Chapter 28: Awakening
I didn’t need confirmation to know that the figure floating right in front of us was a real ghost.
The air in the narrow brick corridor had turned so bone-chillingly cold that my breath became visible mist. The translucent, spectral form of a woman glided through the solid brick wall, her ragged white gown fluttering in an invisible breeze. Her face was twisted into a terrifying mask of madness, her hollow, pitch-black eyes locked squarely onto me with a ravenous glare.
[Yep! That’s a real spirit, Seth!] Paige’s voice rang out in my head, completely relaxed. [A restless specter, to be precise. Driven purely by instinct and obsession.]
The moment the ghost drifted a step closer, its claw-like hands reaching toward our small, dark space, I didn’t panic. My instincts kicked in. I placed a hand on Yerin’s waist, gently pulling her behind my back as I stepped forward to shield her.
I narrowed my eyes at the specter, keeping my stance balanced as I told Paige. ’Why is a real ghost coming straight for us? I thought spirits in this world didn’t just wander into theme parks and attack people at random.’
Instead of giving me a straight answer, Paige let out a light giggle. Then her giggles turned into full-blown, chaotic laughter that echoed through my head.
[Hahaha! Oh, this is hilarious!] Paige cackled, sounding thoroughly entertained.
’Paige, I’m being serious here,’ I pressed, tightening my jaw as the female specter let out a high-pitched, silent shriek and drifted closer. ’Why is she targeting us?’
[Alright, alright, calm down, big guy!] Paige wheezed, wiping away her non-existent tears. [She’s not targeting us. She’s targeting you. Specifically, she’s reacting to your Astral Soul.]
I blinked, taking a half-step back as the ghost hovered barely three feet away. ’My Astral Soul? What the hell does that mean?’
[Look, you can learn all the deep lore and high-level supernatural mechanics later,] Paige explained, her tone shifting from chaotic banter to something strangely earnest. [Right now, all you need to know is that your soul is currently suppressed, like a hyper-dense star trapped inside a glass bottle. Unbound spirits can sense that raw energy from miles away, and to a restless ghost, it looks like the ultimate feast.]
Paige paused for a moment before continuing. [I can awaken your Astral Soul right now. It’ll break the seal and let your true nature manifest. The only catch? It’s going to attract a /ot of attention across the higher realms. So, Seth... do you trust me?]
I looked at the mad specter reaching for us, then felt Yerin’s soft, trembling hands gripping the back of my grey hoodie.
’Of course I trust you, Paige, I answered mentally, letting out a quiet, resigned sigh. ’Do it.’
[Hehe. Good boy,] Paige whispered, her voice echoing like a soft chime through my consciousness. [Initiating Astral Soul Unbinding... NOW!]
...
At that exact moment, the world changed.
The cold hit first. Then the air itself seemed to go thin, wrong, barely there. The emergency light stuttered, bled red across the dark, and broke into static.
Seth didn’t move an inch, yet his figure suddenly appeared infinitely distant, as if he were standing at the centre of the universe while the rest of reality receded from him.
Something erupted from his chest, invisible and absolute. Existence itself shifted.
The entire amusement park began to vibrate.
To the millions of ordinary visitors walking through the plaza, riding roller coasters, and eating churros, nothing felt out of the ordinary. The sky remained a peaceful gradient of orange and purple, carnival music continued to play, and children laughed near the arcade stalls.
However, in the Mirror Realm, the ancient supernatural layer of reality running parallel to Earth, the planet itself began to buckle beneath an unimaginable weight.
Space-time around the Capital warped violently. The dark brick walls of the Haunted House in the Mirror Realm tore apart like wet paper, dissolving into shimmering streams of primordial light. The mad specter didn’t even get a chance to scream. The moment Seth’s expanding consciousness brushed against her, her soul was cleansed, purified, and reduced to drifting particles of light.
Standing behind him, Yerin’s breath caught in her throat.
Her dark eyes widened in paralyzing shock. Deep within her chest, her Astral Soul, a dormant, high-grade divine lineage carefully cultivated by the Rothschild main family, began to tremble violently.
It was not a sensation of physical pain, but a primal, instinctual terror. It was the feeling a mortal drop of water experienced when suddenly placed in front of a boundless, endless ocean. Her legs went numb, her knees buckling beneath her as she was forced to lean her weight against Seth’s back just to remain standing.
She stared at her cousin’s back, her mind short-circuiting. She knew the supernatural world existed. She knew about hidden factions, divine bloodlines, and ancient powers that governed humanity from the shadows. But whatever was awakening within Seth... it wasn’t a bloodline. It wasn’t a magic system. It wasn’t even a god.
It felt as though the very concept of Authority had awakened from an eternal slumber.
As Seth’s eyes slowly opened, his dark pupils became endless abysses of shimmering gold. A faint, majestic pressure radiated from him, elevating his presence into something utterly untouchable.
Beyond Earth’s atmosphere, beyond the physical realm, and past the boundaries separating the mortal plane from the other dimensions, the shockwave rippled outward with terrifying speed.
The primordial disturbance tore through the realm barriers, striking the higher realms like a thunderclap in a silent room.
At the centre of the grand cathedral, Michael, the Supreme Commander of Heaven, a breathtaking woman with flowing golden hair, ten radiant white wings, and gleaming silver armour, rose abruptly from her throne of light. The divine sword resting beside her clattered onto the marble floor.
Her cold azure eyes widened as she pressed a trembling hand against her chest, where her holy core throbbed in violent resonance.
"What is this pressure?" Michael whispered, wings flaring on instinct. "This isn’t a Demon Lord being born. It’s not a rebel angel either. The Laws of Light are bowing to the mortal realm."