The ghostly ranks dispersed. The Wraith Enforcers shaped their Ghost Aura into the forms of Specter Snipers—some large, some small, but each conjured with uncanny precision. With just a glance, they could recreate what they saw.
Lady Meng once told me these beings learn with terrifying speed. In mere moments, they can master the tools of soul collection used by the Underworld Court.
“Interesting. So this is what it means to be a born ghost, huh?”
Deathcurse spoke, moving closer to a Wraith Enforcer to observe. Their prodigious learning ability surprised me, but perhaps there were limits even they could not surpass.
“I suppose that's about it.”
Yuki Nightshade spoke, letting her Ghost Aura flow outward, shaping it into a Specter Sniper identical to mine. Yet it was only a hollow shell—no substance within. The rifle slipped from her grasp and dissolved into nothing.
“Is there some kind of trick to it?”
Yuki Nightshade was clearly agitated. At that moment, Kane approached.
“Let’s rest for today, Yuki. Tomorrow we’ll—”
“Get lost, Kane! This isn’t your place to speak. We’re on the brink of extinction. Once, this was the Nightshade Dominion—our skies filled with Wraith Enforcers soaring free. Now, all of it is gone, and it’s all your fault.”
“Yuki, wait. We still don’t fully understand this place. At the very least, if those things attack again, we’ll help you.”
We huddled in a crude cave, the air thick with a foul, metallic stench. Inside, makeshift tables—some square, some round, each about a meter across—stood scattered. Beds woven from vines lined the edges, leaving just enough space to move.
There was a passage leading up, and further down behind us was the food storage. Inside, beasts born from Ghost Aura were kept. The Wraith Enforcers would organize hunts, bringing back small creatures to stave off hunger.
“Don’t you find it strange?”
Isabelle Frost muttered, while Ghost Painting Book Immortal had already sprawled beside the table, scribbling away.
“Maybe it’s better to call them people from another world—like something out of a prehistoric era.”
“These Wraith Enforcers—I’ve observed them. They’re corporeal, which is remarkable. Like a new species, really. Fascinating, truly fascinating. But the real secret of this place is what matters.”
Deathcurse’s words stirred excitement in all of us. Even after asking Yuki, they knew nothing of Ethereal Isle’s secrets—none of this had ever entered their minds.
But one thing was certain: during my brush with death, those drifting grains of sand—guiding us here—had all flowed into this place.
The Wraith Enforcers lived simply, almost primitively. They butchered their prey and ate it raw, storing what remained in the cellar.
What caught my attention most was that these born ghosts didn’t need to eat at all. We’d spent days among the Wraith Enforcers, and not once had we seen them consume anything.
"Fang, let’s head out tomorrow."
Deathcurse was growing impatient. Night had fallen here, but come morning, the green-glowing sun overhead would turn violet. That was when most beasts would hide away.
I hesitated, remembering the thrill on Yuki’s face—it was as if she’d finally found hope.
“What’s the point of going out now? If we run into something even stronger, we won’t stand a chance.”
Isabelle Frost seemed to sense something and stepped forward. All eyes were on me.
“What’s wrong, Boss? Ultimately, you make the call, right, Deathcurse?”
Black Moon chimed in, and Deathcurse grinned.
“It doesn’t matter. Time means nothing to us now—one year, two years, whatever you decide, Fang.”
I nodded and stood up.
“At least wait until they’ve settled down. We need to figure out this place’s layout—and how you all manage to fly.”
“Hey, I’m part of this group too, right? Don’t I get a say? You ghosts don’t care, but I’m still human.”
Felix Zhou spoke up. We turned to him—he was visibly furious.
“What’s wrong?”
Ray Lin placed a hand on his shoulder.
“What do you think? Have you forgotten what those things are—and what they like?”
Come to think of it, when we first arrived, a few Wraith Enforcers stared straight at Felix Zhou.
“Relax. We don’t eat our guests.”
My heart skipped. At the cave entrance, Yuki appeared with two female Wraith Enforcers, carrying a massive bowl of bloody, pulpy flesh—black and writhing. I swallowed hard.
“This is our finest dish—meat paste. Please, enjoy.”
"We’ll pass."
Everyone looked uncomfortable. No one could stomach such a thing—meat paste, with something still wriggling inside.
“What’s wrong? Not hungry? You may be different from us, but you should still be able to draw strength from food. Trust me—this is delicious.”
A slender hand reached over. Isabelle Frost grabbed a bit and popped it into her mouth, chewing noisily.
“Mmm. Not bad.”
The rest of us crowded around, each taking a bit. It was pungent, but at the edge of my lips, oddly tempting.
"I’ll pass. I am still human, after all."
Felix Zhou muttered. I realized he hadn’t eaten anything since we arrived.
"This kid hasn’t eaten in over a decade. Don’t worry, Fang—he won’t die."
Deathcurse muttered. I chewed—a wriggling thing in my mouth. But the taste was fresh, tender, almost like fish, but not quite.
Yuki’s purpose in coming was to figure out how I used Deathbane Aura to forge weapons and slay those beasts.
I couldn’t explain it clearly—it was instinct. The way the Wraith Enforcers were constructed and grew was a mystery to us. They were ghosts, yet their flesh and blood were shaped by Ghost Aura.
“Aren’t there exceptions like that in the living world, too?”
Cao Wanzhi spoke. In the past, when nations and peoples went to war, men would leave for the battlefield and never return—leaving only the old, the weak, women, and children.
I thought back to Eugene Smithson, the swordsmith in my childhood memories. Whenever chaos erupted, men went to war.
“Let’s not dwell on their nature—let’s focus on ourselves.”
Isabelle Frost said. Everyone looked skeptical.
Right now, using Ghost Aura was nearly impossible. The air was heavy—Ghost Aura couldn’t penetrate it. The very air was saturated with Ghost Aura. If we tried to release any, it would be devoured instantly.
Isabelle Frost raised her hand. A wisp of green Ghost Aura appeared, but it quickly dissipated.
“That’s what’s so strange about this place. Even a high-level Soul-Eater Ghost might not be able to break through the air here.”
Ghost Painting Book Immortal explained. No matter how dense Ghost Aura became, it was still just a kind of energy. If it grew too thick, it would turn to sludge. But here, Ghost Aura could condense into people—everything here was shaped by Ghost Aura. The density was impenetrable to us.
Judging by the Wraith Enforcers, they’d adapted perfectly. They could freely release Ghost Aura, wield power, and fight beasts. Their weapons were wooden, but even the wood—everything here—was infused with Ghost Aura.
Suddenly, Kane strode in and sat among us.
“Sorry, everyone. I’ve caused you trouble.”
Kane’s tone had softened since returning home. His expression, too, was gentler.
“My memories weren’t consumed by myself—if they had been, I could recover them. They were erased by someone else.”
Kane explained. He remembered only a few things from the living world—nothing from before. Most importantly, he had no memory of Mr. Wraithshade.
“You don’t remember Mr. Wraithshade at all? I’ve seen your memories before—you two made a promise. Wasn’t your mind already clear?”
“No. We promised I’d protect the Ghost Syndicate, and I did. When Ethan Zhang, Earth Soul attacked, I used all my strength to fight him. I lost, but he didn’t get off easy either.”
A chill ran through me as I looked at Kane. He smiled.
“When I first woke up, I sensed the aura of destruction and death on Ethan Zhang, Earth Soul. That’s why I wanted to kill him. But those two brats didn’t listen—they locked me up instead. Especially that little fiend—he tried every trick to tame me. But since he was Mr. Wraithshade’s son, I didn’t do anything to him.”
Kane stood up as he spoke.
“If I remember anything else, I’ll let you know. For now, Fang, will you come with me to the woods? I want to hunt something big. We Wraith Enforcers have big appetites. I ate a bit last night and feel a little stronger.”
I got up and followed. Outside, the green sun in the sky was turning violet. In the distant woods, swarms of creatures took flight, their roars echoing through the air.