The silence of the forest slowly returned after the vibrating air after the ritual.
Ken, Courtney and Norman stood at the edge of the clearing, their hearts still pounding from shock, but the shared experience created a kind of connection between them. In the succubus hell, because of the faceless creature, but also because the Succubus had pulled him with her charm curse magic.
However, something new had happened. In the city, in the darker streets, an invisible spiritual presence began to move.
The sound of a low, almost parodic chuckle echoed off the walls of the empty alleys. It was the spirit of Martin Hale. His aura was hidden, so it was invisible and undetectable to mortals, and the inhabitants of the city noticed nothing of the strange phenomena.
Martin was no longer the old, powerful manipulator. After the ritual, something must have happened in his death: as a disembodied, but still present spirit, he tried to find people whose minds were weak.
"Oh, that's impossible…" he whispered to himself as he watched a little boy pushing a bicycle. "A little more brain wouldn't hurt… But no… everyone is weak!"
The boy simply drove away, and Martin threw up his arms in annoyance. "Compared to my original body, this… this… this is comical!" he blurted out. "Who has such a weak brain? No, no… I have to start all over again!"
Wandering around the city like a ghost, Martin examined every weak mind: geeks, shy kids, flu sufferers… they were all unsuitable. His attempts lasted for months, because the normal, strong minds were all too alert.
"One… two… three…" he counted out loud while trying to possess an old man, who immediately sneezed and turned away. "You say you're the perfect victim… you're a sick geek, this is not good!"
Meanwhile, Martin Hale's ghost had become more and more of a comical figure. Despite his past experiences, the weak minds of mortals played tricks on him.
After each attempt, he would stomp furiously as he searched the quiet alleys of the city, and instead of screams, he would be greeted only by soft laughter and sneezing.
Ken and Norman, who occasionally worked in other parts of the city, still did not know about the ghost. His aura was hidden, so he remained completely invisible to them.
Only Martin felt his own shortcomings flawlessly as he wandered the city, trying to find anyone he could take over.
Courtney would occasionally send Ken a small text message: -Listen... if something strange happens, DO NOT TOUCH IT. Just... don't.
And Ken understood that there was some new, invisible danger in the city, but they knew nothing about it specifically.
This thread would drag on for months.
Martin, as a ghost, impatiently searched for the ideal target, while Ken, Norman and Courtney tried to deduce from the clues: the dark energies of the city had not subsided after the victim of the faceless creature.
There was something new in the air, something unexpected, and the young people did not yet know that this would be the return of Martin's ghost, but for now they only kept their safety in mind.