Mythology Rebooted

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Squeak, squeak———

Pale hands scraped across the front hood of the car, leaving behind dried blood and scratch marks. The ghoulish figure slowly crawled out from underneath the car. Its translucent body was broken in many places, and its terrifying face could silence a crying child.

The malevolent spirit had no head, with greyish-white neck spouting blood. Children did not cry because they were scared into unconsciousness.

In an instant, Wayne's face became whiter than the ghost's. "This is bad, really bad. This car must have been in an accident, and now the victim has come to claim our lives."

"Ghost, ghost, a ghost..."

Upon seeing the Drifting Ghost, William, who was in the passenger seat, naturally also saw it. He frantically pointed ahead, trying to use the warmly glowing light to drive the ghost away.

He didn't succeed.

Veronica placed her hand on William's shoulder and interrupted his spellcasting. "It's not the victim. It's a trap set by Bloody Mike. Using magic will alert him to our presence, which is not good for our capture operation."

Veronica didn't want William to startle the quarry. She had had enough of the curse, and was determined to catch Bloody Mike this time, no matter what. As for the frightful ghost, it lacked the power to attack and could only scare people. Once they drove the car beyond the spell's range, the ghost would leave.

So, if they were brave enough, nothing would happen.

William looked queasy. He knew Veronica was right, but still...

"Easy for you to say, why don't you open your eyes then!"

"..."

Veronica didn't respond, but turned to look out the window. Suddenly, another ghostly hand landed on the car window with a thud, causing her to pale and shiver momentarily.

Coming to her senses, Veronica squinted and stole another glance.

She was scared but still wanted to look.

"They can't touch us, so let's pretend they don't exist. Just slow down the car a bit, and besides, ghosts are transparent; they won't affect our driving."

Monica said with her eyes closed.

"You open your eyes too!"

William shouted, seeing the beautiful girl and cat huddled together in the back seat made him desperately want to join them.

Too bad he couldn't because he was in the front and could only hug Wayne instead.

Turning his head, he saw Wayne slow the car down while driving with his eyes closed.

"Dammit, you're driving!"

William wasn't scared to death by ghosts but by Wayne's driving. He quickly rolled up the window on his side and roared at Wayne to watch the road and drive safely.

It had taken William two whole years to get his driver's license. As a self-aware road hazard, he strictly forbade himself from touching the steering wheel. At the same time, he understood very well that whether or not a car accident happened, whether or not you hit someone, all depends on whether the driver can adhere to the traffic rules.

For example, if the pedestrian follows traffic rules and sits at home on the sofa with a small garden separating them from the road, William was confident he could still hit them with his car.

Since he was very self-aware, William feared car accidents more than ghosts. Seeing Wayne drive with his eyes closed, he became so frightened his voice turned squeaky. "Veronica, let's just kill them. I'm scared."

"And to think you're a devotee of the Sun Goddess, yet you're afraid of ghosts."

"So what? Is there a rule saying devotees of the Sun Goddess can't be afraid of ghosts?!"

William was close to tears. "Besides, it's not ghosts I'm scared of, it's Wayne. He's driving without looking, eyes shut tight."

"..."x2

In the back seat, Veronica and Monica realized the seriousness of the situation and scolded Wayne loudly.

In the distance, the blue sedan swarmed with half-transparent ghosts shook violently.

...

Moments later, the blue family sedan was back to normal driving. Just as Veronica had said, once a certain distance was reached, the ghosts left on their own.

Wayne, who was in the driver's seat, asked to switch drivers but was denied. There was nobody in the car brave enough to open a door and get out.

William overcame his fear fastest. Seeing Wayne still shaken, he couldn't help but caution him: "Wayne, I can't believe you're afraid of ghosts. Believe me, you're going to face similar situations many times in the future. Get used to it quickly and don't disgrace our Mages."

The Mages' reputation has already been ruined by you guys!

Wayne grunted in defense, "I'm conservative about these things. Ghosts and such, they're just too cutting-edge for me to accept."

"Get real, you're just afraid of ghosts."

William felt playful and said with a laugh, "How about this, let me tell you a couple of ghost love stories to help you overcome your fear."

"Are they serious? If they're serious, forget it."

Wayne glanced at William, knowing the latter was trying to spook him, and coldly responded, "Speaking of scary stories, I have one that's quite terrifying. Ever since I was little, I've relied on scaring myself with this story in the first half of my life."

"Let's hear it then."

William swallowed nervously in a low voice.

In the back seat, Veronica listened intently, scared yet eager to listen.

"It was a deathly still night without moonlight. A child said to his mother, 'Mommy, there's a child under the bed...'"

Wayne told the story with emphasis and pauses: "The mother looked under the bed; indeed, there was a child there, identical to the one on the bed. The child said... 'Mommy, there's a child on the bed!'"

"And then what?"

William's face changed, he clung tightly to the window, and Veronica in the back seat held her breath and clutched the black cat Monica tightly.

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The cat felt like it couldn't breathe.

"And then..."

Wayne slowed down the car, gave William a meaningful look, and then said in a deep voice, "Mom beat up the twin brothers."

"..."x3

Wayne's horror story with a twist wasn't novel, but in this era, it was enough to be considered innovative, completely ruining the ambience and making the few small stories William told afterwards seem bland.

Not scary at all.

————

The blue sedan crossed a stone bridge and drove on a slightly bumpy road, as the pitter-patter of raindrops beat against the car windows.

Wayne turned on the windshield wipers, and through a blur, he saw the ephemeral outline of the town.

Beneath the gloomy skies, sparse lights were diffused into a hazy glow. The rain failed to wash away the mist but succeeded in silencing the noise. Apart from occasional barking, the entire town was unusually quiet.

Wayne drove into the town's largest street, where most shops and stores were closed, with only the bars and hotels open for business.

At the end of the street stood a church surrounded by a fence, its crucifix atop the roof braved the wind and rain, signifying the orthodox faith of Caforno Town as well as the entire God-chosen Continent.

The Creator!

The faith in the Creator had a long history, far more steadfast than those queer-shaped goddesses. Wayne was puzzled as to why these faiths could coexist instead of erupting in a war of beliefs that would lead to bloodshed.

As the orthodox faith that named the God-chosen Continent, the Holy See worshiped the Heavenly Father, the creator of all things, and in the name of God, firmly held the highest power in the world. Followers of other deities would be branded as heretics, and beautiful young women like Veronica could become witches, completing the trilogy of prison, dungeon, and stake.

That was how Wayne believed the God-chosen Continent should be. The current disarray of numerous faiths just didn't make sense, it didn't add up logically.

There was magic on the God-chosen Continent, and gods were real, proving the Divine nature of the Heavenly Father.

Since he's the Creator, naturally he's the one above all. You minor deities, what level are you at to sit at my table and eat, to snatch the faith from my bowl?

But if the Creator didn't exist, merely a fictional idol, how could he defeat other deities to become the orthodox faith, how could he dare defecate and urinate on the heads of royal families of various countries?

The contradictions didn't make sense to Wayne, who mused over the possibility of the goddesses paying for peace with their bodies.

On second thought, that's unlikely. If sleeping with someone could turn a blind eye, male deities who missed out would have perished long ago.

Unless, the Creator is a god of love, in his eyes, men and women are equal.

Boom!

A clap of thunder exploded, downpour began, interrupting Wayne's unscrupulous reasoning. He opened the car door and opened an umbrella.

"Hmm!"

Veronica in the back seat cleared her throat. Wayne, playing the role of the driver, opened the rear door and held the umbrella for Veronica.

In her natural role as a rich girl, Veronica, holding a black cat, headed toward the hotel. She was silent the whole way, leaving Wayne to interact with others.

At the hotel counter, Wayne closed his umbrella, quickly surveyed the first-floor layout, and spotted two plainly dressed young women sitting on the bench to the right.

Heavy makeup, low-cut tops, bright necklaces.

Under Veronica's slightly contemptuous gaze, Wayne skillfully conveyed a look and silently reached an understanding with one of the young women and then another.

All of them!

Wayne booked three rooms. Facing the host's familiar inquiries, he simply described the hardships they faced.

Passing by, nightfall, raining, needing rest...

He spoke politely, but the weariness revealed through his words prevented the familiar host from continuing to feign closeness. The host led the group upstairs and provided dinner.

After the host left, the two young women knocked on Wayne's door and entered to find an eager William and Veronica, who was sitting on the bed holding the black cat.

"Sir, this kind of situation requires a surcharge."

"Don't worry, the price will make you happy," Wayne nodded, indicating everything was negotiable.

The scene shifted, and the two young women clung to each other, their bodies limp as if their souls had been drawn out, saliva dripping from the corners of their mouths, eyes dull, unable to focus.

As one might expect, they had been mushroomed.

Veronica's method of extracting information remained direct and aggressive, her temperament decisive and efficient, disliking wasting time, she inquired straightforwardly about Bloody Mike's whereabouts.

Caforno Town wasn't big, and due to the impact of industrialization, a large portion of able-bodied individuals had already rushed into the city, leading to a continual decline in population. Seeking information about Bloody Mike's whereabouts wasn't difficult.

Veronica knew the full name of the Walker of Death, Mike Nelson, and she also knew that he was planning to marry soon. In a town with a dwindling population, this was undoubtedly a festive event, and she was confident she could find out his family's address.

Logically, that's how it should work. Yet Bloody Mike had integrity, not inviting the town's young women to throw a bachelor party. Veronica's plan hit a snag once again, and she got nothing out of them.

The scene shifted once more, showing the hotel owner, naive and simple. He was well-informed and knew where Mike Nelson's house was.

"Drive west, through the oak forest road. That's where Nelson Family's estate is," he said.

"Estate?!"

Veronica frowned, "What kind of estate? Is his family very wealthy?"

"They used to be very rich. Caforno Town was named after the Nelson Family ancestors. Back then, the entire town's land belonged to the Nelson Family, until one night..."

"Everyone went mad!"