Mysterious Awakening

The successful trapping of the ghost marked the end of Ethan and Miles’s alliance. Their focus shifted to securing personal gains.

A single box filled with a ghost was at stake, and Miles had no intentions of letting Ethan have it. Would recognition exist once they parted ways? In such times, debtors hold sway.

“Miles, are you implying that I would monopolize this?” Ethan’s eyebrows knitted together in concern. He proposed, “Let’s keep the item with me for now. I’ll spread the word in the club soon enough. Buyers will show up. We can negotiate the deal together then, sharing the profits and all relevant information equally.”

“I won’t exploit you, and I won’t let you suffer any loss either.”

To this, Miles retorted, “Why not entrust the item to me then? You scout for the buyer. When the time is right, come find me. I’ll bring the item. Are you worried I might flee?”

“No agreement then?” Ethan expressed his surprise, taken aback that the young man was discussing profits immediately after resolving the supernatural incident.

“If you can’t provide me with any assurance, there’s no point in having this discussion,” stated Miles firmly. “You don’t trust me, just as I don’t trust you.”

“Enough of this! I was the one who captured the ghost,” Ethan rebuked.

“I saved your life. Twice,” Miles retorted calmly.

“Are you seriously talking about saving me? You were using me as bait to draw out the ghost. You couldn’t even identify the ghost amongst these corpses. If you could, you would have allowed me into the ghost domain right away, rather than letting me retreat slowly. Do you realize your actions could have killed me?”

Miles, unblinking, answered, “You were the only viable bait. Without you, the mission would have failed. I was considering the greater good. How do you think you managed to stand here arguing with me? Also, given the presence of the ghost domain, I could have saved you in an instant. I had the confidence to ensure your survival. Can you say the same for me?”

“What if I’m deadest on taking this box today?” Ethan’s expression was stern. He was not ready to leave the hard-earned item with Miles.

“Are you sure the box you’re holding is real?” Miles’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Do you understand what a ghost domain is at all?”

A sudden jolt of fear ran through Ethan as he glanced at the object in his hand. The once golden box had grotesquely transformed into a decaying human head.

Almost involuntarily, he threw the head away.

“When did you switch it?” Ethan was both shocked and enraged.

“In the ghost domain,” Miles began, “only what I believe to be real is real. Anything else might be an illusion. So, what do you think is real? Is it what your eyes see? Or what your hands feel? Or perhaps what your nose smells? When the world around you begins to shimmer and distort, you’ll come to understand that it, too, is nothing more than an illusion – the very essence of a fantasy realm,” Miles’s voice echoed.

After a pause, Miles suddenly got all philosophical, “A rather remarkable skill, wouldn’t you say?”

Ethan bared his teeth, frustration simmering. “Impossible! Your ghost domain is an extension of the ghost’s power. It’s universally acknowledged among ghost tamers that it can’t manipulate gold.”

With a dismissive wave, Miles replied, “While I might not be able to change gold, what about your perception? Are you absolutely sure that what you threw away was just a human head?”

The question hit Ethan like a physical blow. Could it be?

His heart fluttered with uncertainty as he hastily retrieved the discarded head from nearby.

“Are you certain that the head you’ve now retrieved is the same one you tossed aside?” Miles probed, a smirk curling his lips. “Despite our mutual efforts, you chose not to trust me, leading to an inevitable lack of trust from my side as well. We can’t split the box into two. Yes, your efforts were substantial, but mine weren’t negligible either. I was the one who first decoded the ghost’s patterns and located it.”

As he finished his statement, a golden box materialized in his hand as if conjured from thin air.

It was the same box that Ethan had used to house the headless ghost.

If the box was indeed in Miles’s possession, then the object in Ethan’s hand was a real human head.

“Curses,” Ethan murmured under his breath, discarding the head again in haste.

His thoughts whirled in turmoil, struggling to distinguish reality from illusion within the ghost domain. Nevertheless, a wave of relief washed over him, thankfulness that Miles was not a real ghost. Because if he were, how could he hope to contain such a man? He would be wiped out in an instant.

Reluctantly, Ethan conceded, “I admit, you’ve outsmarted me. You can lead this case. But you’re not thinking of taking it all for yourself, are you?”

If Miles decided to hoard the spoils, Ethan was left without recourse.

“Although our squabble over the distribution of the rewards was far from pleasant, I am, in the end, a man of principles,” Miles replied. “Without a moral compass, what distinguishes us from the ghosts? Our collaboration stands, but the box stays with me. You can arrange for the buyer. I’ll handle the negotiations. How does that sound?”

“Do I have a choice?” Ethan submitted, “Fine. Your way it is.”

Relief washed over him as their partnership continued. If Miles had been more cutthroat, Ethan might have been left out in the cold.

“Great. Reach out when it’s time to close the deal. Don’t bother me otherwise; I’m quite occupied. It’s been delightful working with you.”

He produced a pen from his pocket, jotted down his number, and left it on the ground.

With that, the encompassing red light dissolved along with Miles’s presence.

Had they finally exited the ghost domain?

Ethan scanned the surroundings, his gaze landing on the ‘human head’ lying on the ground.

To Ethan’s surprise, the object he’d feared was not a human head but a packet of plain-flavored instant noodles – the one variety he detested the most.

“What an unpredictable displeasure this ghost domain is…” he muttered under his breath.

Ethan clenched his fists, feeling a surge of helplessness. Why was it that among all ghost tamers, it was Miles who was blessed with such a formidable skill? It seemed utterly unjust.

Blessed?

Miles would’ve likely laughed if he had overheard Ethan’s thoughts. This was a boon he would have preferred to forego.

Unbeknownst to Ethan, Miles didn’t immediately leave the mall after his departure.

There was someone he had not forgotten – River.

“River, you haven’t died, have you? Your phone’s gone silent.” Miles materialized in the surveillance room.

His ghost domain was still in effect.

At this moment, River was huddled in a corner, clutching a disposable phone disconnected due to running out of time, burying her face as she sobbed quietly.

She was engulfed by despair.

When Miles and Ethan had ventured into the clothing store and hadn’t emerged, she was convinced they had perished within.

The activities within the ghost domain were beyond the surveillance system’s reach.

River was emotionally devastated. If Miles was gone, what was her fate? The ghost was still prowling outside, and if she ventured out, she’d meet certain doom.

However, at the sound of Miles’s voice, her sobbing ceased and she quickly raised her head.

On seeing Miles materialize in front of her, she sprang up, relief washing over her, and lunged towards him. “I thought you were dead. I’m so relieved you’re okay.”

“Ouch~!”

What was meant to be a warm hug ended up with River passing through Miles’s form and landing face-first onto the floor. A trickle of blood seeped from her nose as she looked up.

“Big sister, why are you so emotional? I thought you were going to attack me,” Miles said, a look of confusion crossing his face.

“Are you… are you a human or a ghost?” River asked, terror filling her eyes.

She was certain she had just phased right through him.

Indeed, she had gone right through him, face to face.

“I won’t waste time explaining something you won’t understand. You’ve completed your mission. It’s time to leave.” Miles reached out and grasped her wrist.

In an instant, they both disappeared from the room.