The Deceitful One

The Wilmington Cemetery was situated on the outskirts of Damascus, in a place that was away from the city lights.

Low stone walls surrounded the entirety of the cemetery as if marking the boundary between the living and the dead.

A cold gust of wind blew threw the air as Bryan and Andrew made their way along the path that led to the cemetery.

Bryan felt a shiver go down his spine as he balled up his fists that were hidden inside the pockets of his trench coat.

"Scared?" Andrew asked as he turned to look at Bryan with an amused smile.

Bryan scoffed, "As if!"

However, Andrew kept staring at him as the smile on his face only grew wider.

"W-Well, a little," Bryan muttered softly.

"Hahaha!" Andrew burst out laughing. A few moments later he replied, "Don't worry. As long as I am with you, the spirits won't harm us."

Bryan rolled his eyes, "I can take care of myself just fine."

Then he seemed to realize something as he asked anxiously, "Wait! What do you mean by spirits!?"

"Hmm?" Andrew looked at him in puzzlement and then he added, "Oh, that's right! You've never encountered anything like this before. Very well, this shall be a good learning experience for you then, hehe."

"What learning experience? Tell me!" Bryan pressed further as he grew more apprehensive. After all, who wouldn't be scared of encountering ghosts? Especially in a cemetery!

Andrew chuckled, "Hehe, you'll see."

'This bastard…' Bryan cursed in his heart. But he subconsciously stepped closer to Andrew as they walked toward the entrance of Wilmington Cemetery.

Trees stood tall at the periphery of the cemetery entrance. Yellow and orange leaves adorned its bony branches, however, they were barely visible in the sparse moonlight.

Dark clouds blotted out the moon from time to time, further accentuating the eerie atmosphere that had covered the entire cemetery in darkness.

The gates to the entrance weren't locked even at this time of the night. The cemetery caretaker had probably not bothered to do it, thinking that no one would come here at night.

Andrew pushed upon the gates and calmly walked inside. Bryan followed closely behind him.

Innumerable, grayish-white tombstones dotted the vast area as dense fog covered the landscape. For some reason, Bryan felt that temperature drop instantly the moment he crossed the cemetery entrance.

He was confused and didn't know whether this sudden change was real or if it was all in his head.

"BOO!!" All of sudden Andrew screamed into Bryan's ears, causing the latter to jump in fright.

With trembling hands, Bryan pointed at him and snapped back, "Fuck you, Andrew! That's not funny."

"Hahahaha! The jokes on you, of course, you wouldn't find it funny." Andrew couldn't control his laughter as he looked at Bryan who was scared shitless and was glaring at him.

A few moments later he finally stopped laughing and replied, "Okay, I'm sorry. No more jokes, I promise."

Bryan snorted and then walked off. A few steps later he stopped, turned around, walked back toward Andrew, and said, "Let's walk together, at least. I'm really scared."

Andrew burst into laughter once again. He found Bryan's actions to be very amusing as he thought in his heart, 'He's still a kid, after all.'

It was easy to overlook that Bryan was still an 18-year-old teenager given his track record of already having killed a Transcendent as an Apprentice. Before that, he had also killed Johnny who had attempted to assassinate him.

There was also the track record of him sleeping with an older woman. So Andrew subconsciously always thought that Bryan was a grown-up. Well, to be fair, most grown-ups would also be scared out of their wits in a cemetery this late into the night.

The duo then continued to walk further down the path that led to the depths of the cemetery. Not being able to hold back his curiosity any longer, Bryan asked in agitation, "What are we doing here, anyway? Can you tell me now?"

Andrew's expression turned solemn as he asked, "Bryan, what do you think happens when a person dies?"

Bryan was confused as to why Andrew was suddenly asking him about the afterlife. He shook his head and replied honestly, "I don't know, don't they go to heaven?"

Andrew smiled faintly as he began to explain, "There are many theories regarding it. Some believe that people enter the divine kingdoms of the God they worship. While others believe that people simply cease to exist.

No one really knows for sure. But here's what I think. I believe that people enter the cycle of reincarnation!

Bryan was truly shocked at Andrew's answer. He had always believed that people who prayed to the deities would go to their respective divine kingdoms after death. And that people who committed sins would go to hell to be punished for their deeds.

However, now Andrew said something that had completely obliterated his beliefs and changed his entire perspective—although it was just his theory. For a moment, he didn't know how to react. This was a big blow to his understanding of this world.

Andrew continued, "After death, a person is reborn. However, they have no memory of their previous life or lives for that matter. The soul is the essence of man. After the body dies, the soul is reborn."

Bryan fell silent for a long time as he stood rooted on the spot. He kept thinking in his mind, 'Soul is the essence of man…'

Then he looked into Andrew's eyes and asked seriously, with a hint of expectation in his eyes, "Is there such a thing as eternal life?"

Andrew thought for a moment and replied, "I do not have the answer to that. If there is really such a thing as eternal life, then I'm sure only the deities have attained it."

Bryan turned to look up at the starry sky and clenched his fists in determination as he thought, 'One day, I shall too attain eternal life!'

Not noticing the resolute look in Bryan's eyes, Andrew continued with his theory, "After the death of the body, the soul enters the cycle of reincarnation. However, there have always been cases where the soul is unable to do so."

Bryan looked back at Andrew and asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"

"Sometimes a soul may have a lingering obsession that would prevent it from reincarnating. These souls turn into spiritual bodies and wander the land of the living. They are also known as spirits" Andrew replied.

Bryan gasped in apprehension, "Wander the land of the living? You mean ghosts!?"

Andrew chuckled, "Hehe, yes you could call them that too. They are spiritual bodies that usually wander around the cemetery or perhaps even the place of their deaths.

Some of the more powerful ones even have the ability to travel freely anywhere they wish."

The more he heard Andrew talk about these spiritual bodies, the more scared Bryan got. He grabbed onto Andrew's shoulder and pleaded, "Let's get the hell out of here, already."

"Don't worry. As I said before, as long as I am with you, the spirits won't harm us. The good ones, that is." Andrew replied as he smirked.

"You keep saying that. What exactly do you mean?" Bryan's eyebrows furrowed as he inquired.

Andrew slightly patted the back of his head and replied, "Ah, that's right! You still don't know which Path I am a Transcendent of, do you?"

Bryan shook his head.

Andrew replied proudly, "I walk the Path of Death!"