Chapter 20: Wraithic Phasing

Chapter 20: Wraithic Phasing

'What in all hell is this?!'

[Wraithic Phasing]

The answer from the Decadent Assistant came in a deadpan tone.

'Why am I falling?'

[The spell gives you the ability to move through and not be stopped by any barrier. The ground is one such barrier]

'But shouldn't I be floating?'

[The Spell doesn't work that way]

'It doesn't?'

[It doesn't]

'But when I was a ghost, I floated.'

[I made it possible then]

'Well, can't you make it possible now?'

[I can't]

'So what happens when I cancel the spell? Do I get crushed?'

[No, you don't. If you cancel the spell, you'll get forced back to the surface.]

'Huh'

Evian canceled the spell.

He stopped falling.

And then his surroundings suddenly became solid and forced him out.

In a second, Evian was propelled out of the ground and onto the surface. The chilly night air blowing against his naked body was the first clue Evian got that he was no longer in his bathroom or the vicinity of his room at all.

'How did I get here?'

[The angle of your fall and the angle of your exit differ]

As the Decadent assistant was speaking, a holographic screen appeared in front of Evian's eyes with an image demonstration of what it was talking about.

Evian quickly got the gist and his eyes brightened with an idea.

'I can use this to travel!'

[In a sense]

'I can use this to infiltrate, investigate, and won't be stopped unless the ground is built to specifically keep me out.'

[Indeed]

"Haha, Eureka!"

His head,

And finally, only the top half of his body.

Next, he tried moving through the closed door of his bathroom.

The Principle was as follows;

He made one side of his body intangible and moved it through the door while the other side remained on solid ground and then he switched the intangible and the tangible sides in an instant for a smooth walk-through.

Evian failed on many attempts and each failure always resulted in him getting pushed out. But once he succeeded and managed to make it look seamless, Evian grinned with pride at his success.

So engrossed was Evian in practicing the spell that he didn't get much sleep that night. Thankfully, he did not need it.

***

-Morning-

The sun shone brightly above the Stygian Estate. Blessing all below with warmth and shine but it had no impact on the mood all over the Estate which remained as somber as ever.

The density of guard placements all over the Estate grounds had not lessened overnight and when the maids brought Evian's breakfast to his room, they were accompanied by Lord Stygian.

"Evian, I trust you've had your rest. I need you to recount your experiences last night. Any new information could be useful"

Evian sat at the dinner table in his room, ladened with a hearty meal, and shrugged with his Father opposite him.

"Alright,"

It wasn't easy leaving out details of the Crew or the possible involvement of Lord Larnak without obvious gaps in the story but Evian found a way. Helped well by how full his mouth was on occasion.

Lord Stygian sighed.

"It's a shame the mastermind wasn't mentioned.

Koln hardly had his own ambitions. His skills go to the highest bidder. There should be enough talk among his usual associates for us to find a trail.

I have men also working hard to track who the three you killed worked for.

Don't you worry son, I will find the one responsible. No one sends men into my home to kidnap my son and gets away with it."

"Thank you, Father" Evian said with genuine gratitude.

He was touched by the seriousness in Lord Stygian's tone.

Lord Stygian shook his head.

"You ARE my son. Your safety is my responsibility."

As he spoke, the tall dark-haired man stood to his feet and walked towards the room's double doors. He paused there and looked back at Evian as though he suddenly remembered something,

"Ah, I won't be training you today. Too many matters to attend to."

Evian swallowed the delicious morsel in his mouth.

"I understand"

Lord Stygian left.

Evian let out a sigh once he was alone.

'Yes, you follow that trail while I focus on my own thing. I'm getting a feeling Evian, the handsome sickly bastard he was, might have left a mess behind for me to clean.'