The carriage jolted slightly as it came to a stop. Outside the window, the landscape stretched into a desolate battlefield long since abandoned by time. Cracked earth and scorched patches of grass told stories of old wars, and a cold mist clung low to the ground, curling like fingers around discarded weapons and rusted armor.
Adrian stepped out first, his boots crunching over brittle soil. Then he saw them—dotting the field like cursed memories. Half-purple, half-black figures, twisted and barely recognizable as human. Ghostly, translucent bodies shimmered in the pale light, but they had monstrous, jagged teeth that gleamed unnaturally. Their limbs spasmed and shifted violently, like their bodies were constantly failing to decide on a form. One second their arms were too long, the next their legs folded inward at the wrong angles. Their silhouettes flickered, always on the verge of dissolving—and yet horrifyingly grounded.
"Ah… so those are wraiths," Adrian muttered, trying to keep the shake out of his voice.
"Yep." Melissa stepped beside him, hands on her hips, surveying the scene like she was admiring a work of art. "Honestly, they're not that hard to deal with. If you know how to control your mana, that is." She gave him a side glance and added cheerfully, "But your dumbass hasn't done it once, even after all my brilliant teaching."
Adrian opened his mouth, but he didn't even get a chance to retort.
"What are you waiting for?" she asked, voice bright like she was offering him a tray of cookies. Then she grabbed the back of his collar and, before he could blink, launched him straight into the middle of the field.
"Wait, what the—?!"
Adrian landed hard, hitting the dirt with a thud that knocked the wind out of him. He groaned, rolling onto his back, but froze as a dozen flickering wraith heads turned toward him in eerie unison.
The silence that followed was thick, unnatural.
Then came the screeching.
Not loud—but high-pitched, like nails on glass and metal scraping bone. The wraiths started moving, twitching forward on limbs that bent the wrong way, closing in on him with grotesque grace.
Adrian sat up fast. "I'm gonna die," he muttered, scrambling to his feet, eyes darting around for an escape—or better yet, a weapon.
From the ridge above, Melissa cupped her hands around her mouth. "Try not to die! And remember—mana control! Or, you know, scream real loud. I'll come down if you start sobbing!"
Adrian yelled something back, but it was drowned out by the hiss of the first wraith lunging.
Hours passed, and Adrian was still running around the field, desperately trying to control his mana. His frustration only grew with each failure—especially knowing that Melissa had set up a whole table and chair off to the side. She was sipping tea, laughing openly every time he tripped or flailed, thoroughly enjoying his struggle.
Adrian had already fallen multiple times, tripping over his own feet and the scattered remains of old broken weapons. His clothes were soaked in mud, his breath ragged, but he kept going, stubbornly pushing forward despite the lack of progress.
At one point, a wraith passed straight through him—something that had been happening since the beginning.
Luckily, the wraiths weren't fully formed. They couldn't do real harm yet, but they could force him to feel traces of the emotions they carried—anger, sorrow, despair. It left a cold weight in his chest each time they touched him.
Another hour dragged by before something finally clicked.
Adrian felt it—a surge of mana flowing into his hands. With no hesitation, he threw a punch. The wraith he hit vanished instantly, torn apart by the force.
He blinked, shocked for a moment—then grinned. Wide, crooked, just a little unhinged.
Looking around at the remaining wraiths, his confidence spiked. The grin stayed, sharp and too pleased, almost unsettling. Even the wraiths hesitated.
They scattered, fleeing as Adrian tore through them, dispersing every one he could get his hands on.
Triumphant, he marched back to Melissa, grinning ear to ear.
"I did it! See? I've got talent. You're just a bad teacher," he said smugly. "Why'd you even get a letter for a place like this, anyway? These things are way too easy with mana."
His voice stayed cocky, but now, suspicion flickered beneath the words.
"Hmm? Oh, that's because there's a Wraith Lord," Melissa said, still sipping her tea casually. "You know, the kind made from a thousand wraiths, artificially fused by magicians who specialize in soul and spirit manipulation. I think the magic's called Psychomancy or something like that. So, I'm here to kill both—the Wraith Lord and its creator."
"Huh… so where are they?" Adrian asked, glancing around the field.
"The Wraith Lord can only come out at night," Melissa explained, setting her cup down for a moment. "Its power scales with the number of wraiths around it—more wraiths, more strength. But the same goes for its weaknesses. Like, yeah, it can handle a ton of mana and not get dispersed, but its vulnerability to light—sunlight or light-based magic—is way stronger too. So it basically dissolves during the day and reforms once the sun sets."
She leaned back in her chair, eyes scanning the field lazily. "As for the person who made it… they've gotta be nearby. The Wraith Lord can't maintain its form on its own—it's tethered to the caster. The distance it can stay connected depends on the strength of the Psychomancer. The strongest ones can push it to a kilometer, but most? They can only manage a range of a hundred to two hundred meters."
"Wait… it can control souls?" Adrian asked, glancing over at her with something between confusion and unease. "Doesn't that mean it could take mine? Or yours?"
Melissa tilted her head a little, letting her gaze settle on him, calm and matter-of-fact. "Not exactly. They need permission... or they kill you and take your soul that way." Her voice softened slightly. "The God of Life and Death made sure it wouldn't be so easy. They can't just steal a soul from a living person—not without that person allowing it."
Adrian's expression twisted at that, like the thought was settling deep into his chest. "Why the hell would anyone let them?"
"People can be desperate," she said quietly. "But it's the same reason matter manipulation was sealed when it came to living things. Too close to playing god."
She lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. The earth trembled. All around them, pillars of dark stone rose from the ground in a neat circle, tall and ominous, dust flaking off their edges.
"Inorganic materials," she said, glancing at him. "That's what's left to us. But even that's strong—if you know what you're doing." She snapped again. The pillars trembled, cracked, and melted into water, crashing to the ground in waves. The soaked dirt hissed beneath them, steam curling up. It left only a puddle of mud.
Adrian crouched beside the puddle, dipping his fingers into the mud. "That's… cool, I guess," he muttered.
Melissa smiled and stepped closer. "There's another way to learn it. Instinct. Some people just… get it. No theory. No breakdown of atoms or materials. It's like the magic responds to their will without needing an explanation."
Adrian looked up at her, curious now. "So... what kind of person can do that?"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she snapped her fingers again—this time making a chair appear behind him. Another snap, and it scooted him right in front of her.