Red frowned at the woman’s words. “Should I even ask what kind of ghost that is?”

Aurelia scoffed. “You will learn about it later, whether or not you want to.”

“… There is something that confuses me, though.” Red said after some thought. “I was under the impression that all ghosts were born from an obsession they had while they were still alive, which allows the undead energy to corrupt their souls.”

“Some ghosts are forced into becoming one.” Aurelia said with an impatient tone.

“That might be the case, but it doesn’t change the fact that a ghost’s existence is still based on an obsession from their life. It is the catalyst for everything.” Red said. “This much I know about undead.”

All ghosts had an obsession with their life, even the ones that were forced by corrupting forces. A small ambition in life would could become a terrifying obsession in death for some of them. In which case, Red was forced to ask himself: what was Aurelia’s obsession?

As much as the woman seemed to be of sound mind, a deep fixation wasn’t always revealed on the surface, and she was more than experienced enough to hide her true desires from Red.

Aurelia spoke up after a prolonged silence. “I already told you what my obsession was.”

Red frowned. “You did?”

“Yes. I am a cultivator and I wish to achieve what I couldn’t do in life… I want to ascend.”

The youth nodded. “I suppose that makes sense.”

He couldn’t tell if the woman was lying or not, but as far as he was concerned, this was the obsession that made the most sense for someone like Aurelia. He couldn’t imagine her being bound to the afterlife by something like revenge or the loss of a loved one.

Still, this brought about another question. “Can ghosts ascend?”

“… I don’t know.” Aurelia said after a pause. “None have done it in the past, as far as I know. In fact, no kind of life form other than human cultivators have been able to accomplish it before.”

Red raised his eyebrows. “… And you think you have a chance?”

Aurelia grunted. “About as good of a chance as you have, you curse-ridden brat!”

It was a fair point.

With his immediate curiosity sated, Red turned the topic of conversation to something more dire.

“I need to absorb the energy from the core.” Red said.

“I can’t stop you if I wanted to.” Aurelia said. “But I would be thankful if you could wait for at least a week more before doing it. It’s not like you need a plentiful reserve to fill your acupoints.”

The youth hesitated for a few seconds, but still nodded. “Fine.”

“Great.” Aurelia seemed satisfied. “You also can carry the core along with you. There’s no need to keep it locked away any longer.”

Red frowned. “Are you sure you can hide it from everyone?”

“Barring an extremely strong cultivator, then yes. As long as you don’t wave the core around to grab a ghoul’s attention, that is.” Aurelia said. “Besides, if I’m separated from you, I won’t be able to help you when it counts.”

Red nodded again. “Fine.”

With these matters settled, Red went about organizing his belonging and getting a new change of clothing. Still, throughout the entire process, he couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about the fact there was someone else watching him.

It wasn’t because Red was embarrassed about changing clothes in front of someone - he was above being prudish after his upbringing - but rather because this room had always been his sanctuary. He was used to spending time with others in the forest, which was why he wasn’t bothered by Aurelia’s presence back then, but this room was supposed to be one of the few places in the world where Red could relax and think by himself.

Now, with a ghost watching his every move, achieving a peaceful mental state became far harder. This was not to mention the fact that if things went according to plan, then Aurelia would probably be with him for a long while, which meant the youth would probably never be truly alone again.

It was a thought that disturbed him more than he expected.

“What happened to the snake?”

Aurelia’s question suddenly snapped Red out of his daze.

He frowned. “It escaped when the ghouls attacked. I haven’t seen it since.”

The woman grunted with a thoughtful tone. “You should try finding it again as soon as possible. What if someone else got their hands on it?”

“There’s not much I can do right now.” Red shook his head.

Red would be disappointed if he never came across the special snake again, but he had his priorities straight. He wouldn’t risk his life going out to the forest right now just to recapture a pet that wouldn’t be of much use to him at this moment.

Aurelia didn’t say anything else, and Red was left in silence again. He did his best to wave off distracting thoughts from his mind and started to meditate, waiting for the night to arrive.

…

A few hours later, he met up with Allen and Domeron in the courtyard.

Red frowned as he examined the two of them. “You two are planning on going out like that?”

Allen was wearing his usual fancy and bright clothes, while Domeron was just using the same clothes as always. It was hardly the appropriate getup for sneaking around town at night.

“It will be fine.” Domeron waved him off. “The guards in town have never been that attentive, anyway.”

Red sighed. “Just make sure to follow behind me and to not make any noise.”

The two of them nodded, and soon enough, the group was out and sneaking through town. Just like Domeron said, the guards weren’t that attentive at this time of the night, so they didn’t have any trouble avoiding their attention, even with Allen’s bright clothing.

Red was also surprised by Domeron’s skills. The swordsman was able to follow the youth’s directions perfectly, and he often knew what Red was about to do before the order was even out of his mouth.

He was experienced in these matters. Then again, the youth supposed this shouldn’t surprise him.

They were running along an alley when Allen suddenly froze. “Wait, I just thought of something!”

“What is it?” Domeron looked back at the young master in annoyance.

“The imperials can track us, right?” Allen asked. “What’s to stop them from just following us while we’re in town and attacking us in the hideout?”

“They wouldn’t dare.” The swordsman shook his head. “Or rather, if they did, they definitely wouldn’t get out alive from here. And in any case, as soon as our meeting is done, we will tell Rimold to destroy that hideout for good.”

Allen still seemed a bit skeptical, but given Domeron’s confidence, he decided to put the matter aside. Red, of course, didn’t tell them that Aurelia was currently masking the Spiritual Emissions of all of them, a simple task for the woman as long as she wasn’t hibernating. In the end, however, it didn’t matter, considering they were about to meet up with Rimold, who wouldn’t be disguised, and the hideout would still be revealed at that point.

It didn’t take long for Red to locate the hideout Rimold referred to in the letter. This was the first hideout the rogue ever introduced to him when the accident with the demon happened back then, and the youth himself had used the place a handful of times to make a quick escape.

When he arrived in the vicinity, though, Red frowned.

“There’s no one inside.” he said.

“What?” Allen seemed confused. “Rimold is not there?”

Red shook his head.

The young master looked concerned at the revelation. “Could this be a trap?”

“I don’t sense anyone around me.” Red said. “But the imperials might be aware of the specifics of my power and devised a way to counter it. At the very least, they are aware about its rough range.”

Domeron grunted in thought. “If you can’t rely on your power, use your eyes for a bit. Do you see anything out of the ordinary?”

Red hesitated and examined the surroundings of the shack, inside and out, where the hideout was. He didn’t find anything that stood out, and in fact, everything seemed to be in the exact same position that Red left it in when he first came to visit.

The youth shook his head. “Either Rimold still hasn’t arrived or we are dealing with some very proficient assassins here.”

Domeron nodded. “Let’s go inside and check.”

The swordsman led the way, leaving no room for discussion. Red pointed out where the hideout entrance was, and Domeron moved it away with his one hand before swinging the hatch open.

“Can you climb down the ladder with one hand?” Allen asked, in curiosity.

Domeron just glared at him before jumping down without the ladder’s assistance.

Soon enough, all three of them were down in the hideout, and there was no sign of assassins or other kind of foul play. Either the imperials didn’t find out about this hideout or they just didn’t care.

Still, they couldn’t find traces of Rimold anywhere.

Allen looked around in concern. “Why is he not here? He’s the one that told us to meet!”

Domeron frowned. “We’ll be patient for now. He might be caught up in some matters that delayed him.”

Allen nodded with some reluctance.

So it was that the three of them waited around this miniscule room for Rimold’s arrival, which didn’t come for the hour. Domeron seemed to be reconsidering his earlier words, when Red finally felt it.

“He’s here.” he said.

Both Domeron and Allen piped up. A few minutes later, they heard the sound of footsteps above their heads, and down the stairs they finally saw him.

Rimold, who had been gone for six months. Once they saw his appearance, however, the trio was taken aback. The man’s once thin and proper beard was overgrown and messy, reaching just above his neck line and the rogue’s hair didn’t look any better. This, added to his torn and weathered clothes, formed an image of a destitute man who was lost in a forest for months.

If this was all, Red wouldn’t have been so shocked. However, as soon as he laid eyes on the rogue, he saw the air shimmer around the man. It was quick and so small as to be almost imperceptible. However, the youth was certain of what he saw, even though it didn’t happen again the following moments.

“R-Rimold…” Allen seemed baffled. “What happened to you?!”

“It doesn’t matter!” Rimold cut him off with a fervent tone and expression. He looked over at Red and smiled. “I found it! I finally found it!”

Red frowned. “Found what?”

Rimold laughed. “That dagger! I found the bone dagger.”

The youth froze. He suddenly remembered that one ghost that possessed Rimold obsessing over a bone dagger of a cultivator who died on the verge of ascension.

So many years had passed since then that Red thought the aftereffects of the possession would have been gone by now. And yet, here Rimold was, seemingly obsessed with the same thing the ghost was seven years ago.

For a moment, Red didn’t know how to react.