The doors swung open.Light flooded out.
Before Elya could step through—
Something laughed at him.
Fast.
A blur of green and dark hair.
"CAPTAIN!"
Arms wrapped around him.
Tight.Enthusiastic.
A girl maybe his age.
Dark hair pulled back in a ponytail.
Green uniform—military cut but somehow elegant.
Black pants.White boots that went to her knees.
Green eyes shining.
She squeezed.
"You're back! It's been days! Do you know how boring it is here without you? Lin and Ban won't stop arguing and Sho's still in Nai and Mira keeps asking when you'd come back and I told her soon but she wouldn't stop asking and—"
Elya stood perfectly still.
Arms at his sides.Not hugging back.
The girl—Alexia—didn't seem to notice Or didn't care.She pulled back beaming.
"Did you get the thing? Is the plan working? Did you—"
She stopped.
Looked past Elya.At the bridge.
At the void beyond she saw Nana
Standing awkwardly outside the castle.
Alexia's smile faded.
Just slightly.
"...Who's that?"
"ELYA!"
Another voice.
Younger.Sweeter.
From inside the castle.A small figure appeared.
Pushing past Alexia.
Twelve years old.
Messy brown hair in a lopsided ponytail.
Same green uniform—but clearly too big for her.
The sleeves rolled up.
The pants cuffed at the ankles.
Mira.She carried a CAKE.
Candles stuck in at random angles.
But made with care.
"Welcome home!"
Elya looked at her.
Then at the cake.
Something in his expression shifted.
The cold mask, empty eye,sharp edges.
All softened.
"You made this?"
His voice was different.
Mira nodded enthusiastically.
"Ban helped! Well, I told him to help and he complained the whole time but he did it anyway because I asked nicely and—"
"It looks good."
Mira's eyes went wide.
"Really?!"
"Really."
She squealed.Bounced on her heels.
"I'll cut you a piece right now! Oh! And there's soup! Lin made soup! It's probably cold by now but I can heat it up and—"
"ARE YOU TWO DONE YET?!"
A voice from deeper in the castle.
Irritated.
"I TOLD YOU I TOLD YOU IT WAS THE THIRD SHELF, NOT THE SECOND—"
"And I'm telling you that the second shelf makes more sense because—"
Two figures emerged from a side hallway.
Both wearing the same green uniform.
Black pants with white boots.
The first had red hair.
Short and spiky with sharp features.
Arms crossed.Scowling.
The second had golden hair.
Longer but tied back loosely.
Relaxed posture.Smirking.
Both stopped mid-argument.
Staring at the doorway.At Elya.
Then past him.Then—
At Nana.
The air changed.
The red-haired boy—Lin—uncrossed his arms.
Slowly.
The golden-haired boy—Ban—stopped smirking.
Alexia stepped back from Elya.
Her expression going cold.
All three turned to Elya.
"Captain." Lin's voice was flat. "Who. Is. That."
Elya stepped fully into the castle.
Turned and looked at Nana.
She stood on the bridge just outside the doorway.
He gestured.
Once.
"Come here."
Nana hesitated.
Elya's voice was calm.
"Matter-of-fact."
"She's the human."
The temperature dropped.
Not literally.But it felt colder.
All four of them stared Nana with killing intent.
Nana felt it like a physical weight pressing against her chest.
Making it hard to breathe.
Alexia's eyes narrowed.
"You brought a human here."
Her voice was different now.
"To our home."
Lin took a step forward.
His eyes locked onto Nana.
"Why."
Ban didn't move.
But his relaxed posture changed into a battle stance.
Replaced with tension.
Even Mira looked uncertain.
Clutching the cake.
Glancing between Nana and Elya.
Elya didn't flinch.
"She's is the key to our plan."
"That's not an answer," Lin said coldly.
"It's the only one you're getting."
Silence.
Then Ban spoke.His tone light but the words weren't.
"You know what humans did to us. To all of us."
"I know."
"And you brought one here."
"Yes."
"Into the one place we're supposed to be safe from them."
"She's not a threat."
Lin's eyes flashed.
"They're all threats."
Mira stepped forward.
Walked right up to Nana.
Held out the cake.
"Hi!"
Her voice was bright and cheerful.
Like nothing was wrong.
"I'm Mira! You must be Nana! Elya told us you were coming! Well, he didn't say much because he never does, but he said we'd have a guest and I made cake!"
She thrust it forward.
"Do you want some? It's chocolate! I made it myself! Well, Ban helped, but I did most of it!"
Nana stared.
Completely at odds with the hostility radiating from the others.
"I... thank you, but—"
"Oh! And I have so many questions!" Mira bounced on her heels. "What's it like outside? Is the sky really blue? Are there really cities with thousands of people? And markets? And—"
"Mira." Alexia's voice was sharp. "Step away from the human."
Mira ignored her.
"—and do people really eat bread every day? I've only read about it in books! And what about—"
"MIRA."
The girl finally stopped.
Turned.Pouted.
"WHAT?"
"She's human."
"She doesn't belong here."
"Elya brought her here, so yes she does!"
Lin stepped forward.Looked down at Mira.
His expression was hard.
"Be careful around her."
"Why? She seems nice!"
"Because she's human." His eyes shifted to Nana. "And humans can't be trusted."
He took another step.
Closer to Nana.
The killing intent spiked.Nana's breath caught.
Lin stared at her.
When he spoke, his voice was soft but quiet and deadly
"If you try anything funny—"
The air around him seemed to shimmer.
"—you'll end up dead."
Nana felt it in her bones.
This wasn't a bluff.
He would kill her.Without hesitation.Without remorse.
She couldn't move.
Then Elya's hand landed on Lin's shoulder.
"Enough."
Lin held Nana's gaze for another second.
Then stepped back.
The killing intent faded.
Mira grabbed Nana's hand.
"Come on! I'll show you your room! And then you can tell me everything about the outside! Please? I've been here for so long and I want to know what it's like and—"
She pulled.Nana followed.
Numbly.
Grateful to get away from the stares.
As they disappeared down a hallway, Mira's voice echoed back:
"—and do you really have to walk everywhere? I read that some places have carriages! Is that true? And what about—"
Silence returned to the main hall.
Nana sat on the edge of a bed.
In a small room.Colorful and warm.
Mira had decorated it.
Obviously.
Paintings on the walls.
Flowers in clay pots.Blankets in mismatched colors.
Mira sat cross-legged on the floor.
Still holding the cake.
Chattering.
"—and this room used to be storage but I cleaned it out because I knew we'd have a guest someday and Lin said I was wasting my time but I told him—"
"Mira."
The girl stopped and looked up.
Bright-eyed.
"Yeah?"
"Why did Elya call himself... Ghost?"
Mira blinked.
"Huh?"
"Earlier. You called him Captain. But the wanted posters call him Ghost."
Understanding dawned on Mira's face.
"OH! You didn't know!"
She giggled.
"Ghost isn't his name! It's our name!"
"Your... name?"
"The GHOST CORPORATION!" Mira said proudly. "That's us! Me, Elya, Alexia, Lin, Ban, and Sho! We're a team!"
"Official members of the Ghost Corporation! Protectors of witches! Enemies of... well, everyone else!"
She laughed.
Nana stared.
"Corporation?"
"Yep! Elya's the Captain! He's in charge! And we all have jobs!"
"Jobs?"
"Uh-huh! Sho does something i don't know! Alexia does... um... I actually don't know what Alexia does. She just follows Elya around a lot. Lin and Ban are fighters! They're really good! And I—"
She puffed out her chest.
"—I'm support! I help with planning and cooking and cleaning and keeping everyone from killing each other!"
Nana's head spun.
"So... Elya isn't alone."
"Of course not! He's the captain! You can't have a captain without a crew!"
Mira sat back down.
"We've been together for years! Since I was really little! Elya found me after... after..."
Her smile faltered.
Just for a second.
"...after the Purge."
She recovered quickly.
"But that was a long time ago! Now we're a family! A really weird family that argues a lot and sometimes threatens to kill each other but still a family!"
Nana processed this.
Slowly.
Ghost's not a person.An organisation
She looked at Mira.
"Why can't you leave?"
Mira's smile dimmed again.
"Oh. That."
She picked at the edge of the cake plate.
"Elya says it's too dangerous. That if humans saw me, they'd... you know."
She made a throat-slitting gesture.
Casual.
Like it was normal.
"So I stay here. In the castle. Forever."
"Forever?"
"Well, until Elya says it's safe. Which might be never. But that's okay!"
She brightened again.
"I have books! And now I have you to talk to!"
She leaned forward.
Eyes shining.
"So tell me! What's it really like out there?"
Nana opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Because what could she say?
That the world was beautiful?
That cities bustled with life?
That markets smelled like spices and bread?
To a girl who'd never seen any of it.
Who'd been trapped in a floating castle for years.
Because the world outside wanted her dead.
Because of what she was.
Nana's throat tightened.
"It's... complicated."
Mira's smile softened.
"That's okay. You can tell me the complicated parts too."
She held out a piece of cake.
"Here. Have some. It'll help."
Nana took it.
Numbly took a bite.
It was... actually pretty good.
A little lopsided, but made with care.
Mira watched her.
Hopeful.
"Good?"
Nana nodded.
"Really good."
Mira beamed.
And for just a moment—
In this impossible castle—
In this void dimension—
Surrounded by witches who hated her—
Nana felt just a little bit less alone.