71 Chapter 71
"Now that that's all over with.."
The moment Aruno left Kaelor's gate, silence pressed in. His footsteps were steady, but something in the air felt wrong—too heavy, too still.
Then the world buckled.
A figure stood dead ahead. White hair streaming in the windless air, face shadowed, eyes nothing but bottomless black.
Aruno's throat clenched. He knew that figure. He knew it wasn't possible.
Ryū.
"There you are," the voice split the quiet, low at first, then cracking into a deep snarl. "My successor. The Ghost. Spawn of Dracula. Pretender who thinks he can carry my shadow."
Aruno's pulse spiked, his feet rooted to the ground.
Ryū's head tilted, his black eyes burning into him. "Do you even understand what you've stepped into? Do you think your fragile will—your trembling little resolve—will survive what's coming?" His words dripped venom, cutting deep into Aruno's broken mind.
Closer now. Step after step, until his presence was crushing.
"You carry my name without my weight. You carry their hope, but all I see is weakness." The words hammered into Aruno, each syllable sharper than a blade.
Then suddenly—Ryū zipped forward, hands clamping onto Aruno's shoulders like iron shackles. His touch was blistering cold, yet heavy enough to pin Aruno where he stood.
His mouth opened wide, and the roar tore out of him, deafening.
"RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN!"
The sound rattled the earth itself, shaking through Aruno's chest, continuing to ripple through his mind. Again and again Ryū screamed it, his face twisted in rage, his grip unyielding.
Aruno's vision blurred. He blinked—
And Ryū was gone.
The path was empty. The silence absolute. Only that one word remained, still echoing inside him like a curse- RUN.
Aruno staggered, breath ragged, the aura of Ryū's absence somehow heavier than his presence. His hands trembled as if the phantom grip still burned into his shoulders.
"…The hell was that?" His voice cracked, low and hoarse.
Silence answered—until another voice stirred inside him. Calm, watchful.
"It wasn't him," Void said.
Aruno's eyes flicked, scanning the empty path. "…Void."
"A shadow. A memory carved too deep to fade. Whether it was his will or your guilt, does it matter? He said what you already know."
Aruno clenched his jaw. The word still rattled in his chest. Run.
"You felt it. The truth of it. That command wasn't for escape—it was for survival. If you can't face what's coming, you die. Simple."
Aruno swallowed hard, sweat cold on his skin. "Why now? Why him?"
"Because he is what you fear becoming… and what you must become. The Ghost doesn't cower from visions. He answers them."
"Fuck that," he muttered, voice low but biting. "I am not him. I am not Ryū. I am Aruno Kurogane. I am the Ghost."
His eyes, calm and unflinching, scanned the path ahead. The weight on his shoulders felt lighter. His pulse steadied, the chaos in his mind no longer clawing to the surface.
Void stirred, approving, almost amused. "Finally. Some backbone. Took you long enough."
Aruno allowed himself a half-smirk, adjusting the cloak around his shoulders as he stepped forward. "I've seen shadows, felt fear, faced pain… but that doesn't define me. I define me. My path, my rules."
The empty path stretched ahead, the sun dipped lower, washing the world in pale gold. Whatever the world threw at him, whatever specters tried to haunt him, he would meet them as himself.
"I am the Ghost," he repeated, louder this time, letting the name carve itself into the air. "And I move forward. Alone if I must. But I move forward."
"Void- let's go see what Liraya is doing. She- she was kind of comforting."
"Do whatever you want, just don't grow attachments."
Now that the sun has gone. These lights around the village really make this place look beautiful. I'm going to leave- if I stay around here any longer bad things can happen.
"Liraya are you in?" He called softly, though his voice carried a weight he hadn't intended. "It's me Aruno."
The door creaked open, and Liraya's calm figure appeared. Her eyes flicked up at him, assessing, steady as ever.
"You're back earlier than I expected," she said, voice quiet but firm. "And… you look different."
Aruno ran a hand over the back of his neck, eyes fixed on her. "It's been… a long day," he said, voice low but steady. "But I'm still here. I'm still moving forward. That's what matters."
Liraya studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "Okay that's what matters right. The night is long and the world unpredictable. You should rest. You should stay."
Aruno hesitated. The thought of stopping, of letting himself rest after everything he'd endured, felt foreign. But the steady presence of Liraya, calm and unshakable, drew something out of him he hadn't felt in days.
"I… suppose I could," he said finally, voice low. "For tonight."
She stepped aside, allowing him entrance. "Alrighty. It's settled, then. Warm yourself, and rest. Good people even when troubled deserve rest."
He stepped in, letting the door close behind him. "You are a kind person. Thank you once again, Liraya."
"Sit," Liraya said, gesturing toward a cushion at the table. "I've set some food aside. Not much, but it'll do."
Aruno lowered himself onto the cushion, watching her move around the small room with calm efficiency, setting a bowl of stew and a cup of water before him.
"You always eat like this?" he asked, voice quiet.
"Like what?" she replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Quiet. Alone. Calm," he said. "Most people… they rush, talk too much, fill the silence."
Liraya smiled faintly, returning to the table. "Silence isn't emptiness. It's space to think, to notice what's around you. To notice yourself."
Aruno let the comment sit with him, eyes on the simple meal. He reached for the bowl, taking a small sip of the broth, letting the warmth seep into him. It was grounding in a way he hadn't realized he needed.
"You're not like others," she continued, voice soft. "I can see it. Even when you don't speak, even when you move through the world quietly, there's… presence. Something steady under all that."
He lifted his gaze to her, the faint red in his eyes catching the lantern light. "…I just try to move forward," he said. His tone was measured, cautious. "That's all anyone can do."
She nodded, understanding more in his words than he said aloud. "Moving forward… that can be enough. Sometimes it's more than enough."
A quiet pause filled the room. "This will do for now, thank you for the food." Aruno's eyes flicked to the corner where the small mat lay.
"You'll stay here," Liraya said, "and if something troubles your rest… you can wake me. Or not. I'll know."
He raised an eyebrow but didn't respond. Her calm certainty wasn't a tether, it was a presence—something he could recognize and respect without needing to cling to it.
"Sleep," she said, standing and beginning to straighten a few things around the room. "Tomorrow, the world will still be there. And you'll still be moving forward. That's all that matters."
Aruno inclined his head slightly. "…All that matters," he echoed, letting the phrase settle in the quiet room.
He laid back on the mat, arms folded behind his head, eyes open for a moment, taking in the warmth, the quiet, the simple rhythm of a room untouched by the chaos outside. Then, letting Void's calm presence anchor him, he allowed his lids to close.