THE GHOST HUNTER .

Kael, Emily, and Ray walked steadily through the dense, eerie forest. The trees around them loomed like silent watchers, their skeletal branches reaching out as if waiting to grab unsuspecting travelers. The air felt strangely thick, carrying a whispering breeze that seemed almost... alive.

As they moved, Kael suddenly stopped. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Wait here, nature calls. I'll be right back."

Emily smirked, crossing her arms. "Fine, fine. Go. But don't take too long or we'll leave you behind."

Kael rolled his eyes and hurried toward a thick patch of bushes.

"Whistle, whistle... Ahh, what a relief."

Just as he relaxed, a strange sound reached his ears.

It was faint at first—a soft thud, followed by a second, and then a third.

Kael frowned, quickly fastening his belt and looking around. The sound continued, rhythmic and deliberate.

Curiosity got the better of him. He moved cautiously toward the noise, brushing past the thick foliage.

What he saw left him speechless.

A young girl was playing alone.

She held a wooden stick in her hand and was engaged in a peculiar game. A heavy, cylinder-shaped wooden piece lay balanced on a small rock. A few feet away, a line was etched into the ground.

She tapped one side of the wooden piece, making it flip into the air. The moment it reached her head level, she struck it again, sending it flying toward the marked line.

But she seemed frustrated. The piece never quite reached the line.

With determination, she tried again. After two more attempts, she finally succeeded. A wide, bright smile spread across her face.

Kael clapped instinctively. "Wow! That's impressive. Is this some kind of game?"

The girl turned toward him, tilting her head.

Kael's protective instincts kicked in. "What are you doing here all alone? It's dangerous in these parts. Anyway, come with me."

He reached for her hand, and she let him take it without resistance. But as they walked back toward where he left Emily and Ray, something was wrong.

The clearing was empty.

Ray and Emily were gone.

Kael's expression darkened. "Where did they go? I told them to wait for me..."

Before he could process the situation, the girl gently squeezed his hand.

"Play with me."

Her voice was soft, sweet, almost hypnotic.

Kael turned to her.

She was young, around Emily's age, dressed in a pure white gown adorned with red floral patterns—patterns that looked like flowers but weren't quite flowers.

Her large, appealing eyes stared into his, full of expectation.

He hesitated. But something about her made it impossible to refuse.

"…Fine."

---

Meanwhile…

Emily glanced around impatiently. "Kael hasn't returned yet. Ray, should we check—"

She turned toward Ray.

He was gone.

Emily froze. "…Ray?"

Her heart pounded. Before she could process what was happening, a dark presence made itself known.

A shadow emerged—a small figure, humanoid, but twisted. It had the shape of a girl but lacked features, a swirling void of darkness where a face should be.

The shadow's 'head' tilted, as if in silent rage.

Suddenly, black tentacles shot out from its back, sharp at the edges and writhing unnaturally.

Emily barely had time to react. She raised her hands, summoning a green protective aura around her just in time. The shadow's tentacles slammed against it, pushing her back with surprising force.

"What the—?!"

She struggled to hold her ground. This aura was strong—it had saved her in countless battles—but these shadows weren't ordinary creatures. They were attacking with pure malice, and their strength was unnatural.

Emily clenched her fists.

Enough.

She closed her eyes, summoning a magic circle beneath her feet.

A green wolf materialized, its fur shimmering with divine energy.

The wolf's sharp eyes glowed with fury as it took in the sight of Emily struggling.

It howled—a loud, enraged cry—before lunging at the shadow.

It slashed at the shadow repeatedly, its claws cutting through the darkness. But… something was wrong.

The shadow didn't fade.

No matter how many times the wolf attacked, the shadow remained whole, as if it were nothing but air.

Emily's eyes widened. "Why isn't it disappearing?"

The shadow let out an ear-piercing screech, writhing as if in pain, but it didn't vanish.

Then—a tentacle shot out from behind Emily.

Before it could strike, her wolf teleported, shielding her with its massive body.

Emily gritted her teeth. This wasn't a battle she could win head-on.

"We're leaving."** She leaped onto her wolf's back.**

With one last snarl at the shadow, the wolf dashed forward, following Kael's scent.

---

Ray's Disappearance

Ray unsheathed his sword.

Something wasn't right.

The air felt wrong—like he was standing in a place that didn't exist.

Then—the ground beneath him moved.

His feet sank into the earth.

His expression darkened. He struggled, but the ground kept pulling him in, as if trying to consume him whole.

This shouldn't be possible.

He was strong. Far too strong for a trivial trap like this to work.

Yet… he couldn't break free.

Just before he was completely swallowed, his red eyes flashed—a glow of raw power—

And then, the ground swallowed him whole.

---

Kael's Realization

Kael swung his stick, determined to beat the girl at her own game.

At first, he kept losing. But he refused to give up.

With a smirk, he steadied himself. "Alright, I've figured it out. Time to show you who the real champion is."

After a few precise strikes, he finally outmatched her.

She smiled.

A genuine, cheerful smile.

For a moment, Kael felt relieved.

Then, his expression turned serious. "Alright, now tell me—why are you here?"

The girl pointed.

Kael followed her gaze—

And there it was.

The same old house from before.

Kael's eyes widened.

"We're still inside the mirror, aren't we?"

His hand snapped into a finger-gun gesture, clicking his tongue.

"Ha! Mystery solved. What a young, smart fellow I am. Ha-ha!"** He puffed out his chest proudly.**

The girl nodded.

Then—the world shifted.

The shadows moved, forming a scene from the past.

---

The Truth Unfolds

Emily's wolf clawed at the shadow—but no matter how deep the cuts, the shadow refused to disappear.

Instead, it let out a low, pained cry.

Emily's eyes widened. "It's… suffering?"

Then, out of nowhere, two more shadows appeared.

One male. One female.

The original shadow—the girl—looked toward them.

Emily's breath hitched.

"…This isn't just a monster.

They were people."

---