Chapter 101: Ch101 – Impossible

Ryan toppled forward, arms windmilling.

He crashed face-first into the mud with a wet splat.

Eleanor stared at him.

Ryan pushed himself up, spitting mud. “See? She pushed me!”

Eleanor crossed her arms. “Ryan, you just… fell over. You could have done that yourself.”

“What? No! She shoved me from behind!”

“You fell forward into the mud,” Eleanor said flatly. “That’s not exactly hard to fake.”

“I’m not faking it!”

“Prove it.”

Ryan wiped mud from his face, frustration building. “How am I supposed to—”

He stopped.

Wait. Maybe she could… yeah, that’s good.

Ryan turned to the little girl. “Okay, um… what’s your name?”

The ghost tilted her head. “I’m Elly!”

“Elly?” Ryan repeated.

“Yeah! With a ’y’!” She beamed proudly.

Ryan nodded. “Okay, Elly. Can you pull at the front of my collar? Just grab it and pull.”

Elly’s eyes lit up. “Like this?”

She reached up and grabbed Ryan’s shirt, yanking it forward.

From Eleanor’s perspective, Ryan’s collar suddenly pulled outwards.

Eleanor’s eyes went wide.

“How—”

The collar dug into the back of Ryan’s neck slightly.

“See!” He exclaimed proudly.

Eleanor stepped closer, staring at the fabric. “Your shirt is…”

“Elly is pulling it.”

Eleanor reached out slowly, her hand leaving the cover of her cloak.

Her fingers approached the stretched fabric cautiously, as if expecting a trick.

She grabbed Ryan’s collar, examining it closely. Tugging at it and looking for hidden strings or wires.

“There’s nothing—” she muttered, pulling harder. “How are you—”

She lost her footing in the wet mud,

Ryan grabbed her wrist, stopping her from falling.

His bracelet touched her skin.

Eleanor gasped.

Elly appeared.

Standing right in front of her. A small girl with wet black hair plastered to her face, bare feet, soaked dress clinging to her small frame and smiling widely.

She was waving.

Eleanor jerked her hand back.

Elly vanished.

Eleanor stumbled backward, lost her footing, and fell hard onto the muddy ground behind her.

“What—I saw—there was—” she gasped, scrambling through the mud.

“You saw her?” Ryan’s eyes widened.

“I—” Eleanor’s voice cracked. “For a second, I—there was a girl—right there—and then—”

She stared at her own hand and then at Ryan’s wrist where the bracelet gleamed.

“The bracelet,” Eleanor whispered. “When you touched me—when it touched my skin—”

Ryan looked down at the iron band. “You could see her?”

Eleanor didn’t answer. Her hand was already reaching out again.

This time, she grabbed Ryan’s wrist directly.

Her fingers wrapped around the bracelet.

Elly reappeared instantly.

“Hi!” Elly said brightly, waving both hands now.

Eleanor’s throat made a strangled sound.

She didn’t let go this time. Just stared… Eyes wide and mouth ajar.

Elly tilted her head. “Can you see me now?”

Eleanor nodded slowly, unable to speak.

“Cool!” Elly bounced on her toes. “You’re really pretty! I like your hair!”

“She’s… talking to me,” Eleanor breathed.

“She says you’re pretty,” Ryan translated unnecessarily. “And she likes your hair.”

Elly giggled. “You don’t need to tell her what I’m saying, silly! She can hear me!”

Eleanor didn’t respond.

She just stared.

Slowly, she lowered herself into a crouch in the mud, eyes locked onto the girl. Her grip on Ryan’s wrist didn’t loosen.

For a brief moment, she simply observed—taking in the soaked dress, the bare feet, the way the rain clung to her but never quite seemed to weigh her down.

Then, cautiously… Eleanor reached out.

Her fingers hovered—

—and then pressed against Elly’s shoulder.

Shes… real.

Eleanor’s breath hitched.

“You’re… real,” she said quietly.

Elly beamed. “I told you!”

Eleanor’s hand lingered there, almost like she was confirming it again without thinking. Then she pulled it back slightly, eyes narrowing.

“What are you?” she asked.

Elly blinked. “I’m Elly!”

Eleanor’s gaze sharpened. “No. What are you?”

Elly hesitated this time, glancing between the two of them. “Ryan said I’m a ’ghost,’ which I think is his word for people like me! Dead people.”

Eleanor’s expression didn’t change—but something in her eyes did.

“…How long?” she asked.

Elly rocked slightly on her heels. “Umm… I think… a year? Maybe a bit more…”

Eleanor exhaled slowly through her nose, processing.

Ryan shifted slightly beside her. “So… not insane.”

Eleanor didn’t even look at him.

“…No,” she said quietly. “Not insane.”

Her eyes flicked back to Elly, studying her with a new intensity now.

Before she could ask anything else—

“What the… what are you two doing?”

Eleanor’s head snapped up.

Jared stood a short distance away, rain dripping from his hair, confusion written all over his face.

His gaze flicked between Ryan, and Eleanor crouched beside him in the mud…

“…Why are you just sitting in the rain, reaching out into the air?” he added, frowning.

Elly jumped enthusiastically. “Another friend!”

Ryan glanced sideways at Eleanor.

Eleanor slowly let go of Ryan’s wrist.

She stood up, brushing mud from her knees, and looked at Jared.

“I’m not reaching into the air,” Eleanor said.

Jared raised an eyebrow. “That’s exactly what it looked like.”

“There’s a ghost,” Ryan said bluntly.

Jared blinked. “A what?”

“A ghost. A little girl. Her name is Elly.” Ryan gestured to where the ghost stood. “She’s standing right here.”

Jared looked at the empty space. Then at Ryan. Then at Eleanor.

“Is this some kind of joke… or are you being serious?”

“He’s completely serious,” Eleanor said.

Jared’s expression shifted from confusion to concern. “Did you receive any head injuries during the Trial? Hmm but that wouldn’t explain why you are also being crazy… did you hit your head on your way here?”

“We’re not concussed,” Ryan rolled his eyes. “I know how it sounds, but—”

“It sounds insane,” Jared interrupted. “You’re telling me there’s an invisible ghost child standing in the rain, right there.”

“Not invisible to us,” Eleanor corrected. “Ryan has this bracelet—” She gestured at Ryan’s wrist. “When you touch it, you can see them too.”

Jared stared at the black iron band. “The bracelet lets you see ghosts.”

“Yes.”

“That’s…” Jared ran a hand through his wet hair. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

“I didn’t believe it either,” Eleanor admitted. “Until I touched it.”

Jared looked between them. Rain poured down. Neither of them was smiling. Neither looked like they were joking.

“You’re actually serious,” he said slowly.

“Touch the bracelet,” Ryan said. “You’ll see.”

Jared hesitated. “This is ridiculous.”

“Then prove us wrong,” Eleanor challenged.

Jared exhaled sharply. “Fine. But when nothing happens, we’re getting BOTH of you to the healers.”

He stepped forward and grabbed Ryan’s wrist.

His fingers wrapped around the bracelet.

Ryan watched Jared’s face carefully.

…

Nothing changed.

Jared’s expression remained skeptical. His eyes didn’t widen. No gasp. No reaction.

Elly waved at him. “Hi! Can you see me?”

Jared didn’t respond. Didn’t even glance in her direction.

Several seconds passed.

“So,” Jared said flatly. “When’s the little ghost girl going to appear?”

It’s not working.

“That’s weird.”

Eleanor’s eyes widened slightly. “You don’t see anything?”

“I see rain. Mud. And two people who are in desperate need of medical attention.” Jared let go of the bracelet. “This is—”

“Wait,” Ryan interrupted. “Maybe you need to hold it longer—”

“Ryan, there’s nothing there.”

“There is! She’s right—” Ryan pointed at Elly.

Jared looked at the empty space beside Ryan. “Have you both lost your minds from the stress of being heroes?”

Eleanor sighed, “Ryan, ask Elly to do the thing with your shirt.”

Without even having to ask, Elly casually pulled at Ryan’s collar again.

The fabric stretched outward.

Jared’s mouth snapped shut mid-sentence.

Ryan’s collar was pulling. Away from his neck, but there wasn’t anything there.

“What…” Jared stepped closer. “How are you doing that?”

“I’m not,” Ryan said, voice slightly strained. “Elly is.”

Jared reached out slowly.

He mimicked Eleanor’s previous actions of searching for strings or other clues to whether this was a prank or not, but he found nothing.

“So… if there is a little ghost girl,” Jared touched Ryan’s bracelet again, “how come I can’t see her but you two can?”

“My name’s Elly! Not ’little ghost girl’!” she snapped, stamping her foot—again making no impact to the ground.

“Alright, alright—Elly,” Ryan said quickly. “I’ll make sure they get it right.”

Jared raised an eyebrow. “Get what right?”

Ryan waved it off. “Nothing, just call her Elly from now.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Anyway, I don’t know why you can’t see her, it’s weird… Maybe it’s… something to do with havin an elemental mana? Or maybe it’s because we’re both Heroes, and you aren’t?”

“Right…” Jared said flatly, unimpressed.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions when we barely understand what’s happening.” Eleanor said.

Ryan sighed. “Yeah… fair.”

Elly perked up suddenly. “Maybe Geoffrey might know!”

Ryan blinked. “Oh yeah, that’s a good idea, Elly.”

“Yeah!” she said, nodding eagerly. “He’s been here way longer than me. He knows lots of stuff.”

“What did she say?” Eleanor asked.

“I saw another ghost, before Elly,” Ryan explained. “She says his name is Geoffrey. She says he might know why the bracelet works on us but not on Jared.”

Jared folded his arms. “Or maybe he’s just another thing you’ve made up.”

Ryan ignored him, and spoke to the empty air beside him. “Where is he though, Elly?”

Elly tilted her head slightly.

“Geoffrey?” she said.

A small smile spread across her face.

“He’s right behind you.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep