Ghost Billionaire

"Staring at you," the ghost girl floated away. Matthew frowned. How come he didn't sense the girl in front of him? Without closing his eyes, he sent his energy again and was able to confirm that he couldn't sense the ghost girl at all.

"Judging from the sudden increase of spiritual energy in your body, you should be able to reach the Initiate Level in, let's say, a few days or a week," the ghost girl said. "Impressive."

Matthew nodded. He already expected that.

"Do you feel something strange in your body?" the ghost girl said.

"No. Should I be?"

"Well… newly awakened Nexians are usually like that. Especially the ones who didn't receive the guidance from Elders. Yours is… a bit weird. However, I will not be asking questions and just treat it as you getting lucky. Moving forward, there is no need to tell me any lucky encounters that you have."

Matthew nodded. To be honest, he never expected the ghost not to ask questions. But he liked it this way.

However, he had no time to talk about this right now. He had another important matter that he needed to focus on.

"The Blood Moon is coming," Matthew suddenly said.

Almost immediately, the ghost girl froze.

"How–how did you know–did that old man tell you something about the Moon?"

Matthew shrugged. "Just the basics." Still, he wondered why the ghost girl hadn't warned him about it.

"Good. At least now you know never to walk around on that night, especially when you are alone. A lot of things could happen."

"Things like what?" Matthew asked, frowning. In fact, Dr. Muni gave him a few important pieces of information about the Blood Moon. He never had the time to sort it out earlier. But now, it is different. After sorting out everything, he realized that the Blood Moon isn't just the time where Nexians grew stronger. It was the time that their core suffered. Literally.

Like a damn curse.

"Things like cores tearing," she said. "During a Blood Moon or any eclipse, the flux spikes. Readers feel it first. Conduits burn out. Shapers cramp up. Tethers lose orientation. Binders hear too many voices. It turns every weakness into a wound."

Matthew sat back against the wall. Naturally, Dr. Muni already included this information. He simply wanted to test if the ghost girl would give him the same information.

He then pictured the lunar chart Dr. Muni had shown him: waxing phases fed the Core slowly, full moons filled it to the brim, and the crimson eclipse over-pressurized the lattice until it either expanded or cracked. The ghost girl never mentioned any of this. Was it just because she had forgotten about it?

The girl turned. "You know we—especially the clans—kept calendars?"

He nodded. "They measured safe windows."

"Exactly." She tapped her temple. "A Blood Moon will give you a surge of Spiritual Energy. However, the same surge makes you guys targets. Anyone who needs extra power can drain a Reader that night and get triple yield."

Matthew considered the faint hum in his chest. His Core felt solid now, yet it was still forming. A surge might finish the shell—or rupture it.

"But that's also when Nexians are at their peak," the ghost girl said. "Do you get it?"

Matthew flexed his fingers once more, then looked at her. "Explain it."

She folded her arms. "Think of the Core as a battery. On normal nights, it charges slowly, mostly through stones or meditation. During a Blood Moon, the Earth, moon, and the upper planes line up. Ambient spirit energy spikes. Every Nexian Core starts pulling power for free."

Matthew nodded.

"That free charge does two things," she continued. "First, it thickens the lattice. If the shell holds, you jump a step in strength almost overnight. Conduits get hotter flames, Shapers hit harder, Readers see deeper. Breakthroughs that would take months happen in hours."

"And the second?"

"The same surge pushes past the safety limit. Older Nexians have scar tissue that keeps the Core from stretching. The pressure leaks out as aura—you've felt those flares in crowded halls. New or damaged Cores don't vent well. They swell until a seam gives. That's the tearing I mentioned."

Matthew nodded.

She pointed at him. "Readers are worse off because your Cores act like mirrors. They reflect the flux and glow in the sight of anyone who can trace it. High-level Conduits and other Nexians hunt that glow. One drain gives them a triple return. This method has been banned by the council, but it means nothing to those who lust for power."

"So stronger and easier to spot," he said.

"Exactly. A double-edged sword. The night can lift you, make you stronger in one clean push, but it paints a target on your back at the same moment."

"But a Conduit cannot absorb a Reader's Core, right?" he asked.

"Well… yeah, but… they can sell it or exchange it for a Core that they need."

Matthew paused. That would mean they would have to kill him. He already died once, and he didn't like that feeling at all.

"Is there a way to vent the excess?" he asked.

"Anchor stones help," she said. "Binder runes, grounding circles, talismans. Or stay inside a closed space lined with iron and salt. Readers in the Sanctum meditate in pools to bleed out the spike. Sadly, those Anchor Stones are really… really rare. The others are kept by well-known Nexian Clans to keep themselves safe."

"How about iron and salt?" he asked. That actually sounded simple.

"You will have to build it," she said. "You can draw the circle yourself. But the Symbols…"

Matthew stood and crossed to the desk. He took a notebook and sketched a ring, marking the four cardinal Symbols Dr. Muni had included in the information that he gave him. The girl watched, arms folded.

"How did you learn this?" she asked. "Wait, you don't have to tell me."

Matthew nodded. Luckily, the information that Dr. Muni gave him was very specific. He knew in advance that Matthew could only use this method to survive. Matthew's gaze turned complicated. If this Blood Moon is really as dangerous as what Dr. Muni described, then he could only trust the Symbols to help him out.

She floated closer, studying the lines. "Do you think it will work? I mean—I am not familiar with this method, so I can't be sure if this is even something that we can use to act as an anchor."

"It has to," he said.

He tore the page and slipped it into his pocket. He would need salt, nine candles, and a shallow basin. Preparation had to finish before the eclipse. He checked the time on his phone.

He only had three nights left.