Ash. That's all there was, no matter where you looked—a bleak, ashen landscape with the barest remnants of a civilization that once existed. Cold grey settled wherever it could, from blotting out the atmosphere to the deepest and darkest crevices on Earth. While mostly harmless, so long as one didn't inhale a mouthful of it, it exuberated an unnatural cold.
While the ash itself wasn't necessarily cold, it brought an eerie feeling to it. Numerous layers of protective clothing mattered little when it stuck to you. A cold would sink deep into the bones, an unsettled sensation slowly crawling up the body as if this ashen blanket blocked you from the living world.
It wasn't like the world was living anymore. Sure, there were small pockets of humanity that remained, but they existed in a void. Tales of sunlit skies were nothing more than a distant dream. Some of them had never even seen the sun at all. Inhalation was an issue—protective masks with filters. The ash clogged them up and rendered them unusable without constant cleaning.
A thick fabric covering their faces. Ash clung to it. It was disposing of the ash. It's hardly feasible since it couldn't be broken down any more than it already was. More ash settled everywhere it went and quickly slipped in between the cracks. Too much inhalation resulted in constant coughing irritation to the respiratory system and the lungs. Some had coughed so much that it wore out their already exhausted bodies, the lungs and muscles working too hard to keep the oxygen flowing and expel the invasive ash from the system. Consequently, there were fewer and fewer humans well and non-disabled enough to perform heavy lifting.
The implications were painfully obvious. No one dared to voice it out loud, not with so many hopefuls looking up at them. They were built upon a house of cards that displayed signs of collapse. The ghosts were gone now. Never to return and terrorize this world. It is a strangely bittersweet feeling, resenting them for bringing this upon humanity and then missing them once they vanished. There was no 'victory', nothing was won.
All left was an ashen blanket determined to choke out everything around it. Even the ghosts stayed away from the ash. Despite their supernatural invulnerability, it, too, served problems for them. It clung to them as much as it clung to humans. Sticky and itchy, it got everywhere. It irritated their sensitive eyes. It oddly had a dulling effect on their capabilities and rendered them nearly powerless.
That wasn't even the worst of it. Once too much ash built up in their bodies despite their efforts to purge it, the outcome was an unimaginably painful core blockage. Fresh ectoplasm would be prevented from circulating, and their ghost cores would work twice as hard to break the block. A ghost's ectoplasm could only procure itself so much before it finally burned out.
Core blockage and then burnout were not ideal whatsoever. The core was vital in maintaining a ghost's physical form. Without it… well, they were as good as gone. In the end, the ghosts decided to slink back into the murky darkness of the Ghost Zone and close the gap between their spectral realm and the human world for good. It wasn't like it mattered either way. Both worlds experienced a decline in the likes they'd never seen before.
The Ghost Zone itself was unusually silent. Signs of spectral activity hardly flickered throughout. Most ghosts preferred to stick to themselves. It'd be more challenging to pick them off that way. The quiet wasn't quiet. A deafening stillness loomed over the realm—a heightened sense of fear that never faded.
Infinite spills of green and occasional black continued to swirl and twist around. Warping the dimension in whichever direction it pleased. Rare pockets of purple dotted throughout, hardly perceptible in the chaos. But few and far in between, faint enthralls of energy trickled out. Fading out and harshly obscured into the background.
Echoes of ghost lairs long abandoned were scattered about. From the eerie stillness of the islands to the empty voids of space that gave the impression that there was once something here. A somber stillness that remained unchanged, as if time came to a standstill. Molded by past events into an incomprehensible shape that had yet to untangle itself.
One such isle was out of reach of everything else. Out of the bounds of the laws of physics, untouchable when it didn't want to be found. It was just simply that way. A grand clock tower stood tall and proud over its lonely abode. Despite the rock's small size, the surrounding space warped and distorted to accommodate the structure's massive size. It stretched out before seemingly slinging itself back into place, moving faster than the eye could see. There was no logic to it, and it would be better to accept it as is.
One would think that someone lived here. And someone did use to live within the sprawling purple passages of the tower—keywords used to. The truth is that the tower had been abandoned for some time now. Its only inhabitant had vanished into thin air, which would be usual for ghosts, except when they never reappeared. No one knew for sure what happened to the disappeared.
Except, technically, there was an occupant within. He was not a permanent one, but he was a frequent visitor. He currently found himself in the mess that was once the library. Dust and debris coated throughout the room, and craters and scorch marks littered the walls and the carpet. Broken Glass glittered dangerously in the spectral realm's ethereal green glow. Books were scattered everywhere as a violent storm blew them off the shelves.
None of that was important to him. A shadowy mass of a cloak had formed around him, layering him with extra protection. It grotesquely twisted and bubbled with inky darkness that melted into the floor under him. It lashed and dripped wetly and loudly with every spike in his emotions. A monotonous dripping filled the silence.
That dark cloak was the only indicator he even felt anything at all. Kai had been scrounging through the chaotic mess for some time now. He lost track of the time hours ago, at least. He thought it was hours ago. He blamed it on the fact that he only had fifty vision. Likewise, he immediately quashed down the seed of doubt that formed in his chest. His core pulsed, and he took a shaky breath. A navy, gloved hand carelessly brushed through the piles of
shattered stone and Glass, clinking noisily. Kai's face remained unchanged, no matter how much the discomfort stung him. It was something he had mastered and perfected over time. The less he reacted, the more control he retained. A shuddered breath was merely a tiny sliver of that iron control braking.
Kai wasn't bothered just for no reason. He still had yet to accept the reality. A soulless vermilion eye complimented the sky-blue but gaunt face. He coupled with some scarring on the left side of his face that left his eye a blind grey. His brows ever creased together in a perpetual scowl. Dark green fiery hair tied back in a small ponytail flickered and crackled with every shift in his mood.
His hand furled up tightly. Glass crunched painfully in his grip. A sharp, stinging pain shot up his arm. Orange, glowing liquid began to seep from between his fingers. Kai closed his eyes, and ectoblood pounded throughout his body. A deep, warm, urging sensation rose in him. A desire for the touch of phantoms that refused to leave him be. Kai didn't want to close it off. He wasn't even sure he could do that. Begrudgingly, Kai had to remind himself that Dan wasn't here anymore.
No body was found. The culprit disappeared. Kai's chest tightened, suppressing the emotions that bubbled underneath. It seemed impossible, with the two of them against the world. And here he was… all alone. Neither of them had said the words. In one way or another, they both knew it deep down and expressed it differently. Physical touch was the love language for ghosts, after all.
Kai had learned to temper some of Dan's more violent motions. He understood the language of violence quite well, but it was a matter of how and when. By leveling the field, he served as a mirror to Dan's actions. Eventually, Dan conceded that Kai was an equal in terms of power. Few ghosts ever displayed their own capabilities against him. In a sense, Kai was the barrier when Dan loosened his control.
It surprisingly helped. Dan was able to express his pain in the only way he knew. Kai filtered that pain by redirecting it at himself rather than anything else. And Dan… was Kai's rock amid an ever-raging storm. While Kai rarely expressed his emotions, Dan knew pain when he saw it. Their shared hurt helped them understand one another over the years.
Kai squeezed his eyes shut, the memories within reach, and he refused to grasp them. The constant drumming of his core drowned out his thoughts, and ectoblood pounded in his ears. Numbness left a haze in his head. Stone crunched and clattered as Kai suddenly kneeled over, his hands flat on the ground. His muscles burned in retaliation, and his strength wavered. Dizziness warped his perception, forcing him to keep his head down. A multitude of colors swept across his vision as the surrounding library seemed to stretch out to staggering proportions.
In addition to the deep cuts on his hand, Kai's insides are cramped. It flared through him as though a heavy object bashed his insides. He didn't dare twitch while he waited for the spell to pass. Not entirely unusual for him. These… physical symptoms were present before Dan-Kai hastily shook his head. His body tensed up as another wave of discomfort washed through him. However, these ailments had ramped up since the day it happened. Kai certainly didn't want to remember despite remembering the sequence of events exactly as they occurred.
His ghost core suddenly clenched. Like a lightning rod, that deep, stabbing pain coursed through him. His claws dug into the ground, and his muscles stiffened and became rigid. A hot, sickly sensation bubbled deep within him. Not wanting to be sick where he kneeled, Kai inhaled deeply to calm his nerves. It didn't do much. The ailing motions inside still wavered. Undeterred, he took a quick look around the library.
His eye landed on the wall in front of him. He avoided it because its large cracks and crumbling stature indicated danger. Kai wobbled dangerously as he slowly got up. A sense of deadness rushed through him. He supposed the wall could hold long enough for him to recover; it wasn't like there would be anything else valuable for him.
With what little strength Kai retained, he took a shaky step forward. His entire body jittered as a phantom pain screamed through him. Something unlike he's ever felt. Kai took in a drawn-out, quivering breath. With another step, he snatched the chance to turn on his heel once he felt weightless. His body refused to respond to any more commands.
Kai stumbled backward. His back fell against the stone wall with a loud thud. A few pieces of broken stone and dust fell over his face. Kai sat back, his body shivering while what was left of his ecto reserves sapped from him. So tired. He groaned to himself, frustration tensing his core. It pulsed with an intensity he hadn't experienced before. It beat against his chest, harder and harder the longer it went on. Kai slumped against the wall and, with little choice, undid his coat and pulled his dark green shirt up to expose his chest.
His core reacted with even more intensity, which prompted Kai to hold a hand to his chest until it calmed down. While he waited for whatever this was to pass, he took a chance to look around again. He stopped right at the mess in front of him. A moderately sized puddle of inky black. Much of it had stained into the carpet, fading into the purple. Kai's brows furrowed at that.
Even my powers are out of it… Kai thought to himself, somewhat miffed. He scoffed dryly. A wry grin split his face. Why had he expected anything different? Kai threw his head back against the hard stone. He scarcely cared about the headache that would give him. His toned chest hurriedly bounced up and down. His hand had little effect on calming the turmoil his core appeared to be in.
There was a slight creak. It wasn't a particularly big one, but significant enough for Kai to notice. Before he knew it, a thundering crash echoed throughout the room. Kai fell backward as the stones gave way behind him. It was crumbling and splitting as they struck the floor. Dust filled the air, thick and dry. It was disgustingly musty since it wasn't fresh after a long time either. It served as an indicator for a hidden room. Despite the tight seal, dust would still accumulate from the exposed stone sitting for years.
Kai stared in utter silence, flat on his back and his head tilted to get a better view. The discovery of the hidden room caused him to notice the bits of stone that dug into his back. The room was dark. Its only source of light came from the windows in the library. Even then, it still wouldn't be enough for crystal clarity. A claustrophobic darkness was present, suffocating.
Kai carefully heaved himself up to his feet, hunched down low as he wasn't sure about how big the room was. The unease of being stuck in a small space crawled up his spine. Eerie even. Kai stretched his arms out to either side of him. They grasped about through the darkness for any indicators. A piece of furniture left in here, at the very least. Why leave this space empty if it needs to be hidden?
Kai's fingers made contact with a solid, rock-like surface. Rugged but slippery with dirt and grime. Sharp claws lightly tapped on the stone. A tic-tac-tic-tac resounded throughout. The room length was as long as his arms, if not a couple of inches more. Perfectly square and bare. A crystalline surface shimmered ominously.
Kai blinked a couple of times to be sure he wasn't seeing things. Another shimmer, piercing to the eye – almost. Was it always there? Or did it appear just now, out of thin air? Kai didn't rule out the possibility entirely. Certain ghostly artifacts had capabilities of their own. Though, he wasn't sure, either.
Kai crept closer to the mysterious object. His mind wondered idly what it could be. Ghost artifacts had… an aura that separated them from 'normal' artifacts. They were usually alone and forgotten. Extremely ornate and elaborate in design, the origin of their creation is lost to time. Some artifacts were imbued with otherworldly powers that no ghost today possessed and would be highly foolhardily even to dare to try to wield them.
Right as he got closer and closer, a silhouette began to take shape. It was elongated and rectangular. Equal in length on all sides, entire body sized, perhaps just a bit bigger. He stopped in front of it. A reflective surface faced him. There was no discernible reflection like the Glass was dirty. The tall mirror towered over Kai as though it beckoned him. A sharp crystalline design framed it, twisted and spiraling, intricately cut.
Kai reached forward with his hand outstretched. For whatever reason, he couldn't comprehend. He couldn't stop himself. The palm of his hand rested on a smooth, glass surface—a mirror. There was no change within the reflection, just… foggy. Kai's eye shifted around suspiciously. He didn't want to move in case the reflection changed.
Then, he changed his posture to his hands holding the frame on both sides. Kai leaned in as close as he could, considering he still didn't know what this mirror would do. His breath shuddered before it grew steady. So deep and distant. Would there be anything on the other side? Kai was undecided if he wanted to see his reflection or not. He'd be staring at something that wasn't him.
The foggy surface spiraled to infinity, as far as his eye could see. It threw him off and contorted his perception. Kai bowed his head down to ease the nausea, his arms weakened once again. His body jerked forward. It snapped Kai out of his musing. His arms strained with the effort of holding him up. He attempted to step back. A foot was dragged forward with great force.
It was then Kai realized he was face-to-face with the mirror's surface, except he wasn't precisely physically pressed against it. The Glass was no longer solid and had turned into a crystal-clear liquid. It was bubbling and rippling as though it was about to burst. Kai was already partway through it. He had no control of his body, as something had taken hold of him, dragging him through. He coiled around and gripped his body in a tight grip. He was squeezing and compressing his body down into a tight space. Into nothingness.