NOVEL NEXT 110. The Second Ghost
Sol stood in the park doing a final mental inventory, ticking items off an invisible list. "Big-ass bag—check. Tent—check. Case files—" He paused mid-pace, that familiar nagging feeling creeping in. "Why does it always feel like I'm forgetting something important?"
The past few days had been a whirlwind. Angelo's courtroom drama, his deception of the law, George Bright coming back for favors instead of payment—story for another time. What mattered now was they'd rested, prepared, and were ready for the next leg of their mission.
"Hey Sol!"
He spun around just as Neiva touched down perfectly behind him, her blue aura fizzling out like extinguished sparklers. She straightened with a grin. "Good morning!"
Sol's smirk showed genuine approval. "Well damn, look at you sticking the landing. Nice form—color me impressed."
Neiva did a little spin, clearly proud. "Right? Blue and Red have been putting me through the works."
"Who would've thought those two could actually teach?" Sol chuckled.
"I know, right?" Neiva bounced on her toes with excitement. "Blue's super uptight and Red's basically a walking curse word, but Blue's got these martial arts skills that are insane, and Red can really fine tune someone with that empath thing he's got going."
Sol tilted his head. "What about Angelo?"
"Oh, he mostly supervises. Too busy with his own training regime." Neiva laughed.
Sol's eyes dropped to the metal sheaths at her waist. "Hold up—they taught you permanent matter already? But do you really need to lug swords around everywhere? Temporary stuff work just as good."
"Oh, I know." Neiva rocked back and forth, barely containing herself. "But appearances can be deceiving." She drew both weapons in one smooth motion.
Sol's eyebrows shot up. The handles were metal, sure, but the blades themselves were crystallized silver with frozen veins of orange, red, and blue pulsing through them like captured lightning. "Well shit!"
"They finally made my Trinergy weapons!" Neiva practically vibrated with excitement. She flowed through a series of strikes and parries, the blades singing through the air.
Sol whistled low. "Damn girl, you've been practicing."
"But wait, there's more!" She clicked the handles together, transforming both swords into a double-bladed staff.
Sol gave her a slow, deliberate clap. "Very slick." He scanned the sky. "So where are our favorite blacksmiths? They can literally fly—no excuse for them being late."
"That's what I'm saying! They should've been here by—" Neiva froze as shouts erupted around them.
They turned toward the commotion as something descended from the sky.
"It's a bird!" someone yelled.
"No, it's a plane!"
"Are you kidding me? That's a freaking spaceship!"
"What... is that?" Neiva whispered, staring at the impossible contraption approaching.
Sol's eyes went wide, realization dawning. "No way..." His disbelief cracked into a massive grin. "Those absolute madmen!"
The thing touched down—part flying car, part miniature spacecraft, entirely made of shimmering Trinergy. Red's voice boomed from inside with theatrical flair: "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you—THE REDMOBILE 3000 GAH—"
The doors burst open mid-announcement, and Red came flying out courtesy of Angelo's boot.
"Get over yourself." Angelo stepped down, his aura winking out as his feet touched ground.
Red scrambled up, indignant. "Hey! The fuck's your problem? You just murdered my grand entrance!"
Angelo didn't even look at him. "Zip it, hothead."
Blue emerged behind them, floating past Red with scholarly disdain. "Additionally, we are absolutely not calling it the 'Redmobile.' That's final."
Neiva rushed over, eyes huge. "What the hell is that thing?!"
Angelo shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. "Camping was fine last time, but I figured we could upgrade our situation."
Blue straightened with obvious pride. "Angelo conceived the idea, but I designed the execution. The Trinergy composition makes it remarkably durable."
Sol joined them, addressing Blue directly. "Did you run the quality tests with Professor Goldstein?"
"Indeed we did. The results may surprise you considerably."
"Yeah, yeah, save the science lecture for later." Red was still sulking.
Neiva bounced in place. "Can we get a tour? Please?"
"Sure." Angelo's tone was flat. "Blue, you're up."
"With pleasure." Blue either missed or ignored Angelo's reluctance. He gestured toward their creation. "The main space functions as a communal area—sufficient seating for everyone around a central table. Four separate rooms branch off with proper doors for privacy."
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"You fit all that inside there?!" Neiva breathed.
"Don't get too excited." Angelo cut through her enthusiasm. "Everything's permanent matter, which took forever to make. The rooms are basically closets—just enough space to change and crash. No mattresses either—you're sleeping in your bag."
"So it's like a spaceship." Sol nodded approvingly. "But wait—can't you three see through your own energy?"
"Heh, heh, heh." Red's grin turned predatory. "That's right, pretty boy. Worried we'll peep on you getting dressed?"
Sol's playful demeanor evaporated. "I don't give a damn about me. I'm concerned about Neiva."
Blue adjusted his invisible glasses with mechanical precision. "Please disregard Red's crude implications, Solomon. We painted the rooms and shower with the same specialized coating Professor Goldstein developed for Angelo's jacket—it blocks our vision completely."
Angelo added casually, "It's tested. We can only see through the unpainted strips we left on my jacket's arms intentionally."
"WAIT—WE HAVE A SHOWER?!" Neiva's voice cracked with excitement, apparently more thrilled about hot water than privacy concerns.
"How'd you manage that?" Sol asked.
Angelo rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't get too excited. We still have to manually fill it with hot water, but yeah—simple gravity-fed shower system."
"Fancy." Sol's approval was genuine.
"Right, enough showing off." Angelo's voice sharpened as he locked eyes with Sol. "We didn't come here to admire our engineering. Time to brief us on the next case."
Red shrugged. "All I remember is something about a ghost town."
"Yeah, that's literally all you told us last time." Neiva crossed her arms. "Please tell me you've got more details than that."
"Easy there." Sol pulled out a map of Luminia, still marked with red circles—one now crossed out where Thunderclap Port sat. "Take a seat. This one's not as mysterious as the vanishing gem, if you ask me."
"Just spill it already! The suspense is killing me!" Red bounced impatiently.
"Alright, alright." Sol chuckled, tapping a circle near the map's edge. "Our next destination is right here—a little place called Sol'thanor."
"Sol'thanor?" Neiva echoed. "That's weird. Doesn't sound Luminian or Inferni."
Blue seized the opportunity. "Ah, but you must consider our history, Neiva. Many Luminians who returned after the war brought traditions and naming conventions from their host nations. This could be Geovalian or perhaps even Zhypherian in origin."
Sol hummed thoughtfully. "Actually, it's Inferni."
Blue nearly stumbled at the correction.
"Super old though," Sol continued. "From what I read, the place is surrounded by mountains. Years ago, two insanely powerful Aurons fought there and blasted a massive hole straight through the rock. Ever since, there's been this festival every few years when the sun angles just right—sends this beam straight through the hole, makes the whole village glow."
"Pfft, what is that, the New Sun Festival or something?" Red cackled.
"Does any of this connect to the case?" Angelo's flat tone made it clear he didn't care about local history lessons.
"Fine, skip the tourist info." Sol shrugged. "Here's what matters—fifteen years ago, Sol'thanor had a murder problem. Frequent enough that people panicked and fled. Eventually everyone left. It's been a ghost town ever since."
"That's it? No other details?" Neiva pressed.
"My dad's notes are thin on this one—he never visited in person." Sol tapped the map. "But he noted the murders seemed random, at least according to the locals. That's what triggered the mass exodus."
"So we just show up and look for clues?" Neiva asked.
"Sort of. There's a town nearby where I think a bunch of former residents settled. We could start there, see what they remember."
"Great. Can we go now?" Angelo's patience was visibly fraying.
"Almost." Sol straightened his jacket. "Two things first."
Angelo sighed heavily. "What."
"Remember that Rue guy? The one who promised us Auranium equipment? He never called back." Sol's annoyance leaked through every word.
Something clicked in Angelo's mind. "Oh, right. Ruel." He scratched his head. "Honestly, now that I've got Trinergy, the Auranium stuff doesn't really appeal to me anymore."
"Good for you." Sol's sarcasm could have stripped paint. "But the rest of us could use the extra protection."
"Fine. We'll stop in Ashford first, corner him in person so he can't weasel out."
Red's grin turned vicious. "Ooh, I like where this is going."
"And the second matter, Solomon?" Blue prompted.
Sol's expression darkened, drawing everyone's full attention. "This one's more serious."
"What's wrong?" Neiva asked quickly.
Sol took a moment, visibly wrestling with his words. Finally, he committed. "After the last case, I had time to think. We could've died back there."
Red started a slow clap. "And the award for stating the painfully obvious goes to pretty detective boy! Get up here, you handsome devil."
Angelo slapped Red's hands away, and they immediately started grappling with each other.
Sol ignored them completely, his voice cutting through their scuffle. "No. You're missing my point." That made them freeze mid-grab, collars still clutched in each other's fists. "We got incredibly lucky. Hugo outclassed us from the start—could've ended us on sight if he wanted. But his personal code gave us breathing room. We used that time to get strong enough to survive."
The group exchanged glances, the realization hitting them like cold water.
"So what are you suggesting?" Angelo cut straight to the heart of it.
"We play it safe from now on." Sol's tone left no room for argument. "No picking fights. We assess before we move. Red and Blue can scout—we've got the tools to do this smart."
Angelo looked like he'd been slapped. "With remote manipulation, I can do everything they can and more."
Red patted Angelo's back with false sympathy. "Easy there, no need to get defensive about it."
"Don't touch me." Angelo slapped the hand away while Red kept grinning like a troublemaker who'd stolen cookies.
"Same goes for GHOST." Sol's words cut through their bickering like a blade. "I doubt they're all Elite rank and below. They've probably got Veterans, Arch-level fighters. Hell, maybe even Master or Enlightened rank."
"So... what? We're screwed from the start?" Neiva's voice carried genuine helplessness.
"No. But we don't bite off more than we can chew." Sol shook his head firmly, then looked up with burning determination. "First, we find them. Then we do two things—train like our lives depend on it, and watch them until we identify a member weaker than us. Only then do we move. Agreed?"
"That's a coward's plan!" Red blurted out.
Blue hummed thoughtfully. "Cowards at least continue drawing breath. The deceased accomplish nothing. Remember that."
Red had no comeback. He just turned away, arms crossed, muttering, "Insufferable know-it-all."
"We're agreed then. Can we finally leave?" Angelo's patience had officially run out.
Sol's silver aura flickered to life around him. "Haha, yeah. All set." He hoisted his massive pack.
Angelo followed suit, extending an energy tether toward Neiva's bag—but it suddenly snapped in half. Neiva stood there wreathed in her blue aura, her new Trinergy swords gleaming as she lowered them from the cutting motion.
"I can carry my own stuff now, thanks." Her smugness was unmistakable.
"Right. Force of habit." Angelo turned smoothly toward the ship, though his thoughts were spinning. "She actually cut through my tether."
"Eh, she was using our swords. Not impressed." Red's mental voice carried typical dismissiveness.
Blue took a moment before responding. "Perhaps. But she still needed sufficient force to sever the construct. For someone at her experience level, that's quite remarkable."
Angelo kept walking. "You're giving her too much credit. Don't forget my energy is only at fifty percent potency."
The group settled into their new ship, ready to make a quick stop in Ashford before heading to Sol'thanor.
Meanwhile in Ashford, Ruel sat in an upscale bar sipping an expensive drink when his phone buzzed. He answered but said nothing.
The calm voice on the other end was direct. "Someone will contact you soon. Help her however you can. She'll identify herself as 'Owl.'"
Ruel hung up and went back to his drink as if nothing had happened.