The Next Day

The common room smelled like stale coffee and nervous energy.

Derek was sprawled across the couch, his staff leaning against the armrest, a half-eaten piece of toast balanced on his chest. His phone sat on his stomach, the screen displaying a half-finished assignment with a blinking cursor that mocked him.

"I have to submit this by nine," he said, not for the first time. "Nine. That’s less than two hours."

Cora was doing stretches near the window, her sword propped against the wall. She didn’t look at him. "Just pray Alistair is done with us by then. If not, say bye bye to your grade."

"That’s not funny."

"It’s a little funny."

Sera was on the floor, back against the wall, scrolling through her phone. She didn’t look up. "It’s a lot funny."

Mason sat at the table, methodically cleaning his gauntlets with a cloth. He said nothing, but the corner of his mouth twitched.

Lucian was in the armchair by the window, eating an apple. He took a bite, chewed, swallowed. "You have one of the most unique powers among us."

Derek blinked. "What?"

"The ability to see and control ghosts." Another bite. "You’re holding yourself back. If you weren’t, you’d be able to go toe to toe with Cora."

Cora stopped stretching. She turned, hands on her hips, eyebrows raised. "Hey. Why would you involve me in this?"

Lucian shrugged. "You’re the benchmark."

"I’m the benchmark?"

"For aggression, yes."

Mason snorted. Sera laughed. Derek sat up, toast falling to the floor.

"I’m not holding myself back," Derek said. "My powers are basically useless. I can see dead people and they do what I say sometimes. That’s not going to stop a demon."

Lucian sighed.

From the corner of the room, a thin voice drifted through the air. "May I?"

Derek winced. "Do I have a choice?"

Dr. Blackwood materialized beside the couch, his translucent form catching the morning light. He looked at Derek with the patient disappointment of a teacher who had explained the same concept a hundred times.

"Boy," the ghost said, "your powers are among the most unique and powerful I have ever witnessed in a Prime Human."

Derek stared.

"You can summon ghosts from the deepest corners of the underworld. You can anchor them to the living world, command them, and use them as extensions of your will. And I suspect that is not your limit."

Derek’s mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.

"But you’re scared." Dr. Blackwood’s voice softened, just a fraction. "Your timid nature is the only thing stopping you from achieving your true potential."

The room was quiet.

"And," the ghost added, "as for your assignment—you can send a ghost to submit it for you. They can touch things. Remember?"

Derek’s face went through several expressions: confusion, realization, dawning horror, and then something that looked like fragile hope. He looked at his phone. Then at the empty air beside him.

"I... I can?"

Dr. Blackwood sighed. "I have taught you nothing."

Cora snorted. "He’s got a point."

"Not helping," Derek muttered.

He picked up his phone, stared at it, and whispered something to the air. A faint shimmer appeared beside him—a young woman in old-fashioned clothes, her face blank but obedient. She reached out, took the phone from Derek’s hand, and held it.

Derek’s eyes went wide. "It worked."

"Of course it worked," Dr. Blackwood said. "Now give her the password."

Derek typed it in. The ghost’s fingers moved across the screen, clumsy but effective. The assignment was submitted.

Derek fell back onto the couch, staring at the ceiling. "I need a minute."

Cora clapped him on the shoulder. "You did it, ghost boy."

"Don’t call me that."

"Ghost boy."

"I hate you."

"No, you don’t."

Mason stood, pulling on his gauntlets. "Alistair’s waiting."

The mood shifted. The laughter faded. They gathered their things—weapons, jackets, the weight of whatever came next.

Lucian finished his apple and tossed the core into the bin. "Let’s go."

---

Alistair’s office was small, cluttered, and smelled like old paper and whiskey. He stood by the window, his back to them, staring at the training yard below. The morning light made his grey hair look older.

The team filed in. Cora stood near the door. Mason leaned against the wall. Sera found a chair. Derek hovered near Lucian, still pale from the ghost revelation.

Alistair turned.

His face was tired. Dark circles under his eyes. But something in his posture had changed—less rigid, less closed off. He looked at each of them, one by one, and for a moment, he didn’t speak.

"I owe you an apology."

Cora’s eyebrows rose. Sera looked up from her phone. Mason’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes sharpened.

"I’ve been distant," Alistair said. "Keeping you at arm’s length. That’s not fair to you, and it’s not fair to this team."

He walked to his desk, leaned against it, crossed his arms.

"You’re not my first team. You’re not even my fifth. I’ve lost people. Good people. And I let that fear make me cold." He paused. "I’m not going to promise I won’t be cold again. But I am going to promise that I’ll try to do better."

The room was silent. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Cora spoke first. "We’re not going anywhere."

Alistair almost smiled. "I know." He picked up a folder from his desk. "Which brings me to why you’re here."

He tossed the folder onto the table. It landed with a soft thud.

"Animal attacks. Near a village called Greyhollow. Livestock drained of blood—no wounds, no tracks, no blood at the scene."

Sera leaned forward. "No blood?"

"None. They’re just... empty. Pale. Like something sucked the life out of them."

Derek swallowed. "That’s not an animal."

"No," Alistair agreed. "It’s not. Which is why you’re going."

He looked at Lucian. Held his gaze for a beat longer than necessary. Searching for something. Lucian met his eyes and didn’t look away.

"The village is two hours east. You’ll leave within the hour. Talk to the locals, investigate the sites, and report back. Do not engage unless you have to."

Cora crossed her arms. "And if we have to?"

Alistair’s jaw tightened. "Then do what you were trained to do."

The team exchanged glances.

Lucian nodded. "We’ll handle it."

Alistair pushed off the desk. "Dismissed."

They filed out. Cora caught Lucian’s arm as they reached the hallway.

"You promised," she said quietly. "We’d talk later. Later is now."

Lucian looked at her. Then at the others, already walking ahead.

"On the road," he said. "I’ll tell you what I know."

Cora studied his face. "That’s not everything."

"No," he admitted. "But it’s a start."

She let go of his arm. "Fine. But I’m holding you to that."

He walked past her, toward the armory. Behind him, he heard her footsteps follow.

The morning light was grey. The air smelled like rain.

Somewhere east, something waited.