Chapter One: The Hunt Begins

Chapter One: The Hunt Begins




Clara Alaster waited at the top of the stairs behind the closed doors to room 100 of the mansion. It was a short wait until the doors opened up into a barren cemetery with gravestones going as far as the eye can see. A single path going straight to a large circular area was the only part of the room not filled with gravestones. At the end of the path the Caretaker hovered inches above the ground holding a scythe; waiting.

Clara approached the Caretaker and casually said, “Thanks for the scythe back.”

The caretaker without moving sent the scythe drifting over to Clara as its voice echoed in her head, “Why did you let him take it?”

Clara grabbed her scythe and said, “I didn’t let him take it, he skillfully removed it from me. Besides I knew he stole it I was just curious to see what he planned on doing with it once he did. So I followed the link to my scythe and found him with Leo, the two had an interesting conversation before he killed him. Saved me the trouble, I was coming here to do him in myself since I finished hunting down the others.”

“You would have had no right to obliterate Leo Alaster.”

“I think I have every right given he was the indirect cause of my death! I mean why the hell did you even let him get away with everything he has been doing for so long?”

“He was not breaking the rules, bending them perhaps but not breaking. Besides I had plans for him.”

“Did those plans involve him trying to overthrow you as well?”

“Indeed they did. They also included David Alaster but he is gone as well.”

“David? What does my uncle have to do with this?”

“He would have been an invaluable reaper against the dark spirits.”

“Really, and what makes him so special?” Clara asked a tinge of jealousy in her voice.

“He is the most powerful spirit since Silver.”

“You summoned me sir?” a voice questioned from just a couple feet behind Clara.

Clara turned around and leapt back as far as she could, raising her scythe in a defensive position. It took her a moment to realize the person who asked the question was Silver himself. She grinned and lowered her defenses and said, “Well speak of the devil. You know I still don’t know how you manage to sneak up on me like that.”

Silver kept his head high and eyes forward starring at the Caretaker. He paid Clara absolutely no attention.

“Clara our business is now done here,” Caretaker said. “And since you have wasted so much time not doing your job you shall not return to this mansion for another seventy years of hunting spirits.”

Clara sighed and said, “Hard ass.”

As she went to leave she tried to bump into Silver’s shoulder and push him a little, but instead when she bumped him he was like a brick wall and wouldn’t budge so she lost her balance a little and stumbled.

“I have a mission for you,” The Caretaker said.

“And if I refuse?” Silver asked.

“You do not have a choice. Your target is the rogue phantom Jim Edwards, nicknamed Picario. He is a magus who can open portals anywhere and has a dragon companion. The dragon will likely turn into a dark spirit if you kill its master but leave her alive so you will take care of them both; you have one week.”

Silver folded his arms and asked, “If he can create portals anywhere how do I know he’s still on earth?”

“His current location is the coast of the human city New York. Go to his room, acquire his scent and take care of him.”

“Alright, but let me ask you what exactly is his crime, did he kill a bunch of living people or something?”

“One week…”

Silver dropped his arms and left the room, he knew that the conversation was over and he was wasting valuable time. If the boy really could create portals anywhere than he could lose his track entirely if he did and then it would take him longer than a week to track him down again. He would have to obliterate the boy on the first encounter.

When Silver returned to his room he grabbed the maps of earth he had and started looking through them. Some of them were detailed maps of mountain areas he had made himself, others were ones he took from the living world of each major continent. He had no idea where this “New York” was, so it took him hours just to find it on one of the maps. It was a two day trip for him in flat run, and then he would need a little time to rest.

After having found the location on the map Silver began to dig in a remote area of his room. Beneath the roots of a great tree Silver had buried his reapers scythe, hoping he was retired for good. He transformed the scythe into a long tattoo on his arm so it wouldn’t get in his way while tracking.

Next he went to the room the caretaker told him to go to, and hidden beneath a waterfall was a small cave labyrinth of rooms. When Silver finally found the bedroom he found some of the boy’s clothes and inhaled the scent on them. When he had the boy’s scent he left the room and the mansion and began his hunt.