"Follow me, I'm Reya Vice-Captain of station 10" Reya said without skipping a beat, already turning on her heel.

  Ezren blinked, still clutching the medallion marked with a bold number 10. "Wait, I’m sorry, what am I now?"

  She didn’t respond.

  He had no choice but to follow.

  The station’s hallways were a strange blend of wooden beams, polished floors, and the occasional oddity, like paper sliding doors giving way to modern light fixtures, or arcane-looking wind chimes dangling from water pipes. Ezren half expected someone to yell exorcism karaoke night! from around the corner.

  After a few more turns, Reya stopped at a tall, dark-stained door. With a push, it slid open to reveal a large indoor training chamber.

  The floor was polished stone, smooth and spacious, with faint markings etched into its surface like forgotten runes. Hanging lanterns cast a soul-blue light overhead, and the far wall was lined with racks of scrolls, training weapons, and softly humming soul-charms. The air was calm, heavy with the scent of incense and wood polish.

  Inside, two figures were already present.

  One was a girl with chin-length black hair, her fair skin catching the glow of the lanterns. She sat cross-legged, posture disciplined, her pale indigo eyes closed in quiet focus. Beside her rested a closed umbrella, sleek and dark with strange cyan markings etched along its canopy, almost like a ceremonial weapon.

  A few paces away sat a boy around Ezren’s age, slouched but trying to look composed. He had short, unkempt hair and a dramatic grin frozen on his face like he was imagining a spotlight was on him. Next to him lay a completely ordinary wooden stick.

  Ezren squinted. “Is that his weapon?”

  Reya didn’t answer. She stepped forward, clipboard already out.

  The two seated figures slowly opened their eyes and turned toward the newcomers.

  Ezren swallowed hard.

  So this is real. Like, all of it.

  And apparently, this was the part where he had to prove he wasn’t completely out of his depth.

  He had never meditated in his life. Or channeled soul magic. Or bonded with umbrellas. Still, a small part of him figured this was just another step in the passing-on process, maybe if he sat long enough, reflected deeply, and had a few odd household items nearby, his spirit would float off into the afterlife properly like everyone else.

  Great.

  Just great.

  Reya clapped her hands lightly, the sound cutting through the soft hum of the training chamber. The two seated figures rose to their feet and approached, forming a small triangle with Reya at the center and Ezren in front of them.

  "Formality matters," Reya said crisply. "Ezren, introduce yourself to your fellow recruits."

  Ezren cleared his throat and gave a sheepish wave. "Uh, hey. I’m Ezren Halewind. I like soccer. I was supposed to go pro one day, but then I died. Some guy in a suit said I’m an anomaly, and... well, now I’m here."

  There was a beat of silence.

  Vahn snorted.

  Amari narrowed her eyes slightly. "Wait, what?"

  Ezren smiled awkwardly. "It’s... not a bit. I think. I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to be here."

  Vahn elbowed Amari. "He’s got jokes. I like him."

  Reya sighed, rubbing her temple. "Enough. Introduce yourselves."

  Amari stepped forward first, her tone composed but firm. "Amari. Don’t waste time."

  Vahn grinned wide and struck a mock-swordsman pose. "Vahn! Future hero of Station 10. Nice to meetcha, ghost-boy."

  Reya sighed. "Next time we do introductions, try not to spout jokes, Ezren."

  Ezren hesitated for a moment, realizing she wasn’t kidding.

  "Understood," he said quietly, even though every word he spoke earlier had been true.

  Reya flipped a page on her clipboard. "Let’s begin. Ezren, you’ve signed your contract. Now we test your Anima flow."

  She gestured to the center of the room.

  "Focus your intent into your dominant hand. Let your purpose shape it."

  Ezren blinked. "...My what now?"

  Reya’s eyes narrowed. "Anima. The soul’s spiritual frequency. All Conductors are trained to channel it."

  Ezren tilted his head. "Uh. Yeah, no one’s ever said anything about frequencies. Or anime."

  Vahn nearly doubled over. "Did he just say anime?"

  Amari squinted, incredulous. "Is he... joking?"

  Reya frowned, her voice sharp. "You did graduate from a Conductor academy… didn’t you?"

  Ezren gave an awkward laugh. "Not unless playing football and eating PB&Js counts as a diploma. Some guy in a suit said I was dead, told me I was an anomaly, and that I’d be passed on or whatever. I figured this was... you know, part of the process."

  Reya’s eyes darkened with irritation. "Enough with the jokes about being dead. You’re clearly a live spirit, Veil-registered."

  Ezren blinked. "Spirit Veil?" He pointed to himself. "I’m a human. I just died. Like, hours ago."

  Reya’s tone shifted into something more serious, almost wary. "That’s impossible. When humans die, they cross the River of Veil in their spirit form, incorporeal, shapeless. You have a body. A physical one. That doesn’t happen."

  Reya studied Ezren for a moment longer, then let out a soft but noticeable sigh. "You're not joking, are you?"

  Ezren shrugged helplessly. "I really wish I was."

  Reya turned toward the door. "Stand by. I need to get someone."

  She stepped out briskly, leaving a strange silence in her wake.

  Amari crossed her arms and gave Ezren a disapproving glance. "You really had to take your joke that far? Now training’s delayed."

  Vahn just grinned and slapped Ezren on the back. "Dude. That was incredible. I thought I was the class clown. You really had me going!"

  Ezren laughed weakly. "Y-yeah… just a joke. Totally."

  Moments later, Reya returned, with a man in loose robes and messy hair following her. His sleeves were rolled up, ink stains on his cuffs, and he had a vaguely sleepy look in his eyes.

  Neither Amari nor Vahn seemed to recognize him.

  The man walked up to Ezren without a word, inspecting him with mild curiosity. Then, without asking, he pulled out a small scroll, scribbled something with his brush, and slapped it onto Ezren’s forehead.

  Everyone waited.

  Nothing happened.

  The scroll remained inert.

  The man tilted his head. "Uh-oh."

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Reya immediately stepped forward. "What does that mean?"

  He scratched his chin. "It means... We made a big mistake."

  Ezren blinked. "Wait—we?"

  The man continued, serious now. "Registered Veil spirits always react to this scroll. It confirms their contract signature. But yours didn’t. And you already signed a Conductor contract, which gives you permanent passage authority through the River of Veil."

  Ezren's eyes widened. "So, what, you're gonna kill me again? I just died!"

  The man raised both hands. "Not me. But... yeah, the higher-ups might consider that."

  Reya’s eyes darkened. "The King won’t be pleased. And if this is traced back to us..."

  Just then, the door to the training hall opened.

  Two tall figures stepped inside, clad in flowing white robes and wearing porcelain masks over their faces. Their presence radiated cold authority.

  One of them spoke, voice even and commanding. "By order of Her Majesty, the Veil King, the anomaly is to be brought to the Sanctum of Passage for immediate trial."

  The man looked over at them lazily. "You know, you could’ve knocked first."

  Reya jabbed him hard in the ribs with her elbow.

  "Ow. Okay, okay, serious now."

  The second figure continued, unbothered. "The captain and vice-captain of Station 10 are to accompany the anomaly. The decision to process the contract lies with your station."

  Reya turned to Amari and Vahn. "Dismissed. We’ll continue training when we return."

  The two recruits nodded, still visibly confused.

  Ezren, meanwhile, stood motionless in the middle of the chamber, his thoughts racing.

  “Trial? King? I was supposed to pass on peacefully…”

  Ezren, Reya, and the mysterious ink-stained man stood frozen as two white-robed figures approached with solemn steps, faces hidden behind porcelain masks.

  One of the masked figures lifted a hand, his voice steady as he recited an incantation in a tongue Ezren couldn’t understand, like a chant echoing from inside his own skull. A ripple pulsed beneath their feet.

  Suddenly, a blue flame spiraled upward, engulfing the five of them. It wasn’t hot, nor cold,just off. Like gravity blinked. Ezren felt his breath catch, his stomach twist, as if something unseen had sucked the world inward. It lasted only seconds, but it left him slightly dizzy, lightheaded.

  When the flame vanished, they were somewhere else entirely.

  A vast, ethereal structure towered before them,a temple unlike anything Ezren had ever imagined.

  The floor was polished white marble, its surface reflecting dancing wisps of blue flame that floated in ornate sconces. Pillars stretched upward like skeletal trees made of light, holding up a ceiling veiled in swirling mist. The entire place pulsed softly with spiritual pressure, like the air itself was holding its breath.

  At the end of a long walkway stood a colossal door, ten meters high and glowing faintly with cyan veins of Anima, as if it were alive, breathing, watching.

  The two envoys stepped forward and raised their voices in unison:

  “We present Ezren Halewind, anomaly of the Veil, and the representatives of the Tenth Station.”

  Their words echoed across the marble like thunder beneath a lake.

  Then, the massive doors groaned as they opened.

  A corridor stretched forward, wide and regal, the floor beneath them covered in a glowing cyan-blue carpet that pulsed faintly with spiritual energy. White marble pillars lined either side of the hallway, stretching up into the endless mist above. Blue flames danced in suspended glass lanterns that hung from nothing.

  At the far end of the hall, an ornate lotus-shaped platform rose like a bloom at the heart of a lake. At its center, upon a crystalline throne shaped from transparent glass and lotus petals of hardened light, sat a figure draped in veils of pale silk.

  But Ezren’s attention first went to the four figures flanking the throne, two men and two women, each radiating a presence far greater than anything he'd felt before. They were called Elders, though none of them looked old. One of the men had stern, sculpted features with silver-streaked black hair and a robe that shimmered like water. The other stood tall with golden skin and braided hair bound in silk, his expression unreadable.

  Of the women, one carried herself with the grace of a storm, short dark hair swept to one side, golden irises glowing beneath a ceremonial hood. The other wore a snow-white mantle and had long flowing hair the color of moonlight, her gaze sharp and unyielding.

  And then…

  Ezren’s eyes landed on the girl sitting silently on the throne.

  She looked no older than nineteen.

  Her skin was ghost-pale, her long silver hair cascading in gentle waves to her waist. She had red eyes, bright as rubies, yet distant, ancient, as if they’d seen the rise and fall of countless lives. She wore flowing robes of ash-white and soul-blue trim, her posture poised, her expression calm.

  This was the Veil King.

  As the group came to a stop at the center of the lotus platform, the Elders' voices stirred, murmurs turning to sharp declarations.

  "He’s an anomaly, the kind that has never occurred before," one Elder stated coldly. "The report said he was meant to pass on peacefully, and yet his soul was missing from the Hall of Passing."

  Another Elder’s voice rang clearer, harsher: "Anomalies like this must be executed immediately. Delay risks corruption."

  A third scoffed. "And yet the Veil accepted him. How could a living human soul sign a conductor’s contract without rejection? This may be a sign, an omen of imbalance."

  The fourth Elder folded her arms, gaze sharpened like a blade. "I should’ve known Station 10 was behind this. Only the worst of the ten would make a mistake of this scale. Isn’t that right, Jin?"

  The man beside Reya scratched his head and sighed, clearly unfazed. "Wow. Harsh."

  The first Elder stepped forward, his voice echoing sharply through the sanctum. "He must be the reason so many spirits have turned into Wraiths in the living world. His existence alone could be the cause. And now he's infiltrated our sacred sanctum, a place no human has ever walked. Worse, he’s been made a conductor, a role reserved only for Spirit Veil who have passed through the academy."

  He narrowed his eyes at Ezren. "This human must be up to something. He should be executed immediately."

  Another Elder joined in. "Then he must be the one behind the missing souls. The living who die before their appointed time, and whose spirits vanish without trace. It can’t be a coincidence."

  Ezren’s fists clenched at his sides. His heart pounded, grief and confusion boiling into fury.

  "Enough!" Ezren shouted, voice cracking from raw emotion. "You want to talk about incompetence? This, this is your fault! I've been cooperative from the beginning. I signed the contract thinking it was part of passing on, but your conductors are the ones who messed up. Not me!"

  His voice rose. "I could’ve had a future. I could’ve been with my family. I could’ve been playing soccer, living! And now I’m dead, blamed for something I didn’t do, dragged into your mess, and you call me the problem?!"

  Gasps echoed around the chamber. One Elder stepped forward, eyes flashing.

  "You see? His soul is unstable. He’s already begun to be corrupted. This is why anomalies must be destroyed before they infect the cycle!"

  Ezren was about to burst out again, his face red with frustration, when Jin casually stepped forward. He gave a light cough, then stretched his arms behind his head like he’d just woken from a nap, completely at odds with the tension in the room.

  "Okay, okay," Jin said lazily. "Before we all start tossing spirit-flames and ceremonial spears, can we all just take a breath?"

  The Elders glared, but Jin pressed on.

  "Let’s not forget, this is a Station 10 matter. Our mistake, sure. But shouldn’t we be the ones to handle our own screw-ups? Instead of, say, having a bunch of ancient windbags meddling in another station’s business?"

  There was a sharp inhale from one of the Elders, but Jin smiled without fear.

  "Look, I get it. He’s an anomaly. A walking mystery. But the Veil accepted his contract. Accepted it. No training, no prep, no academy. Yet the bond was formed."

  He jabbed a thumb toward Ezren.

  "So guess what? That makes him one of ours. Part of Station 10. An official conductor."

  His eyes narrowed, voice quieting but firm.

  "So keep your filthy hands off our recruit. We’ll deal with him."

  One of the Elders, clearly infuriated by Jin’s words, stepped forward. His presence surged with raw Anima energy, the air around him shimmering like heat haze. Power radiated from his form, pulsing dangerously.

  Jin’s gaze drifted lazily to him. "Oh? That's supposed to scare me?"

  He let out a long sigh, then rolled his shoulders as if shrugging off a nap.

  "Look, I know you’re important, elders like you help keep the balance, keep the Veil running. But let’s not kid ourselves." Jin’s expression darkened just slightly, his voice low and sharp now. "You’re not exactly battle-hardened."

  He took one slow step forward, locking eyes with the Elder.

  "So before you act on that little spark in your chest… ask yourself—can you even carry the weight of your intentions?

  Before the tension could explode further, Reya stepped up beside Jin and gently pressed her hand to his shoulder, a subtle signal, firm and calm, telling him to stand down.

  One of the female Elders let out a sigh and folded her arms. "You’re embarrassing yourself," she said sharply to the angered Elder. "This is not the place to unleash temper in front of Her Majesty."

  The power that had filled the air slowly withdrew, though the silence was thick.

  Jin exhaled through his nose, but said nothing more. His expression, however, made it clear: he hadn’t forgiven the insult.

  Then, the Veil King lifted her hand.

  Instantly, the room quieted.

  She stood from her throne with slow grace, her presence ethereal. Her voice, when it came, was soft but irrefutable.

  "The Veil itself accepted him. Had he been corrupted, he would have burned to ash the moment he crossed into the River of Veil."

  She stepped forward one pace, her gaze sweeping the hall.

  "Not all anomalies are omens of disaster. Some are blessings in disguise. Disruptions that awaken need change."

  She turned to face Ezren directly.

  "Ezren Halewind shall remain a conductor, under the supervision of Station 10. He is to be watched, guided, and tested. Should he bring harm, or should it be proven he is the cause of spiritual corruption…"

  Her eyes narrowed faintly.

  "Then he is to be executed."

  There was a long silence. Then, as one, the Elders and gathered witnesses lowered their heads in a formal bow.

  "You are dismissed."