Hours passed. Jack, an invisible specter under the starry sky, skimmed the ocean's surface. Beneath the waves schools of bioluminescent fish glowed. Just like the distant stars. Oblivious to the unnatural currents of power Jack sought.
His spectral form offered extremely high perception. But he hadn't found what he searched for. He kept moving. Seeking.
Then, he felt it. A tremor. Not physical. But an ethereal thrumming against his supernatural senses.
It was faint at first. A distant echo. But it grew with each passing moment. As he moved to its source. Tightening its grip on his senses. That was it. The source.
He pushed forward. A surge of adrenaline, or its spectral equivalent, propelled him faster than any current.
He saw a tiny silhouette. Growing bigger as he got closer. It wasn't a natural formation. It was a vessel. Huge and imposing even from this distance.
As he drew closer, its details solidified. A colossal steam cruise ship. Anchored in the open sea. Far away from any port. Its upper decks gleamed with polished brass and golden paint. A grotesque beacon of luxury.
And as Jack's invisible spectral body phased through its hull, he saw a hive of fervent activity. Cultists. Dozens. Perhaps hundreds. All were adorned in the golden and black robes with the symbol of the Circles of Wealth. Their chants vibrated with a sinister intensity.
But the ship was not the primary source of problem. The overwhelming, yet restrained aura pulsed from beneath it. A powerful, ancient presence. Bound and struggling.
Jack descended. Phasing through the keel. Deeper into the sea. His specter form was unaffected by the cold, dark water. Ignoring the immense pressure. The light dimmed rapidly. Replaced by the eerie glow of deep-sea creatures.
What he saw made even his spectral form pause.
There, on the ocean floor, lay the titanic corpse of an octopus. It was colossal. Larger than any ship he had known.
Its tentacles, each was thicker than a tower, lay splayed and broken. Its massive head caved in. The sight alone was a testament to unimaginable power. Now tragically ended.
Hovering above the carcass, a spectral form writhed. Smaller. Just a little bigger than the steam cruise ship above. But clearly, it was the ghastly spirit of the behemoth.
A translucent, ethereal leviathan. But it was not free. Nine thick, spectral chains lashed it to the ocean floor. Glowing with an pale green light. Each chain seemed to emit a faint, tormented pain.
Jack's [Eyes of Judgement] flared. Instantly processing the entity's twisted existence...
[Creature: Kraken Spirit]
[Species: Sea Creature Ghost]
[Power Scale: High (Extremely High but Restrained)]
[Karma: Neutral]
[Archetype: Mythical Creature]
[Weakness: Holy Light, Trickery, Evil Sacrifice Ritual]
[Origin: The legendary Kraken, tricked and killed by the cultists of the Circles of Wealth. Its ghostly spirit was chained by nine thick chains. Each was produced by a sacrifice rituals of nine lives.]
[Objective: Providing fusion abomination material. (Trying to escape the restraining chains. Trying to take revenge.)]
[Skills: Summoning Sea Creature (restrained), Water Control (sealed), Titanic Power (sealed),...]
Jack considered the data. Neutral Karma. So, not inherently evil. Just a force of nature wronged. The cultists had enslaved a mythical creature. Of course. Standard deeds for cultists...
He drifted closer. His invisible spectral form making no ripple in the water. He deactivated his invisibility and activated the telepathy function of his [Mysterious Anomaly]. One he rarely used. He sent a probe of thought towards the colossal spirit.
'You're a mess, aren't you?' Jack's dry, sarcastic whisper rang in the Kraken's ethereal mind. Cutting through its tormented silence.
The Kraken Spirit recoiled. Its colossal spectral eye focusing on the tiny, glowing anomaly. On Jack. A wave of ancient fury, raw and primal, crashed over Jack's mind.
'Who?!' The thought-roar reverberated. Almost physical. 'A wisp! Another one?! Their slave?!'
'Not a chance.' Jack replied. Unperturbed. 'I'm Jack. And I don't like cultists. Especially ones who chain up ancient, pissed-off mythical creatures.'
He paused and continued. 'I can't say I like you though. You provide raw materials for those abominations I've been kicking around Lonestone, don't you. That's an issue.'
The Kraken paused. Its anger was suddenly gone. Replaced by a flicker of curiosity. 'You not with them? The yellow-black liars!'
'No! I'm from Lonestone.' Jack answered directly. Realizing that this Kraken Spirit seemed... simple minded. Too trusting. Probably, easily tricked. 'I'm here to investigate the fishman abomination. What's your relationship with those yellow-black guys?'
'They lied! They tricked me! Bound me!'
'Yeah, I can see that.' Jack deadpanned. 'Why do you help them create those abominations then?'
The Kraken Spirit roared again. 'Not me. They used my power. The chains forced me to do it.'
'The chains. Nine of them. Breaking the chains means releasing you, I assume.'
'Yes!' The Kraken's desperation was obvious. 'Each chain contained tortured souls. Three wraiths each chain. Enter the chain. Destroy the wraiths. The chain will break.'
Jack processed this. Twenty seven wraiths. A lot. But it was a clear path. His kind of work.
'Alright, listen.' Jack projected his mind. His tone was firm. 'I'll break your chains. But we have rules. My rules. Your revenge stops at the cultists. The ones on that ship. The ones who chained you. Anyone involved in this mess. Anyone else, anyone innocent, is off-limits. Understand?'
The Kraken Spirit's ethereal form rippled. A moment of hesitation. Its fury was vast. But it was its only chance.
'Agreed. Wisp. Only the yellow-black liars. Only the traitors. Kraken swore in the name of Mother Ocean. Kill the traitors only. Harm no innocent.'
'Good. Let's get to it.'
Jack extended a spectral hand. His essence was a beacon of controlled power. He touched the nearest of the glowing chains.
The contact was jarring. An immediate disorienting lurch. And he was pulled into the chain's interior.
He found himself in a desolate, colorless void. Before him, three translucent figures flickered like dying embers. These were the tortured wraiths. The remnants of the ninety lives sacrificed to forge this single chain.
Their forms were vaguely human. Distorted by agony and confusion. Their whispers a constant drone of despair. They were trapped in a purgatory created by the cultists' evil rituals.
Jack remembered in a flash. His first supernatural opponent. The Drenched Woman. They were pretty similar. In a way.
He sighed and raised his hand. Channeling [Mysterious Anomaly]'s illusion power. This was not about physical combat. It was about psychological one. Gently releasing the suffering wraiths from their devastating torment.
He understood these spirits craved peace, release. But their torment was fueling the chain. He could just 'release' them conventionally. By slaying them with magic spells.
But, they were victims. He preferred to guide them into releasing themselves. To break their own spiritual prisons. By finding a peace they hadn't discovered before.
He unleashed the mass illusion. The colorless void rippled. Then dissolved. The wraiths were previously trapped in their personal hells. But now, they found themselves immersed in their deepest, most yearning desires.
The first wraith, soul of a gardener, found himself in a lush, endless garden. His hands sifting through rich, fertile soil. The scent of blooming flowers intoxicated him.
The second one, the wraith of a hungry vagabond, was now at a perpetually abundant feast. Surrounded by laughing loved ones.
The third one, the wraith of an orphan, found herself in the warm embrace of her parents. Being loved and cared. Bathed in a gentle, warm shower.
Jack watched. The illusions were perfect. Tailored to each wraith's deepest, most innocent desire for happiness.
The wraiths, one by one, stopped flickering. Their tortured expressions smoothed into blissful contentment. They didn't vanish in a flash of light. But rather dissolved. Peacefully. Into the illusion.
Their forms became one with the perfect heaven Jack had created for them. It was his probably 'twisted' act of mercy. A final, beautiful deception that severed their connection to the chain.
The chain shuddered. Its glow was dimming. A faint, almost imperceptible snap echoed in the void.
Jack was ejected. Blinking back into the cold, dark water. Near the Kraken Spirit. The first chain was gone. Eight remaining others awaited.
He moved to the second chain. Touching it. The jolt was familiar now. Another void. Three more wraiths.
He repeated the process. Casting illusions. Deceiving the wraiths into their ideal version of heavens.
The first found himself as a merchant. His business was booming. His reputation was soaring.
The next one was the wraith of a soldier. He was brought into the scene where he stood victorious on hallowed ground. Hailed as a hero by the people he cared.
The third one was reunited with her loved ones in a sun-drenched meadow. Their laughter were echoing around her.
Each illusion was a precise, heart-wrenching balm. Dissolving the wraiths into their perfect, yet probably non-existent paradise.
Snap! A second chain was broken.
Third chain...
The wraith of a scholar found himself in an infinite library. A place where knowledge was boundless, free, and pure.
The wraith of a musician was allowed to play the most beautiful melody imaginable for an adoring crowd.
Next wraith, the soul of a prisoner, saw an endless sky. feeling the wind on his face as he soared.
Snap! Another chain was broken.