Chapter 210: Hungry Ghost Festival

A thick fog enveloped us. Kumo quickly grabbed onto my hand as the thick white fog washed over us.

The cold night air seemed to stick onto our skin as we waited with batted breath for what was to come.

Kumo’s hand felt warm and I could hear her heat beating loudly beside me. It was a testament to how excite we were.

I couldn’t see anything through the fog, only the heat signature of the people around us.

Choo! Choo!

Just as the excitement reached its peak a loud train horn blared.

“Is that a train?” I couldn’t help but ask.

I couldn’t quite make out Kumo’s face through the fog but I knew she was smiling.

“Have you ever heard a the ghost train?” She asked.

“Actually I have”

It’s a specter that appears on the form of a fully operational train. Some belive its a omen of death while others say it’s a vessel where spirits travel.

While I for one think it’s a phantom reenactment of tragedies that happens in the past.

It wasn’t uncommon for fatal accidents to be reenact by the ghost who were involved.

“I’m sure all of what you’re thinking is true but there is also another truth. The ghost train also acts as a vessel for bringing spirits across realms. I’ve seen it a few times. Even met a few men I’ve killed in the past. They were trying to make me feel guilty for what I did but I couldn’t careless”

HISSSS!

Just then it sounded as if the train had come to a stop an at the same time, the fog began to clear revealing the massive train.

The air was enveloped in a stillness. No one dared speak. Suddenly the door to the train clicked open.

For a moment nothing happened until suddenly specters of all shapes and size began pouring out.

The people clapped and cheered for them as if this was a normal occurrence. A cold chill swept over the air as they disembarked and spread out throughout the crowd.

One of the ghosts approached me and Selthia. This ghost had a long skinny neck with a inflated belly that hung low.

Kumo stepped closer to it with a smile on her face and offered it the food she had in her hand.

The ghost opened its broad mouth, beckoning Kumo to place her offering inside.

Kumo didn’t hesitate and placed the food inside the ghosts mouth.

Watching the whole thing, I felt a chill climb up my spine.

“Darling, it your turn to try now”

I took a deep breath before approaching the creature. It’s mouth hung open expectingly.

I did the same thing as Kumo and placed the offering inside the ghosts mouth and the moment I did, it let out a strange noise before flying off.

Kumo chuckled at the site. She looked as if she was on cloud nine. I’ve never seen her this happy before.

“That ghost is called a hungry ghost. It suffers from insatiable hunger and thirst. These types of ghost are suffering because of past greed or jealousy.” Kumo explained.

As this ghost flew off, another came to take its place. This ghost had a head as big as a water melon and eyes that seemed to bulge out of its head.

It was just as before. The ghost opened its mouth beckoning us to place our offering inside. Kumo and I did and immediately the ghost let out a whistle before flying off.

“That ghost is called a bulb ghost. They are usually persons who died from head trauma”

Just as before, even more ghosts appeared and one by one, Kumo and I fed them all.

As the night progressed a sweet sounding melody hummed around us. It was a beautiful voice. A voice that I recognised.

It was the banshee. She wore a white dress which was the same color of her skin. Her long black knotted hair touched the ground and her voice touched our hearts.

Hearing her voice, the ghosts seemed to get more lively. They moved with a rhythm that almost made it looked as I’d they were dancing and just then the sound of a trumpet echoed.

I looked around wondering where it was coming from until I finally saw a band consisting of ghosts stepping out of the train.

These ghosts were mainly skeletons and they wore wide hats and baggy pants.

The ghosts, the train, everything. Even though it was a bit unsettling it also felt comforting.

It reminded me of the wild hunt in a way. The night seemed to pass quickly as Kumo and I enjoyed the festivities alongside the ghosts that came to our world.

We danced we sang, we ate alongside our new companions. To my surprise some of the ghost possessed intelligence and they began telling us stories of the past.

Our celebration carried on lively until it was finally time for them to leave. This was signaled by the train blaring its loud horn.

Without hesitation, the ghost flew into the air and began dancing across the night sky.

“This is their way of thanking us” Kumo whispered beside me.

Their dancing only lasted for a short while before they descended the sky and reentered the ghost train.

The train released one final blare before taking off. It traveled on the ground, moving through buildings and any solid objects before it finally took flight.

After the ghosts left, the festivities came to an end. Kumo and I decided it was time to go back home, so we walked together on our way back.

A happy smile played on her lips as we walked.

“That was fun, wasn’t it, darling?”

“Yes, it was.”

“It’s been ages since I’ve enjoyed a proper ghost festival, and even then, the humans who were around wouldn’t stop pestering the poor ghosts.

They asked them for all sorts of things like gifts. Another group actually thought that the ghosts were gods and began praying to them.

Back then, I couldn’t stop laughing at how foolish humans were.”

“You’ve really lived for a long time, haven’t you?” I asked.

“Yes, but don’t ask me how old I am. I stopped counting long ago. But I’m quite certain I’m well over a thousand years old.”

“I should’ve asked you this long ago, but did you ever meet the Djinn that created this city?”

Kumo’s brow furrowed.

“I’ve never met him, but I saw him once or twice. He was a bit of a jolly guy. He had blue skin. I saw him build mountains with just a wave of his hand. He could warp reality with just a single thought. There are countless stories about his deeds. Seeing him at the time, I remember thinking he was some sort of god. Maybe he was, who knows?”

“Yes, he does sound like a god. Maybe he was, or maybe he was just an extremely powerful entity.”

“I do remember he left a few last words. He said he would return whenever we need him,” Kumo said.

My mother also told me that. If we had an entity as powerful as that fighting on our side, I don’t think we could lose against the demon army.

But it would be foolish for us to simply pray that he returns. The best option was for us to train our bodies for what was to come.

We needed to get to a level of strength where we could fight against them.

I knew that out there, there were others who shared the same thought as me. I wasn’t the only one leveling up.

The demon king had staked his claim to this world. And so will others. I needed to get strong enough to where I could do the same.

“Don’t worry, darling. Your pack will get stronger,” Kumo assured me as if she was reading my thoughts.

“Yes, you’re right, thank you,” I said.

The two of us walked side by side, our hands interlocked. She seemed too happy to notice, or else she would be freaking out.

Soon, we arrived at Grey Waste. The place was quiet, as it seemed that most people were sleeping at this hour.

I walked Kumo back to her room. She smiled at me and gave me a deep bow before she entered her room.

“Goodbye, darling.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

A small blush appeared on her face as she closed the door, leaving me standing in the hallway all by myself.

I sighed deeply and stretched my tired limbs before walking towards my room. I had much to consider, but now I should get some rest.

As I neared my room door, I could feel a strange presence coming from the inside.

’It must be Isabella or Sylvie,’ I thought, but strangely, I couldn’t tell exactly who it was.

They had no distinctive smell. This set me on guard. I readied myself before I slowly began opening the door to my room.

The wooden door creaked as it opened, revealing the person waiting inside.

My eyes widened in surprise when I saw them.

It was a beautiful woman with long, free-flowing red hair. It was the witch of lust.

“Aphrodite?”

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