EX-istential Crisis

Chapter 44: The Graveyard Duel

A dense fog settled over Mercy Road Cemetery, swirling with ominous energy as candles flared to life around the graveyard. Shadows danced over the tombstones, casting unsettling shapes in the crimson glow, and the air hung thick with tension as the two spirits—Nelly, possessed by the Warden of the Flickering Candles, and the menacing Phantom Keeper—prepared to clash.

Mira, Miro, Mrs. Gina, and Amara stood frozen at the cemetery's edge, eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

"What... happened to Nelly these days?" Mira whispered, her voice a mixture of concern and confusion. "He's been acting so weird ever since that one dinner."

Amara nodded, gripping her arms against a chill that had nothing to do with the cold night air. "Honestly, I was just as shocked. When I saw him, I could sense something off, like... like anomalies clinging to him. I thought he was possessed," she murmured. "But it turns out he's... not."

They exchanged uneasy glances as Nelly—now an unsettling fusion of himself and the Warden—took a step forward, mechanical trinkets gleaming from his chest and an eerie mechanized torch strapped to his forehead. His voice, layered with the Warden's ethereal tone, echoed through the graveyard.

Nelly took a deep breath, facing his friends, his eyes heavy with the weight of secrets he'd held alone. "Sorry for hiding, everyone," he said quietly, glancing around. "I've been searching for answers since that day. I didn't want to drag you all into this... but it turns out they're everywhere."

Mira stepped closer, her gaze full of concern. "Don't worry, Nelly. It's fine. We'll find a way out," she said, trying to reassure him.

Nelly shook his head slowly, his shoulders tensing as he clenched his fists. "I... I can't..." he admitted, frustration tightening his voice.

Miro stepped forward, frowning. "What do you mean you can't?"

"I can't move," he muttered, gritting his teeth.

Then, out of nowhere, Ero—his AI companion—burst out laughing. "Ha ha ha ha!"

Nelly scowled, his frustration bubbling over. "Stop laughing, you asshole!" he snapped, his voice laced with annoyance.

The Warden, a defense tower spirit possessing Nelly's mask, interjected. "Yeah, I'm a defense-tower-like spirit. When I'm in attack or defense mode, I just stand here and let the sentries handle it."

"Let me take over for a sec," Nelly suggested, and the Warden agreed with a nod. Nelly activated his sentry trinkets: jars filled with mechanized eyeballs that hovered around his friends, forming a protective barrier. The eyes in each jar opened automatically, each containing twenty tiny mechanized eyeballs that floated in sync around Mira and the others.

"That's it," Nelly murmured, watching the barrier surround his friends. "As long as they're safe, we're good to go. Ero, find an exit if you can. I don't care if you have to keep scanning."

A chilling voice echoed through the mist—Phantom Keeper, an enemy spirit. "It's useless, Fala Sefrik Ashtula Zie!"

Ero chimed in, "He just added 'Zie'—which means more."

"I hate these language barriers..." Nelly muttered, frustration clear in his voice. He thought for a moment, then turned to Ero. "Ero, can you upload all the languages to my brain using brainwaves?"

Ero replied, "Sir, it's impossible to upload knowledge directly via brainwaves since they're only used to read brain data. But theoretically... it could be done with more understanding."

Nelly sighed, realizing it wouldn't work right now. "I guess I'll study the languages properly another time," he replied, managing a wry grin.

Just then, ghoul-like phantoms emerged from the fog, darting through the air like dark, spectral dolphins. Their eerie speed made them look like shadows swimming in water. The mechanized eyeballs, alert to the movement, locked onto the phantoms, firing rapid beams of energy and decimating them the moment they came too close to the barrier.