The Wraithmaster's Chronicles III : Channeling Darkness

Chapter 3: Channeling Darkness.

There were several mansions and houses all across the tropical island. Bobby sat on a small golf cart as the vehicle was driven by one of Esckezi’s employees. Bobby studied the surroundings very carefully. His host looked like a man of great affluence.

“Hope you are enjoying the view, Mr. Mehra?” said Esckezi interrupting Bobby’s thoughts.

“An entire island in the Southern Indian Ocean, big mansions, an army of servants and private planes, you seem to be quite a rich man Mr. Esckezi!” 

“Indeed. I made all of it with hard work and my curse.”

Bobby raised an eyebrow. “Curse?” he asked.

Esckezi started laughing. “We will discuss it over in a more comfortable place. The weather gets quite hot around these parts at this time of the year”

The cart stopped in front of a smaller mansion. Esckezi got off and talked with a burly looking man. The man nodded and approached Bobby.

“Greetings Sir, I am Javier. I will be your personal assistant for your time at my master’s abode. For now, please allow me to direct you to your room.”

Neil looked up at Javier. The man was a walking mountain and must have been at least six and half feet tall. “I don’t plan to stay long here. I don’t even have all of my things…”

“Oh! Do not worry, Sir, give me a list of whatever you feel is missing and I will have it brought to you.”

Bobby looked at the man with surprise. The man took Bobby’s bags and guided him through the mansion towards his room. The mansion was perfect in every way imaginable and had the most beautiful interiors Bobby had ever seen. It even made the Scottish castle appear pale in comparison. Bobby wondered if all the mansions on the island were this beautiful. The man stopped at a door and opened it.

“This will be your room, Sir. You will find everything that you need over here. Mr. Esckezi has some business to attend to and he will meet you at dinner time. We hope you will make yourself comfortable meanwhile.”

Bobby looked around the place. It wasn’t just a room. It was a luxurious studio apartment with several rooms. Bobby explored the apartment and it had everything an average person would ever need. The room outclassed any premium hotel room Bobby had ever seen. There was peace over here for some reason. Bobby was no longer seeing his delusions and ghostly figures. Bobby sat and immediately fell asleep on the bed. 

A few hours later, he suddenly woke up and looked at his watch. It was ten in the night. He had been asleep for seven hours. He got up and washed his face. He wondered if Mr. Esckezi was waiting for him. He ran to the front door and opened it. He was shocked to see Javier standing there.

Javier smiled. “Ah, you are up Sir! Should I contact Mr. Esckezi and let him know that you are free to meet him now?”

“I am sorry. How long did I make you wait here?” said Bobby apologetically.

“I have been here the entire time. It is Mr. Esckezi’s request that I be at your side at all times.”

“Don’t you have a phone or something? This was such a waste of time for you.”

Javier smiled. “Don’t worry Sir. I am compensated quite handsomely for my time. This is the best job I have ever had.”

Javier spoke into a small microphone that was on his collar. “Yes Sir! We are on our way now.” He then turned to Bobby. “Please follow me. Mr. Esckezi awaits you in the dining room.”

Bobby followed the man to a large Dining room and Esckezi was seated there in front of a beautiful dining table. He was now dressed in formal attire and Bobby quickly brushed his own clothes since they looked untidy. 

Esckezi looked up as Bobby approached the table.“Please feel free to tell Javier whatever you would like to eat. My chefs will prepare it.”

Bobby requested fried rice and some fruit punch. Javier walked away. The room was now completely deserted and only Bobby and Esckezi were present in it.

Esckezi put down a book he had in his hand and said, “Oh good, we can talk at last.”

Bobby had a large number of questions that he wished he could ask all at once but he started with one. “Why am I here?”

“Dr. McGraw is one of the people I pay to find special people. To be honest, you are the only other marked human I have found after thirty five years.”

“Other? You mean you know more people like me.”

Esckezi laughed and rolled up the sleeve on his right hand and showed Bobby a scar. Bobby froze for a moment. It resembled his scar but had a different shape. He stammered, “What…does this…mean?”

“I got this after burning a wraith. Remind you of something?”

“You are like me.”

“Exactly, however this happened thirty five years ago.”

“You have had that thing for thirty five whole years?” Bobby sounded alarmed.

“Be Calm, Mr. Mehra. There is no need to panic. I understand exactly what you are going through. After our little conversation you may probably feel a bit better about yourself.”

“But if you could not find the cure for thirty five years with all your resources, what can you offer me?”

“Could you do a better job at finding the cure, if say, you had all of my resources behind you?”

“What do you mean?”

Esckezi smiled and then his face changed into a grim expression as he leaned back into his chair. “I no longer have the vigor and the strength I had as a young man, Mr. Mehra. I wish to die in peace without becoming a mindless apparition. “He paused briefly. “When I was young, I was perhaps like you- A simple person working as an accountant in Europe. Then one day, I was camping with my friends in a forest and we were attacked by an apparition. Two of my friends were killed in that encounter and in panic I picked up a burning log and threw it at the Wraith. The wraith was reduced to ashes but not before it marked me. Like you, I started seeing ghosts and spirits all around me…”

Bobby intervened, “I didn’t see any ghosts on your island though.”

“That is because I have cleansed the island and guided all the spirits over here to the other side.”

“By other side do you mean after life?”

“Most of them went into the afterlife but some remain in our world. There is a small spirit village on the other side of this island. The ghosts usually stay there and don’t venture far into the island.”

“All of this sounds…weird. I frankly find it hard to believe any of it.”

“Mr. Mehra, this island used to be a burial ground for the soldiers of World War two. There were some hundred and eighty ghosts over here. Now only forty remain. They reside in the spirit village I create and don't roam around the island.”

“How did you manage to do all of that?”

Esckezi smiled and leaned forward, “This curse comes with a blessing. You have a massive amount of dark energy within you. If you learn how to use that energy, you could be a powerful being with a lot supernatural abilities Mr. Mehra.”

Bobby stared in shock as he saw what Esckezi was doing in front of him. The book that Esckezi was reading was floating in the air and apparently it was Esckezi’s doing.

“Does telekinesis interest you Mr. Mehra?” asked Esckezi as the book dropped back on the table.

“How did you do that? That has to be a magician’s trick.”

“Oh I assure you. It was no trick.” Esckezi got up from his chair and looked at Bobby with a menacing smile. Bobby felt lighter and he suddenly rose into the air like a balloon. This frightened him even more.

“What is happening? Put me down.”

Bobby then gently descended back to his chair.

Esckezi looked composed and completely in control. “You see Mr. Mehra, thirty five years is a long time. I travelled the world, made a massive fortune and learnt a lot of things in that time. The only thing I couldn’t find is a way to remove this curse and that is why you are here.”

“Huh?”

“I offer you all my knowledge and all my resources if you can find a cure to this condition. It is a good offer Mr. Mehra, you will have more wealth than you can dream of and you would never have to worry about making ends meet. You would also get to visit certain places around the world which you could not have otherwise visited as a freelance photographer. ”

“What is the catch? It sounds too generous to be true?”

Esckezi looked at Bobby and said, “All I want from you is the cure and that you heal me of this condition.”

Javier and a few other men brought in food and it was served to the two men.

Esckezi signaled the men to leave them alone. He then looked at Bobby. “Now let us eat, take your time and think over my deal, Mr. Mehra.”

Bobby wondered whether a cure truly existed and what if it was good enough to cure only one person. He could see that despite being a billionaire, Esckezi had sadness and desperation within him. “If I find a cure buddy, I am dispelling myself of this curse first.” He thought.

After finishing his meal he looked at Esckezi directly and said, “I don’t have much of a choice here Mr. Esckezi. With your knowledge and resources I would probably do better than what I would have done on my own.”

Esckezi smiled gently. “You are a wise man, Mr. Mehra. Now please go and get yourself a good night’s sleep. From tomorrow I shall teach you everything I know about dark energy. You are lucky to have me as your benefactor. I gathered all my skills learning from different masters around the world. It took me many years - From the sages on the Himalayas to the monks in China, from the Pagan scholars in Scotland to the shamans of Native America, from the witch Doctors of Africa to the last Mayan mages. It has been a long journey but hopefully I can teach all of it to you in a shorter time.”

Bobby gulped as he drank water. He still hoped that all of this was a bad dream but it wasn’t.

As Bobby was preparing to return to his room, he felt uneasy and felt a cold chill in the dining room. He saw a pale man wearing a helmet floating in the air towards him. He immediately realized that it was another ghost. 

The apparition came close to Bobby and said, “Who would you be? There is so much darkness around you.” The apparition then floated toward Esckezi who was calmly sipping his wine. “What is this Esckezi? You found another one like yourself?”

Esckezi wiped his mouth and replied, “Indeed, Captain Riker and what brings you here?”

Bobby noted that the ghost had a hole on his chest and had some sort of a military uniform on him.“Probably a dead soldier,” He thought.

“That old fool Captain Kelly is playing politics at the base. He wants to be the only commanding officer around. We are both Captains and he cannot pretend to be my superior.”

Esckezi shrugged his head in disappointment. “You men have been dead for almost three quarters of a century. Haven’t you even tried to be a little friendly with each other in all that time?”

The ghost did not find Esckezi’s answer satisfying. “I hate Kelly’s attitude. He was full of himself even when we were alive. I demand you arbitrate and resolve this issue once and for all.”

“All right Riker, I will try to be there next Sunday. Till then I expect you hundred year old gentlemen to behave.”

“Who are you calling hundred years old? I was twenty five when I died. I am still the same.”

The ghost vanished and the chills vanished.

Bobby found his voice and said, “You said the spirits from the village don’t come here.”

“They do drop in without invites sometimes. They usually prefer to avoid me. Dark energy is so unpleasant for those poor souls.”

“That ghost soldier man didn’t look like a hundred year old man. He looked twenty five as he claimed.”

“Ghosts don’t age Bobby. Their visage remains the same as the time they died. Captain Riker will always look like the fine young man that he was when he died on the battlefield.”

“Why is he still in this realm? Shouldn’t he be in after life?”

Esckezi laughed and walked up to Bobby. “Some spirits themselves don’t know what they want and tend to stay in our realm for decades or even centuries. Hopefully, I can help these soldiers find their way to the other side before I die.”

Bobby returned to his room and lied on his bed looking at the Ceiling. The room was dark but he could see things clearly. He wondered whether the ability to see in the dark came with the curse too. It would make sense.

 He thought about the incidents he had faced so far. He remembered the ghosts he saw at the airport, his house, in the sea and the ghost of the soldier in the dining room. He felt very cold and drew a blanket over him. He thought it was funny feeling cold on a tropical island in summer. 

Bobby realized that life will no longer be normal. He cannot go back to his old life. He must find a cure to his condition in order to prevent being transformed into a wraith after his death.

The next morning was a warm one as Esckezi appeared wearing beach clothes again.  

“We are going to the beach Bobby. It is the best place to start your training.”

Bobby nodded with a hum as they slowly walked their way to the beach. There were many rocks near the small beach.  Esckezi sat over one and signaled Bobby to sit down on one too.

“Now Bobby, depending on your aptitude, this could take a few months or even a few years. Once we start there is no going back. Are you absolutely sure you want to start?”

“You aren’t having second thoughts about your offer, are you Mr. Esckezi?” Bobby smiled.

“Very well then, for starters I just want you to close your eyes and think of nothing. Whatever may happen, please do not open your eyes till I tell you to. Just hear the ocean’s beautiful symphony.”

Bobby closed his eyes and tried to think of nothing. It was difficult. He would get strange thoughts, hear voices and felt as if he was not doing justice towards his task. He tried to focus on the waves of the ocean. As his focus slowly improved he could hear the waves getting louder and louder. His mind felt a sense of clarity and peace.

 Just about then he heard Esckezi. “Wake up Bobby. That is good enough for day one.”

Bobby opened his eyes and the light hurt him. He noticed that it was afternoon already and wondered how long had he been meditating. He didn’t feel the time pass by that fast.

 Esckezi smiled and then said, “Now with your eyes open, try and make the conditions as they were when you had closed your eyes. When you can hear the waves as clearly, then we will proceed to the next exercise."

Bobby tried hard but he could not get himself to be on the same level of clarity as he was with his eyes closed.

 At the end of the day Esckezi told him, “This training had nothing to do with your state. It is a simple exercise to help you clear your mind. It is essential that you do not let unnecessary thoughts cloud your mind. We cannot proceed further unless your mind is completely calm and clear. “

A few days passed but Bobby finally managed to complete this exercise. It was not easy but Bobby  managed to clear his mind even with his eyes open. His health seemed a bit better and he had slowly started to accept the changes he was experiencing.

Esckezi stopped Bobby when he was heading to the beach on his ninth day at the island.

“We are visiting a very special place today. I must ask you to remain calm whatever happens. Panic ruins things very fast. Today, I will introduce you to your own dark energy.”

The two men sat on a golf cart but it was driven by Esckezi this time. Bobby wondered why Esckezi had chosen to drive himself. As the cart moved through the trails in the forest, Bobby sensed strange energies around him. The visibility was getting poorer by the minute and soon they were surrounded by tropical forest and dense fog. Esckezi seemed to have no trouble driving in the mist as he whistled a tune and continue to drive.

 

Bobby could see faces in and out of the fog. Some of them curious and some of them scared. Suddenly, it hit him where the cart was heading. The vehicle passed a strange board that read “Fort Newfront”. Bobby realized that it was the spirit village that Esckezi had discussed on his first day on the island.”

A familiar apparition emerged from the mists and came towards the cart. Bobby recognized him as Captain Riker. The ghost said in an assertive tone. “You finally made it Esckezi. You are four days late.”

Esckezi opened his eyes wide and stared at the apparition."Are you ordering me around, Captain?"

The apparition looked frightened and backed a bit. “I am sorry, I am sorry. I will let you handle things as you see fit.” Then the Captain disappeared into one of the trees.

Bobby felt a sudden surge of dark energy around Esckezi. 

“What did you do to scare the Captain?”

Esckezi grinned “You felt that, didn’t you? I increased the amount of dark energy around me and it scared the good Captain away. Most spirits are easily intimidated by dark energy. It has the potential to rob them of their energy and leave them in stasis for days, weeks or even years.”

“You said that this was a ghost village but this looks more like a haunted forest.”

“My dear boy, ghosts can’t make houses. The specters in this village live inside different trees. This is a village of trees.”

Esckezi drove the cart towards a strange twisted tree and Bobby again felt a surge in the darkness around Esckezi.

Esckezi turned to him and said, “This is quite easy when your mind is calm. All that you need to do is have a strong desire to see beyond the normal and commune with what you see. This causes you to emit dark energy which in turn allows you see into a hidden dimension. This is how you see and speak with ghosts.”

“But I already see ghosts.”

 Since you are untrained, your dark energy surges when you are asleep or if your anxiety level goes up. This is why you are seeing spirits.  However, to control the situation around you, you must learn to control your darkness.”

Esckezi then looked at the twisted tree and shouted angrily, “Kelly, come out here. I know you are in there.”

A bulky looking ghost slowly emerged from the tree and said, “What brings you to my humble backyard, Esckezi?”

Bobby sat quietly and observed the ghost interact with Esckezi.

Esckezi roared, “Why are you bullying your unit, Soldier?”

The ghost laughed, “Did that Riker come to you again crying like the little baby that he is?”

“It is hard to believe that you two were part of the same unit. As captains, can’t you men share responsibility of your undead unit?”

“Listen Esckezi, Riker was never a soldier, he made his way up the ranks cause he was one of them fancy talkers with an education. He died in his first five minutes of actual combat. He could not even take down one man before he hit the ground. That weakling cannot expect any respect from me.”

“Regardless, you two have the same ranks and this unit was made to follow joint command. You are expected to respect your fellow officers.”

“Riker has to earn his respect.” The ghost paused and then noticed Bobby. “Whoa! What do you have there? Another one of your kind?”

Esckezi whispered to Bobby, “Isn’t he annoying, he bullies everyone in this camp and wants to be the boss? And he also appears to be a bit condescending. Doesn’t his kind make you angry?”

As Bobby thought about what Esckezi had told him, he did feel angry and immediately Captain Kelly backed in fear. “Hey hey, what are you doing kid? I mean no harm. Please stop releasing your darkness… Esckezi, please stop him. He will destroy me with that kind of dark energy.”

Esckezi laughed and said, “Listen Kelly, treat Riker like your little brother and don’t make a mess out of your base. This boy here doesn’t have much control over his darkness. If you cause chaos again I will send this boy to have a field day in Camp Newfront.”

The ghost appeared alarmed, “Hey, Hey let us not get down to threats, Esckezi. I will try to share responsibility with that wimp provided he doesn’t talk fancy with the unit. We really don’t need a man here who thinks he is better than the rest of us.”

As Esckezi drove back towards his mansion he noticed Bobby was quiet. “Not a good first experience?”

Bobby seemed to be in deep thoughts. “I cannot say that our current experience was normal, Mr. Esckezi. This will take time adjusting to.”

“Your life is no longer the normal life you want it to be. Try and accept that kiddo and things will be more comfortable.”

Bobby was silent for a few minutes as the cart moved through the misty forest. “If I don’t have control over my dark energy yet – wasn’t it dangerous for me to walk among spirits?”

“Why do you think I taught you to pacify your mind first?” Esckezi smiled as he got off the cart and walked away.He then turned back and said, “You are probably the strongest being on this island right now. I know it, the spirits know it but you probably don’t. Try not to feeble and sickly. Don’t let the darkness control you, learn how to control it instead.”

Bobby looked at the trees around him as Esckezi walked away. He wondered if they were looking back at him. “This seems like a rather strange journey. But let’s see where it leads me.” He thought.

Bobby continued to train under Esckezi day after day. He learnt of things he never thought would exist.  From spiritual to the arcane, Esckezi taught Bobby everything he knew. Esckezi also put Bobby under a tough physical regimen and taught him how to use a sword.

Eight months passed in this manner. Bobby had now become a permanent inhabitant of Esckezi’s Island. He had seen strange things and learnt of methods which were beyond imagination. He had made friends with all of the apparitions in Camp Newfront. He had tested his training on them several times and had even knocked out Captain Kelly for a couple of weeks.

There was a lot more for Bobby to learn and understand but Esckezi had given him a good start and strengthened him for the things that lied ahead.Esckezi finally wanted to put his teaching skills to a test. He walked towards Bobby on the island’s air strip. Bobby appeared bored. It was a pleasant winter morning on the tropical island. There was some wind as well.

Esckezi had a mild smile on his face, “Consider this your graduation, kid. You have managed to endure whatever I threw at you for these past eight months but I want you to test you in a real life situation.”

Bobby looked confident. “I think I can practically do anything after spending two months in Camp Newfront.”

Esckezi laughed, “It is difficult to imagine you as the depressed kid that you were before. You have learned how to channel your dark energy but now mastering it is a long journey ahead. ”

Javier approached the two men with a lot of suitcases packed with equipment. “Do you mind me accompanying you, Bobby?”

“Won’t be fun without you Javier. I could use some muscle.” Bobby turned to Esckezi and asked, “So what exactly is my assignment?”

 “I will make it easy on your first assignment. I have been contacted by a millionaire from your own country of India. This man owns a mansion in the city of Udaipur. However, he can’t bring himself to live in it due to paranormal occurrences.”

“Ghosts in the mansion?”

“I suspect. Our client got local priests and holy men to try and exorcise the ghost but the ghost refuses to leave the premises. Your first assignment is to successfully guide the ghost to the other side by using all means necessary.”

“What if our ghost is a wraith?”                                                                                                     

“Wraiths are very rare but they unfortunately can hurt you. Since you are already cursed by a wraith, you can’t be cursed further if you defeat them. Use that special ritual I taught you for defeating wraiths. Good luck and don’t wind up dead.” Esckezi laughed.

Bobby frowned. “Don’t worry. I won’t die on my very first assignment.” 

Esckezi turned to Javier and said, “Are the clearances with the Indian authorities in order? We wouldn’t want any glitches flying over Indian air space.”

Javier responded, “That has been taken care of. Their aviation authority has approved our flight plan and granted us a local call sign. We will fly straight to Udaipur and Mr. Singh will meet us personally.”

“Excellent. Do well everyone.”

Bobby nodded as he walked towards the plane. The past few months had been weird and unpleasant. Bobby couldn’t say that this was the best time of his life but at least he had a direction now. He had to put his abilities to test.  “I will do whatever it takes to find a way to dispel the curse.” He thought as he boarded the plane.

Javier closed the door as the plane took off for Udaipur in India.

Esckezi stood alone on the air strip watching the plane till it vanished from his sight. He smiled and said, “You have been a good student, kid. I hope you don’t let me down.”

The Wraith Master's Chronicles II : A Man called Esckezi

Chapter 2: A Man Called Esckezi.

Bobby arrived in the heart of a small town in Scotland. He was seeking the person whose details were passed on to him by Daniel. Bobby looked at the mail on his phone. Dr. Arianne McGraw, Parapsychology expert and paranormal investigator…Bobby thought it sounded fancy. He arrived at the address that was provided to him. It was a small building with apartment houses. He walked up two flights of stairs and rang a doorbell on an apartment’s door. The door was opened by a woman who appeared to be a scholar of some sort. She had a rather heavy pair of spectacles. She was short, appeared eccentric and gave Bobby the creeps.

“Hello dear, can I help you?” said the woman looking through Bobby.

“Hello, I am Bobby Mehra. I am looking for Dr. Arianne.”

“That would be me.”

“I was told that you can help me with my condition.”

“What exactly is your condition?”

Bobby pulled his sleeve up and showed the mark of the wraith to the woman. The woman appeared to be in shock.

“Good Lord, these things always happens with tourists. Won’t you come in, dear?”

Bobby was directed to sit on a seat opposite to that of Dr. Arianne. She was apparently reading a book before he came. The woman sat down and then with a grim look said, “I wish I could help you but no cure for that condition exists in the world to the best of my knowledge.”

“That is depressing.”

“Well, being marked by a wraith has its own advantages.”

“Advantages? I am feeling gloomy since the moment this happened to me. I cannot think of anything good.”

The woman got up and took out a book from a rack of books. She obviously looked like the bookworm type. She turned several pages on the book and showed Bobby a page. It had a bizarre illustration on it. It showed the sketch of man with a fire around him and ghosts cowering in fear. Bobby could not make any sense of this.

“What is this?”

“It’s a sketch of a man showing man cursed by a wraith warding off ghosts.”

“I do not understand.”

“Wraiths often feed on the happy memories of humans. The memories aren’t lost. They are still there but difficult to access.“

“That explains my problem with recollecting good memories, Doctor but what does that have to do with this strange picture?”

“By a slaying a wraith, you have liberated a lot of dark energy from the wraith. The dark energy enters the body of the person who was marked by the wraith. In this case, that would be you.”

“Isn’t Dark energy a hypothesis used by astrophysicists?”

Dr. Arianne smiled and took off her glasses as she sat down on her seat. “No, dark energy is very much real. It is just that conventional scientists do not understand it as well as us.”

“So I have dark energy within me, I assume that is what the fire in the picture means.”

“Correct, Dark Energy wards away normal ghosts.”

“So wait, wraiths are different from Ghosts?”

“Yes, there are many types of spirits but wraiths are the only spirits with dark energy. The dark energy usually scares most spirits.”

Bobby wondered what he had gotten himself into. He was inclined to not believe any of the things the woman was telling him but he did not know what to believe in anymore. He was marked by a ghostly spirit which was called a wraith. He did have a mark on him and he did have trouble recollecting all the good that had ever happened with him in his entire life.

“I don’t know what to say. I can keep spirits away from me now but when I die I become the worst kind of them. I don’t think there is much to celebrate.”

“Well,” the woman looked at Bobby, “You can use dark energy as a source of power and a way to commune with spirits.”

“Huh? How is that useful?”

“It will give you access to practically infinite knowledge. It is possible that you may even find a cure for your own condition.”

“How do I use dark energy in the way you suggest?”

“You will need training of course.”

“And you will train me?”

“Of course not, you must be trained by someone who has a good command of dark energy.”

“Can you recommend someone?”

“As a matter of fact I can. Leave me the address of the place where you will be for the next week and he will find you.”

“Who is "he"?”

“Well I don’t know much about him. In our network we just know him as a man called Ecskezi. None of us have ever met him in person but we all acknowledge him as the authority on dark energy in the world.”

Bobby nodded. He gave the woman his address. She was of not much help to him and she referred a person who in most probability doesn’t even exist. He had to leave for India tonight. He wondered if he could find a solution in his own country which was known for mystics and spirituality. The day passed and Bobby was dozing off at a terminal at the airport. He saw a most bizarre dream. He saw that he was in the airport but the all lights were switched off. The whole room was dark and empty. There was a one more person on the room, a pale looking man in a policeman’s uniform. His hat was hiding most of his face.

 The man walked up to him and said, “You reek of dark energy foreigner but I have no one else to turn too. I have been roaming this place for fifty years now. I have been so lonely.” Bobby could clearly see the man’s face now. It was completely pale and had a large wound on it that appeared as if he had been slashed across his face. This man appeared to be a ghost. No human could live with that kind of wound on the face. The shock woke up Bobby. He realized that he was dreaming. The terminal around him was indeed empty but it was lighted properly. Bobby wondered where the people went. 

He got up and walked into an area with more people. His flight was announced shortly. He went through the security checks and boarded his plane. The plane was mostly vacant. The route was not a common one and there was just one flight the whole week. His trip to Scotland lasted a little over a fortnight. Castle Glenburg was the last part of his tour. 

A day later the plane landed in Mumbai, India. Bobby had tried sleeping several times during the flight but he would keep having dark and gloomy dreams with ghosts talking to him. Didn’t that lady tell him that dark energy keeps ghosts away so why are they bothering him in his sleep?

Bobby arrived at his apartment house in a building in downtown Mumbai. He was extremely tired. He really wanted to sleep but he did not want to see more ghosts. However, he could not fight off his sleep. He eventually fell asleep on his couch. He saw another dream. He saw an old man whom he recognized. It was Mr. Verma. He was Bobby’s neighbor who had passed away four years ago. The old man came and sat beside Bobby on his couch.

“You look like a mess, Bobby. Seems like you are not used to seeing us.” The old man started laughing.

Bobby had so far not responded to the ghosts in his dream. He decided to reply this time. “Why are you in my dreams Mr. Verma?”

“Oh, it is because you have dark energy around you. Beings of our realm cannot approach you while you are awake. However, when you are asleep, your dark energy sleeps with you.”

“Why approach me at all?”

“Because your eyes have the capability to see me, and ears to hear me.” The old man was still laughing. “Your spirit has been corrupted by a dark ghost. It is full of dark energy. You are closer to our realm than your own.”

“What do you want from me, old man?”

“I want you to fulfill a request of mine so I can be at peace. I cannot go to the other side because I am not at peace.”

Bobby woke up at this moment. It was the middle of the night. Bobby realized that he was both tired and jet lagged. He had arrived to Mumbai in the afternoon but it was past midnight now. He had a severe headache. He had trouble remembering the dream he had seen. All he could remember was Mr. Verma. Bobby had a difficult night encountering Mr. Verma and many other people in his dreams. All of them wanted something from him. His doorbell rang. He opened the door and there was a small man standing there.

“Hello, do you happen to be Bobby Mehra?”

“Yes, what do you want from me?”

“Ah good, you have finally arrived at home. Sorry for the short notice but I am here on the behalf of Mr. Esckezi.”

Bobby froze for a moment trying to recollect where he had heard that name before. He recalled that it was the name mentioned by Dr. Arianne.

“Wait, how did you find me?”

“You left your address at Dr. Arianne’s sir.”

“Who are you people? I also left my phone number; you could have called me first.”

“Sir, I am just an employee whose works for Mr. Esckezi’s estate. Now, I hope you haven’t unpacked, we will be taking a short flight to Mr. Esckezi’s private island in the Indian Ocean.”

Bobby wondered if these people were for real. He decided to play along with the flow. If things go out of hand, he could fight the small man. Bobby picked up his baggage and followed the mysterious man. There was a car waiting for him. The man directed Bobby to sit. The two men sat in the passenger seats. The car was driven to a section of the airport which was usually used by private planes. 

Bobby wondered what was going on. He had expected this Esckezi guy to be nothing more than some quack using an alias over the internet. But chauffeur driven cars and a private plane trip were things he had not imagined to be a part of the equation. Bobby wondered if he is in bigger trouble than he had imagined. The man who had escorted Bobby to the airport pointed at a small plane.

“This will be your ride, Sir. Do not worry, it will be quite comfortable. Mr. Esckezi has insured that you get better than first class service. “

Bobby was feeling lost. Should he board the plane? He wondered what he has gotten himself into. He wondered if the thing that happened in Scotland was even real in the first place. The mark on his hand could be some kind of a chemical stain. However, his dreams seemed to speak in favor of the wraith theory. He hoped that this Esckezi character can solve his problems or at least provide an understandable answer to all that is happening around him. He boarded the plane. He was greeted by a single hostess who took him to his seat. The plane had excellent interior decor. This Esckezi guy certainly had a good taste. It looked reminiscent of the pictures of private planes Bobby had seen in photography magazines. The hostess smiled at Bobby and told him.“We will be reaching our destination in around five hour’s time. Please make yourself comfortable Sir.”

The plane took off and went over the sea. Bobby stared out of the window to look at the water below. Something disturbed him and he blinked his eyes many times to confirm what he just saw. He was sure he saw faces on the sea's surface looking up at him, Hundreds and thousands of faces. He realized that the wraith’s curse was real. He had been having rather strange experiences which were a little more real than mere delusions. For most of the trip after the incident, the only thing he saw below was the ocean and an occasional ship. He heard the hostess exclaim that the aircraft was unusually cold. He began to wonder if he was responsible for that. He remembered how the terminal in the Scottish airport had mysteriously become empty. It was perhaps the coldness around him which drove the people away. He spotted an incoming island. The aircraft was descending onto the island. It was a tropical island with forests all over it. He wondered why Esckezi had to live on a remote place like this. As the aircraft flew over the island, Bobby saw a palatial mansion, huge gardens and a small airport down there. Just who was this Esckezi person?

The hostess instructed Bobby to tighten his seatbelts as they will land shortly. The plane began to circle the airport and slowly descended onto it. Bobby was full of curiosity as he alighted from the plane. The air was clean and the jungles were beautiful. It was cooler than Mumbai and the surrounding forest felt unreal. A man in a beach shirt and a pair of colorful shorts with a straw hat and sunglasses was standing at the tarmac smiling at Bobby. He was short, plump and his face had an aristocratic beard. He looked old and was probably in his sixties.

“Welcome to my Island Mr. Mehra.”

“You are Mr. Esckezi, I presume.”

“Yes, that’s the name I go by in the world.”

“Can you help me out of my condition?”

“Unfortunately, I can’t Mr. Mehra, there is no solution to your problem.”

“Then why did you bring me on a secluded tropical island thousands of miles away from my home?”

“I am sorry Mr. Mehra but you forget why you were told to meet me. I will help you understand your dark energy and train you in its use.”

“How does that help me?”

“To begin with Mr. Mehra, it will get rid of those nasty dreams which you have been having since your encounter with the wraith.”

(C)Rishabh Mittal

The Wraith Master's Chronicles - 1

Chapter 1: The Curse of the Wraith.

 

Castle Glenburg was neither a popular place nor was it featured in many tourist handbooks however on this particular day a small group of tourists had planned a small visit to it.

It was a summer day in the Scottish mountainside. Bobby Mehra and a few friends had been invited by their mutual friend Daniel to visit the beautiful Castle of Glenburg located in the beautiful northern mountains of Scotland. Bobby, Daniel, Cecily and John were four friends that pursued different interests in life but were good friends since the time they first met in their common boarding school in England.

Bobby was a twenty seven year old professional photographer and a traveler who resided in India. He had a good reputation amongst the community of professional photographers and used to make money selling good pictures. However, he adored the adventure in visiting new places rather than taking pictures of them. He had always wanted to visit Scotland since his friend Daniel would constantly tell him about the beautiful and picturesque mountains all over the country while they were in school. 

Daniel was a twenty eight year old executive who worked for a big pharmaceutical company in Scotland. He was financially stable and his fat paychecks would literally allow him to enjoy expensive vacations many times in the year.

Cecily was a twenty seven year old travel columnist who was quite renowned and wrote weekly for a newspaper in Britain. Her trips to little known places were often sponsored by her employer since those were the places she often wrote about.

John Cheung was a twenty nine year old businessman from Hong Kong who had made a sizable fortune for himself by exporting traditional Chinese consumer products around the world.

For Bobby and John, this was their first trip to Scotland. Cecily had visited a few places in the southern part of the country before. Daniel drove the car up the mountain road. It was quite misty for a summer day and the sunlight was really poor. They finally arrived at their destination, the Glenburg castle. The mists made it hard to see anything beyond the castle and the castle appeared like a mere shadow followed by mountains of mists. Bobby took a picture of the castle; it was not a good one with the mist playing spoil sport.

Cecily seemed to be the most excited one in the lot.” This place gives me the spooks, I think it would make an exciting story for my next week’s column,” she looked at Bobby with an aggressive smile, “Won’t you share that picture with me? “

Daniel surveyed the surroundings and rubbed his hair with one hand, “I swear the place looked better in the travel catalog.” 

John laughed and said,”Did you pick up a B movie catalog instead of a traveling one?”

All the friends laughed at this and moved towards the gate of the castle. There seemed to be another group of travelers there. It was a group of three men and three women who were probably Americans. They were jesting about how the “Ghost” of the castle would kill them one after another just like in a slasher movie. The ten tourists were greeted by a uniformed man who thanked them for their patronage in form of the tourist fee and informed them that their fees will be used for castle restoration purposes. He asked the group of people to follow him as he led them inside the castle. Castle on plains would usually have moats around them but this castle’s defense was its location. In the past, soldiers would shoot down invaders and intruders from the higher vantage positions of the castle. 

The castle looked better inside. The first room was furnished into a cozy lobby with a map of the entire castle. There was a reception desk with an old man who was asleep. The uniformed man told them that they are free to visit castle areas that have not been locked and are well lit. He also told the people to avoid venturing into areas that are improperly lit. There were two sets of ways from the lobby leading to the different parts of the castle. The other group took the way leading to the top of the castle. Bobby’s group took the other way. They walked through a corridor adorned with the decor of medieval times. Bobby was a disappointed a bit. Photography was not allowed within the castle. He would require a license from the Scottish Government to take pictures in here. He savored the sights of the castle with his eyes nonetheless. Cecilia had a notepad in her hand and was eager to jot down details about the castle’s interior. John kept asking Daniel about various things and structures that he encountered.

They walked across several rooms enjoying the beauty of the castle. One thing however was odd; all of the castles windows had been sealed with perforated metal sheets. This allowed air to get in but hardly allowed sunlight to get in. Though, there wasn’t much sunlight outside due to mists anyway. 

Cecilia chuckled and commented, “Maybe they sealed the windows because people would jump out and commit suicides.”

“Jeez, could you stop making it sound like a spooky story, Ceci?” replied Daniel.

Cecily laughed out loudly as she jotted more things on her notepad which already had several pages full of details. They could hear sounds of people laughing and talking on the floor above. It was probably the other group of tourists. After walking for some time across the castle’s lower floor, they came across a corridor which was lit by flaming torches.

Bobby raised an eyebrow and exclaimed, “Now that’s an authentic castle feel!”

John showed apprehension in entering the corridor. “Hmm, this corridor is not well lit. The castle staff guy told us to not enter improperly lit areas. We can’t even see the other end of the corridor.”

Cecily laughed and looked at John with a mean stare, “Are you afraid, John?

“I am not afraid but something in this corridor gives me the creeps.”

“Improperly lit often means unlit. This corridor has flaming torches. This has to be the star attraction of the castle. If we don’t go in there, we are missing out this castle’s true offering.”

Daniel expressed support in the idea and said, “I agree, let’s explore this area.”

The four walked into the corridor. What they had failed to notice was a board that had apparently fallen down flat on the floor and was thus hard to notice. The board read, “Prohibited area. Please do not enter.” The corridor was a long one and the room beyond it had a few windows which were all sealed. This room had no artificial light and there was no other room beyond it. It seemed like some kind of an armory with cannons placed near the sealed windows and a lot of old rifles stacked in the corners. There were a lot of crates on the floor and too many obstructions. The room looked a ruin with little to no restoration. It resembled a room in an old rock fort. Something was bothering Daniel and he appeared to be in thought. Bobby saw an odd expression on Daniel’s face and asked, “Something wrong Dan?”

“It is probably nothing but I recall that no other castle I know has had flaming torches in it. I mean it is against fire safety or something.”

Cecily jumped in the conversation, “Maybe they took special permission from the Government or the fire authority. This does add a bit of an unique touch to the castle.”

“I don’t know Ceci, just feels odd.”

John’s apprehensions grew stronger than before. There was definitely something wrong in the room and here they were chatting and talking in a room that barely had any light.

There was a loud commotion at the reception desk of the castle. The old man who happened to be the castle’s caretaker was extremely angry. Two of his subordinates in their uniforms stood before him as he reprimanded them.

“Are you two fools? I explicitly told you to lock that corridor before any tourists visit the castle. What would happen if a tourist were to enter the armory accidentally?”

“We put up a board, Sir. It clearly says that the room is off limits and that entry is prohibited.”

“And since when do tourists ever read boards? You boys should have known better than that. Go and lock up that corridor right now.”

“Yes Sir.”

The two rushed off fearing their jobs. The caretaker would ensure that this part of the castle was always off limits. It was opened the last morning for some renovation work but his employees did not bother to close the corridor. They simply put a board there.

As the four explored the armory they felt as if the temperature dipped. Bobby felt a bit uneasy.

“It is getting cold. Aren’t we in summer? Does it get this cold usually?” He looked at Daniel for an answer.

Daniel shrugged and responded, “It doesn’t get this cold in summer but maybe they turned the air conditioning up.”

“That’s odd,” said Cecilia “There seem to be no air conditioning ducts in this room or in the castle for that matter. They would not try to install something like that in an old heritage structure like this.”

John’s face had gone pale and he shouted out frantically, “We should go back…NOW.”

This is when the other three realized something, the room was getting darker and they could not hear any sounds from outside the castle. No birds, no crickets, nothing but an absolute dreadful silence. And for some reason the other end of the room connecting to the corridor seemed to be slowly drifting away from them. The four stopped talking and focused on the one sound that they could now hear. It was not a pleasant sound. It sounded like a snake’s hissing or someone whispering. The sound was getting louder and menacing. It seemed to be coming from above them on the ceiling.

The light of the torches in the corridor seemed to dim and blur and the four friends were now extremely frightened. Suddenly, Bobby spotted a rather large shadowy figure hanging over them. He felt his heart race. He had never seen anything like this before. What in the world was that thing?

“Guys, out of this room, now.” He said in a tone indicating urgency.

The four of them turned towards the door to be greeted by a ghastly sight. One that no one would consider to even exist in today’s times. The shadowy figure had moved from the ceiling to right in front of them. This figure seemed to resemble a man but it floated in the air and had a tattered cloak over it. Its eyes glowed in a manner that brought terror in the hearts of the four. The thing was whispering words in an incomprehensible language. Daniel felt that it resembled an ancient Gaelic dialect, once used in this land.

John started panicking, “What is that? What is that? Is that a Ghost? “

Cecilia shouted, “Forget about what that is, just run!”

The four friends ran across the room towards the torch lit passage. The apparition came after them whispering incoherently. As it moved, wisps of darkness leaked from its body and dissolved into the air. It was the most unpleasant sight. As the four entered the corridor, John’s panic got the better of him and he fell on the ground screaming. He started reading some Buddhist verses in hopes that it would keep the thing away. Cecily tried to get him up but he could not even move. Cecily continued to run out. Daniel and Bobby stopped at the entrance facing the specter in a bid to defend John who would otherwise be a prey to it. Daniel shouted out” What do you want? Go away, leave us.”

Cecily spotted the two staff men who had come to seal the corridor. They could hear the screaming and voices on the other side of the corridor. One of them looked at Cecily grimly and asked, “Please tell me, you did not go in there. Did you not read the board?”

Cecily grew angry and frustrated.“What board?” 

The men then noticed that the board had fallen down and looked at each other in alarm. One of them told to the other.

“Tell Mr. Sutherland, immediately. I will try and get the people out.”

As the other man ran away to the caretaker’s desk, this man ran inside the corridor bravely with Cecily frozen in fear staring into the long corridor.

The spirit moved towards Bobby, Daniel and John as John cowered on the floor in fear. Out of instinct, Bobby grabbed a torch on the corridor’s walls and thrust it forward towards the specter. The apparition stopped advancing and retreated. It was afraid of fire. Bobby was both frightened and angry. He charged at the specter with the torch in his hand. 

The man who was running into the corridor to help them could now spot all of them. He saw what Bobby was doing. He had a bewildered look on his face and shouted out, “Hey you! Don’t do that! Drop the torch, DROP THAT TORCH NOW!”

But it was too late; in frenzy Bobby charged ahead and pierced the apparition with the torch. The apparition let out a loud scream that literally shook the whole castle. John and Daniel closed their ears to shield them from the loud scream. IT lasted for quite a few seconds. The staff man looked on with horror. A strong wind then blew out of the armory into the corridor. It had the power of a hurricane. The apparition glowed brightly for a brief second and then vanished into thin air. Before vanishing it released a cloud of dark mist that flew towards Bobby and went inside him. Bobby felt very cold in his heart, his skin became pale and he somehow could not feel any positive emotions. He fell down on the floor and fainted.

The darkness vanished and the air felt easier but Bobby had fallen to the ground, overwhelmed by the things that had transpired. His friends looked at him in horror while the man from the castle’s staff grabbed his head with both hands and exclaimed, “What has he done!”

A few minutes later, the American tourists had apparently left the castle. They had heard the screaming and were spooked. Bobby woke up and had a severe headache. Cecilia, Daniel and John were standing around him looking at him. There was an old man with grey hair and a mustache with a pair of glasses looking at him with an odd expression.

Bobby rubbed his eyes and said, “What happened?”

The old man took off his glasses and grabbed Bobby’s hand and pushed Bobby’s sleeve up and said, “That happened.”

Bobby looked at his arm. There was a somewhat of a black spot around the size of a small cookie on his upper arm near the elbow. It was not pitch black and appeared to resemble a rain cloud or a birth mark. Bobby rubbed it, he felt no pain but he could not remove the mark.

“What is this?”

The old man looked at him sympathetically and then said, “Are you sure you want to know?”

Bobby nodded.

The old man then continued, “Firstly, I would like to thank you. Even in your ignorance, you still managed to defeat the old wraith infesting this castle for centuries.” 

Daniel intervened “Did you say wraith? Do they really exist?”

“You just faced one. Wraiths can be destroyed with fire by a human with a good heart. However, there is a price to be paid.”

Bobby was still rubbing the mark on his hand.

“One who defeats a wraith is in turn cursed by it, a curse that ensures a fate worse than even death. The mark of the wraith on his hand can never go away.”

Bobby looked up and asked, “What do you mean?” 

“When people die, they either wander as spirits or go into afterlife. You however will get neither. After you die, your spirit will become a wraith full of darkness and madness. You will forget your memories, your life, everything. You will become very much like the evil you just defeated and become a violent spirit that will attack and even kill the living. You will walk in this world till the end of time or until someone burns your wraith form and takes on your curse.”

Daniel was really upset. “How could you allow tourists in a castle that had a problem of this magnitude?”

The old man replied apologetically, “We had bounded the spirit in a room with sealed windows and the torch lit corridor prevented it from leaving the armory. We would keep the room sealed and work on it during days when there was plenty of sunlight outside. We made a mistake yesterday; we left the door open after the restoration work yesterday.”

Cecily thundered, “Do you know who I am? I was supposed to write a piece on your castle in the next week’s “The Times of the World”. Now should I mention about wraiths in your castle?”

“Young lady, this castle no longer has anything out of the ordinary. Your friend just ensured that. While we are sorry for what has happened. We would appreciate that you do not write an article on our castle. And frankly, no one would believe your story even if you did.”

He was right, it left Cecilia fuming.

The four left the castle with their fees refunded. Bobby sat in the back of the car and calmly looked at his mark. He remembered the old man’s words, “A fate worse than even death.” Back at their hotel, Cecily announced that she must get back to London. She would have to write another piece on another place since could not write about the Glenburg place. John immediately left for Hong Kong. Daniel consoled Bobby and told him that he will find someone who could help him. The day passed. Bobby did not feel anything good within him. He tried to imagine the whole ordeal as a dream but the mark on his arm reminded him that it was real. He was to leave for India in a day’s time. Early morning the next day, his phone rang.It was Daniel. 

“What do you want, Dan? “, asked Bobby.

“Bobby, I may have found a lady in the city who can help you. She is a paranormal investigator and an expert on such things. Maybe she will have an answer to your condition.”

“Well, fine, not like I have anything more to lose.”

“Good, I will mail you her address. Do visit her before you leave.”

Bobby tried to think of all the happy memories in his life but he seemed to only remember the bad ones. Not just his afterlife but also his present life had been corrupted by the wraith. He hoped this woman that Daniel mentioned would be able to help him. He put on his coat and went out. He looked at the address and took a taxi. What his fate had in store for him, no one knew. He was a man marked by a wraith, doomed to lurk in the darkness for eternity.

Rishabh Mittal

A Blog based Serialized Fiction Series.

I have posted it above. Let me remind people that all places and characters mentioned are imaginary and bear no resemblance to real figures. Any similarity is purely co -incidental.

I have been planning this story for quite a while now and today I decided to write it out. It is separate from my main work and I had to find time for imagining and visualizing it properly. If you happen to read it , please do leave a comment :)

I intend to post a new chapter to this story every week so it will be some what of a serialized weekly story. It is intended to be a mix of fiction , horror , mystery and a bit of adventure.

If you spot grammatical errors or have suggestions , feel free to email them to me.