Corvus looked around, blinking in confusion. He mumbled to himself, "Was that… really Corvus?"
As if on cue, the air once again distorted in front of him, and the figure of Corvus—white, translucent like a ghost—appeared, an angry expression on his face as he pointed at him.
"Of course it's me, you bastard! Now give me back my body!!"
Looking at the angry ghost this time, he was not fazed.
"Damn, so this is my new talent… can do—" he mumbled.
He recalled the description of his own Talent.
[ Talent: Ghost Lord ]
[ Rank: Silver ]
A Spiritual aspect talent that allows the user to interact with, dominate, and command ghosts and lingering spirits of the dead.
[ Current Unlocked Subskills ]:
Ghost Subjugation
Allows the user to forcibly bind any ghost and store it, as long as it is equal or weaker than the user.
Ghost Soldier Creation
Enables the user to convert subjugated ghosts into physical ghost soldiers that can exist and fight in the material world. Fully loyal to user. ]
Corvus's smile widened. "So that really was him… the original Corvus."
He turned to the furious ghost, who was still throwing punches at him, though they passed straight through his body.
"Relax, I'm not the one who killed you," Corvus said calmly. "In fact, I'm just as confused as you."
Of course, the ghost Corvus didn't believe him. He continued to throw punches and kicks at him, even though they did nothing.
Corvus glanced at the ghost floating in front of him—his predecessor. Sighing, he sat on the edge of the bed, looking at him.
"Okay, look," he said, staring at the angry ghost. "Screaming and kicking around isn't going to help either of us. So why don't you just calm down a bit, and let's talk?"
Ghost Corvus stopped but kept glaring at him. Rage burned in his translucent eyes, but there was nothing he could do—not physically. Not now.
Seeing he had calmed down, Corvus nodded. "Alright, let's get some facts straight. First off, I was a Lord Rune wielder… and I had a Talent called Rebirth."
He came up with this story—a perfect lie. There was no way he could admit he was from another world. Saying so would make things more complicated and even dangerous for him.
"I died, which activated the condition for my talent, and then the next moment I found myself here in this body."
"But it also means you died. That's the only reason I am here, as my talent can only allow me to rebirth from a recently deceased body."
Ghost Corvus frowned as he looked at him. "So… I died. And only after that were you able to possess me?"
"Yes," Corvus nodded. "And as for why you're still here—it's because of the talent I awakened: Ghost Lord. It allows me to see and interact with the ghosts of the recently deceased, especially those who still carry lingering regrets or unfulfilled wishes."
He leaned forward slightly, looking at him.
"If I am near a body that died with strong will and strong unfulfilled desire, I can still see the lingering spirit tied to it. In this case, that's you."
Ghost Corvus glared. "Cut the crap. I want my body back."
Corvus met his gaze as he said, "Were you even listening? That's not possible."
"…What?" the ghost's voice rose again.
"It's over. You're dead. Your soul wasn't strong enough to awaken a rune, and the Tier 0 core destroyed your body from the inside. The only reason you can even talk now is because of the talent I got in this body."
The spirit of Corvus gritted his teeth, unwillingness flashing in his eyes.
"You have two choices," Corvus said calmly. "One—I subjugate you using Ghost Subjugation and turn you into a Ghost Soldier. This way, you'll still exist, and you can even interact with the physical world, no longer being a helpless ghost."
He paused, watching the ghost Corvus's reaction. Seeing he was listening, he continued.
"Or two—I do nothing. Within the next half hour, hours, or days, you'll be pulled into the cycle—Heaven, Hell, or whatever afterlife karma has prepared for you. I can't stop that once it starts."
"And then you will be gone for good, with no chance to come back."
Ghost Corvus fell silent.
He stared at his ghost body… then back at his real body.
"…You bastard," he muttered. But he didn't lash out.
He understood—his unwillingness to remain mortal killed him.
If he had not eaten that core,
If he had not believed in those shitty rumors…
But there are no ifs in this world.
There is no medicine for regrets—once done, it's done. Nothing can change it.
He looked again at the guy who was now in his body…
"Do you mean to say… not only did you take my body, but now I have to live under you as a servant?!" Ghost Corvus asked, voice raised as he pointed at him angrily.
Corvus, sitting calmly on the bed, looked up and replied coolly, "You're lucky you're even getting this choice. If it weren't for the talent I awakened, you would've already been erased—vanished without a trace. No second options."
He looked at him, shrugging. "You should be happy I'm a good guy. If it was someone else, they might've just watched you coldly fade and taken over your life. Yet here I am, even giving you a chance, as I'm grateful that I got to live again and certainly not someone who's going to take over your entire life."
Ghost Corvus looked at Corvus's calm eyes, fists clenched. "Do I even have a choice?" he asked, sighing in defeat.
"Yes," Corvus nodded. "You do. You can either live on as a ghost… or pass on now and be truly gone forever."
Silence filled the room.
The ghost looked back at Corvus, mind spinning as he weighed the choices.
After a moment:
"…Alright," he said at last. "Do it. I'll be your servant… from now on."
Corvus saw the decision in his eyes. This wasn't defeat—it was desperation to still live.
"I still have many things to do," he said, looking at Corvus.
Memories stirred in the ghost's heart. The reason why he desperately wanted to awaken—his sister. He wanted to help her, ease her burden.
But he had failed.
Even as he was dying, he prayed to live so he could help his sister. But now, as he looked at his own body occupied by someone else, a thought stirred in his mind…
Maybe some god didn't abandon me after all, the ghost thought. Maybe this… is my second chance.