Ronwa blinked several times, eyeing Oda with sharp suspicion, as if trying to uncover a hidden mask.
Then she asked in an almost accusatory tone:
"You say you're a ghost... but you look completely human. How?"
Od raised an eyebrow calmly, as if he had expected the question. In his deep, steady voice, he said:
"That is one of the traits of... exceptional ghosts.
Some of us can take on the form we had in life.
But it's not a common ability—only the Key Bearers and those of their tier can do it."
She looked at him with childlike wonder and curiosity:
"Tier? You mean there are... ranks among ghosts?"
He nodded, then sat on a nearby stone bench, resting his hands on his knees:
"Yes. There are ordinary ghosts—those who merely appear and vanish...
And then there's a special class, ones who retain unusual traits—like keeping a human form.
And more importantly... possessing powers."
Ronwa thought out loud:
"Powers? You mean like magic?"
He gave a faint smile and replied:
"More like supernatural abilities.
Each Key Bearer has a unique power—one tied to the nature of their death... or the life they once lived.
And these powers vary in strength from one ghost to another."**
Then, noticing her thoughtful gaze lingering on him, he tilted his head slightly and asked:
"Why do you ask? Have you met another ghost besides me?"
Ronwa hesitated for a second, then answered with innocent pride and a small smile:
"Oh yes. His name is **Ron**."
Oda froze in place. He stared at her intently.
"Ron?!"
She looked at him with her wide eyes and replied in a cheerful tone:
"Yes, my twin."
His brows lifted, and his voice faltered, as if the air had been pulled from his chest.
He whispered in disbelief:
"Your twin... is Ron?!"
Ronwa nodded, still smiling, unaware of the shock she had just planted in the ghost's heart.
Silence lingered for a few seconds before Oda spoke in a low voice, as if thinking out loud:
"Each Key Bearer knows a little about the others...
We may not know their faces,
but we feel their presence, we recognize their energies,
as if our souls are tied together by an invisible thread."
Ronwa looked at him with glowing curiosity. He raised his eyes to her and said:
"Ron... is the First—holder of the First Key. That's why his power is... extraordinary.
I may have died before him, but that means nothing.
Our rank isn't based on who died first, but on the weight we carry—the echo we leave behind."
Then his voice softened, as if remembering something heavy:
"But there is... someone stronger."
He fell silent, just for a moment, but something in him changed.
His smile vanished.
His face turned stiff—frightening.
Then, without warning...
His eyes changed.
Gone was the shimmer of life. They turned pitch black—two voids with no end.
The air froze. A creeping cold spread through the space,
as if even the trees were gasping for breath.
He looked at Ronwa with a terrifying gaze.
His voice came out low, as if it echoed from the depths:
"Do you truly want... to know who it is?"
Ronwa took a step back, her heart pounding faster.
But she didn't run. Instead, she lifted her chin and stared into his black eyes—
as if daring the void within them.
Her voice trembled, but she spoke with honesty:
"No... I don't want to."
Suddenly—
His eyes returned to normal.
The cold lifted.
The world breathed again.
*Oda closed his eyes for a moment, grounding himself in reality, then opened them with quiet calm and said:
"A wise choice... The princess should not see everything. Not yet."