The Dreamer's Fall

Chapter 53 - A Threat of Solitude

"Is it true?" Marquis Rennar Bennet asked as soon as Arthur entered his bedroom.

Arthur's eyelids fluttered as he looked at the Marquis. "Is what true?"

"I told the old man ya could give him a new body." Kyren proudly replied.

Arthur glared at Kyren. He had intended to use that information as a bargaining chip, yet Kyren had so freely given it away. There was still too much he didn't understand about how ghosts worked on Nithe, so Arthur was hesitant to give away information about his abilities.

What if ghosts were some natural process, and Kyren was just too stupid to figure out what to do next? What if there was a way for the ghosts to interact with the world, leaking Arthur's secrets? What if Arthur wasn't the only one who could see and hear them?

He didn't have any answers, so making assumptions could prove deadly. Of course, he didn't have a choice with Kyren since he refused to leave Arthur's side when he found out Arthur could see him. But that didn't mean every ghost he met would be as friendly as Kyren.

There was a genuine risk of being haunted. If a somewhat intelligent ghost wanted something from Arthur, all they'd need to do is endlessly shout in his ear until Arthur's will shattered from sleep deprivation. He had no power over the ghosts, nor could he choose to tune them out if they demanded to be heard.

Theoretically, that all changed once he granted them a body. Since Arthur's undead were controlled by him, it stood to reason that by planting a spirit inside one, Arthur would still maintain some degree of control over them. However, until that happened, he was vulnerable.

Arthur rubbed his eyes and took a seat on his bed. "I can. However, nothing in this world is free or without consequence."

Marquis Bennet eyed him with suspicion. "How old are you, boy? Am I expected to believe you can cast magic even the gods cannot?"

"Heh. Don't let the kid's looks fool ya. He's much older than he looks and craftier than he seems." Kyren blurted out before Arthur could respond.

Arthur clenched his jaw and ground his teeth. "Kyren, please stop talking."

"What's the problem, kid? Who's he gonna tell? The moon? We're the only ones who can see him, so there's no point tip-toeing around it." Kyren mocked.

Arthur held his tongue. He didn't want to deny Kyren's words and give the Marquis any ideas for fear of Arthur speaking the ideas into existence.

Marquis Bennet looked on with a puzzled expression. "What does he mean?"

"The kid remembers his past life in another world. Some place called E-arth or something. I thought he was making shit up at first too, but there ain't any other explanation that makes sense.

"I've been following him for years, and while other kids his age were playing around in the mud, he was sitting in some stuffy library crafting spells. So if he was lying this whole time, he would've cracked by now." Kyren explained as if he was selling Arthur to the man.

Marquis Bennet rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. "Just because he can craft a few simple spells doesn't mean he experienced another life. It's preposterous. You've been tricked."

Kyren laughed in his usual boisterous manner. "If raising the dead is a simple spell, then the gods can only be called amateurs. I've seen him do it with my own eyes, old man. The kid's the real deal."

Marquis Bennet scoffed. "Then why are you still floating around like that?"

Arthur cut in before Kyren leaked any more information. "Because my previous world didn't have Aetherin or magic, everyone was as powerless as the common people of Nithe. Despite that, we had machines that shared a language with a similar structure to how Aetherin is written.