Chapter 5 The Shadow Guard

"He’s going to kill us both, Cyprian! We shouldn't be here!" Thomas shouted, his ghostly voice cracking with fear.

"I need answers, Thomas. And Cedric says this guy has them," I replied, moving through the thick fog of the docks.

"Oswin Vesper isn't just a ghost! He's a Frenzied Wraith! He’ll tear your soul into digital scraps!" Thomas warned, hovering behind a rusted shipping container.

"Then I’ll just have to make sure he doesn't," I said.

I stopped in front of an old, abandoned warehouse near the water's edge. The air here was heavy, vibrating with a low, aggressive hum. A figure stood in the center of the pier, surrounded by a swirling cloud of red static. It was Oswin. He was massive, his spectral form distorted by jagged edges of pure rage.

"Oswin Vesper?" I called out.

The figure spun around. His face was a mask of agony, his eyes glowing like dying embers.

"More debt! More lies! I’ll crush you all!" Oswin roared.

He lunged at me, his fist turning into a heavy slab of dark energy. I barely dodged, the force of his swing shattering a wooden crate behind me.

"I’m not here to collect, Oswin! I’m here to offer you a way out!" I yelled.

"Lies! Everyone wants a piece of the dead!" Oswin screamed, swinging again.

[Warning: High-Intensity Aggression detected. Target: Oswin Vesper. Status: Frenzied.]

"Thomas! How do I stop him without killing him?" I shouted.

"You can't! He’s too far gone! His rage is his only currency now!" Thomas yelled from his hiding spot.

"If it’s currency, then I can manipulate it," I muttered.

[System: Activate Skill – Market Manipulation?]

"Do it! Target Oswin’s rage levels!" I commanded.

[Skill Active: Devaluing Emotional Assets...]

I raised my hand, pointing it directly at Oswin’s chest. A blue light pulsed from my palm, hitting the red cloud around him.

"What are you doing to me?" Oswin gasped, his movements slowing down.

"I’m crashing your market, Oswin. Your rage is worthless here. It has no value. It can't buy you anything," I said.

"It... it feels cold," Oswin whispered. The red static around him began to fade, turning into a soft, grey mist.

"Good. Now sit down and talk like a man who used to run these docks," I said.

Oswin slumped against a shipping container. The fire in his eyes dimmed. He looked like a tired old sailor instead of a monster.

"Who are you?" Oswin asked, his voice shaking.

"I’m Cyprian Fenwick. I’m the man who’s going to fix this city," I said.

"Fenwick? The CEO?" Oswin laughed, a hollow sound. "You’re as dead as the rest of us."

"And that makes me the perfect man for the job. Now, tell me about the Silver Circle. They were using your docks for the relic shipments, weren't they?" I pressed.

"They took everything, Cyprian. They didn't just kill me. They turned my men into shadows. They used the Silver Coin to bind us," Oswin said.

"Who is the leader? Who gives the orders to Alaric?" I asked.

"I don't know names. I only know the Auditors. They come in masks. They carry the Deletion Rods," Oswin shuddered.

"Are they human?" I asked.

"They breathe, but there’s nothing alive behind their eyes," Oswin said.

"I can protect you, Oswin. I can give you a contract. You’ll be my Shadow Guard. No one will delete you as long as you work for me," I offered.

"You’d protect a wreck like me?" Oswin looked up, hope flickering in his dull eyes.

"I need muscle. And you have plenty of it. Do we have a deal?" I asked.

Oswin stood up slowly. He didn't look like a wraith anymore. He looked like a soldier. He sank to one knee, bowing his head toward me.

"My strength is yours, CEO," Oswin said.

[Contract Pending: Oswin Vesper. Role: Shadow Guard.]

"Sign it," I said, reaching for the system prompt.

"Cyprian! Look out!" Thomas screamed.

A bolt of brilliant, white light sliced through the fog. It hit the ground between me and Oswin, melting the concrete instantly. I jumped back, my eyes scanning the rooftops.

"Who’s there?" I shouted.

A figure drifted down from the top of the warehouse. He was wearing a long, grey coat and a featureless silver mask. In his right hand, he held a staff that hummed with the same white light I had seen at the apartment.

"Unauthorized ghost activity detected," the masked man said. His voice was perfectly flat, like a recording.

"An Auditor!" Oswin gasped, trying to stand.

"Stay down, Oswin," I ordered.

"Cyprian Fenwick," the Auditor said, turning his mask toward me. "Your existence is a bug in the Beaumont file. I am here to delete the error."

"I’m not an error. I’m the owner of this company," I snapped.

"You have no standing in the Silver Circle. You are an unlisted asset. You will be liquidated," the Auditor said.

He raised his staff. The white light began to glow brighter, casting long, terrifying shadows across the docks.

"Oswin, get Thomas out of here!" I yelled.

"I won't leave you, Boss!" Oswin shouted, his red rage starting to flicker back to life.

"That's an order! Go!" I barked.

The Auditor stepped forward, the ground cracking under his boots. He didn't move like a man. He moved like a machine.

"You cannot manipulate the Auditor's market, Cyprian. We have no emotions to devalue," the man said.

"Maybe not. But I bet your equipment is expensive," I said, my hands glowing blue.

"Energy signature: 100%. Commencing Deletion," the Auditor said.

He swung the staff. A wave of white energy surged toward me, faster than I could move. I braced myself, ready for the impact.

"Is this it?" I thought.

But the light didn't hit me. A shimmering blue wall appeared in front of me, absorbing the blast.

"What?" I gasped.

[System Notification: Emergency Shield activated by Unknown Shareholder.]

"Shareholder?" I asked the empty air.

A voice whispered in my ear, cold and familiar. It was a woman's voice.

"Don't die yet, Cyprian. You still owe me a dance."

"Isadora?" I whispered, my eyes widening.

The Auditor paused, his mask tilting as if he were confused.

"Interference detected. Source: Internal," the Auditor muttered.

"I don't know what’s going on, but I’m taking the win," I said.

I lunged forward, my spectral hand aimed straight for the Auditor’s mask. I didn't want to talk anymore. I wanted to see what was behind the silver.

"Die!" I roared.

The Auditor raised his staff to block me, but the blue shield around me pulsed, pushing him back.

"The error persists," the Auditor said, his voice glitching. "Requesting backup."

"You won't live long enough to get it," I promised.