Rise of the Nightmare Crestmaster

Aldrich felt that his head was spinning, this was worse than he expected. He still wasn't sure of what was happening but it clearly affected Irene's mental faculties badly.

Aldrich could just turn around and pretend that he didn't see anything but Irene saved his life, he sure as hell wasn't about to leave her like this.

Moreover he wasn't just a powerless farmer anymore, he could do something, "Irene… I don't see anyone here besides the two of us…"

Irene looked at him in confusion, "stop joking around and come eat, don't worry about grandfather he will eat later on his own."

Aldrich stood in place, "I'm serious, your grandfather is not here."

"Not… here?" She stammered like she was shocked all of a sudden, "oh, yeah. My grandfather has been… dead for a long time."

"Dead?" Aldrich repeated.

"Yes, dead. I wasn't even born when he died... But he's here now. He comes to visit me sometimes. Can't you see him? He's right there!" She screeched and pointed up front, at the air.

Aldrich wondered if he sounded like this when he first told Isger about the nightmare specter that fateful morning.

That was why he knew that it was possible for something to be real for you and unreal for others.

"Fine, I believe you Irene. Come sit," Aldrich pulled Irene to the couch and sat her down. She had a surprised look on her face.

"You really believe me?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes, why wouldn't I believe you. What does your grandfather want with you? Can you tell me?"

"He… he… I don't know." Irene breathed deeply, "He talks and talks but I can't understand most of what he's talking about. He only talks in my dreams, he's frantic like he's warning me about something but I don't understand most of it."

"It started a year ago, but he's been coming more and more sometimes I can see him hovering everywhere around me. It's become hard for me to sleep and I can't concentrate in class. Living has become so unbearable."

Aldrich mused, it looks like it was a ghost of some kind. It was only to the point of annoying her but it had developed to causing sleep loss and she became haggard as time went on.

This can't be allowed to continue, at this rate it will completely break Irene mentally and physically. Something needed to be done.

"Where is he right now?"

"He's over there," she pointed directly to his left. "No! He's not there anymore! He's… he's here." She pointed at her head as her eyes rolled backwards.

She suddenly got up and ran straight to the wall, slamming into it. Before she could do it agin he caught her and no matter how she struggled it was useless.

But she didn't stop she was fighting, thrashing around wildly and trying to bit him.

"Irene. IRENE! Can you hear me?"

She was unresponsive, but after a while she abruptly went rigid like doll with it's strings cut off. She was whispering softly something he couldn't quite hear clearly.

He got closer and finally managed to hear something before she passed out.

"Top… marble… lighthouse.."

Aldrich laid Irene back on the couch but he didn't go anywhere, he was concerned that something might happen again.

Thankfully an hour later Irene woke up. Her eyes looked unfocused for a moment.

"Good afternoon." Aldrich exclaimed.

"After noon? Ah! What happened?!"

"You tell me. Did he tell you something again?"

"…Yeah, he did. Most of it was as usual and I couldn't understand it but I remember one word. He said: trapped."

Aldrich tapped his knee, "trapped? Could it be that he's being held somewhere?"

Irene shook her head, "that can't be. He's definitely dead, he's been dead more than five years before I was born."

"Then, maybe his spirit is trapped somewhere," Aldrich considered this the highest possibility.

"Irene, have you heard of a marble lighthouse?"

Irene looked stunned for a moment before she gasped, "the Marblehead lighthouse in the old port! The lighthouse used to be our property but it was closed due to high pirate activity. My grandfather was the owner and keeper of the lighthouse. Then…"

"His spirit was trapped there somehow after death. It must be exorcised, it's the only way to end this madness."

"But how, I don't know what to do…"

Clearly Irene was a normal girl she wasn't involved in matters like these. But it was different for Aldrich.

"Leave it to me," Aldrich smiled and pointed at himself, "I happen to know some people who might know a thing or two. I'll figure something out."

"Really? You will? I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to suddenly dump all this on you." Irene looked like she was going to cry.

Aldrich laughed loudly, "what are you saying? You saved my life, these kind of things are my specialty. Just leave it to me. I'll go meet with someone to deal with this problem right now."

He was indeed going to tell Ayemon about this whole thing, he needed an expert's opinion. Aldrich wished that he could go there himself but the exam was six days away.

It wouldn't make sense for him to miss the exam and then having to wait for another year. He couldn't make Irene wait for the exam to end either.

Who knows how long the exam would take?

Admittedly this could be a perfect excuse for him to visit Ebrict and fulfill his promise to Cazmer. Well, he still didn't rule it out.

First, he had to iron out the details of the exam, there could be a way if there was a break between the first part and the second. If so, he could utilize that time to get the problem solved.

Of course if Ayemon could go there himself or send someone to deal with the issue. But he didn't know what Ayemon's attitude was going to be.

He opened the door to the guest room at Ayemon's mansion. Ayemon was waiting for him, while sipping some Azuraleaf tea.