gifgifFaded EchoValentine Rosewood found himself tossing and turning in his dormitory, once again unable to sleep. It wasn’t terribly late at least, only around 11pm, but if previous nights were anything to judge by he’d be up for hours yet. It was always the dark hours, when he was meant to be relaxing, that his brain would decide it was a good time to dwell over every possible concern or past mistake. Deciding it was better to give up now than lay in bed all night waiting idly, he tossed away the blankets as if they were a personal offense and leapt to his feet. Now all he had to do was...decide what he wanted to do next. He glanced at the white, shimmering crystal he kept in a locket by his bed. A month ago the crystal had come to him, and the magic octopus spirit within - called Ahm - had granted him powers to be used to investigate the opening rift between the underworld and this one. Of course he could only use those powers when transformed by the crystal’s magic, and had been warned not to use it too frivolously, but still - being able to fly sometimes was never not cool, could he really be called irresponsible for using them to go on a late night spin? Swiftly donning his magical form, he flew out the window without a second thought - anyone who could theoretically see him was probably inside anyways. For the first… hour and a half more or less, he was able to entirely occupy himself by soaring through the skies, dropping by windows of every shop still open, and practicing making different displays of light with his powers. But then the nighttime blues crept back, and he wished suddenly he was in his civilian form; using the powers was always a joy, but he couldn’t help the weight that came to him knowing they were all Ahm’s doing, and that with these powers he was intended to lead the other four chosen by the crystals. In all his life, he had never exhibited a single trait befitting a leader. He was aimless and indecisive, he didn’t know what he was meant to be doing let alone what everyone else ought to be, and he certainly wasn’t skilled at forming working relationships. In fact that was one thing he had always found nearly impossible. Sure, in this case he had the benefit of his best friend being one of the four other Chosen, but he knew he hadn’t made the best of impressions on the other three. He just wished he could do more on his own, without always relying on Ahm, but for someone like him that probably wasn’t realistic. A sudden wailing pierced through the sky, startling Valentine out of his melancholy. Glancing around frantically, he tried to figure out where the sound could be coming from, but the streets below all looked empty aside from the cars on the street. As the cry repeated, Valentine realized it sounded a bit distorted, more like a series of echoes. Switching the focus of his gaze to the buildings, he tried to find anything out of place, suspecting this might be caused by one of the many supernatural phenomena that had started occurring since the Rift re-opened. After a moment, he did notice a large, white building with barred windows. He couldn’t remember if it was supposed to be there or not, but it stood out enough compared to the rest of the residential and small shop area that he decided to give it a look first. The windows were mostly too dusted over to see much through, but there didn’t seem to be much movement from within, and no obvious sounds other than the periodic, echoing wail. He tried the front door, but of course it was locked, and he didn’t want to cause a ruckus this late at night by blasting the door down. A sinking feeling was forming inside him; he probably couldn’t do this alone, and he wasn’t even sure how big of a deal it was. If it was something simple, it would be embarrassing to drag all four of the others out of bed, and they’d probably be really put out at losing so much sleep and trust his leadership even less. No, he decided, he would just wake up one of them and see where that takes him. And whatever the consequences, he’d face them as himself, leaving Ahm at home. Cedar, his best friend, would probably judge him the least, but she also had a recital early in the morning that meant a lot to her, so he didn’t want to give her any stress. Hadyn and Raelene might go along with it, but he still had hope of keeping their good graces, and knew that they had a lot on their plates as well, with the former being a lawyer and the latter being a working mother. It would have to be someone who he didn’t mind being a nuisance towards, and who would still be willing to assist him despite that. He had never felt such an odd mix of irritated dread and amused delight as he did the moment he realized who he’d be visiting. Pencil scratched against paper as Clematis Ruan wrote xyr notes fervently, a nearby lamp giving xem light to read by. It had been several hours since xe had got off work at the medical residency xe lived by, and xe had wrapped up any paperwork for the day already. But there was still work to be done. For the last month xe had been investigating paranormal disturbances with the aid of the purple crystal spirit, Ohm, and the other crystal bearers, but it had been nearly two hundred years since the Rift was last opened, meaning reliable information on the subject had become difficult to find. Half the time they were going in blind, so xe had been spending whatever extra time xe could find looking into what happened to the old texts on the subject. Last week had finally brought some success in xyr search, and xe was now reading as much as xe could on spirits, specters, ghouls, and every other manner of creature associated in some way with the underworld. It was the least xe could do to aid in the team’s work and keep them safe. Sure, xe had Ohm’s powers - power over ‘imagination and the mind’ - but it was no small thing to be entering and affecting other people’s minds. Xe had to be careful to do so responsibly, and not leave any lasting harm on anyone xe effected. And that wasn’t even mentioning the damage that could be done to xyr own mind if xe got too lost in someone else’s. No, memories and emotions and identity were all fragile enough in the human mind without outside interference. But xe could certainly do research, allow the team to go in more prepared, be able to make actual plans for once. Hopefully more knowledge would make it easier to save the lost ghosts as well, without extending their suffering any further. Xyr studies were abruptly cut off, however, when there came a sharp rattling at the window. Xe nearly jumped in alarm, xe was so wrapped up in what xe was reading. The feeling changed to confusion and mild irritation when xe saw that it was one of xyr new teammates standing outside the window. “Heyo~! Is the doctor in?” Valentine said with a grin, his long pink hair and vibrant clothing selection a stark contrast to the dim tidiness of the building. “No,” Clematis said, mostly out of habit as xe did wonder what on earth Valentine was doing at xyr place at all. “Aw, don’t be such a buzzkill. It’s freezing out here anyways, the least you could do is invite me in. Wouldn’t want me getting sick, would you?” “Not if it means seeing you more,” Clematis said, then sighed when Valentine only pouted in response and went to open the window. “Alright, what is it?” Valentine clambered in and plopped down on the desk chair before answering. “What would you say if I offered to take you on some late night ghost hunting?” “I’d ask what kind of ghost we were dealing with. And why Cedar or any of the others aren’t with you; they all live significantly closer to you than I do,” xe said, still a bit baffled. Xe didn’t want to do anything without knowing all the background facts, but was privately determined to help whatever creature it was causing havoc now. “Eh, I doubt it will be anything big enough to require all five of us. No one’s been possessed, or gone missing, and the only affected area seems to be some kind of abandoned hospital. Besides, I wouldn’t want to bother them needlessly, they all have things to do tomorrow,” he said. “And… you think I don’t have things to do?” “Nah, I just don’t care as much,” he gave a too-pleased smile at xem. “How could I say no to such a persuasive appeal?” xe deadpanned. “And, besides, I’m trying to break into a hospital. You’re a doctor in training, who better to have along on such a quest?” he tried to amend. Clematis just sighed. Valentine was always difficult, but xe still had to look after him as long as they worked together. And xe couldn’t neglect the ghost out of pure pettiness. “Alright… I’ll come. How far is this hospital from here?” xe asked. “Should be only a few miles, and I think there’s still a bus running that could take us there,” Valentine said. “Right. Let’s get going then. Oh, and here,” Clematis tossed an extra coat from xyr closet at Valentine, who caught it with a look of confusion. “Wha…?” “You said you were cold out there. Now show me where the bus stop is,” Xe said, putting on xyr own coat and pocketing xyr purple crystal and utility knife in case they were needed. Valentine put on the jacket with a flourish. “Well, not the most stylish of options, but it should work fine. Anyhow, this way,” he said, seeming just a bit more serious than before as he went back out the window. Clematis felt a little weird sneaking out of xyr own window, especially since xe wasn’t transformed or anything, but xe didn’t have the energy required to convince Valentine to just go through the front door like a normal person. Walking to a bus stop and then sitting on the bus was not something Valentine usually considered an awkward experience. He didn’t mind being around people, or having strangers talk to him, since ‘bus relationships’ were pretty much always shallow as a rule; so as long as everyone generally behaved, he was glad to gaze out the window and daydream or chat a bit with the locals. But riding a bus at night with Clematis somehow felt very, very awkward. Probably because this was the longest they had ever spent in each other’s company while not directly dealing with some threatening specter or creature, and xe was someone he very much did have to see regularly. Of course, part of him wanted to blame the entirety of this awkwardness on Clematis; if xe was even just slightly more sociable or heck, if xe just inflected or changed xyr expression more often, this whole thing would be way easier. “One thing I’m still wondering, Valentine; how did you hear about this haunting if it’s so small-scale?” Clematis asked out of the blue. “Oh, well… you tend to notice ghostly screams when you’re flying around. Would have gone in and got you more of that sweet, sweet data you’re always going on about, but the doors and windows were locked,” Valentine answered. Clematis raised an eyebrow at him. “Ghostly screams? And you didn’t think that might be dangerous because….?” “Oh come on, Clematis, ghosts scream all the time. It’s kind of their thing. As long as it isn’t humans screaming, it probably isn’t anything that can kill us,” Valentine said. He wished Clematis wouldn’t worry over every little thing so much; it had an odd way of making him feel a bit stupid, even though he was convinced Clematis was the one overthinking things. Maybe it was just because he knew Clematis thought he was incredibly stupid. “What kind of locks were they if you couldn’t break them? I might not be of much help if even that part is magical,” xe said. “Wh - I didn’t try to break them, Clematis, that would be loud! Might spook the spirit. Figured you could use your… brain knowledge to get us in quietly.” “I don’t exactly make a habit of breaking and entering, you know.” “Sure, but you must have learned something useful while off being an anti-social shut-in.” Valentine insisted. Maybe picking a fight on the bus wasn’t one of his more genius ideas, but at the moment it felt a lot less awkward than just not talking at all, so he was down for it. “Look, I’ll see what I can do when we get there. And I’m not a shut in.” Clematis said. Valentine scoffed. “In what way are you not a shut-in? You never go anywhere that isn’t work related somehow ,” he asked. “I open the window for half an hour a day. And I go out to get groceries. That’s plenty of fresh air.” “Okay, if we grudgingly count that sad evidence as the ‘getting out’ part of being a non-shut-in, how about the social part?” “Well, you harass me pretty regularly.” “And who do you talk to?” “My patients.” “That’s the life of a shut-in, Clematis!” Valentine insisted. Clematis shrugged. “Better than being a babbling airhead,” xe retorted. “No, I’m actually quite proud of that particular quality of mine. Anyways, here’s our stop,” he said, ringing the bell. He was glad it was a short walk from the stop to the hospital. Clematis looked up at the brick building and found xemself wondering once again what was wrong with hospital architects. Abandoned or not, it looked like some kind of prison with torture chambers, not a place to go to get help and support. Going up to the front doors, xe knelt down to look at the lock. It was an old fashioned lock, probably not difficult to break or pick as long as it didn’t have any spells or traps on it. Xe was vaguely familiar with the process of lock picking, but had never actually tried it before. Even so, xe was willing to give it a try. But first, xe took out the purple crystal from xyr pocket. “Ohm, can you sense any kind of threatening magic off of this lock?” xe asked. The crystal glimmered faintly, and then the transparent, purple octopus spirit materialized, moving a safe distance away from them both. “This whole place is one of magic, Clematis. But you will not take special harm from a door. You will open it, and you will go find the Source inside,” they said, their deep voice as commanding and full of general disapproval as usual. “Alright. Thank you, Ohm. I’ll let you know if I need your help,” xe said, knowing Ohm preferred to either stay in the crystal or in a place where they could be alone for a while. Ohm just gave xem a brief side glance and nod before returning to the crystal. “How come you’re only ever nice to them? They don’t even like people, and Ahm says they could be dangerous,” Valentine said. Clematis took out the utility knife and started working on the lock. If that failed xe could make the surrounding population hallucinate quiet as Valentine broke it, but xe’d rather not have to. “They offer their powers to help humankind, and guide me when I need it. I’m grateful for their help. And from what we can gather from Ahm and Ohm, it sounds more like Ohm’s last host was a threat more so than them,” xe said. “Riiight, sure. Anyways, is that lock coming off or not?” “Give me a second, I’ve never… oh,” the lock suddenly snapped off. “I’m not...entirely sure how I made that happen, but… alright. Let’s head in,” Clematis said, pulling at the handles of the door. A rush of cold air came with their opening, and the first glance at the inside of the building showed it to be a very dimly lit entry room; in it the chairs were knocked over, the walls and floors tattered, scratched, and marked looking. As soon as xe stepped over the threshold, however, xe felt an awful, icy burst of pain in xyr head along with a rush of foreign feelings. “Clematis? What happened?” Valentine asked, his tone bordering on panicked. “The spirit’s thoughts are… loud, that’s all. I’m alright,” xe said as xe started to adjust to the strange ringing in xyr mind. “The spirit’s thoughts? But I thought you only have telepathy while transformed?” “Broadly speaking, yes. I can’t use any kind of telepathy as I am now. But the magic that opened my mind to it is permanent; I can passively sense the thoughts of the supernatural or receive their telepathic signal regardless of which form I’m in,” xe explained. “Wow. I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or a curse, actually,” Valentine said. “Both, generally speaking,” Clematis managed, still trying to sort xyr own thoughts from the sudden onslaught of tightly wound emotion that had crash landed in xyr brain. The first discernible feeling was… general distress, layered with several other feelings. It was all terribly cold, almost like drowning in an ocean at night. Not making progress quickly enough for xyr liking, xe tried to turn to get a better look at xyr surroundings. “Valentine, can you make a light?” xe asked. Ahm had domain over light, the winds, and healing, so they often came out in the dark. “Oh, I uh… kind of left Ahm at home,” Valentine said. Clematis blinked. “What? I thought you said you found this place while flying? Why would you leave them home if you thought this place was haunted?” xe asked, bewildered. “Look, I figured Ahm would like a break for once, and it isn’t as though I can’t do anything on my own. You put a ghost to peace by yourself before getting your powers, didn’t you?” he said. “Yes, but I very nearly froze to death in the process. The crystals help protect us from things like that,” xe said. “Well then it’s extra good I brought a doctor along. It won’t be a problem, if anything happens we’ll just -” he started, but was then cut off by a piercing, echoing wail. It seemed to rattle in xyr mind, despairing and lost. “Geez. Anyways, that would be the wail that brought me here. Bit louder on the inside, though,” Valentine said. “Right...anyways, if Ahm isn’t here, then we need to look for some kind of lamp or candle. I can barely see anything like this,” Clematis said, hoping the ringing in xyr mind would go away if xe stayed focused on the task at hand. It was slow-going to make xyr way to the main desk with everything being tossed about in the dark, but after a few moments xe was able to search through the drawers and find an old flashlight. Turning it on, xe finally got a good look at the room they were both in. The walls and much of the furniture was badly charred over, as if burned; the windows cracked and fogged over. There was an old-fashioned phone still mostly in place on the counter, and xe could dimly see a few broad corridors that must lead to the patient rooms. The chairs, knocked over as they were, appeared to have been cushioned waiting seats. There weren’t any computers in sight, but there were some crooked filing containers behind the front desk, along with scattered papers. Xe moved towards the front desk to try and get a look at the nearest pages. “Atwood Crest Hospital… I haven’t heard of any hospital by that name being around here, but it does sound familiar,” xe said, looking over the logos and titles on the piece of paper. “Maybe we’re in the past? This place certainly looks old,” Valentine suggested. “Most spirits can’t literally manipulate time, but I agree that something reminiscent of that is probably going on… let’s head down the halls and see if we can find any other clues,” xe said. The first hall was much wider than xe had originally guessed, and much longer, but xe supposed that was fitting for such a large building. On either side, much of the wall was taken up by windows, though at a glance xe couldn’t see through them as all the curtains were drawn. There were a series of doors as well, all of them closed and covered in the same burn marks as the main room, though the windows weren’t as cracked. The wailing had paused, and yet Clematis couldn’t shake the cold, or the ringing in xyr mind. The tangle of feelings from the spirit continued to buzz about as well, impossible to ignore and yet just as difficult to unravel. Every time xe almost had a single feeling pinned down, several new ones would take its place. Xe was only certain none of them were happy; which was usually the case with ghosts and so not nearly as telling as xe would have liked. Valentine followed warily behind, holding his coat tightly around him and glancing back and forth nervously. “Well this place just keeps getting cheerier… do you think we should be looking in all these doors?” he asked. Then there was another round of wailing, its echoes almost seeming to travel through the walls and upwards before fading. Xe covered xyr ears when it first started, as the sound agitated the presence in xyr mind something awful, but tried to listen more closely once xe noticed the movement associated with it. “I feel like… if we were meant to go through a door, there’d be something different about it, with how this spirit can alter its surrounding in some capacity or another. But more than that, I think whatever the Source is, it isn’t on the first floor,” Clematis said. “Okay… but there must be lots of staircases in a building this big. Shouldn’t we try to go different ways, cover more ground?” “No. Splitting up is always the most dangerous thing to do around an uncategorized spirit. We should stick together,” “But you want to go up stairs. Surely this place has some kind of elevator or something, it has phones,” “Elevators aren’t safe either,” “Technically I am the leader of this whole operation, you know,” “A stupid idea is a stupid idea. We’re sticking together, and we’re going up the first stairwell we find,” Clematis insisted. “Ugh… you’re starting to sound more and more like Ohm...but fine, let’s hop to it then,” Valentine said. Clematis knew xe should try to be more...diplomatic, but there was so much on xyr mind that the extra effort seemed beyond xyr capabilities at the moment. It took a little walking to find the first stairwell - and sure enough, it looked as burned and scratched up as everything else. Normally xe wouldn’t trust such weak looking architecture, but this was a place of magic. Going up, the presence in xyr mind slowly seemed to unwind, just a bit. Distress, sure, but more keenly, fear. Whoever this spirit was, they were terrified. If xe could just sort out more, maybe find the cause of the fear, xe might be able to do something for it; but all this new knowledge granted xem was a headache and a difficult to suppress feeling of panic. The second floor looked similar to the first, only it was carpeted, and most of the doors seemed to lead to storage rooms based on design, along with what were probably more long-term patient rooms. An odd feeling came over xem, as if xe was being watched. Looking around, xe couldn’t see where Valentine had gone off to. But that couldn’t be right… xe hadn’t heard him leave, and he had been just behind xem a moment ago. Turning back around, xe found xemself suddenly facing a translucent, white mask in the glass reflection. Holding in xyr alarm, xe found xe couldn’t seem to turn away from the unusual specter. It bore a distressed expression, as if it ought to be screaming, but it made no sound. In fact everything seemed far too quiet all of a sudden. Xe knew, vaguely, that xe needed to get away, but this feeling of dread seemed to have frozen xem. Xe needed to leave. Xe needed to leave because… Why did xe need to leave? Xe wasn’t exactly very useful to anyone, no one really liked or needed xem. Xe barely managed to pass off as capable, xe had an awful personality that couldn’t make anyone happy. Xe had no idea how to connect to others. Even xyr knowledge of healing wasn’t of much use when Valentine could just magically heal any wound. But still, xe was frightened, so xe ought to go...somewhere… Pulling away, xe tried to look somewhere else, but there was the mask again, staring at xem. It seemed to follow xem, even when xe tried to go further down the hall. Panic rose as xe realized the mask wasn’t going to leave xem. Xe couldn’t do anything. Xe never could. It wouldn’t make any difference if everyone just forgot xe existed at all - “Clematis!” someone called xyr name, and a trembling hand grabbed xem by the wrist; then suddenly the window panes were shattering. Whoever was holding onto xem dragged xem forwards, and xe didn’t make any attempt to resist. The cry had sounded as terrified as xe felt, and whatever else was happening, it was probably better not to be alone. Once they had stopped running, Clematis was able to look at who was with xem. Valentine looked at xem with a concerned expression. It took Clematis a moment to realize that shouldn’t be at all surprising. “What… What happened back there? Are you alright?” he asked. “Wh… where did you go? There were masks in the window, and...and something else, I can’t remember…” xe felt horribly disoriented and didn’t like it. Logically, xe knew it had to be the spirit’s doing, but it was so hard to remember what xe was meant to be doing or who xe was meant to be with for long stretches of time. “Where did I go? Where were you? I was facing those… mask things alone!” Valentine said. “I was here...or there, the whole time. But if it separated us, how did you find me?” xe asked. Valentine looked a bit unsure. “Well, it wasn’t...exactly on purpose. I was trying to get away from the masked whatevers myself, and then I eventually ran into you,” he said. Clematis felt that likely wasn’t all there was to it - but xe also wasn’t about to pry seeing as xe wasn’t really eager to explain in detail all of xyr experience either. If things got desperate doing...whatever it was they were doing? The spirit! If that got complicated, they could share more to try and find a pattern. If they both remembered the experience clearly by then, that is. “Alright… let’s just try to keep moving then. We’re probably getting closer to the Source if it’s becoming more dangerous,” xe said. Valentine couldn’t quite shake what had happened. As soon as he had reached the second floor, a feeling of confusion had come over him, and he was suddenly all alone. Trying to focus too long on one thought was difficult, but he knew he had to find who he’d come with, that he was too weak to do anything on his own. Why had he ever thought otherwise? Over and over throughout his life, people had never wanted anything he could give. He couldn’t love them the way he was supposed to, he couldn’t tackle every difficulty with a brave face, he couldn’t be the smartest in the room. He certainly couldn’t lead a group of strong-willed magic users. Then there was the mask, the one in the window. It seemed to cry out to him, it was trapped, as much as he was. Because he was trapped. If this place was a pocket in time, or an illusion, or anything like it, then he would never get out on his own. Not without Ahm or Clematis. The thought of being lost in this cold, empty place with only a crying mask for company suddenly overwhelmed him; it was intolerable, in such a place he’d surely fade away into nothing. Running in whatever direction he happened to be facing, he looked for anything that could help him; a person, a window to the outdoors, a fire escape, anything. Finally, he had seen Clematis and ran to xem, hoping xe would have some idea what they were supposed to do. His fight or flight response was still fully engaged when the windows started to shatter, and not wanting to be separated again, he had dragged Clematis along without thinking. In hindsight, Clematis probably didn’t need to be dragged anywhere since xe was the smart and capable one, but xe didn’t complain about it so it mustn't have bothered xem. He had to agree though that whatever impact a spirit typically had on the corporeal world, it was usually most pronounced around the space the spirit was actually taking up. Most average spirits didn’t have a very wide radius of impact, but some of the stronger ones they had faced covered so much ground it was like a maze to find them. Now that he wasn’t alone and glass wasn’t trying to kill him, he had to admit they were fortunate this one only had effect over an isolated building. “So...where exactly are we moving to? Is the ghost in your brain giving you some kind of directions, or…?” he asked as they moved down another icy corridor. He was never quite sure how the whole telepathy thing worked, since Clematis was generally decent enough not to go poking around his head or making noisy telepathic broadcasts. “Not directions in the literal sense...but its feelings become a bit clearer to me when we get closer. Like its powers, an entity’s thoughts are more pronounced the closer you are, at least if you’re only receiving them instead of sending your own mind out to meet it,” xe responded. Xe seemed a little distracted, but Valentine thought that was a pretty mild reaction to everything going on all things considered; xe really was better at keeping a cool head in a crisis than he was. “Oh...actually, can you send your mind out there? You brought Ohm, didn’t you?” he asked. Whatever got this all over with the fastest is what he preferred. Clematis paused. “Oh, right...I did. Ohm, can you hear me? I’m not sure if I really want to toss my whole mind into whatever this is, but if I can glean any more details that might help, I’ll try,” xe said, speaking at first to the crystal, then to Valentine. The cranky purple octopus did come out of the crystal, but their form seemed to almost waver, as if it was difficult to maintain. “I hear you, Clematis, but I will not be of much help. This place has some sort of...dampening effect. But even if I was at full strength, I would certainly not recommend mind hopping into something that was making you lose your sense of self from a distance. If you think clearly, you will see this also,” they said. Valentine really didn’t get why Ohm had such a bad attitude; Ahm was one of the most cheerful and enthusiastic people he knew, and they all did good work, even if their… methods were sometimes a bit haphazard. “...Fair enough. Thanks, Ohm. We’ll take it from here then,” Clematis said. Xe always seemed to have more patience for grumpy people than friendly people somehow, it was one of the things he thought he’d never understand about xem. But Ohm was satisfied and went back into the crystal without further comment. “Okay, so then we are just relying on your passive senses?” Valentine asked, partially because he actually wanted clarification and partially because he couldn’t stand the silence in this place. “That, and any other clues the spirit gives us...so far everything it’s done has brought us to where its thoughts are clearer. For once, I feel as though we’re dealing with a specter that wants to be found,” xe said. Valentine was about to ask what made xem think that when everything clicked into place - Clematis had said the wail was moving upward, and so they went to the second floor. All the windows on the second floor started breaking in succession, chasing them to the third floor. “You… don’t think this could all be a coincidence?” he asked, not wanting the logic to be sound. Wails were just scary, but exploding windows were dangerous. He didn’t want to think what a deranged, attention seeking ghost might cook up next. “Technically a possibility, but I don’t think it’s likely. Every ghost wants something, and there hasn’t been anything else consistent among its tactics, has there?” xe said. Valentine thought about it. “What about the masks though? Those made it harder to move forward in any sensible way,” he said. “True...maybe the mask is it’s only way of communicating? I don’t sense malice from it, at least...not the kind that would hurt people without purpose,” “But it might hurt us if it has a purpose?” “...Yes. I believe so, anyways,” “Great. Terrific. It’s always some kind of malice with ghosts, I swear,” Valentine said. Clematis looked like xe was about to respond, when a loud crack filled the air. Flinching and expecting the worst, Valentine looked around to see what was happening now. There was a wide breaking in the wall, a crack that seemed to wind down the hallway past the left corner. From it, an odd, ashy substance was spilling out. “Oh, we don’t want to know what that is, do we?” Valentine said, taking a step back. Clematis, either out of scientific curiosity, the need to contradict him, or some other unknowable force took a step towards the crack, kneeling down to look at it. “Valentine, I think this is soot...this place was clearly on fire at some point in its history, or at least the spirit felt its world was burning down around it. We should see where it leads us,” xe said. “Hey, as long as you don’t want me to eat the magic soot, I’ll go anywhere with you,” he said, still feeling alarmed by the oozing quality to the dust. The third floor was not dissimilar to the other two; there were the general elements of decay, and still no working lights outside of the flashlight, but there was a difference in the walls and doors. The doors were more metallic and more frequent, the floors made of tile, and the walls had fewer, smaller windows, making this seem to be a place where more office type rooms were held in addition to the patient rooms. The crack led down a few halls littered with debris, mostly broken pieces of furniture and ripped pieces of cloth, before they came to the first room with a light on in it. It was a wide, rectangular room full of filing cabinets, some of which were knocked over or pulled open, while others looked relatively undamaged aside from a few burn marks here and there. The source of light was an old fashioned light bulb with a string, and it occasionally flickered slightly. “Um...does the ghost feel closer, Clematis? Because I don’t… I don’t see it in here,” Valentine said uncertainly. He had come to greatly distrust closed rooms in mysterious buildings, and was entirely willing to believe this spirit capable of trapping them somewhere awful before killing them. “It feels...frantic. I’m not sure it’s any closer, but it wants us here. We may as well look through the cabinets,” xe said. Valentine was not thrilled with this plan. “Should we really be doing what the ghost wants us to do? What if there is a poison trap in the handles or something?” he asked. He felt this level of foresight was truly telling of how stressed out this place was making him; normally he didn’t mind so much doing whatever sounded good, but this whole place felt wrong. “Valentine… Neither of us can use our powers right now. The ghost can clearly affect anything physical in the building, and can influence our minds as well. I don’t think angering it would be very wise until we have a real reason to think it wants us dead. It could have trapped us in any room to hurt us, but it brought us here. If we're going to pacify it, we might as well see why,” xe said. Valentine sighed. He knew Clematis was probably right; xe tended to be, regardless of the subject. But knowing they couldn’t do much outside of the ghost’s will still stung. “Alright, let’s make it quick. If I’m going to get killed by paperwork, I’d rather it not be the long, boring kind anyways,” he said. Clematis gave a nod of acknowledgement, and then they both took on different cabinets; Valentine going for one of the kicked over ones, and Clematis for one of the standing, open ones. Fortunately, neither did anything other than act like a filing cabinet. Inside each one he looked at, all he or Clematis found was dozens and dozens of patient folders. Most looked too ordinary to mean much to him, but there were a handful in each cabinet that had a burned circle on the top right corner. Clematis seemed to notice the same, and they silently agreed to compile all the files with the marking on them. In total, there were about twenty files. Which was pretty good compared to the hundreds of files in the room, but still pretty broad for trying to guess what any of it was supposed to mean. “Valentine...help me look for anything that stays the same in these. Same conditions, same doctors, same treatments, any shared statistic at all. They have to be marked for a reason,” Clematis said. Neither of them were able to get very far into their search before another scream pierced the air, and the ground beneath them started shaking. Panic seized Valentine once more, and they both held on to the files as they bolted from the room. He felt certain this place was where they were going to die, and with so few people to look for them...maybe he should have left Cedar a letter, or something. He felt this all the more keenly when, the moment they were both outside of the room, the whole thing imploded on itself, and moments after the south end of the corridor began to crumble as well. “Over here!” Clematis called, and Valentine was quick to follow. “Why does it always have to be stairs!?” he cried, as the crumbling floor once again had them running up a stairwell at full speed. He didn’t even get a good look at the fourth floor at first, as it wasn’t until a few hallways down that the rumbling finally stopped. “Has this thing...never heard...of arrow signs!?” he said, catching his breath. It was colder up here somehow, and that feeling of dread the masks had instilled in him was starting to return. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure it had ever gone away, but it suddenly felt more like a tidal wave in his mind. He wasn’t up for this. He wasn’t up for nearly anything, he’d given the whole ghost saving/hunting thing a go and if it wasn’t his doom today, it would be soon if he didn’t just call it quits. Ahm would have to find someone else compatible with their magic and personality. “Valentine...what...what room were the patients in those files kept in…?” Clematis asked. “Huh…? Oh, I’ll look...but why do you want to know?” “This hall we’re in… it’s the only one still standing, everything else is just dark space. And this hall has every patient room number 400-415. Nothing else is even remotely remarkable about it, besides it being by far the closest to the ghost we’ve gotten so far,” “Oh. Well, you’re right, so far all of these have been in room 412, so on the other end of the hall,” Valentine said, looking over his pile of files. “Then there’s something specific about that room, and probably one or more of these people, that are especially related to the ghost and it’s death,” Clematis said, moving towards the room. Valentine followed, wishing that the ghost would just write a big spooky message on the wall telling them what to do instead of making them do all the brain work. Once they were standing in front of room 412, Clematis stared at it a moment before leaning against it, as if to listen to what was happening on the other end. But Valentine knew that it was more likely the whole ‘passive telepathy’ thing getting to xem, and moved to put a hand on xyr shoulder. “Clematis? What is it?” he asked, concerned. Clematis needed to be alright if they were going to get through this, he couldn’t do this on his own. And no matter how much they butted heads, he didn’t actually want anything bad to happen to xem. “The spirit...it’s in agony...it hates this place…” xe said. “It and me both, Clematis,” “We have to help it!” xe exclaimed, suddenly seeming urgent. “Alright, alright, we’re gonna. It’s what we do. Now let’s just… open that door and get on with the helping,” Valentine said. Clematis seemed to calm down and nodded in agreement. Then, staying close to xem in case the brain stuff acted up again, he swung open the door. The room inside looked more or less like a typical hospital room from the early 20th century, save for the burned walls and turned over bed. Everything was darkened, grey, and the barred window had a crack in it, but was too fogged over to see through. It was as if the whole room had some sort of dark unnaturalness to it that made it difficult to look at any one place for too long. The most marked difference, though, was the translucent, masked figure crouched over in the middle of the room, staring at them. The air was freezing, and Clematis passively hoped this didn’t turn into a case of hypothermia again. But xe was far more occupied with xyr - the spirit’s - the emotions running circles in xyr mind. They were so confused, so full of despair, and a feeling of panic ebbed and flowed seemingly at random. It gave xem a headache to try and sort it all, to keep it at bay, but xe couldn’t afford to lose xemself. Not while it was still possible xe might be able to help the spirit. Of course, xe suspected Valentine would be of far more use in this particular instance; Clematis wasn’t in the head space to lie convincingly, and xe had never been good at dealing with emotions or making people happy as xemself. Xe was forgettable at best and unlikeable at worst, while Valentine always managed to have good cheer and spread it to others without even trying. But as long as xe was still living, xe had to at least try to help those xe could. Moving towards the spirit slowly, xe knelt down in front of it, its mask as distraught and piercing as the ones from the second floor. “Hello…? We’re here now. What can we do to help you?” xe asked. For a few moments, the masked spirit just looked at xem in silence. Then a low, pained sounding voice came out, echoing faintly around the room. “Who...am...I?” it asked. “It wants us to solve riddles now!?” Valentine said, making Clematis jump slightly as xe realized he was sitting directly next to xem, shivering from the cold. “Who...am ...I?” it said again, sounding more pained as its form began to flicker. The pain in xyr head intensified as it wavered, ebbing slightly as it regained its shape. “Valentine, I don’t think it’s a riddle...I think it’s an honest request,” xe said. “Don’t ghosts generally know who they were when alive? In all the cases we’ve been on before, their past life was pretty much the whole reason they were sticking around to do their ghosty thing in the first place,” Valentine said. “True. But think about it, they also always take on either the form of their living self, or a form directly related to the emotion or intent binding them here. This one...is lost, it has no form or defining features beyond the pain it feels. Somehow, it’s fading, you saw it too. I don’t think it would waste time with riddles...but I have no idea how to guess who they were,” Clematis said dejectedly. Xyr head felt like such a mess it was all xe could do to stay calm and communicate sensibly, problem solving of any kind felt beyond xyr current ability. “Oh, the files! It wasn’t a location clue, they highlighted so many because they weren’t sure which one they were, just that they were trapped in this room. There must be something in them that will narrow down who this guy is,” Valentine said, grabbing the papers from where’d they’d put them down on the floor. Clematis wanted to help, but just then the spirit wavered again, pain shooting through xyr head. Everything seemed to spin around xem, and xe felt another flare of panic from the spirit, this time with pangs of frustration and anger. “Start...start with the ones with the latest dates...quickly...I don’t think there were a lot of patients that came after this person,” xe managed to say. It was something xe felt intuitively, but also something xe had started to think once xe realized the ghost had no memory. The building could be a representation of a mental state, sure, but that didn’t really fit what xe was sensing from it. More likely, this was the closest thing to a recollection the ghost could manage, and was trying to tell them anything that could help identify it. And if there was a literal fire… “Okay, here’s the most ‘recent’ of them; August 17, 1935. A certain ‘Edmond Rue’, came to the hospital a month before the file’s last notes were filled out. Here, ghost, there’s a picture; was that you?” Valentine said, lifting the papers up for the spirit to see. It looked at the picture, then let out a piercing scream as it began to crumple up and flicker wildly. Clematis cried out in pain as a whirlwind of almost every emotion imaginable assaulted xyr senses. Thankfully it only lasted a few moments, and when xe was able to look up, the ghost had taken on the form of Edmond Rue, though he looked far from happy at having gained his memories back. “Why...did you help me?” he said, nearly glaring at them both. “Um, because you wanted us to? And were clearly going to drop us into an abyss if we didn’t?” Valentine said. “I’d forgotten...I thought my memories would bring me peace. They’ve done anything but. And now I’m truly trapped here, unable to fade away or move on,” Mr. Rue said. “Mr. Rue...what happened to you? Whatever you need to move on, Valentine and I will do it,” Clematis said. Mr. Rue was practically radiating resentment, but he hadn’t become violent, so xe hoped they would be able to convince him to let go of...whatever had occurred. “It says there on the paper, doesn’t it? I got sick. Didn’t have anyone to look after me. Employers certainly couldn’t afford to care about the health of their workers. So I got stuck here, where the sun never seemed to reach and every patient was just another number on a sheet. I was miserable. Should’ve realized forgetting was a blessing. When the flames went up, no one even came up to see if I was able to get out. Not sure why they thought I could’ve, seeing as they put bars over the window. No, there isn’t anything that will make that right. I could have lived! I could have died happy! But not in this forsaken world,” he said. Clematis wasn’t sure what to say. Platitudes wouldn’t get anywhere, even if xe was pretty sure this was usually a situation where you try to comfort someone. Having no guess as to how to do that properly, xe settled for just being blunt and hoping for the best. “It’s not about making it right , Mr. Rue. The past is what it is, and it was cruel. But you can’t stay here as a ghost; you have to come to terms with your life and death,” xe said. “I know full well what happened, there’s nothing to come to terms with! I was forgettable. I wasn’t important. I wasn’t sociable, or a model patient. I didn’t have connections. That’s all there is to it,” the ghost said. Clematis and Valentine were both quiet for a moment. Clematis was all too familiar with those thoughts...those facts. More likely than not, xe was going to end up like Mr. Rue some day. The thought felt almost intolerable to xem now, how was xe supposed to tell Mr. Rue to tolerate it? “...Listen, Edmond...all that...finalism about there being nothing else to consider...is probably what’s keeping you here as a ghost in the first place. Which, by definition means you haven’t actually come to terms with anything,” Valentine said. “If you let us help you, we can make sure you’re remembered. Make you a grave, tell people about you...whatever you want,” Clematis added. “And who exactly are you two, to be such an authority on the undead?” Mr. Rue asked, raising an eyebrow. “Oh...I’m Valentine, and this is Clematis, and we make a pretty regular habit of using magic to help ghosts,” “Sounds like a depressing profession,” “But a worthwhile one. Please, will you let us help you?” Clematis interjected, not wanting to get off topic. It was getting colder in here, and the walls were starting to look fuzzy. Maybe Mr. Rue wouldn’t fade anymore, but prolonged exposure to the undead like this could be fatal over time to xem and Valentine. “...What exactly would you have me do? I can’t forgive them. Won’t. And there isn’t anyone I want to reach out to. All I wanted was for one person to care, but the time for that has long passed,” Mr. Rue said. “Valentine and I do care, Mr. Rue. You don’t have to forgive anyone. We just want to help you see that...the memories of your life don’t have to haunt you anymore. Your fear of being forgotten, of fading, will never come true now either. We’ve both seen you,” Clematis said.The ghost considered xyr words for a few moments. “You said...you could make me a grave?” “Yes! We can definitely do that,” Valentine said. “Then do that. Put my name on it, put the years I lived, and in whatever way you can in a carving put on the reason I died. And promise not to be the kind of person my killers were; I don’t know you two well, but if you chase this much after any tired old ghost then maybe the new generation will have some hope yet,” he said. “I promise,” Clematis and Valentine said at the same time. Clematis truly meant it, and xe suspected Valentine did as well. If nothing else, they could see eye to eye on that much. “Well...let’s hope you keep it. I don’t want to be dragged back from the grave a second time just to haunt you guys,” Mr. Rue said, and then everything spun around them, colors shifting, and for a brief moment Clematis felt as if xe was falling. When everything stabilized, xe found they were standing in an abandoned lot between two other city buildings. The whole hospital must have been an extension of Mr. Rue’s spirit. “...Do you think this is where we should make his grave?” Valentine asked. They couldn’t exactly get one formally made in a cemetery with no proof of the man even existing. “I wouldn’t want to risk it getting dug up when the city decides to use the lot for something else… there’s a small section of woods near here, we’ll dig it there,” xe said. Once they had found the spot, they had dug up some earth and made a make-shift wooden grave. On it, Clematis took out xyr utility knife and carved the following: Edmond Rue April 1900-August 1935 Valued Citizen and Victim of Medical Neglect Clematis wasn’t sure it was the best phrasing, but there was limited space to fulfill Mr.Rue’s wishes with. It was apparently enough, for once the final piece of soil was put in place, the cold feeling of discontent vanished from xyr mind, leaving xyr thoughts xyr own again. “He’s at peace now...I can’t sense him anymore,” xe said to Valentine. “Well that’s good...thanks uh, by the way, for your help,” he responded. “...Likewise. But if you don’t mind, it is very...very late, and I have to be at work tomorrow,” “Oh, right. Well...goodnight, then,” “Goodnight, Valentine,” from there they went separate ways, the cool night air almost feeling warm now. Valentine slept in the next day. He had missed a class before, he could do so again without failing the semester. And he thought he deserved some rest after everything that happened last night. Even knowing Edmond was at peace now, and that his own work on the matter was entirely done, he still felt oddly tired and put out, and his traitorous mind kept wandering back to the time spent in those haunted corridors. He didn’t bother to change out of his pajamas as he had his afternoon breakfast. Or afterwards, for that matter. It was a sullen, lazy day, and he couldn’t bring himself to enjoy his usual hobbies, and so stayed inside. He had been by himself most of the day when an unexpected knock came at his dormitory door. It was a solid, formal double-knock. Cedar usually just rattled the door a moment before walking in, and obviously his roommate just walked in, so he couldn’t guess who it would be other than maybe the dormitory managers. When he opened the door, he was more surprised than he was willing to admit to see Clematis waiting patiently outside. Xe looked thoroughly exhausted, but xyr face was stoic as usual and xe was still dressed for work. Valentine felt weirdly as though a regular doctor was coming to check on or scold him, since he wasn’t used to seeing Clematis actually looking like a doctor. This was also absolutely the first time xe had ever visited him at his own home. “Clematis…?” he asked, not sure what else he was even supposed to say. “Valentine. I looked more into what happened last night, and thought I should tell you,” xe said. “Oh. Um, right, come in,” Valentine opened the door more and gestured to head in. He plopped down on his bed and Clematis took the desk chair offered to xem. “Guess this is as good a chance as any to give you your coat back. Forgot I had it last night,” he tossed the jacket back over to Clematis. “Oh, right...anyways, turns out Mr. Rue was a kind of ghost generally known simply as a Mask Spirit, sometimes also called an Echo. They form when someone dies forgotten or neglected, which is why they don’t remember who they were; their essence formed around feeling invisible or faceless, and so that’s what they become. The manifestations can actually be quite diverse, the only common thread being that whatever it does is in some way to get noticed. I looked up Atwood Crest Hospital as well; apparently it was a hospital that specialized in long-term patient care before it burned down in 1935. It was wildly understaffed though, and with so much else going on around that time, sometimes nurses would just...forget to help a patient. Not out of malice, but just...carelessness. The report on the fire didn’t even report anyone as having died,” xe said. Valentine thought about that. So much of what Edmond said had hit too close to home. It felt as though his own future had been prophesied then and there. Knowing that this was just...a thing that happened to people, often enough for it to be in a ghost textbook, somehow made the possibility all the more frightening. Especially in a line of work as...eventful as his, the chance of something not dissimilar to that fire could easily happen to him. “Dang… did it say anywhere what the exact parameters were for being ‘forgotten’?” he couldn’t help but ask. “The texts I could find didn’t give a ton of detailed examples, just the person who died had to be - or feel to be - abandoned, forgotten, or unmissed. Most cases that have been recorded are people who literally died of neglect, people who committed suicide in remote areas, or people who died in combat and weren’t found. But then some are like Mr. Rue where people were just… too busy to care. Like most things with the underworld, I imagine the exact line is a bit fuzzy, taking into account circumstances before and after death as well as the feelings of the departed themselves,” Clematis explained. “Oh...I guess that makes sense,” he said. If there was anything about the underworld that nagged at him, it was the incredible amount of uncertainties, even after having worked with so many ghosts. “I have to get back to work soon to finish up a few things, but I also wanted to make sure you were alright,” xe said. Now that was surprising to him. Sure, Clematis was a doctor, but as far as he knew xe also didn’t like him at all. Seemed professionalism really did always win out with xem. But maybe, he thought, in light of recent events...maybe xe doesn’t completely dislike me either. For him at least working with xem seemed less completely horrible than it had a few days ago. “Me? Fit as a fiddle, no need to worry there. How about you, you look like you didn’t sleep at all,” “I...slept. Somewhat. I’ll be fine though, Ohm made me promise to nap later. I’ll be seeing you around then,” Clematis said, getting up. “Right. Later, Clematis. Take care,” he said, giving a wave from where he sat. Once alone again, he found his thoughts going back to Edmond’s situation, but this time he was thinking more about his teammate. Clematis...even if we never get along, even if I’m destined to fade away, I swear to you… Clematis left the campus grounds feeling contemplative. Xe had always butted heads with Valentine, but thinking about Mr. Rue, xe had realized xyr promise was really more of a duty. A duty to everyone, but especially those directly involved in xyr life, even those xe might not easily understand. Valentine, I may not be able to do much for the world. And you may never like or understand me. But I promise you… I’ll remember you, no matter what.