Chapter 14: The Beginning of Something New

"… I see," Finn said briskly, not showing any reaction despite hearing her name.

Iris blinked. "T-That's it?"

"What?" Finn questioned confusedly. "How else am I supposed to respond?"

"A-Ah, no… it's just… never mind," she turned away on her wheelchair, and silence befell the two of them once more.

After a while, however, Iris was unable to stand it and finally decided to break the tranquility.

"… Do you know about the Sylvoir family?"

Finn shook his head.

"What… how are you part of the Phantom Slayers if you don't know about them… wait, do you even have an Angelica?"

Once again, Finn shook his head. "No. What are those?"

"This…" Iris was completely stunned at his lack of knowledge.

She couldn't believe that Archon took this guy in without explaining anything to him beforehand. There was the chance that Finn had been severely injured when he was taken in, hence why there was no opportunity to explain anything to him, but… no, there aren't any visible wounds on his body despite the bandages the Oculus Angelica did not lie.

'Well, he's here already… I might as well explain everything to him,' she thought to herself.

Clearing her throat, Iris spoke.

"First off… you know what Phantoms are, correct?"

Finn nodded. "White, humanoid entities with tentacles growing out of their back."

"That is one class of them, called Morphers. There are other types of Phantoms as well… but that's not important right now. Next-"

"Before you continue," Finn interrupted. "What is the difference between Phantoms and Ghosts? Are they both terms for the same thing?"

This was a question on his mind for a while now, one he wanted to get the answer to as soon as possible.

"Ghosts… that is the collective term to all of these paranormal entities. Phantoms, Wraiths, Specters, Revenants… these are all different archetypes of Ghosts. Each has their own method of dealing with them."

"I see… so they cannot be used interchangeably," Finn noted to himself.

"That's right. For example, the organization that saved both of us, the one that man downstairs is part of, is called the Phantom Slayers. Just as the name suggests… they specialize in taking down Phantoms and only Phantoms. Other types of Ghosts are outside their field of expertise."

"Huh… I understand now. But there are only... what, five people here, excluding you and me? They are responsible for taking down all Phantoms that spawn? That seems somewhat... unrealistic."

Iris shook her head. "No. There are five different guilds across the world, each responsible for one category of Ghosts - The Phantom Slayers, The House of Spectra, The Theocracy of Light, Night's Conflux, and Eidolons' Bane. They are responsible for Phantoms, Specters, Wraiths, Revenants, and Eidolons respectively. Together, they form the pillars of the GHO — the Ghost Hunter Organization."

"I see..." Finn murmured. "So this is a mere branch of The Phantom Slayers."

"That is the most logical conclusion, but... usually, a branch would have more people than just five. I could be wrong though."

'Who is this girl, and how does she know this much...?' Finn thought, slightly curious and suspicious.

"Hm. Well, that's not too important anyway... what about those 'Angelicas' you mentioned earlier?"

Iris fell silent and stared out the blinds of her window, swaying gently and clattering against one another from the wind.

"Angelicas… they are humanity's weapon against these Ghosts."

Finn frowned from beneath the bandages covering his eyes. "Weapons?"

"You see, normal knives and bullets don't work on Ghosts. They are paranormal, an 'outside' existence, meaning anything from this plane of reality cannot harm them."

"If that's the case, then how come they can harm us?"

"That's the mystery all Ghost Hunters are trying to find out," Iris smiled sadly. "But until we find an answer to that question… we just need to keep protecting humanity from these Ghosts, subduing them whenever they appear — using the power of Angelicas."

"So… Angelicas are from the same plane of reality Ghosts are, hence why they can harm them?"

"Correct," Iris replied, folding her arms. "Yes, but more accurately, they are born from one's soul. Angelicas will only be awakened after an encounter with another paranormal, paracausal entity — either another Angelica, or Ghosts."

"About half the world's population has Angelicas, but most just never activate them due to them not knowing about the Ghosts and the paracausal," she continued expertly. "Ghost Hunters, however, are people who have awakened this power and are now using it to fight back against the Ghosts."

'So that's why Zelestria said I didn't have the talent for Ghost Hunting...'

"You said 'half the world's population'... in other words, there are still many people out there without any Angelicas. That means they're powerless against Ghosts, huh?"

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"Not necessarily," Iris corrected, to Finn's surprise. "There are plenty of Ghost Hunters who don't have Angelicas, but can still fight back against the paranormal using specially-enchanted weapons — swords, guns, bows, and such. These can be crafted by anyone with the rare Blacksmith Angelica."

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"So… multiple people can have the same Angelica."

"Yes — but no one can have multiple Angelicas."

"Do you have an Angelica?" Finn asked, the first thing that came to mind.

"I… yes — the Oculus Angelica. Really, it just empowers my eyes, allowing me to see certain things normal people can't. It's not a very useful one at all for a Ghost Hunter, but… even if I did have a strong Angelica, my body makes it difficult to actually be of any help in a fight."

"Oh? I think your Angelica is quite useful though."

Iris blinked. "H-Huh?"

"I want to take revenge on the Ghosts who slaughtered my family," Finn explained. "I want to purge their very existence from this world, but…"

He stood up and ripped the bandages covering his eyes and surrounding his head, revealing two horribly scarred eyelids underneath. Claw marks were evident over them, and although the blood was gone, one could imagine how much it hurt at the time.

"… As you can see, I am blind. As much as I hate it, I'll only be food for them if I try fighting one right now."

"So… you want my help?" Iris asked hesitantly, faint and almost inaudible.

Although scarred, Finn was still ruggedly handsome. His unkept obsidian-black hair draped bangs over his forehead, with thin lips and a small nose. His features made him seem younger than he really was, as he didn't have a mustache or beard either.

Those were Iris's thoughts as she glanced at Finn's face, but she didn't dare admit them.

"You hate them too, don't you?" Finn suddenly asked back.

"The Ghosts? Of course…" she trailed off.

'But... not all of them.'

That's what she wanted to say, but refrained from doing so. After all… she had just met Finn.

Yes, she had already made up her mind earlier to tell him her true identity and see if he would accept her for who she was, but it seems he didn't even know about her lineage. She originally wanted to try and help him, prevent him from being consumed by his own dark emotions, but after seeing just how deep his hatred for Ghosts ran, Iris wasn't sure if she could tell him everything anymore.

Her family... her identity. What exactly she was... and what her bloodline was.

If Finn ever found out about the truth... she would be slaughtered on the spot.

"I know we are still practically strangers, but… the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Finn said, holding out his hand. "I propose… we form a partnership. You can be my eyes, and I will be your legs. That way, both of our weaknesses are covered by the other person."

"…" Iris fell silent, contemplating this deal.

"I'm sure it will take time to get used to one another. Our coordination will definitely need to be trained before going into actual combat. But I believe… this can work."

Deep down, Finn didn't really care all that much about this partnership, but he needed someone to be his eyes until he could get his own back through Zelestria.

Meanwhile, Iris was still genuinely thinking of how to save Finn… save him from drowning himself in hatred.

Feeling angry towards someone was fine. But if you let that anger consume you… you could end up destroying yourself first instead of your enemy.

Iris knew that all too well — which was why she wanted to prevent anyone else from going down the same path as her, even if Finn was a danger that could take her life once he found out about her true identity.

Slowly, Iris took a deep breath and made her decision.

"I accept."

Finn nodded firmly, hand still outreached as he waited for her to shake his hand, sealing the deal. "Sweet. I look forward to working together with you... Iris."

"Likewise," she replied. "Er…"

"...?"

"… You're facing the wrong way."

Finn froze for a brief moment, before awkwardly turning his body 180 degrees around to face the right direction.

"Sorry."

For the first time in a long while, Iris smiled genuinely.

"It's fine… my job is to tell you when something like that happens, no?"

She took Finn's outreached hand and shook it firmly, determination in her eyes.

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