When Emilia awoke, it wasn't to birdsong or sunlight — but to the creak of wooden beams and the soft crackle of fire. Her eyes fluttered open, bleary and sore. For a moment, the pain in her leg dulled everything else.
She tried to sit.
"Careful," came a low voice near the fireplace. "You move too fast, you'll tear the stitches."
Asher.
She turned her head, taking in the small cottage. Modest. Lived-in. A hunter's retreat far from civilization. The scent of herbs hung in the air. Near the window, a long cloak fluttered gently on a wooden peg.
And beside her, hovering just inches above the floorboards, was her — the ghost.
Elira.
She was as haunting as before. Not terrifying — but cold, and impossibly sad. The ghost's gaze held none of the malice from the tales Emilia grew up with. She wasn't cursed. She was mourning.
"You're awake," Asher said, walking over with a cup of water. "Here. Sip slowly."
Emilia took it with trembling hands. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Why… why can I see her?"
Asher raised an eyebrow. "You tell me. Most people can't. Not unless they've studied soul arts. You haven't, right?"
She shook her head. "I… I don't even know what soul arts are."
"Then you're one of the rare ones." He sat across from her, staring into the fire. "Some people are born with sensitivity. Fewer survive long enough to know it."
Emilia looked to Elira, who was watching her silently. "She's… your wife?"
"Was," Asher replied without emotion.
"I'm still here, aren't I?" Elira said softly, though only the two of them could hear her.
"She died three years ago," Asher explained. "Accident in a Soul Rift near the Eastern Divide. But her soul didn't pass on. She stayed."
Emilia's fingers tightened around the cup. "That's… horrible."
"She doesn't think so," Asher said. "Though sometimes, I wonder."
Elira turned away, fading slightly into the air like mist caught in moonlight.
"I… I shouldn't have come here," Emilia said suddenly. "I brought danger. They're still chasing me."
"I figured," Asher replied. "I saw the tracks."
Emilia's voice cracked. "They killed my village."
That silenced the room.
"They came at night," she continued. "Three of them. Not like regular beasts — these… they talked. They tore through my home like it was paper. I saw one rip the head off my uncle and laugh."
Asher's expression darkened.
"I ran," she whispered. "I don't even remember how far. Days. I thought I'd die in that forest. But then I saw her. Your ghost wife. She led me here."
Elira blinked. "She saw me before you found her."
"That's new," Asher muttered. "She usually hides from strangers."
"I don't think she meant to help me," Emilia said. "But she did."
The fire crackled.
Asher stood and walked to a shelf lined with vials and charms. He pulled out a rune-marked shard and held it to the window. The etched symbol glowed red.
"They're close," he said. "Soul-bound trackers. Probably beast class C or higher."
Emilia's breath caught. "They found me?"
"Yeah. But don't worry."
He tossed the shard aside and reached for his sword — a blackened blade etched with pale silver grooves. The steel hummed with power.
"You're not alone anymore."
Outside, the forest bent with unnatural force. Trees shivered though no wind stirred. Branches cracked under invisible weight.
Two figures approached the cottage — massive, humanoid, twisted. Their bodies resembled armor made of bone and shadow. Their eyes burned violet.
"I smell her," one hissed. "The girl."
"And something else," said the other. "The ghost and the warrior. The soul-binder."
They stood at the edge of the clearing. Watching.
Waiting.
Inside, Elira floated to the window. "They're… wrong. Not born. Made."
"Cult work?" Asher asked.
"Definitely."
Emilia flinched. "What cult?"
Asher turned to her. "They call themselves the Cult of Shattered Names. They believe in breaking souls and reforging them into monsters. They've been growing bolder lately."
Elira's eyes dimmed. "One of them once tried to take my body from my grave."
Asher nodded grimly. "These beasts aren't here for food. They want you for something else."
Emilia swallowed hard. "Then what do we do?"
Asher stepped toward the door, sword in hand, eyes glowing faintly with soul energy.
"We kill them."