"To everyone else, I'm just an NPC — someone completely uninteresting."
For some reason, Leci looked sad when she said that. Her expression mirrored the gloomy weather that day. The light drizzle grew heavier, filling the silence between them.
"Is that why you're single?"
Kieron's question shattered the melancholy atmosphere. Leci's cheeks turned red — a mix of embarrassment and irritation. "What's wrong with being single?!"
Kieron let out a small laugh and stepped closer to the grumbling girl. His hand reached out to gently touch the top of Leci's head, guiding her closer until her chin brushed against his.
"If you beg me," he whispered, "I might agree to be your lover."
Leci was a little taken aback — after all, that was the first time anyone had ever asked her out. No one had ever asked her to be their girlfriend before. Even so… why did it have to be Kieron of all people?!
"Stop joking around. You already have Amanda, don't you?" Leci retorted as she turned away. If she kept entertaining Kieron, their journey would never move forward. At this rate, they wouldn't even reach their destination by nightfall.
Kieron pouted, clearly disappointed by Leci's reaction. He thought she might at least be a little tempted — but apparently not.
"Why don't you try lifting whatever protective spell you've got on yourself?" he teased softly. "Maybe then people would actually find you attractive."
Leci bent down and picked up a worn-out doll lying beside the trash bin — no one knew why. "I can see your ill intentions," Leci said sharply, her eyes flicking toward Kieron with a piercing glare.
The man busied himself by watching the clouds, pretending not to understand. "Is the place still far from here?" he asked casually.
He's clearly changing the subject, Leci thought wearily. She was getting tired of Kieron's behavior. Now she began to question whether he was truly a teacher at her school or not. What if everything about him had just been an act all along?
"We're almost there — just past the intersection ahead," Leci replied, pointing in the direction she meant.
They continued walking in silence, and about five minutes later, they finally arrived at their destination.
It was an old, decaying playground — clearly abandoned for years. Even though it stood right in the middle of a housing complex, the place was eerily silent. Surely, ghost stories about this haunted spot had long spread throughout the neighborhood.
"It really does look like a place that must be haunted," Kieron commented. He stepped ahead of Leci, wandering around to observe the broken play structures one by one.
Then his gaze landed on a seesaw.
"Wanna try this one?" he asked, a mischievous grin curling on his handsome face.
Leci's sharp glare was the only response to Kieron's playful invitation. Ignoring his presence entirely, she immediately set to work. This wasn't just about keeping her promise to Kieron — it was something she had to finish.
"Come little children, I'll take thee away, into a land of enchantment." ♪
Kieron froze as Leci suddenly began to sing. She stood in the middle of the playground, directly beneath the dim glow of the park lamp — perfectly visible from every corner. The tattered doll she had picked up earlier was now in her arms, and Kieron couldn't help but wonder what she was doing.
But, when he noticed a dark shadow hiding behind the slide, everything clicked. It was the ghost of a little child. The spirit seemed drawn to Leci's song — and to the doll she held tightly in her hands.
"Come, little children... the time has come to play here, in my garden of shadows." ♪
The little ghost crept closer, step by step. At first, it hid behind the slide — a fleeting silhouette swallowed by the dark — then shifted behind the spinning chair, crimson eyes glinting beneath the dim park lights. It watched Leci, unblinking. Kieron's presence meant nothing to it.
"Follow, sweet children... I'll show thee the way, through all the pain and the sorrows." ♪
Leci didn't move. Her voice, soft yet haunting, floated through the night air — a melody that silenced even the wind. Even as the Ghost Child drew nearer, she didn't falter.
She simply stood there, holding her ground, as the small figure emerged behind a half-buried tire, painted in colors long faded by time. Its gaze was sharp enough to cut through the dark.
Click!
Blam!
The park lights that once bathed Leci in a pale glow flickered—then died in an instant. Darkness swallowed everything.
As the shadows thickened, the ghost leaped forward, lunging at Leci with a shriek, both hands raised high.
"Graaaah!"
Kieron's foot moved before his mind could catch up, ready to pull Leci away—but then the ghost stopped.
Leci held up the ragged doll. Just that. A single gesture, simple yet disarming.
Like any child drawn to the comfort of a toy, the little ghost hesitated. Its burning eyes softened. Slowly, it reached out, taking the doll into its trembling hands—then hugged it tightly, almost tenderly.
"Weep not, poor children, for life is this way… murdering beauty and passions." ♪
Still singing, Leci opened her small notebook—the one she always carried with her—and began to write. Her pen glided swiftly across the page, tracing words that glowed faintly in the dark.
Then she tore the page out, blew on it gently, and watched as the charm-laden paper drifted toward the ghost… until it pressed against its cold forehead.
Blar!
The paper charm burst into flames. The ghost's crimson eyes sharpened once more—burning with fury. In an instant, it lunged at Leci, its cold hands reaching for her throat.
"Shadow Tendril Spell!"
As its name implied, dark tendrils surged from the ground, coiling around the ghost's body, halting its deadly grasp. Leci stumbled back, putting distance between them. Her breath trembled, but her voice didn't.
Still humming softly, she began to write another incantation onto a fresh slip of paper.
"Hush now, dear children, it must be this way... too weary of life and deceptions." ♪
Just like before, Leci blew on the page. The spellbound paper drifted through the air and pressed itself against the ghost's forehead.
"Soul Lock Spell," she whispered.
This time, the charm paper stretched and twined itself around the ghost's body, wrapping it completely like a mummy. Leci drew her silver hairpin, standing directly before the spirit. She pressed her palms together, closing her eyes in silent prayer for the soul that had lost its way.
Then, with a steady breath, she drove the hairpin into the ghost's head.
Kieron raised his brows, surprised. He never would have guessed that such a delicate hairpin could serve as a tool to end an exorcism. More than that, he found himself oddly impressed by how Leci did it — calm, reverent, and resolute. For some reason, she looked... reliable.
"Rest now, my children, for soon we'll away into the calm and quiet." ♪
Leci's song came to its final note just as the ghost turned into a soulstone, glowing faintly before hardening into stillness. A strong wind swept through the park, carrying away the heavy clouds above — as if the night itself sighed in relief.
And there, in the distance, the sunset began to bloom over the western horizon.
Clap, clap, clap.
The lone spectator applauded—slow, deliberate, and almost mocking. Whether out of sincerity or mere amusement, Leci couldn't tell. All she knew was how Kieron's broad grin scraped against her patience like sandpaper.
Without sparing him a glance, she stooped down, picked up the soulstone, and threw it toward him.
"I've kept my promise," she murmured, brushing the dust from her palms as if wiping away the weight of a vow.
Kieron caught the soulstone Leci had thrown perfectly, examining it briefly before meeting her gaze again. "It's only been one day. You still have three hundred and sixty-four days left," he replied with a sly grin.
"Damn it," Leci hissed under her breath, turning away so he wouldn't see the flicker in her eyes.
"Don't be like that. We should savor this moment together… slowly," Kieron replied.
Before Leci could even blink, he was already standing before her—so close that the air between them seemed to hum. He brushed the back of his hand against her cheek, a touch both tender and unnerving.
Leci's tanzanite eyes widened in shock. That fleeting moment of weakness—caught off guard—was enough for his touch to linger. A shiver ran down her spine.
"Stop it, Sir!" she protested, swatting his hand away. "I've kept my promise, now you have to keep yours. You're not allowed to absorb anyone's soul in this school, do you hear me?"
Kieron nodded slowly, as if he understood. Yet the glint in his eyes betrayed his indifference. Instead of responding, he casually lifted the coin-sized soulstone—then swallowed it whole.
His expression softened into one of satisfaction, like a predator after a quiet feast.
He actually ate it, Leci thought to herself, disbelief flickering in her mind. It was the first time she had ever seen anyone consume a soulstone.
In her family, every soulstone they collected was always burned—to prevent misuse. Did this mean Leci had found herself a new disposal method? If so, she wouldn't have to burn them every time she exorcised a lost spirit.
"All done, right? Then I'll be heading home," Leci said cheerfully, gripping the straps of her backpack and turning to leave the playground.
Grip!
Leci hadn't expected Kieron to grab her backpack, yanking her backward. She stumbled, her back slamming into his broad, firm chest. Before she could even react, a sharp pain crawled along her neck.
"Leci! What do you think you're doing?!"
On her way out, Leci caught sight of Norris, his sharp gaze fixed directly on her. Panic flickered through her chest. She instantly pulled away from Kieron, terrified of another misunderstanding—Taryn had already been bad enough; she didn't need Norris added to the list.
"I-I just finished exorcising—" Leci's words faltered when she realized Kieron was still standing there. Her mouth hung slightly open, frozen in surprise.
"It's getting late," Norris said firmly. "It's dangerous to be out here alone. Let's go home." The young man, about Leci's age, didn't wait for her to reply. He took her hand, leading her toward the road that would take them back.
Leci blinked, startled and confused. When she glanced over her shoulder, Kieron was still there—standing exactly where she'd left him. He smiled softly, lifting his hand to wave at her.
But why couldn't Norris see him? Was this the same trick Kieron used back when a group of male students passed by? What kind of magic was that, exactly?
Before Leci could even think further, Norris suddenly stopped walking. His eyes narrowed sharply. "Leciara... explain this to me. Why is there a red mark on your neck, huh?!"
"R-red mark?" Leci blinked in confusion. But then, she remembered—the moment Kieron had pulled her back, the sharp pain that had spread through her neck. Her hands clenched tightly as she turned around, but Kieron was already gone.
"Did you... do something improper?" Norris snapped, his voice rising in anger. Her cousin's face was dark with fury.
"No! You've got it all wrong!" Leci protested desperately.
✤ ✣ ✤
Song : Come Little Children — by Erutan