Chapter 4 – Fortunes & Origins
Ringo's POV
"Ugh! Damn! These heels are a bitch to walk in!"
"Well, it's your fault for dressing up as a princess for Halloween, Raffina." Witch said to her as the four of us were walking down one of the school's many hallways. The pain of walking in heels had already gotten to Raffina's feet. So, she took them off and is now walking barefoot. Something I would've never expected from her.
"Well, the whole point of Halloween is to dress up like somebody or something you're not. So, naturally…I dressed as the one thing I DESERVE to be! Oh, La-Ti-Da!"
"Right…" Witch gained a sweatdrop.
"And besides, you're one to talk. You gave up walking as soon as we left and started flying on your broom."
"And you expected something else from that? I'm a witch, for pete's sake."
"But I thought your name was Witch, meow." Raina said.
"W-Well…i-it is. F-For now. I'm definitely working hard to get my very own original name. And once I do, I'll tell everyone who doubted me to SUCK IT! Ohhohohoho!"
"Heh. Good luck with that, Witch." Raffina said with a disgruntled look of her own.
"Uh, guys." I spoke out. "As much as I don't want to think about it, can we focus on finding this ghost girl?"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Geez, my dress is getting filthier the more I walk like this…"
"Well, it is kinda ugly, meow…" Raina said.
"Raina, just for that, you've lost your candy privileges."
"What~?! No~! I'm sorry, Sis~!"
She didn't meow that time. Candy must be THAT important to her…
As stated before…it was me, Raffina, Witch, and Raina on a miniature ghost hunt trying to find a possessed Amitie and a kidnapped Arle before they both die to this ghost girl who wants to kill Arle for whatever reason.
…
Okay, I gotta be honest. I hate this. I really do hate this.
I mean…I'm all in for rescuing Arle and Amitie. They're my best friends and one of them is even my girlfriend. B-But the fact that I have to go face-to-face with a ghost…a-and on Halloween of all nights…I-I can't even go near Rei on REGULAR nights!
I know I've said that ghosts are "unscientific" and not real…but really, I'm just dead-ass terrified of them. Grandma's stories really did a number on my psyche.
"So, we're heading for the library, right?" Raffina asked. "Why would Feli choose THERE for her festival booth?"
"Well, from what little we got from Sig before he fell asleep, sounds like Feli's doing some fortune-telling with Futaba." Witch said.
"Fortune-telling? Hmph. Well, that seems like a waste. For I already know what MY future holds. Oh, La-Ti-Da!"
"Playing Panel de Pon with your lover?" Raina asked.
"Wh-Wh-What?! NO! Raina! I kept telling you all that I'M NOT GAY!"
"But Big Sis Amira said that you've been gay since the day you were born."
"STOP LISTENING TO WHAT AMIRA TELLS YOU!"
"You think Raffina will ever admit that she's gay?" Witch whispered to me.
"That's a fortune I wish would come true…"
"Wh-Whatever! Let's just go find Feli already!" Raffina shouted as she walked ahead of us. Blushing really hard from her sexual preferences being questioned again.
Girl, just admit it already…
We soon reached the Magic School's library. Where there was an averagely long line of people waiting to get their fortunes read by, based on this sign we passed by, The Great Madame Kuromi.
Someone is CLEARLY full of herself tonight…
"Wowie…look at the long line." Raina said.
"There's no way this many people are wanting to hear their fortunes." Raffina said in disbelief.
"You would think…but it's actually pretty popular."
We were then joined by Futaba holding up a sign that directed where the line started. Her costume was a nearly exact replica of the outfit Mao wore when she used to be on Futaba's favorite TV show.
Not as predictable as Raffina's costume…but still pretty predictable.
"You mean all of these people are actually interested in hearing their fortunes?" I asked.
"Well, the thing with fortunes is…you gotta be really specific with what you're reading. Simply reading one's future isn't enough to satisfy people's interests and wonders. You basically gotta pick their minds a little. See what they REALLY want to know."
"It's THAT complex?"
"At least that's how it works in my world. Over there, girls my age go crazy for this kind of stuff."
"Huh…"
You know…I've yet to experience what Futaba's world is like. Both Amitie and Arle had told me that it's similar to Suzuran. And if that's true…
"So, what's up?" Futaba asked. "You girls wanna get your fortunes read?"
"Actually, Futaba…we really need to speak to Feli. It's a bit of an emergency."
"An emergency? Why, what happened?"
"Well, you see…"
*ONE EXPLANATION LATER…*
"S-Seriously?! Amitie's been possessed by a ghost that kidnapped and wants to kill Arle?!" Futaba said in total shock.
"That's pretty much the gist of it." I replied. "So, now we're trying to find and rescue them before Arle is murdered and Amitie is stuck being possessed forever."
"We were hoping if either you or Feli saw anything recently." Raffina added.
"Well…I haven't seen anything. I've been monitoring this line all night. Maybe Feli saw something…"
*RINGTONE CHIME*
"Oh, wait. Hold on a sec." Futaba said before answering her phone. "Hello?"
…
"What's with the scratchy voice?"
…
"I'm pretty sure they don't sound like a squirrel choking on its own nuts."
…
"Yes, I did had to use that as an example because that's what you sound like right now."
…
"Since when did costumes needed a voice to go with them?"
…
"*sigh* Alright, aright. I'll bring them. Calm yourself, you creepy loli."
…
"Yeah, whatever. Bye." She then hung up the phone and turned back towards us. "So, yeah…that was Feli. She said to bring you guys in for a "special reading" as she's calling it. Doing it free of charge, too."
"Oh…well…that's nice of her. I guess." I said with a sweatdrop.
"W-Wait, she's CHARGING for these readings?!" Witch asked in shock. "I could've made MONEY off of this festival?!"
"You have your own shop! Why would you want money from here?!"
"Nothing wrong with a little extra birthday money. If I would've known that, I would've set up a temporary shop here."
"And sell what? Those useless potions nobody buys?" Raffina asked.
"H-Hey, they are NOT useless!"
"Yeah!" Raina yelled. "Last week, I bought this white liquid potion from Wicchi to help feel relaxed and I felt SUPER good! Had the best nap ever!"
…
…
…
"Wait…so, YOU'RE the one who made Raina drunk that night!" Raffina shouted in anger as she raised a fist. About to pummel Witch for the incident in question.
"I-I didn't have the intention to! She just drank a random potion I had lying around and left me money! I didn't think it would make her drunk!"
Have you NOT learned from the incident with Klug?
"A-Anyway…let's go see Feli." I said to Futaba.
"R-Right…she's right down here."
"Hmph. Fine." Raffina said. "But we're not done with this conversation, Witch."
"*moan* I hope we find Ami before this conversation continues…" Witch mumbled to herself in grief.
Deep within the library, we finally met up with Feli sitting at a lone table with a "crystal ball" of sorts. And to fit with this whole thing, Feli's costume was that of a fortune teller. Or "diviner" as she calls it.
Now…I'm not one to believe in such things as "fortunes" and "divinations" and other similar stuff. But if it can help us find our friends, then I'm willing to look past how illogical this is.
…
For now.
"Fufufufu~. Hello, dear friends~. I bid you all welcome to the enchanted lair of The Great Madame Kuromi~. Fufufufu~."
"Oooh…" Raina said in amazement.
"Do we really have to go along with this?" Raffina asked in annoyance.
"So far, it's our only lead to find Arle and Amitie." I replied. "Let's just deal with it for a little longer."
"Now~…I hear that you are all in a situation in which our dear friends need to be recused~. Is that correct~?"
"Yeah, pretty much. Phoenix said that the ghost possessing Amitie was around here somewhere. Have you seen anything strange happening recently?"
…
"Uh…Feli?" I asked after she didn't respond.
"Fufufufu~. The Tortured Soul may be onto something~. For I too have witnessed a sighting of this paranormal entity~."
"Y-You have?!"
"Where'd she go?!" Witch asked in the same excitement I was.
"Fufufufu~. Of course…I could tell you~ . But wouldn't you rather hear about the ghost itself~?"
"Huh? The ghost itself?"
"More importantly~…its origin story~?"
"Its origin story?" We all asked in confusion.
"It's not a bad idea." Futaba said. "Since this ghost girl wants to kill Arle, maybe learning about her past could reveal what made her gain this intense hatred in the first place."
It really was a smart idea. All we know about this is that, for whatever reason, Arle killed this girl. And we don't even know if that's true or not. Not that I'm 100% willing to believe a ghost over my girlfriend. But it would help a lot if we knew what caused this event to happen.
…
But…if Arle really did kill someone…
…
N-No, Ringo! Stop that! You know better than to believe such a lie! Arle is NOT a killer! She's too nice and sweet and kind to be one! It's just not possible!
…
I-I hope…
"Alright…let's go for it." I said. "What's this origin story about, Feli?"
"Fufufufu~. Excellent choice~. Now~…to hear the origin story of this long dead girl, we must all hold hand~. And participate in this ritual in which~…"
"Feli, enough of this stupid act! We're on a damn time limit here!" Raffina yelled. Fully losing her patience on this whole thing.
…
"*sigh* Fine." Feli said in her normal voice. "Truth is…when I saw the ghost-possessed Amitie, she panicked and ran off while wailing "Why?" a lot. She ended up dropping this book and that's where I got this origin story idea from." She then handed us this red & white book that had no title on the front cover. And when we opened it, the words inside were most definitely unreadable.
"Wh-What even is this language?! It's nothing but gibberish!" Witch yelled in frustration.
"How did you get an origin story from this?" I asked Feli.
"Honestly…I just guessed. Usually, whenever ghosts want revenge on someone, it's either because that person is responsible for ending their life…or that person lied about how it happened. And my guess is the latter. As I think this ghost wants everyone to know the truth of how she was murdered."
"So, you really think Arle murdered this girl?!" I started getting angry.
"H-Hey, I never said that! I'm just going by what I know as a studier of the Occult Arts! If you wanna know the truth, then figure out how to read that book!"
"Ugh! How are we supposed to do that?!"
By this point, I had put the book down due to the gibberish language hurting my eyes. Soon after, Raina picked up the book and started reading it herself.
…
Which is honestly weird. Since she can't read.
"Woah…I've actually seen this language before!"
"What?" We all asked her in total disbelief.
"Raina, what are you talking about? You can't even read." Raffina said.
"I may not be able to read, but I've DEFINITELY seen this language before! Marvie's studying it!"
"Marvie?" The rest of us asked.
"That's…what she calls Marvett." Raffina said.
"Oh…"
Marvett is an aspiring writer who moved to Primp recently. She and Raina became fast friends after the former found the latter's existence as a whole to be highly interesting. Though, in Raina's case…she's just happy to have someone to play with.
"So, how does Marvett know about this language?" Raffina sked her clone.
"Marvie's been studying it for a while now. Ever since we came back from that uh…"Co-mi-ket" thing. She calls it Uryuomoco."
"U-Ur…Uryuo-what now?"
"That's…definitely something I've never heard of." I said. "Is this really true, Raina?"
"It's totally true! If anyone knows what this says, it's definitely Marvie!"
All of us were skeptical about this. Mainly because of who was telling us this information. But if Marvett really does know about this Uryuomoco language, then we might as well give it a shot.
"*sigh* Alright, Raina. We'll go ask Marvett." I said.
"Yay!" Raina cheered as she started doing these mid-air loop-de-loops.
"Do you know where she is now?"
"Hmm…oh, yeah! She and Marly were outside checking out the games!"
"Marly?"
"That's…what she calls Marle." Raffina said with a facepalm.
"Oh…"
Geez…why does Raina have all these nicknames for people?
"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Witch yelled. "Let's hurry and find Marvett before Ami becomes possessed forever!"
"AND before Arle dies, right?" I asked.
"Yeah, that too."
"Good luck, guys." Futaba said.
"Keep us updated on what happens." Feli added. "And give Amitie a smack in the head for me. We were supposed to go play games together and yet she ends up getting herself possessed. The nerve of that girl…"
"S-Sure thing, Feli." I said with a sweatdrop.
And with that, we went off to find Marvett so that she could translate this book for us. We're doing this on such limited time, too. We only have three hours until Halloween ends. And if that time comes…
…
Hang on, guys! We're coming to rescue you!
Amitie's POV
"*moan* M…M-My head. Wh-Why do I feel…s-so dizzy?"
This was the first thing I've said since fully succumbing to Wraith's possession. I remember breaking free from it once…but that only lasted a few minutes. And in that time, I didn't even get to hear Arle's response to the question I asked her.
Did Arle…really kill that girl? I mean…I know she's told me about her past being all dark and such. But did it really go THAT far? To the point where she took someone else's life?
…
I…I wouldn't know what to think if that's true…
"Ah~. So, you have finally awaken~. Dear Amitie~."
After hearing a voice, I waited for my eyes to clear up to see a familiar figure standing in front of me. Like…REALLY familiar. As in I almost thought it was Rivitie for a second.
But…it wasn't. in fact…from looking at the costume this person was wearing, I knew it was…
"Wh-What the…h-how the…m-my BODY?! B-But how…"
I then felt myself all over…and finally noticed that everything about me was see-through. My face, my arms, my, stomach, my legs…I was basically a ghost.
"N-No way…wh-what the hell…?"
"*giggle* So~…you have finally noticed your new look~. Does it not suit you~?"
"Wr-Wraith! What the hell did you do to me?!" I yelled at my own body. Knowing fully well who was currently inside of it.
"Is it not obvious, Amitie~? I have taken full residency of your body~. It now belongs to me~…and ONLY me~."
"You STOLE my body…after tricking me into getting possessed?! Why would you do such a thing?!"
"Because honestly~…I have grown to like having your body~. This power you call "Light Soul"~…never have I felt such enjoyment before in my afterlife~. Torturing Arle was 10x more fun with this power in my control~."
"T-Torturing Arle?!" I said in disbelief. "Wh-Where is she?! What have you done with her?!"
"Oh~? You wish to see Arle~?" Wraith then giggled to herself. "Well, then~…she is right over there~."
With a snap of her (or rather my) fingers, Wraith turned on what was the only light to be ever seen in this void I was trapped in. And it was then that I saw a horrific sight.
There was Arle…hanging by a chain around her neck. Her costume was nearly destroyed…blood, bruises, and burn marks were all over her body…and she had multiple GIANT gashes across her stomach. Purposely shaped like one huge X.
"Oh, God…Arle!" I yelled in a huge panic as I flew over to her unconscious body. "Arle! Please wake up! ARLE!"
…
"A…A-Ami…tie…" That was all Arle was able to say before passing out again. Too weak to do much of anything due to her severe injuries.
"Get really real…Arle…"
"It felt SO good to give that bitch what she truly deserved~." Wraith continued. "So, then I thought "why stop there?"~. With this power, I can punish EVERY LAST MORTAL for what happened to me~. I shall kill them all~…and make them suffer the same eternal torment that has befallen me for years~. It shall be…PERFECT~! *giggle*"
"N-No way…this is no longer just about revenge. You're a damn psychopath, Wraith!"
"Call me what you want~. There is nothing you can do to stop me~. Now that I own your body, I control all 8 of your abilities~. Plasma Laser~!"
*ZAP*
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
I screamed in pain after I was electrocuted by my own Plasma Ability. Twitching repeatedly as I slowly fell to the ground. I don't know how I'm able to receive this much pain when I'm nothing more than a lost soul. But I guess it's some kind of logic I just don't understand.
"*giggle* It is over, dear Amitie~. Arle is close to death, your body belongs to me, and this world will soon experience endless suffering~. It is time for you to give up~. And accept your fate~."
…
*pant* *pant* N…Nine."
"What~?"
"Wh-What you said before…a-about controlling my 8 abilities…you missed one. I have NINE Copy Abilities, you psycho-bitch!"
"Wh-What~?! Nine~?! B-But why~…why do I not detect it~?!" Seeing the panicked look on my own possessed face made me giggle a bit.
…
But it didn't stop me from being SO FUCKING PISSED!
"Because…this one ability…is only triggered by RAGE!"
"R-Rage~?! Wh-What are you~…"
"Crash!"
And with a bright flash of light, I was able to change into the one Copy Ability that I managed to keep after being possessed. Resembling a silver crown with an orange glowing energy sphere floating above it. The ability I received as a birthday present from a very special friend of mine.
Thanks, Little Buddy! I truly owe you big for this!
"Wh-What~…Wh-What is this~?! H-How do you STILL have power~?!" Wraith was freaking out at this point.
Meanwhile, I just continued to giggle to myself. It soon turned into laughter of pure insanity as I got up from the floor. The electricity no longer binding me down.
"I won't let you have your way, Wraith! I'll ruin your plans and send you straight down to hell!"
I then began charging up the Crash Ability. About to release its powerful attack that could possibly get me out of here.
…
But before I did…I looked over at the still-unconscious Arle. And shed a single tear from my eye.
Don't worry, Arle. No matter what your past is…I'll come back with the others and we WILL rescue you! I promise!
"Supernova!"
*BOOM*
And with all of that said…I unleashed the attack. Covering the entire void in a bright light and tons of debris.
I really hope this works…
Author's Note: After talking with Feli, Ringo and the others have a new lead in finding Marvett to have her translate a mysterious book found in the school library. Meanwhile…while still questioning Arle's past…Amitie escapes from Wraith's grasp.
Unfortunately…without her own body.
I can probably finish this story with 3 maybe 4 more chapters. The thing is if I can get them done either before or by Halloween. My personal life is currently slow, but…things could change at the last minute.
Thanks for reading. Later.