Days after the funeral, the weight of Drace’s death lingered in the air, but for Morvane, it was sothing else that occupied his thoughts. The events that had unfolded, the secrets shared and unsaid, all seed to push him further into solitude.
He had tried to distract himself, diving into the royal palace’s countless distractions. The grand library of Ketamran, filled with dusty tos and ancient scrolls, beca his refuge. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to focus, his thoughts kept drifting back to Hiraya—her life taken, her mory a silent wound that refused to heal.
Morvane had kept his distance from das and the others. He didn’t want to face the questions, the guilt that followed him like a shadow. But more than anything, he didn’t want to confront the truth of what had happened to Hiraya.
It was during one of these aimless wanderings, through the stone halls and into the royal library, that Morvane’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
As he passed the towering shelves of ancient books, he felt a strange chill in the air. His steps slowed as an unfamiliar sensation crept over him, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.
And then he saw her.
Hiraya’s spirit stood before him, glowing softly in the dim light, her presence both ethereal and haunting. It wasn’t her sudden appearance that startled him, but the flood of mories that rushed back. The mont her life was taken, the fear in her eyes, the blood, the way her body had fallen to the ground. It all ca crashing into his mind in an overwhelming wave.
For a mont, Morvane couldn’t move, his heart pounding in his chest.
Hiraya’s eyes t his, and despite her form being translucent, the sadness in her gaze felt all too real. She opened her mouth to speak, her voice faint but clear.
"I have news."
Morvane’s breath caught in his throat. He could barely force the words out, the guilt twisting in his stomach. "Hiraya...?"
She nodded slowly, her presence steady despite the heaviness in the air. Morvane’s thoughts spun, but he could not bring himself to speak further. Instead, he stood frozen, caught between the past he couldn’t escape and the spirit standing before him, offering sothing—so piece of news—that he didn’t know if he was ready to hear.
Hiraya’s spirit stood before Morvane, her gaze locked on him with a mixture of sadness and determination.
"I ca back," she said softly, the faint glow around her flickering like a fading ember. "My cabin—it’s gone now, demolished. But I found sothing."
Morvane’s heart tightened as her words sank in. He had no idea what she ant, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Instead, he nodded in silence, his throat tight with emotion.
"Co with ," Hiraya said, gesturing toward the direction of the destroyed cabin.
Without a word, Morvane followed her, his mind racing. The place that had once been her ho was now nothing more than ruins, charred remnants of a life that had been lost. Yet, there was sothing about this mont that felt different—he could sense it in the air.
Hiraya led him to a spot nearby, where the earth was cracked, and the stone beneath them was cold to the touch. Her hand hovered over the ground, and Morvane’s gaze followed it.
"This," she said quietly, "I don’t rember if I am the one who did this, but there’s no one else who could’ve. Maybe it’s just gone from my mory."
Morvane looked where she pointed, and his breath caught in his chest. There, half-buried beneath the dirt and rubble, was a massive stone. It was smooth and polished, almost out of place in the surrounding wreckage, and on it was an intricate carving.
The words etched into the stone sent a chill down his spine:
"Wait for the Killer and Surrender."
Morvane’s shock was palpable. His mind raced back to the blind old man, the one who had spoken of prophecy and fate. It had to be him—the one who had warned them. This stone, this ssage, it was all part of sothing bigger, sothing that Morvane had never fully understood.
Before he could speak, Hiraya’s sobs interrupted his thoughts. Her voice quivered as she spoke again, the pain in her words undeniable.
"I’m a spirit, but I still touched it." Her hands trembled slightly as she reached out, and even though her form was ethereal, the energy around her seed to shift. "When my hands touched it, a mory snapped into my brain. I rember talking to an unfamiliar man..."
Morvane swallowed, listening intently, his heart pounding.
"Then I was transported to the mont I was stabbed," Hiraya continued, her voice growing fainter, the sadness thick in her tone. "But there’s more... I saw more people, theyrr like two people but I couldn’t recognize their face because my mory is still cloudy. And... I saw das. He was awake at that ti."
The words hung in the air like a heavy fog, and for a mont, Morvane couldn’t speak. He was scared that Hiraya will find out that the other people in her mories was him and Drevon and that he was the one who tasked to kill her.
He is also scared that Hiraya would find out that das is the one who ended her accidentally.
Morvane’s mind spun, his chest tightening with the weight of this new revelation. But he had no answers to Hiraya. Not yet.
He couldn’t bring himself to say anything to Hiraya. What could he say to a spirit who had just regained such a troubling mory? His thoughts raced, but every question felt like it led to more uncertainty.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, Morvane’s voice broke through.
"I... I don’t know what to say."
Hiraya’s spirit seed almost... eager, a spark of excitent in her faded eyes. For once, she felt like her unfinished business is finally coming to an end.
"This is a huge clue, right? A huge leap for evidence?" she asked, her voice trembling with a mix of hope and anticipation. "I know we will find out soon who killed . I’ll finally be free!" She paused for a mont, then, her expression shifting slightly, added, "Also, can I possess you? I want to talk to das. It’s really clear that he was awake when I was about to be stabbed."
Morvane blinked in surprise, almost not believing what he was hearing.
"You... want to possess , Hiraya?" His voice was a mix of disbelief and unease. "But didn’t I go into a coma for weeks because of that?"
Hiraya nodded, her glow dimming slightly as she seed to regret the implication. "Yes, and I’m sorry for that. But I’ll only use your body for a short amount of ti. I won’t hurt you. I promise"
Morvane’s expression hardened. The thought of allowing Hiraya to control his body—even for a short ti—made his stomach twist with discomfort.
"I’m sorry, but I will not allow you, Hiraya." His voice was firm, his decision final. He wasn’t sure what he feared more—the act of possession itself, the danger it could bring, or Hiraya finding out more about the truth that had happened to her and that Morvane actually knows everything from the beginning.
Before Hiraya could respond, a shadow seed to slip through the cracks in the stone walls, and das stepped into view, his face a mask of quiet surprise. He had been actually following Morvane but remained hiding because he just want to observe him.
"I suppose you’re talking to Hiraya now?" das said, his voice soft but probing. His sharp eyes didn’t miss a thing. "Why wouldn’t you let her possess you? Are you hiding sothing?"
Morvane’s eyes widened in shock at das’s sudden appearance. For a mont, he didn’t know how to react. The words felt like an accusation, a silent challenge hanging in the air between them.
das continued, stepping closer with a deliberate pace, his gaze never leaving Morvane. "It’s clear Hiraya’s spirit has a lot to say. Why not let her speak to directly?"
Hiraya’s ethereal form flickered beside Morvane, her voice just above a whisper as she responded, "I need to talk to him. He knows sothing. I can feel it. He must have been awake when I was stabbed."
Morvane’s mind raced. Why would das be awake at that mont? What did he know that no one else did?
He opened his mouth to respond, but Hiraya’s urgent presence made his words falter.
"What are you hiding, Morvane?" das’s voice pierced the silence again, his tone now laced with sothing more dangerous—suspicion.
Morvane clenched his fists, unsure of how to explain what he felt, what he suspected. But the more he tried to piece it together, the more questions he had about das’s role in everything that had happened—about the prophecy, about Hiraya’s death, about the truth they had all been avoiding.
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