Weber materialized next to Ariel in Ariel's car.
From the gloom on his face, she knew no words were needed, and she just drove.
"Ariel," Weber said without looking at her, and she turned to him, "do you think I'm a bad person for giving others closure when I can't give myself?"
Ariel turned away, focused on the road, and thought for a few moments.
"Doctors cure illnesses but aren't immune to them. Soldiers save lives but die fighting," she said and looked at him, "so you're doing what you can, even if you're still improving yourself," she replied with a smile.
Weber took a deep breath, "you're right," he said, looking out as buildings passed them by, "a memory returned, and it was me thanking you for being the brain between the two of us."
Ariel flushed and tightened her grip on the steering wheel, "you remember that, huh..."
Weber looked at her and blinked, his eyes now flashing white.
"Let's find out where Josh is. Andrej!" he said, and Andrej manifested in the back seat.
"Thank you for letting me meet Lily. As promised, I will fight by your side," Andrej said, folding his arms.
Weber nodded, "you were a vigilante. Any experience in finding where my friend might be?" he said and showed Andrej a picture of Josh.
Andrej leaned back and looked around the city as they passed by.
"First off, you need to check places he'd been. I'm guessing you've done that?" Andrej asked, and Weber cleared his throat.
"Partially. He wasn't home when he said he'd be. But we haven't checked elsewhere," Weber said.
Andrej nodded, "have you scouted the place with ghosts?"
Weber furrowed his brows at him, "I...I haven't."
Andrej smacked his head with his hand, "You have the power to have ghosts join you. Why not make contracts other than just fighting for you? That way they don't increase their demand so much that you'll just be using them once."
Weber sighed, "one of my powers' worst caveats is that I can only pick one thing. But they get anything."
Ariel looked at Weber, "I think it might be worth it, and if they ask for too much, you leave them. Why not try sooner?"
Weber slumped back in his seat and crossed his arms, "I've been scared of... growing stronger. If I get stronger, Fantasia and its allies might be freed," then he met Ariel's eyes.
"But I might have history repeat itself with losing control."
Ariel parked at a park and held his hands, "that won't happen this time because I can tell you're different."
Weber sighed and got out of the car; Andrej floated out, and Ariel looked around with Weber.
"That's odd," Weber said, looking around. Ariel noticed his face was tense and saw that Andrej, too, was looking around in distress.
"I think we've found the right spot," Andrej said, and Ariel looked at him.
"Another wraith?" Ariel asked.
"Too many wraiths!" Andrej shouted, clenching his fists.
Ariel felt an invisible weight crushing her, and she fell to the ground.
"Show yourselves!" Weber yelled after gasping at her fall.
Dozens of ghosts—men, women, children, and elders with black auras, hollow eye sockets, and pale skin—manifested.
Weber's eyes darted between them, and he fell to the ground on one knee, feeling pins piercing his brain, and he screamed.
"Weber!" Ariel yelled; then she started experiencing a splitting headache that made her clutch her head.
A memory of Weber before hundreds of ghosts returned.
---
Two years ago.
"After weeks of practice, I think I know how it works with reading their deaths," Weber said next to Ariel.
"Doesn't it fry your brain if you try it for too many at once?" Ariel asked, frowning.
Weber smiled and nodded with his eyes closed, "I always almost die at times I try to see when they died in my mind's eye, so I figured there's only one way that works."
He opened his eyes wide, and they glowed bright white, "push through the pain!" he said.
Ariel looked at him as he feigned being fine receiving so many memories at once, but he was clenching his sleeves so hard that he didn't even realize his nails dug into them and drew blood.
---
Two years later.
Ariel's headache stopped, and she saw Weber gritting his teeth as dozens of memories were sent to his mind.
"How can I help?" Andrej asked.
As Ariel was about to speak, she saw Weber staggering to his feet.
"If I can't receive all your memories at once," he raised his palm into the air, and fatigue made him fall to the ground, slamming his palm on the floor.
"Then I'll take you to where you can," Weber said, but Ariel shuddered when it wasn't Weber's voice, but that of the Abyss.
Black flames came out of Weber's palm and consumed everyone present.
When the flames settled, Ariel opened her eyes to a black world.
"That's odd, what are you doing here? You dead?" Gabrielle asked from behind Ariel, and she jumped.
"I don't know... Weber caused black flames to appear, and now I'm here."
Ariel looked around, and from memories, Weber had never done something like this.
The world had no beginning or end.
An endless void that was warm but left a hollow feeling.
"This is the place that Weber's ghosts he's contracted with stay," Gabrielle said.
"Which is why it's odd you're here," Andrej remarked after appearing.
Then the world went from black to black, with the floor gray.
They saw Weber far off with his eyes and hair their normal colors, and he rose to his feet.
"Where are we?" Ariel asked, walking toward them.
"Remember, we've been here before," he said, and Ariel recalled when she, Josh, and Weber were brought here by the Abyss.
Then the ghosts that were causing Weber's head pain appeared.
Weber shuddered as they closed in, then they backed off when the Abyss manifested next to Weber.
"I'm shocked. You actually connected with me to open this place," it remarked, shooting him a glance.
Weber clenched his fists and pointed at it, "I was about dying! If you were dead, of course I connected with you!"
The Abyss, with its form a cloak with chains all appearing as smoke with its white eyes and folded arms, just blinked at Weber.
"You've been talking more. Either you don't want me to know something, or I'm learning too quickly," Weber remarked, folding his arms.
"I had to come, or you'd lose your mind with my power. Which would have happened if you died," it replied.
Weber grinned, and his eyes flickered white, "so, you need me to exist."
The Abyss said, "You'll understand soon. Such is inevitable. Now, the crowd is waiting. You're Wraith Keeper, so address them."
The Abyss vanished into a puff of smoke and dissipated.
Weber rolled his eyes and summoned his power, and his aura grew large, thanks to his power being strengthened in the Abyss dimension.
Ariel went to him, "I hope you're fine now."
Weber looked himself over, "I think so."
Weber closed his eyes, and the memories of the ghosts started to enter his mind.
It all showed that three hundred years ago, a massive mana attack rained down on a village, which is now the park they visited.
And it was a peaceful day, until they all burned.
Weber opened his eyes slowly and went down on one knee.
"I humbly apologize for what you all experienced," he said, and the ghosts looked down on him.
"No amount of apology can be enough; you had your life stripped from you. If one of you will be your representative, we can strike a deal that'll benefit us both," Weber said.
Ariel looked at the ghosts; they scowled, "We all have what we want to say!" one yelled.
"No one's talking for me!" they shouted, and Weber sighed.
"I know, and I'm sorry, but we can't stay here forever, and I need your help," he said and clasped his hands together, bending his head, "please."
"We help you once. That's it," an elderly man who carried an air of wealth with his glossed hair and expensive attire said.
"I was the chief, so I think I can do the talking."
Weber looked up and smiled, "Really? I can use you all just once? You don't want anything?"
The chief nodded, "It's kinda selfish to be asking for stuff when you're dead and you're no longer part of the physical world."
Weber turned back and glared at Andrej and Gabrielle, making them stiffen.
Weber activated Grasp of the Unmourned and shook hands with the chief, "I am Wraith Keeper Weber. And I thank you for accepting me."
As he finished speaking, they were enveloped in black flames that consumed the dimension.
When Ariel opened her eyes again, they were back in the park.
Weber got to his feet and grinned at Ariel.
"With the power of 500 wraiths, let's find Josh."