The eerie existence appeared funny in Gio's eyes.
It had most likely died with some heavy resentment towards the world and was out for revenge. But because of physical limitations, there were many things that it couldn't do.
Even if it already managed to take revenge against the people who killed it, there was still no doubt that it held an insuppressible desire to live again. Why else would it desperately try to take over someone else's body?
'Since it had no qualms killing off a living human's spirit, it was definitely already corrupted and evil.'
This was the reason why Gio thought it was a funny existence and spoke without mercy to it.
A corner of his lips tugged up.
He watched as the shadow moved to the left. Its feet were connected to the shadow of the bed by Wendy's feet. It was just that the owner of the shadow appeared like it was from someone standing in front of him.
The sight made Gio wondered, 'Is this going to appear in the footage? I hope it does. Maybe if I show it to her, she'll be amused.'
While he was both thinking of something irrelevant to the situation while anticipating the unique half-host's response, the woman's shadow flickered for a few more times, striving to spook him out as revenge for trying to scare it.
Unfortunately, it had no effect on the man. If anything, it only showed him something worth chuckling at.
"... Stop making a fool out of yourself. I have limited time so stop playing games with me. Speak now. I don't believe I would have to resort to some sort of medium or ridiculous items to communicate with you."
He glanced at his wristwatch and saw that he had already wasted five minutes on this uncanny being. The place turned colder, not because of the ghost, but Gio. The impatience radiating from his body somehow affected the room's temperature.
The middle-aged man nearby flinched, his body reacting to the cold. As for the shadow, it showed hesitation, but in the end, it slowly vanished and disappeared.
'Don't want to talk to me?'
Just when his impatience reached the max and his fingers were already unlocking his phone to dial his uncle's number, something fell from the sleeping woman's bedside.
It created an audible sound as it rolled three feet away from his legs.
Gio looked over and bent down to fetch it.
It was a coin. He didn't know how the hell this change got to the woman's bed, but he could now feel the presence of the system in it. That was what all that mattered.
The man grinned. "This is what I am waiting for. I thought you really want to be brought to a madman researching souls and spirits before learning your lesson."
He saw the coin suddenly having bloodstains on it. He wondered if this was how the unusual half-host wanted to protest to him.
After tossing the item in the air twice, he pocketed it and then gave Sofony's best friend one last glance.
This woman was innocent. And despite the ghost leaving her already, the trauma of her mind caused by the sudden intrusion of something foreign and malicious plus being trapped in a dream would definitely make this girl not wake up for a day or two.
This worked best for Gio since he doesn't plan to stop Sofony from her mission. He also doesn't want the immoral host guarding this woman to not help out.
The young woman's state was quite regrettable since it meant that she was still fighting a battle within her consciousness.
However, it was precisely due to this that he was not pleased by Wendy, and even Steffy's presences in the city. With or without someone like Ver Drilon protecting them, they were, unfortunately, liabilities.
'... This only happened because they sneaked back...'
Gio's expression darkened.
When he left the place, it didn't vanish even after Sofony phoned him and informed him of her plans to join him for dinner.
...
Gio didn't know, but Wendy had almost broken through by herself when she finally accepted that everything she experienced around her since six months ago was just part of a dream.
Nothing from that world was true. She was never Elizabeth Seymour, and Ver was never William Cromwell.
Once upon a time, as a simple and sometimes hopeless romantic that every girl was, she dreamed of being a beautiful princess loved and pampered by a rich, powerful, and handsome prince.
The perfect world was only something that an unknown being had tweaked from her own childish, stupid wishes and desires.
And indeed, this was the case.
The illusion made by an incorporeal being was naturally stronger than that of a full-fledged host.
But since the ghost was not as malicious as Gio had thought, it didn't use its natural advantage by entrapping her in a cycle of nightmares.
In fact, it was kind enough to at least send Wendy in her ideal dream, exhausting its limited fund to make it very realistic and life-like.
It probably felt apologetic for having to steal her body, but was also resolute enough to continue with the act.
Sadly, when it was very close to achieving its goal, Gio appeared.
Even though the man only threatened it with words and did not do anything further, his mention of a Level 9 host was enough to terrify the ghostly being, and no, it was not due to being reminded by the system of anything.
It was an inherent fear that all hosts had when it comes to anything related to a Level 9, especially those from the first hundred like it who had wealth of knowledge and experience than most.
The half-host felt wronged.
But since it was nowhere strong to take on a monster like that, it didn't dare bet that Gio was only bluffing. It hadn't wiped out those that made it leave the world earlier than it had expected!
The unwillingness to vanish just like that made it choose to compromise the only suitable body that it found after being bound to that location for so long.
However, before leaving, since it felt very resentful of Gio, it sent another illusion inside Wendy's subconscious.
This time, it was still not a nightmare or anything gruesome.
But never-ending darkness and emptiness where a soul would sink endlessly and not hear, see, feel, or sense anything.
It was a place where people could easily fell into self-doubt.
If they got trapped there for so long, without even a single light to spark the slightest hope in their hearts, they would drown in the darkness, questioning
'Who am I?'
'Am I alive?'
'Are my memories true?'
'Did I really live?'
The restlessness and hopelessness would lead them to doubt even their existence. Until they eventually lose themselves.
When compared to this, maybe falling into a never-ending nightmare would be a better choice.
At least there, a person would have a higher chance of remembering that they were still alive... and were definitely existing...
...
...
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