Tale of a Hedonistic wizard
Chapter 92 - 92: Old ghost

Before him stood a figure that defied the conventional realm. A soul, its ethereal form translucent and marked by a radiant sky-blue hue, hovered suspended before him.

Jaegar's groan resonated through the chamber, reflecting result of the mental strain he had just endured.

The weight of his experiences seemed to press upon him, as if he had carried a colossal burden upon his very thoughts.

With his eyes tightly shut and his brows furrowed in concentration, he wrestled to discern the source of the voice that had unsettled his psyche. The spectral echoes lingered.

"Child, you there?" The voice resonated once more, reaching through the murkiness that clung to his consciousness.

It was an entity, an ethereal presence, that had recognized him and sought to control him, trying to take over his body.

Jaegar's senses prickled with alertness, his mind transitioning from bewilderment to a cautious inquisitiveness.

Before him, suspended in the air with an otherworldly grace, floated the embodiment of the voice he had heard.

This being emanated an aura of ancient knowledge, a force that transcended the realms of the living.

Its features defied the norm, marked by ears that bore a distinct form and eyes that held the enigmatic allure of slitted gazes.

As Jaegar summoned his strength and pushed himself upright, his uncertainty manifested in his spoken words. "Who...are you?"

The question hung in the air, tinged with a blend of fatigue and curiosity, as he sought to grasp the nature of this ethereal presence that had infiltrated his thoughts.

His fingers rubbed against his eyelids in a futile attempt to clear away the haze that had clouded his perception.

The query resurfaced, his voice a beacon of inquiry in the dimness of the cave. "Wait, what are you?"

The words held a semblance of caution, a testament to his wariness in the face of the unknown. "What the fuck have you done to me?"

"Child, is that how you speak to an elder?" The words reverberated with a resonant gravity, the being's voice booming through the confines of the cave.

Jaegar's retort, laced with a dose of skepticism, echoed his own defiance. "Elder, My ass, weren't you just trying to take over my body? I felt it clearly."

His accusation hung in the air, a confrontation that had emerged from the depths of his own psyche.

In response, the being cleared its throat with an air of unexpected embarrassment, an almost comical display from a being that existed beyond the boundaries of physical form. "No, I was merely probing," it offered, attempting to downplay its previous actions as if trying to salvage its reputation.

Jaegar's narrowed gaze remained locked on the enigmatic figure before him.

The verbal sparring continued; each exchanged a dance of words, power, and intention. The being, shrouded in the air of an elder's wisdom, posed a question that seemed to transcend the current circumstances. "Anyways, who are you, child, and where did you get the ancient arts?"

A furrow formed on Jaegar's brow, his expression was a blend of scrutiny and caution. His reply carried an air of earnestness, albeit tinged with a hint of confusion. "What arts?" he queried, a rhetorical question that he had yet to fully comprehend.

The old man, his features reflecting an ageless wisdom, half-closed his eyes as if peering into the depths of Jaegar's very soul. "Don't play dumb with me," he retorted, his voice carrying a mix of exasperation and amusement. "The ancient arts that you now possess."

Jaegar's consciousness settled into the gravity of the moment, understanding the old man's references to the latent power that dwelt within him.

The ancient arts, a reservoir of potential that had quietly coexisted with him throughout his life, had finally come to the forefront of his existence.

The realization that the old man was exposed to the very essence of his being sent shivers down his spine as if his innermost thoughts and secrets had been laid bare before an entity that transcended the boundaries of the material world.

"It was within me ever since I knew," Jaegar confessed, his voice carrying a weight that mirrored the significance of his words.

The old man, his ethereal form exuding an air of timeless contemplation, mulled over Jaegar's response. "Perhaps you were born with them," he mused aloud, the weight of a realization settling in.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have tried to take over. I'd been trapped here for centuries, and the circle down below was preventing me from escaping. I can only limit myself to the cave."

The exchange continued, each revelation unravelling a layer of an enigma that had cloaked the old man's motives.

Jaegar couldn't help but pose a question that had lingered in his mind. "Then, if you can't leave, why do you need my body?"

The old man's response carried a mixture of longing and yearning, a glimpse into his desire to transcend the confines of his imprisonment. "I can't leave the cave by myself. I need a vessel," he explained, his words tinged with the weight of his own plight. "As you can see, the remains of my body."

Jaegar's retort carried a mixture of exasperation and defiance. "And you saw me and made me come here, you damn old man!"

The old man's response held a certain wisdom, an acknowledgement of the forces that had converged to bring them together. "Child, if not for the arts you are practising, you would have become my vessel by now."

"Yeah, you should be happy that it didn't wipe you out of existence," Jaegar retorted.

The thought of his very soul being wiped clean sent a shiver down his spine. He understood the limits of the ancient arts, an understanding that instilled a sense of caution within him. He knew that tampering with such forces could have dire consequences.

The old man's voice carried a heavy sense of nostalgia and a touch of desperation. "I have been trapped here for so long that I lost track of time," he confessed, a lament for the eternity he had spent in solitude.

"Child, help me get out of here," he implored his tone a blend of urgency and supplication. "I will be in your debt."