Chapter 2: The Contract

"Hmm, that spirit was bigger than I thought... and there's still traces of spiritual aura in the area..." The man muttered to himself as he tidied his hair and adjusted his watch.

"Who... who are you?" Mark muttered, his body still numb.

"Oh fuck, you scared me there kid..." the man jumped back, genuinely taken aback by Mark's sudden comment.

"My name's Shen. 30 years old, single, no family members. Hobbies include reading, bird watching and occasionally thrift shopping."

The man dusted his shirt and tried to look presentable while introducing himself. However, Mark could only stare at the scar over his left eye, which had remained closed this entire time.

Was this guy mafia? The scar certainly screams that... and what the hell happened to the creature?

"I know, you're probably looking at my tidy attire and you're thinking, how did this honest office worker dispel that spirit so easily? Well, I'll have you know... I'm not an honest office worker! And I dispelled the curse easily... because I'm just that good." Shen smirked as he picked his sword up, The sword was clean, unlike the surroundings.

"But still, something's off... Why is there still so much residual spiritual aura? It should have dissipated by now..." Shen stroked his chin as he looked around for something.

Then, Shen's right eye widened as he abruptly turned his head towards Mark.

"Get away from the memorial site!" Shen yelled, but it was too late. A shadowy hand reached out from the shadow of the photo frame and grabbed hold of Mark, the creature began re-emerging from the shadows, the black body bits began to assemble together.

"Fuck! I should have noticed the memorial site earlier! The spirit has a tether!" Shen yelled as he immediately got into a fighting stance with his sword.

Spirit? Tether? What is this man talking about?

Mark struggled in the palm of the so-called spirit, the spirit began taking on a new form, instead of the blob of darkness, it now wrapped itself into a tighter shape with its tentacles. It almost looked like a mummy, but its eyes still popped up from between the gaps of its tentacles. The spirit's new form looked like that of a woman wrapped in bandages. The tentacles moved in a fabric-like manner around the spirit's body, with some tentacles weaving together to produce two arm-like forms, protruding from the spirit's back, one of the arms held onto Mark, while the other arm launched at Shen.

Shen dodged the arm, and readied his sword. The sword began to glow yellow as Shen striked the spirit's arm, slicing it cleanly off.

Shen weaved through the several arms that protruded out from the spirit after that and made a beeline for the arm holding onto Mark. At the same time, he moved in a manner that allowed him to place small cuts throughout the several arms of the spirit, though none of the cuts were deep enough to sever any of the arms.

"17, 18, 19, 20," Shen muttered under his breath, seemingly counting the number of hits he managed to land on the spirit.

When Shen reached Mark, he pulled off a clean and deep cut to the spirit's arm, freeing Mark. Mark collapsed onto the floor, still unsure of what he was seeing.

What the fuck just happened?

Mark couldn't believe what he was seeing. The spirit was back? How was this Shen guy going to defeat it if the spirit could just keep coming back? Mark kept watching as Shen continuously kept cutting the spirit's arm's off, dodging and weaving through the barrage of attacks the spirit was throwing at him.

Even though Mark was impressed at the fact that Shen had not taken a single hit, he couldn't help but feel like something was off. It was the eyes. The eyes all over the spirit's bandaged body. They were calling to him. Those hazel eyes.

Shen was starting to tire out. Sweat dripping from his forehead, his shirt was drenched in sweat. "198, 199, 200, time... for ... a ... break!" Shen exclaimed as he backed off from the spirit.

"Hey kid.. What's your name again? You need to leave now, this guy's stronger than I expected." Shen said, standing in between the spirit and Mark.

"No... something about this spirit feels off. Shen, sir, you mentioned something about a tether? What's that?" Mark asked.

Shen dodged another one of the spirit's tentacle arms, slicing it off before it reached Mark.

"You seriously want a lesson now? Well, sure, I'd satisfy your curiosity, but, I'm serious, you need to leave after I tell you alright?" Shen yelled at Mark in between dodging and jumping over tentacles, giving cuts on each arm.

"A tether... is a special object that certain spirits latch onto... it gives them a stronger foothold on the physical world. In turn, they become stronger and won't get exorcised unless the tether is destroyed..." Shen dodged yet another strike and deflected one more using his sword. His movements were getting slower as he spun and leapt over the arms. His breathing was getting heavier and heavier.

" 300, 301, 302... I need more..."

"A tether..." Mark began to digest what Shen said to him... So this spirit was bound to this area. But why now? Why did it only show up now?

Mark's thought process was interrupted by a loud scream. The spirit opened its 'mouth' a gap in the bandages, to reveal what seemed like a million sharp teeth.

"ARGGHHH"

The piercing shriek paralysed Shen, his eardrums began to bleed. Mark held onto his ears, the sound felt like it was piercing into his brain, he felt like his mind would explode.

"Fuck," Shen spat out blood as he stpped forward, trying his best to resist the effects of the scream.

"S.. Ss..SsuuUREEE!!!"

The spirit screamed out in its grating voice.

Shen raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Did this spirit speak? Fuck me, I'm not equipped for this!" Shen yelled as he reimagined his composure.

Mark started to connect the dots in his mind. He realised what had seemed off. He let go of his ears, blood starting to trickle down.

"LLl...LEnd it TO ME! When... WhEN You... YOU'Re DONEEE"

The hazel eyes of the monster stared straight into Mark's soul. The tether...the book Mark had brought... It suddenly made sense why the spirit appeared now out of all times.

Mark stood up... His eyes stared into the spirit's.

"Ruby?" Mark muttered.

The spirit stopped attacking Shen, and froze in place.

"MMAARRKKK!!!!" The spirit yelled, almost as if in excitement, as it launched a tentacle towards Mark.

"Fuck!" Shen jumped in the way, throwing his sword at the tentacle.

"[Serpent's Tail]"

Shen's voice boomed and the sword glowed a bright yellow, the tentacle aimed at Mark began to get shredded from the inside out, it was as if the sword was ripping the tentacle apart, slicing it up from within. The tentacle was sliced to pieces, the damage travelling all the way up to the spirit's main body. But it wasn't enough.

"I get it now... So she's the spirit of the girl who died here huh... this makes things a whole lot tougher... A wandering spirit is easy enough, but a vengeful spirit who speaks, and has a Tether? This is above my pay grade. And I just used Serpent's Tail..." Shen said, as he wiped his brow.

"My book, the book. That's the tether..."

"You sure?" Shen glared at the book on the floor next to the photo frame. It was possible.

"Kid, you should run. Don't make me use another move to protect you. You're getting in the way." Shen spoke with a seriousness that struck Mark, Mark could tell Shen was putting his life on the line. Shen's confidence no longer shone through his words.

Mark slowly backed away from the scene, not wanting to be a burden. His slow steps back turned to full sprints, he was getting the idea.

Shen turned back to the spirit, his eyes now on the prize.

"I don't know what relationship you had with that kid, but the past is in the past. And the dead should stay dead."

Shen sprinted for the book, but his tiredness showed. Ruby's spirit regenerated her limbs and launched a tentacle at Shen. Shen tried to dodge, turning away to the side, but he was too slow. The tentacle impaled his abdomen, slamming him against and pinning him to the car park wall, his blood leaving a generous stain behind him.

Mark turned and saw the man that protected him just now impaled and struggling.

"Fuck! Ahhh that hurts. Yeah, I didn't think it'd hurt this much, but here we are." Shen stabbed the tentacle, using all his strength to slice it. But the tentacle grew in thickness, regenerating from any damage Shen was causing. Shen yelled in pain as the tentacle grew in size.

Mark stood there and watched as Shen screamed in agony. He stood there helpless. Like with Ruby, he couldn't do a thing.

Fuck... fuck... he's gonna die... he's gonna die and I'll have to live with it. No, I'll be next. Ruby... She's coming for me. I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I should have been a better friend... I should have... I should have died instead...

Is that what you want Ruby?

Before Mark knew, he began running towards Ruby's spirit. His legs carried him closer and closer, faster and faster, in his mind he still wasn't sure why he was running towards his death. Maybe it was an atonement. Either he managed to reach the Tether, or he died trying.

Ruby's spirit turned her many eyes onto the rapidly approaching Mark. Her bandage tentacles lunged toward him. Mark ran behind the pillars of the car park, using them as cover. He ran as fast as he could, he could feel his feet burning, the muscles in his legs screaming as he pushed them past their limits.

Mark got closer and closer, but Ruby's spirit was getting quicker and quicker too. She launched another fast moving tentacle at Mark.

"Watch out!" Shen yelled, still impaled, his complexion getting paler.

On instinct, Mark jumped and leapt over the tentacle, sliding on contact when he hit the floor. He skidded and slammed right on the wall where the memorial was placed. He lunged at the book, grabbing it tightly.

"I'm sorry Ruby! I wished I could have been a better friend... I wish I could have helped you... I wish I could have been there, to shoulder your pain... your loneliness..." Mark as he grabbed the book and prepared to tear it apart.

"Wait... kid..." Shen muttered in agony. He had noticed something was wrong. There was an aura forming around Mark, the aura of Ruby's spirit.

"I wish I was strong enough to help you fight back against everyone who pushed you down this car park! I wish I had the strength to save you... but I'm sorry! I can only do this much..." Mark yelled as he began to tear the book in half.

"ARGHHHHH!!" Ruby's spirit screamed in agony.

She let go of Shen, causing him to crash onto the floor with a thud. His body was pale and shivering from losing blood. His hands pressed down on the wound in his abdomen, he focused his remaining spiritual energy into healing and keeping himself alive. But even in his weakened state, he could tell something was wrong. The black aura around Mark had not disappeared. In fact, it was stronger.

"MARKKKK, YOU'LL HelP Me???"

Ruby's distorted voice echoed and boomed.

Mark was visibly confused, he thought the spirit was supposed to disappear.

"Shen! What's going on?!" Mark yelled, he could feel himself enveloped in the spirit's aura.

"No... we've got it wrong... the Tether... It wasn't the book... I didn't think it was possible... but the Tether ... it's you Mark..." Shen grimaced as he spoke. He was in no position to fight anymore.

Me?? What am I supposed to do?

"YoU SAiD You'LL HELP ME??!?!" Ruby spirit screamed again demanding an answer.

Mark glanced at Ruby's spirit. For a moment, beneath the bandages, shadow and tentacles, he saw Ruby. Her hazel eyes, her dark hair, her hurt smile. There was a reason she couldn't leave this world. There was a reason she clung to him. If he could, he wanted to help her. Even though he had failed her while she was alive, he wanted to help her at least in death.

"Yes, Ruby... I'll help you..."

When Mark uttered those words, the black aura surrounded both him and the spirit. Mark's vision went completely black.

"[Then... will you accept my contract?]" Ruby's voice boomed.