Three days later, an old warehouse in Tokyo, Japan.
Noises of two blades clashing against each other echoed. Rei swung his dagger with all his force. Ezio dodged it, taking a step back as water from the small puddles on the floor splashed around.
"You're getting better at it, kiddo." Ezio had his usual grin on his face.
"I'm not done yet!" Rei charged in as he pointed his dagger – imbued with holy water – at Ezio. He saw Ezio skillfully block his dagger mid-air, catching his wrist. He kicked Rei's leg as he fell down on his knees.
Rei felt his hands tightly crossed behind his neck. Ezio used Rei's own dagger, pointing it at the back of his neck.
"And that's how you lose again," screamed the man pridefully.
A smirk went down Rei's lips. "And that's how you underestimate your opponent."
Mimicking his tone, Rei used his elbow and hit Ezio's balls as swiftly as he could.
In a flash, Rei spun, snatched the dagger from Ezio's loosened grip, and pointed it at him without hesitation.
"Lesson over, sensei?" he asked.
"That's a naughty move, kiddo." Ezio stood up. Rei saw Ezio dusting off dirt from his round black shirt, fabric tugged in his jeans.
"I never noticed before, but this dude is really jacked," he thought to himself.
"I think you've nailed it this time around," Ezio smiled.
"Yeah, that was after getting beaten up like 50 times," Rei replied, rubbing his shoulder.
"You've been taking hits and learning with me for a while now. You've improved, and ahead of schedule," Ezio gave an impressed look.
"It sure took me long enough," Rei grunted as he placed his dagger back into the sheath.
"Did Alyssa look into that eye of yours?" Ezio inquired as he threw a bottle of water at him.
"Thanks, and... yeah, she researched it." Rei took a sip from the bottle. "Turns out I can control not activating it in front of low-level ghosts," Rei sighed.
Rei leaned against a crate. "It's like flipping a switch. If I don't open myself up, the eye doesn't respond. Not fully. I still feel a... pressure. But I can hold it back."
"Hey, that's good. Now you don't have to destroy your mental health every now and then." Ezio gave a clap.
"Yeah, could've been even better if I had this info earlier." Rei scratched his neck. "I saw ghosts and their flashbacks at the worst times. One of them showed up on a date once, and the girl thought I was checking someone else out," Rei sighed. "Hard to explain I was looking at a ghost."
Ezio snorted. "Romantic. Bet she ghosted you after that."
"Haha, very funny." Rei gave him a flat look.
"Speaking of poor life choices," Ezio said, holding it up, "this is your next lesson." Ezio grinned, then reached into his coat.
"Is it the same mirror as back then?" asked Rei with a cautious look.
"Not quite, kiddo. It's a D grade, picked this one up back in Brazil." Ezio smirked. "Try to exorcise it." "A D grade, huh?"
"You won't always have stamina to use your eye."
As he flipped open the glass, "So don't use your eye this time. I'll step in if I think you're in trouble."
He threw the mirror and it shattered on impact, shards spreading over the floor. Rei saw black smoke start leaking out of the broken glass — thick, heavy, and slow. The air turned damp; he felt a chill down his spine.
"One last thing, boy — it won't feel pain in its testicles. All the best," mocked Ezio.
Rei took a step back, unsheathing his dagger. Alyssa had imbued it with holy water not long ago.
The bulb started to flicker as a figure stepped out from the smoke.
Rei tightened his grip on the dagger as he saw the shape start to form.
She looked very thin, her arms and legs were long and bony. She crawled on all four of them.
The skin appeared to be pale and cracked.
"Her core should be around her heart, right?" Rei said nervously.
"Destroy it," Ezio replied as he stood in a corner with his arms crossed.
Rei charged forward. He saw a chain snapping out of its mouth. That's when he noticed it — she had no eyes, and instead of a tongue, she had chains coiled inside her.
He dodged it just in time, water splashed from the puddles as he landed. The creature used all its arms and jumped near him. He felt a strong blow to his stomach and went flying.
"Come on, body, get up," he screamed as he stood up.
"Remember, fear increases the ghost's power," he heard Ezio shout.
Her jaw hung open, the chain slithering back into her mouth like a snake retreating into its den.
"She's fast..."
He barely finished the thought before she lunged. Rei threw himself to the side, rolling instinctively. The chain snapped past his ear with a metallic screech, close enough that he felt the air shift.
"She tracks by movement and emotion," Ezio's voice rang out, steady and clear. "Keep your breathing steady!"
Rei forced himself to focus, drawing a shaky breath. His Cursed Eye throbbed, a dull ache building behind his forehead.
Don't see her death. Don't connect. Just fight.
He surged forward, keeping his dagger low.
She hissed — a sound more felt than heard.
The chain lashed out again, but this time Rei was ready. He ducked, slid across the gritty floor, and slashed at her shoulder as he passed. The blade bit deep. Black mist hissed from the wound, curling in the air, but she didn't scream. She just turned, those ruined eyes still fixed on him.
She charged. Rei scrambled back, but not fast enough.
The chain whipped around his arm. Pain exploded — cold, numbing, like ice and fire all at once. But he saw it — close to the base of the chains in her mouth, there was a brownish glowing orb. Its core.
"NOW, Rei!" Ezio shouted.
Gritting his teeth, Rei forced his free hand up. The chain tightened, biting into his skin. He met her gaze — her mouth gaping, inhuman and hungry.
With a desperate yell, Rei drove his dagger into the base of the chain, right where it disappeared into her throat, destroying the core. A blackish fluid came out.
As his blade pierced through its core, it stepped back immediately, screaming in agony and pain. Rei saw as it started to fall apart like dust. First, its hands fell, followed by the rest of its body, until all that remained was powdered dust.
All Rei felt at that moment was his heartbeat.
"Looks like I passed, huh?" said Rei as he exhaled heavily, looking at Ezio approaching him with hands in his pockets.
"Most rookies panic when a legend charges them. Some try to exorcise too early. You waited. You moved. You ended it clean."
A beat.
Then, with a smirk:
"Ugly form, though."
That pulled the faintest breath of a laugh from Rei, even if it sounded more like a cough.
"Didn't know I was being graded on style."
Ezio shrugged. "Always are."
Meanwhile at Katsuro High School, Tokyo
Everyone had already gone home. It was past moonrise and Keiko was all alone at school, finishing up her cleaning punishment.
"If it weren't for that bitch, I'd be at home," she grunted. "Anyways, I'll clean up myself and head home."
She passed through the silent staircase. The corridor was dark and silent. She entered the washroom while whistling a song. As she reached for a paper towel, she noticed something in the mirror behind her.
A stall door had opened.
But she hadn't heard a sound.
She turned, heart skipping. The last stall stood wide open. But Keiko saw nothing inside.
Someone stood behind the door.
A girl in an old, faded uniform. Black hair over her face. Fingernails cracked. Her feet bare on the tile and blood all over her.
Keiko screamed.
"You laughed too," the girl whispered in a sound almost not human.
"No," the student breathed. "I didn't—"
"You didn't stop them either."
SLAM!
The door slammed shut, lights off.
Silence returned, as blood flew from beneath the door.
The next morning.
Alyssa entered Ezio's room.
He was peacefully enjoying his coffee in his hotel room, sitting on the couch. Rei was laying on his bed, playing video games.
"Ezio, Rei... we've received a request. It's an urban legend."
This was new, for Rei saw Alyssa with a look of seriousness.
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Note: please don't get confused between ghosts and urban legends, in this story's context ghosts are low grade urban legends (F-D) while urban legends are high grade
(C-S).
Ghosts are not that intelligent and are bound to haunt an object or place, on the other hand urban legends are highly intelligent and not bound to a place or object (or specific preference).
In short all urban legends = ghosts but all ghosts ≠ urban legends.
Happy reading
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