Troublesome...

The next day came, and it was time for Alissa to prepare for the next victim that she'll be possessing. The next victim was a woman that didn't live too far from Mark. A woman who would usually greet Mark in the morning whenever he passes by, and who would even help him with his jog occasionally.

The woman's name is Artemis, and coincidentally, her name suits her perfectly. Artemis is the greatest hunter in the town, she has quite the athletic body, and is a very good sport.

Of course, none of those talents and achievements mattered to Alissa. She didn't need such traits in a body for her to succeed in her plans, and instead, she needed to be very incompetent instead. Reason why, is because it would be easier for her to continue possessing an incompetent body, rather than one that had developed a strong will as a result of having a competent body.

Someone like Artemis is the kind of target that Alissa didn't have hopes in possessing for a long period of time. She was simply too competent, and if it wasn't for her friendliness with Mark, Alissa might have ignored the idea of possessing her already.

Unfortunately, Alissa couldn't do such thing as ignoring. There were no other ladies that were as close with Mark as Elena and Artemis, which means that Alissa would have to start from the beginning. She would have to introduce herself, and what's problematic, is that she would have to be careful of the eyes of the town's people. It would be strange for someone that didn't show any interest in Mark before to suddenly show interest, especially when it's more than two or three people who have the same kind of interest. Family or friends of theirs would obviously notice this strangeness, and as a result, there's the chance that they might wonder if they're possessed.

That's where things get troublesome… That's why, for now, Alissa doesn't want to possess the people that don't know Mark in the same way as Elena and Artemis do. Of course, that is all for now. Alissa was planning to possess them all obviously, however, the reason why she was planning to do it after Artemis, was so she could proceed with it gradually. While having Artemis as a target, she would slowly let others take their first steps towards Mark. Once her next target becomes a bit familiar with Mark, she'd proceed with another target.

Alissa was planning to proceed with baby steps, which she had decided on just for the sake of not getting caught. It was a long term plan for sure. The kind of plan that requires a lot of patience, and a plan that will certainly bring Alissa to insanity upon failure.

Nonetheless, even if she is fated for failure, she has no other choice. She could think of no other way. The only way was her current plan, because other than such a plan of hers, she is only destined for failure.

Life as a ghost is basically a curse for her. The only thing that gives her a meaning in life is her lover, which was taken away from her. Now she only has one way of getting him back, and upon failure, she is doomed to live alone and with no purpose for eternity. She can not possess a person forever, and wandering ghosts like her seems to be a very rare existence. What purpose would there be in her life, if she could only live her life with no purpose?

"Everything will work out. It will…"

In order to calm herself down and remain optimistic, Alissa said such words before proceeding with her plans. At the moment, it was around the time when Mark would begin his daily training. It was time for Alissa to make her preparations and to test the waters…

Alissa's first step was to see if she could possess Artemis. Up until now, Alissa hadn't possessed any strong minded figures, so she couldn't be too sure if it was possible to possess Artemis as easily as her previous victims.

"Hopefully, you won't be as difficult as Mark. I mean… Mark is understandable, since he had fought against Evan and had grown great resistance as a result. You though… Yeah, let's hope you're not too difficult, okay? Please understand. I'm desperate." Alissa spoke to herself in front of Artemis, knowing that she couldn't hear her.

"What?" Right after Alissa had uttered her last word, Artemis turned her head, and as a result, she stared straight towards Alissa's eyes.

Such an outcome shocked Alissa. She didn't expect someone to hear her words, and backed away in shock at an instant. Alissa had her eyes wide open as she stared at the figure of Artemis. She was confused and surprised about such a new and different experience to her life as a ghost, and became fearful of the uncertainty that leads to her confusion.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Artemis spoke again. This time, she was no longer looking straight towards Alissa, but was searching for someone instead.

"Ca- Can you hear me?" Although Alissa was slightly afraid of the uncertain, she still took the nerve to try to communicate to Artemis, due to her curiosity.

"Hmm… Must have been some kind of spirit passing by with the wind." Artemis assumed after seeing that there is no one around her. She did not answer Alissa's question, which, based on her assumption as well, means that she couldn't hear Alissa.

"Spirit?!" Alissa was surprised again. Artemis was simply too competent for her expectations. She was physically capable, and she seemed to be aware of the supernatural world as well!

"Huh?" Again, Artemis was able to hear Alissa.

'I have to keep my mouth shut. Although faintly, she can hear me...' Alissa concluded.

Now, even though Alissa was curious to know how well Artemis is able to hear her, she had her priorities. Before doing anything else, she knew that she had to proceed with her prior and main plan of the day.

To possess Artemis…