Dearest Anonymous, Let Me Be

Chapter 34: ARC 2 - The Woman in the Painting

On the floor were several words written to form a number eight to symbolize infinity. It was enclosed with a circle with the same set of words yet Umi couldn't properly read it as the room was dark and the light from the candle wasn't helping at all.

However, she knew what those words were; at least that's what the original story told her. Those were the words that Lucian will be chanting to perform the ritual tonight.

Picking up the strange book, the young man, who seemed to be in high spirits, started to flip through the pages carefully as he read some phrases.

"Great shadows of the night, I call to thee..."

Lucian's voice echoed throughout the room yet Umi was somewhat caught up in her own thoughts while contemplating the world's setting that she was not paying much attention to the ritual that was occurring simultaneously.

Technically, ghosts in this world were referred to by the people as the Hollows. Their first appearance was long since ancient times, yet presently, most people regarded Hollows as only a myth.

Basically, when numerous wars invaded the world and death was consistently imminent, a few people claimed that they saw silhouettes of their loved ones after their death.

"Eliminate the chains of life and death..."

Unable to comprehend the science behind it, they only hypothesized that the ghosts were only empty shells of the dead. Having seen translucent forms of the ghosts, they thought that they have no organs inside of those so-called shells. Thus the name, Hollows. Even if today's age already knows the concept of ghosts, they still refer to them in that name.

To differentiate them, Hollows have a certain hierarchy based on their abilities.

There are Heavenly, Earthly, and Shadow Hollows.

"She who was not meant to bite the dust should be stirred from her rest..."

Heavenly Hollows are ones who are perpetually in their Spirit Form and are only capable of showing subtle mirages of their figures. They were called heavenly because people thought these "harmless" ghosts were not capable or equipped to effectively harm them.

Earthly Hollows are the ones who can constitute a physical body called Corporeal Form but are not capable of communicating with the living through words, so at most, they find supplementary ways through other methods of haunting.

Shadow Hollows are the most powerful ones. Aside from having a Corporeal Form, they can also communicate through words, to the point that one may not distinguish them from the living. This kind of Hollow is considered dangerous, as they can meddle with the living and be able to walk among them without them knowing at all.

"Sleep eternal, be cast away..."

However, regardless of what type they are, all of them still need ample Spiritual Energy for them to utilize their abilities. They weren't limited to those skills, as every ghost has its own unique capabilities and they usually obtain it depending on how they died.

Nevertheless, the greater the power, the more energy they need.

Spiritual Energy is the energy that ghosts can get from the living, whether from plants, animals, or human beings. However, not everyone has the same level of Spiritual Energy that they can produce from their bodies. The more wicked a person is, the more he can produce that kind of energy. Yet, as of today's age, after the wars have ended, murderous individuals have greatly reduced and thus the reason for the decreasing number of Hollows.

"Abracadabra..."

Anyhow, these kinds of people do still exist. Presently, although not everyone has the guts to kill someone in the spur of a moment like how it was when war was at every corner of the streets, wolves in sheep's clothing didn't go extinct. They are all there, creeping in the shadows, simply waiting to have an opportunity to manifest their evil tendencies.