I spoke, pointing at a distant tree, where I was damn sure I saw a face, pale, stretched too thin, with hollow pits for eyes, peeking through the branches before sliding back in an unnaturally smooth motion, like the tree itself pulled it in.
"Don't tell me you are trying to pull one of those moves here. Unfortunately, they won't work on me, and even you know that too well,"
Aartki spoke, his gaze wandering to where I had pointed.
I glanced at Finn, and he moved his head sideways, denying there was anything there.
"Well, bad for that thing, I'm already too far past the stage of thinking it's a hallucination. I'm gonna go check what it was right after our work is done here,"
I said. Finn and Aartki exchanged a look, both finding it strange.
I declared it firmly, then asked Finn to get some distance away, reasoning that we didn't want to show him the body in case it was someone he knew.
"Well, after all, you both can't show me the face of the person he murdered,"
he commented, grinning like he'd already figured something out.
Then, once he had gotten a considerable distance away, I slipped my hand into my coat and took out the emblem.
The moment it touched the air, the warmth I had forced around us cracked and broke.
Cold rushed in, sharp, biting, and heavy. For a split second, it felt like the whole graveyard leaned in toward me, as if waiting.
"Hey, it suddenly feels like the vibe around here has changed," Aartki said, his eyes narrowing as he glanced around the pit.
I slowly lowered the book into the hole, the shadows around us seeming to bend toward it.
Then I pulled out a teleportation device, the same one I had given Sera, and placed it carefully on top of the emblem.
"Where did you even get that device?"
Aartki asked, curiosity piqued, his hands twitching as if itching to examine it.
"Well," I said, shrugging slightly, "the teleportation device I bought actually came in a pair, one free from a trader, so I figured, why not?"
Aartki blinked, then gave a small nod, clearly satisfied with my reasoning.
We climbed out of the pit, and Aartki bent over the surrounding dirt, his hands moving in sharp, precise gestures.
The solid earth liquefied, sticky and dark, flowing effortlessly into the pit.
Once it brimmed, he reshaped the fluid back into solid, smoothing the surface until the land looked untouched, pristine.
"That's how we think and find creative solutions,"
he said, chest puffed with pride, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.
"You done now?"
Finn called from a few meters ahead, striding toward us, the torchlight catching the edge of the shovel.
"Yup, we're all set. Let's go," Aartki replied, brushing dirt off his hands.
I picked up Finn's shovel lying beside us, the metal cold and reassuring in my grip, and we started walking.
"Finn, there's a problem," I said, my voice flat, serious.
My eyes scanned the dense trees ahead, feeling the shift in the air like a living thing pressing close.
"Nah, man," Finn waved his hands dismissively, leaning in.
"Don't concern yourself with this dread atmosphere. It's the same everywhere because of that wandering spirit."
"That's the problem," I said sharply, tightening my grip.
A low shiver ran down my spine as my eyes flicked to the trees.
"Let's not stay here anymore, we should get going," I said, quickening my pace.
Finn followed right behind, the torchlight jittering across the graves with every step he took.
"Uhmm… Aartki, can you turn the remaining water in this bottle to ice?" I asked, handing him the bottle I'd left at the entrance earlier.
My tone was polite, but I kept glancing at the shadows as I spoke.
"Yeah, I can. But why?"
Aartki asked, turning the bottle over in his hand, eyeing it like he expected me to pull a trick.
"Well… let's just say I managed to hurt myself while digging with the shovel,"
I admitted, showing him the cut on my finger.
Blood streamed out in a steady line, refusing to stop.
"Hell nah, you crying over this?" he scoffed, clearly baiting me for a comeback.
"It's not about pain,"
I said flatly, flicking my hand.
A few drops arced back into the night air, trailing dark lines before splattering into the dirt.
"It's the speed. I don't want to leave landmarks for spirits or for anyone else who comes sniffing around here in daylight."
Finn twitched.
Just for a moment.
Aartki was already weaving his information particles, and the liquid solidified with a faint crack, the bottle now cold and heavy with ice.
The faint glow of information particle work still lingered around his fingertips, like smoke refusing to fade.
Without hesitation, he turned and held the bottle out to Finn.
Aartki raised a brow. "What do you mean, just hold it. It's not some cursed artifact, it's ice."
He grabbed my hand, fiddling with the bottle like he was about to force the ice out with his tricks.
Finn let it slip from his grip.
The bottle hit the dirt with a dull thud.
"Hey, it's not that heavy. Hold onto it a bit tighter," Aartki said, sneering.
"Don't act like I'm your damn assistant, you shithole. I'm starting to think I shouldn't even bother giving you a hand anymore,"
Finn fired back, his voice rough with frustration.
Aartki gave him that long, sharp look, then flicked his eyes toward me.
"Hey, cut it out, both of you,"
I said, hands raised like I was surrendering.
"Chill. Time's up on the ego match."
I stepped closer, eyes dropping to the bottle.
"Aartki, give it here. If he doesn't want to hold, after all it's for me... Not that big of a deal."
Aartki looked like he wanted to continue the argument, but gave up.
"Hey, Aartki, tell me something, have you ever gone up against a cursed spirit before?"
I asked casually, though my eyes stayed on the shadows shifting between the trees.
Aartki scratched his chin, thinking back.
"Well… yeah. Months ago. My coach set it up as part of training. I barely got out of it alive, and definitely not without a few scars."
I slowed my pace, letting his words hang for a moment before leaning in, voice dropping to a near-whisper.
"And what if I told you we might have to fight one here,"
I said, the edge in my tone cutting through the air.
"Something perhaps even stronger than the one you faced back then."