Chapter 103: A Necromancer?
"There is the grave."
The tombstone was modest, a simple grey stone with the name "Clara Robinson" and a single, faded carving of a wild rose. The earth around it was slightly overgrown, but a small, clear patch showed signs of recent tending – likely Elara’s work on previous visits.
"Alright," Riku said softly, placing the shovel he’d acquired earlier onto the ground. "We’ll dig here, beside her."
They began their grim task. The night was quiet, the only sounds the rhythmic scrape of the shovel against the earth and Elara’s soft, intermittent sniffles. Lila worked beside Riku, her expression somber but determined, while Elara sat huddled nearby, watching them with tear-filled eyes.
As they dug deeper, an occasional, inexplicable chill would pass through the air, raising goosebumps on their arms despite the mild night. It wasn’t a natural cold; it was more like a fleeting presence, a whisper of unseen eyes.
"Did you feel that?" Lila whispered to Riku after one particularly strong wave of coldness washed over them, her breath misting slightly. Riku nodded, his gaze sweeping the shadowy tombstones around them. "Yes. It feels like... we’re being watched." His suspicion, already piqued by the strange events surrounding Elara’s family, began to grow.
Elara, overhearing them, hugged herself tighter. "I... I always feel that way when I come here," she admitted, her voice trembling. "Ever since Father first brought me. A coldness... and that feeling... like someone is standing right behind me, watching. I thought it was just the graveyard making me feel creepy."
Lila shivered. "A ghost? Riku, do you think it’s a ghost? Maybe Elara’s mother is watching over her?"
Lila’s innocent suggestion solidified Riku’s unease. A lingering spirit, perhaps. But the intensity of the feeling, the way it seemed to focus on them... A normal soul wouldn’t linger with such presence for so many years, Riku thought. Not without a powerful anchor, or... if it wasn’t a ’normal’ soul to begin with.