Compiled and commented by Albert Weaver
"Death is not silence. It's backlog."
- Scratched into the wall of an old ossuary, author unknown
Spirits are everywhere. Most of them just want to be left alone. But a trained Black Caster can pick them out of the static - glimpses of form, scraps of voice, full conversations. It starts with whispers. Then names. Then memories that don't belong to you.
***
[Audio Transcript – Spirit Mediation, Morgue Cell 3B]
TECHNICIAN: "State your name."
SPIRIT (inaudible hum)
CASTER: "He says his name was Calem, and he was shot in the back. Wants to know if his dog is okay."
***
That's the tame version. A skilled caster can tether a spirit - drag it back into its body. Not to live, just to move. Limbs obey. Eyes stay still. The bond doesn't fade. Ever. It's not a person anymore. It's a command made flesh.
It's very illegal in most places. For good reason.
And if someone else raised it first? You can wrest control. Sever their link. Steal their dead. Undead turf wars are rare, but when they happen, they're quiet... and messy.
***
[Excerpt – Field Log, Crypt Dispute, Outer Maribor]
"Two casters were trying to use the same spirit to guard opposite ends of a graveyard. Ended up yanking the poor thing in half. Spirit didn't scream - but everyone else heard it."
***
Not all Black Casters do it for power. They do it for answers. For closure. To solve murders, to find missing people, to hear one last word from someone long gone.
But the boundary gets blurry fast.
Albert once asked a priest why their church allowed spirit work.
She said, "Because some souls don't leave until they're heard."
Then added, "And some should never be spoken to again."
Albert made a note:
"Death is not the end. It's just where the paperwork starts."