night sky. They were both in the living room, the place where Yuder had ended up summoning Kishiar.
“I was assassinated to be exact.”
Yuder nodded, it made more sense if Kishiar had been killed instead of simply dying.
“Did you turn into a ghost to take revenge on your killer?”
“I was assassinated, and secondly, That’s unlikely to be the reason.”
“What’s the likely reason then?”.”
“...”
And again, the ghost fell silent, as if suddenly turning mute.
Yuder takes a deep breath and closes his eyes . His head was pounding with a tremendous ache.
He hears shuffling, light steps and then Kishiar’s voice that was now much closer to him.
“Are you okay.
_______
Yuder doesn't leave his room the next morning.
The young man finds himself unable to get up from bed. Limbs that had no strength in them refused to get up. Almost like an invisible force is holding him down. His head feels heavy and light all at the same time.
Yuder’s vision blurs as the ceiling of his room merges together, distorting into grotesque shapes. His chest hurts, hurts like someone has shoved their hand inside and is refusing to let go, determined to take it out.
Over the course of the next few hours- or so it feels, Yuder loses and regains his consciousness multiple times, awakened by the ghastly pain as well as knocked out by it.
In his state of frenzy, he barely realises the sky changing colour and before he knows it, night already falls.
“I’m sorry.”
Yuder hears a soft voice as he slowly wakes up from. The ghost, or so he assumes, whispers as he gently takes hold of Yuder’s cheek. It feels cold to touch, unlike Kishiar’s warm, gloved hands. Red eyes stare at the ghostly pale face and parched lips. Something breaks in Kishiar’s chest and he isn’t sure what it is. Not a heart, he does not own one.
“I’ll fix you.”
He says as Yuder gives him a blurry, unfocused gaze. He probably can't even hear Kishiar clearly.
Ghosts and humans are not meant to be together. Not for very long. The ghost longs for a body, moving limbs, and a beating heart. It is driven by a yearning greater than man's, one that causes nature to begin to defy its own rules.
However, Kishiar has spent hundreds of years floating around in a location that is neither the living world nor the afterlife. And a body is not the object of his yearning. Furthermore, he has no regrets. Maybe he would have if he had passed away earlier, as was meant to happen.
He did not regret death, not when he knew it was for the best.
He desires not a healthy body but something entirely else. Something he did not know he wished for until he saw those obsidian-like eyes once again.
Kishiar was well aware about what happens when the dead are with the living for too long. Two souls and one body, and the force of nature he could not control. But he is a greedy man, he was when he was alive too.
He had been too greedy. And it’s about time he returns what he so cruelly took.
It's difficult to put into words what he did or how he did it; it was almost like an instinct that operated on its own.
Hazy obsidian eyes look at it confused, as if finally gaining some back some conscience
The blonde ghost puts on a bitter smile, its body flickering slightly, like on the day Yuder first saw him but unlike then, the human does not widen his eyes in surprise, still blurred with pain and agony.
“Farewell,”
The ghost leans down, sadness and desire dance together in his eyes.Yuder will be fine now, he has to be.
He tries to press his lips on Yuder’s colourless ones but he isn’t able to.
Ghosts cannot touch anything.
Ghosts cannot touch human beings.
“I’m sorry.”
Like dust particles under the sun’s bright light, the ghost begins to fade away.
“For haunting you with my love.”