Chapter 198: Old And New
Staring up into Grimm's open mouth, Seo-jin couldn't believe what he was seeing. Sitting inside the ghost's jaws was another, smaller grey one, floating there with the same dumbfounded look Split-jaw had worn plenty of times.
'Boss? Uh... what's goin on?'
"Min! Lynn! Get over here! Snare!"
You wouldn't call it giddy, but Seo-jin's grin pulled hard across his face.
"You slippery bastard, who the fuck told you you could die on me?"
'Die? So I am dead? Then how am I still here?'
Snare arrived first, moving the second Seo-jin called. His claws dug through wet sand as he skidded to a stop. Min and the others came slower. Min especially looked like dragging herself upright was a personal insult, blood-soaked and planted on the shore.
The second Snare saw what was floating in Grimm's mouth, his brow lowered.
"Spit em out."
"Kay!"
With a wet glob of ectoplasm, Grimm spat Split-jaw onto the beach. The old man hovered there in a daze as grey slime slid off him and vanished into nothing.
Slims, Lynn, and Teal finally made it over, all three dragging their feet. Slims looked hollow. Lynn looked wrung dry. Teal mostly looked like her hangover was trying to kill her. The moment Lynn got close, she grabbed Seo-jin's arm and leaned her head against it.
"Is it time to go?"
Slims kept his gaze low, shame still sitting heavy in his chest. Something Seo-jin noticed. It only made the reveal sweeter.
"It's almost time, but first, thought you guys would want to see something—hold on."
Before anyone could ask, Seo-jin leapt away.
Teal turned just in time to spot him landing beside Min. Her eyes widened as Min shot to her feet and got right in his face, only for one of Seo-jin's serpents to grab her by the collar.
"Watch out!"
Teal barely managed to shove Lynn aside before Min came flying back, crashing hard into the sand where Lynn had been standing.
Spitting grit from her mouth, Min surged to her feet in a fury, sand clinging to her lips and hair.
"You—cough—limp-dicked corpse fucker!"
Landing beside them, Seo-jin rolled his eyes, then looked to Snare.
"Give them sight."
The broodling nodded and tapped the base of his staff against the ground three times. On the third strike, a dark ripple spread across the beach, brushing over the humans' boots before crawling briefly up their legs like cold smoke before fading.
Slims frowned down at himself, brows tightening.
"Nothing happened. Does it take—"
"HOLY SHIT!"
Min's scream tore through him as she looked up and finally saw Grimm floating above them. She stumbled back so hard she passed straight through Split-jaw's ghost.
"Sorry Split-jaw—seriously Seo-jin, you know he freaks... me... out—SPLIT-JAW?!"
Every head snapped toward her.
Slims and Lynn both broke at once, tears already falling as they rushed forward over blood-wet sand.
"Split-jaw!"
"I knew you were tougher than that! Wait a second, are you a ghost?! That's fucking awesome!"
As everyone crowded around him, Split-jaw forced a few awkward smiles, though his faded face made it clear he was still trying to process his own existence.
Turning toward Seo-jin, Min's eyes were wet and wide.
"How? Don't tell me you can make ghosts now."
Shaking his head, he reached over and scratched Grimm under the chin.
"It wasn't me."
Min's stare shifted to the ghost, hesitation creeping in.
"Was it you?"
"Nope. Think he did it by himself."
Everyone looked back to Split-jaw. The old man's floating head turned from Grimm to Seo-jin, then drifted lower toward the bloodstained patch where his body had dissolved.
'I'm not sure what happened. All I remember is shoving Min outta the way, then my face hurt like hell for a second. Then it was just... quiet.'
His brow furrowed as he hovered over what was left behind.
'I do remember feeling something. I was pissed. Pissed I wouldn't get to see the Dead Hands reach the top. Had this real bad feeling of regret. Maybe... maybe that's why I didn't pass on?'
"Who cares how it happened? I'm just glad you're back. Who else is gonna smack me around when I say stupid shit?"
Slims went to nudge Split-jaw, only to stumble straight through him and crash face-first into his wet remains.
'What ya think?'
[I think what the human says is most likely true. Many cultures believe that if a person dies tragically while full of resentment or unfinished business, they have a high chance of becoming ghosts. It seems Split-jaw wasn't ready to leave the Dead Hands.]
'It's that simple?'
[I doubt there was anything simple about it. Don't expect this to happen every time.]
'What happens once the dungeon closes? Think it'll be an issue?'
[No idea. But I have a suggestion.]
While the group circled Split-jaw, laughing, crying, and talking over each other, Seo-jin stepped away and checked the countdown ticking through his UI.
"Alright, everyone calm down. Before the dungeon closes, everyone needs to get back in the growths. We don't know what might be waiting for us, and I don't want any more surprises."
He pushed a pulse through the broodlink, sharp and immediate, calling the broodlings back from their scavenging.
"Line up."
Min stomped over, then looked between Split-jaw and Seo-jin before clearing her throat.
"What about him? Think he'll be okay when the dungeon closes?"
"I'm not sure, but I've got an idea. Grimm, I'm gonna put you back in the growths too, but before you go in, I want you to put Split-jaw back in your mouth. We're gonna see if I can store him with you that way."
"No problem!"
Spinning once through the air, Grimm swooped down beside the grey ghost, his long body curling.
"Ready?"
Before answering, Split-jaw looked around one last time, his faded eyes moving over each face like he was committing them to memory.
'Ready.'
In one quick snap, Grimm scooped the old man back up and floated over to Seo-jin.
"Got em."
At that exact moment, a distant screech cut through the shoreline and grew louder by the second until Panic slammed into the ground at the group's feet. The broodling was bleeding from multiple places, but laughing so hard his body shook.
"Pain missed me! Look!"
Holding up a broken arm like a trophy, he shoved it toward Min. The large woman gave an awkward nod, then looked past him as the fiery broodling approached with the rest of the brood.
Lowering the heat of his flames, Pain fidgeted briefly when his eyes met Min's, then stiffened and quickly bowed to the Broodfather.
"We found a few items in the rubble. Would you like to—"
"Wait till later. For now, everyone in the growths."
At their master's command, Bahamut and Tiamat both roared, their jaws splitting wide. One by one, they began devouring broodlings and humans alike, swallowing them down in practiced succession.
Near the end, Grimm floated forward next. Still carrying Split-jaw's ghost in his mouth, he barely got out a muffled sound before Tiamat's jaws stretched wide and slurped both ghosts down whole.
Waiting a moment, Seo-jin reached through the bond to his pet.
'How's he doin?'
'Great! Hasn't moved an inch.'
So far, so good. As long as the old man stayed inside Grimm, and Grimm stayed inside the growths, there shouldn't be a problem when the dungeon fully collapsed. Just as he felt Bahamut lunge for the next target, the growth halted mid-motion—
"Wait!"
Frowning, Seo-jin turned and found Teal standing there alone. She held one hand to her pounding forehead while using the other to keep Bahamut back.
"If you need something, make it quick."
She almost flinched at his tone, salt air catching in the silence, but after a slow breath, she steadied herself and met his eyes.
"When we get out, I need to speak with you. Alone."
"I was already planning on it."
Before she could say anything else, Bahamut hissed in irritation, then swallowed her down a little rougher than usual.
[Always nice when it's just us two. It's quieter.]
"When we get out, no more dungeons on this trip."
[Didn't have fun?]
"Think I don't like swimming."
[Network // Notification]
[Dungeon closing in 5...4...3...2...1...]
Seo-jin looked over the ruined island one last time—blood, wreckage, flesh, and surf—then spat into the mess just as the world around him cracked apart.
----
Back at Woon Tower, Yu-na sat curled into a black leather chair, purple silk pajamas cool against her skin as moonlight spilled through the glass and silvered the room.
'Maybe he's really gone.'
[It hasn't been that long. Give it more time.]
It had been two days since she'd sent her familiar to search for Seo-jin. So far, nothing. The only thing it had found was what looked like an entire elven clan massacred, but beyond that, there wasn't a single trace of him.
She'd spent those two days avoiding her father and filling the silence with Ash's company.
Looking over at the sleeping kid, she couldn't help but let out a slow sigh. He was a mess. It hadn't taken long, but the more time she spent around him, the more she noticed things she didn't like—things that felt familiar.
Beneath the smiles and bad jokes, she could see the trauma sitting there, buried but not hidden.
[Looks like he's having a nightmare.]
Shifting in her chair, she leaned enough to see his breathing had gone uneven. Sweat clung to his forehead, and his fingers twitched against the couch cushion.
Since she only had one bed, she'd stuck him on the sitting room couch. Rising quietly, bare feet brushing the floor, she crossed over and placed a hand against his forehead.
'He's warm, but it's not a fever.'
[Why don't you take a peek? I know it's been bugging you.]
Her brow lifted as she slowly pulled her hand back. Thinking on it, she already knew her system was right. She'd tried more than once over the last two days to get him to talk about his past, but every single time, the kid dodged it fast enough to be suspicious.
'Considering his size, what would be the dose?'
[One wing should do. Make sure it's a small one.]
She crossed the room to a recessed nook in the wall, its narrow shelves lined with strange little trophies and objects collected over time. One of them was a small black box etched in faint blue symbols.
Taking it down, she flipped it open to reveal dozens of shimmering wings. They were small, each about the size of her palm, translucent and delicate, like insect wings.
Sifting carefully through them, she picked one that seemed small enough, then set the box back in place before walking over to Ash's side.
'He's gonna stain my couch with all that sweating.'
[Hurry up so you can wake him.]
Rolling her eyes, she held the wing between her fingers and rubbed it slowly until it crumbled into glittering dust. Leaning over him, she let the powder drift down across his closed eyes.
Then she bent lower, whispering in a foreign tongue before tapping him lightly on the forehead.
From the point she touched, light spilled outward in a thin glow. She stepped back as shapes began forming inside it, blurry at first, then gradually taking definition.
"Hope he didn't get molested. Really don't wanna see that."
[In this world, odds are high.]
Doing her absolute best not to think about that, Yu-na focused instead on the image slowly solidifying in front of her.
"Those must be his parents."
Floating before her was a little boy skipping along, one small hand held by a man, the other by a woman. The three moved together like something warm and ordinary.
[Doesn't look like a nightmare.]
As if the vision were being watched through someone else's eyes, a small hand reached out toward them. Smooth, young, trembling.
Yu-na's brow tightened. From the size and shake of it, she could already tell—it was Ash's. He wasn't just remembering this. He was there.
Like the memory itself was cruel enough to notice, the little boy suddenly turned and waved back at the reaching hand. Then, laughing, he bolted forward while both parents ran after him.
Right before they could catch him, the image snapped.
The warmth vanished.
Now the boy was covered in blood. His mother knelt alone over him, her hair hanging down and hiding her face.
The vision pulled closer...closer.
Until Yu-na finally saw the truth.
It wasn't the child bleeding. It was his mother.
She cradled the screaming boy in her lap while blood poured from empty eye sockets, thick and wet down her cheeks.
She was dead.
"Poor kid."
Seeing the pain twisting across Ash's sleeping face made Yu-na's chest tighten, but when a dark shadow stretched over the corpse and child, her breath nearly caught.
The figure bent down and ripped the screaming Ash away from his mother's body.
The memory changed again.
A hand—A belt—A stick. Each strike came hard and fast.
Ash bloodied.
Ash shaking.
Ash staring while the man who was supposed to be his father skinned another.
Then helping carry the skin away with trembling hands.
The image darkened, and from that blackness, two red eyes opened.
Caught in that stare, Yu-na's mouth went dry. She knew it was only an image conjured by the spell, but something in those eyes still made her skin crawl.
From the black, another scene lit.
Ash stood over his father's corpse, a massive purple tiger beside him. Wet tearing sounds filled the vision as the beast fed from the man's stomach.
Above them, the burning eyes remained.
Then a mouth appeared. Smiling. Bloody fangs stretched wide in the dark.
From that grin, a demonic hand reached down, grabbed Ash's father's body, lifted it like trash, and squeezed until it burst, raining hot blood and chunks over the screaming boy.
Covered in gore, Ash ran.
He ran hard, small feet stumbling, terror twisting his face as he kept looking back over and over.
His screams started filling the room.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Each one cracked harder than the last, raw enough that Yu-na's jaw tightened.
"That's enough."
With a sharp wave, she scattered the dust from Ash's face and broke the spell. The vision vanished instantly, leaving only the quiet room and the sound of Ash's ragged breath.
She sat beside him on the couch cushion and shook him gently, her silk sleeve brushing damp skin.
"Ash. Ash, wake up. Come on. Wake up."
Finally, he jolted upright, breathing hard and disoriented. It took him a second to focus, but the moment he noticed Yu-na sitting that close, he flinched back and yanked his blanket up.
"What's wrong?"
She smiled. Barely.
"Nothing, you were having a bad dream. Are you okay, want some water?"
"No, thank you. And don't worry about me—I'm used to it."
Rolling over, he pulled the blanket up to his chin, shoulders curling inward.
"All my dreams are bad. I'm really tired though, can I go back to bed?"
The simple honesty in it hit harder than she expected.
"Sure kid, get some sleep."
She stayed there a while, watching his breathing slowly even out beneath the blanket. It didn't take him long to drift off again, sweat cooling on his brow, and as she watched, something in her chest pulled tight.
Without really thinking, she reached out and rested a hand on his head.
She didn't know whether to pat him or rub his hair, so she just left it there, fingers awkward against the warmth.
A small smile flickered across Ash's sleeping face.
'He's kinda cute when he's not talking.'
[Shatterbay is no place for a child.]
'The whole world isn't. Maybe I can talk to father—'
Her spine prickled.
She pulled her hand back immediately, stood, and crossed to the window, moonlight washing cold across the glass.
'Took long enough.'
Closing her eyes, she reached through the bond to her familiar.
She'd finally found Seo-jin.