As long as you have the courage, fierce ghosts go on maternity leave.

"Something’s quite peculiar! Your girlfriend is really strange!" Edward says, his tone unusually serious.

"What do you mean?" Alexander raises an eyebrow and asks.

No one knows the peculiarities and oddities of Selena better than Alexander himself. Over time, he increasingly suspects that Selena’s invitation to the Mist instance is not as simple as finding her so-called brother, especially considering that video.

The events in the video were bizarre. The official responsible for managing the Chosen Ones of the horror world had at least Fierce-level abilities.

For such a person to have a file silently taken and their perception altered to believe there are only seventeen files in total—what sort of horrifying ability could accomplish that? Even forbidden powers couldn’t possibly achieve such an extent, could they?

Ironically, such a terrifying power left the video as its most significant flaw. However, these are things happening in reality world, which Edward naturally couldn’t know about.

"Is it because of the recent battle?" Alexander asks, struck by a thought. "Did your talent fail to avoid Selena?"

"Of course!" Edward spreads his hands helplessly. "If Kassadin Imperial couldn’t detect her stealth ability, how could I? I was planning to wait until my power exploded, sense her position, and then avoid her.

But no, my talent, which should have enveloped the whole arena, felt absolutely nothing about your little girlfriend."

"Isn’t that normal?" Alexander is puzzled. "Even Kassadin Imperial couldn’t detect Selena’s talent. You, Edward, however formidable, couldn’t possibly surpass Kassadin Imperial. It only proves that Selena’s talent is quite formidable. Perhaps it’s some kind of stealth ability with spatial properties!"

"Impossible!" Edward shakes his head without even considering it.

This guy, is he really that confident?

Alexander is somewhat surprised. Edward is acting as if it’s abnormal for him not to discover a stealth ability that even Kassadin Imperial couldn’t detect.

What if Selena’s talent allows her to hide in an alternate space or something? Edward definitely wouldn’t be able to detect that!

However, seeing the puzzled expression on Alexander’s face, Edward reveals a slight smile, "Do you really think a talent for controlling ice and snow could make me invincible in the realm of the Ghost Prince? Then you underestimate the other ghosts in this horror world!"

"What do you mean?" Alexander is intrigued by this topic. He wants to know what other tricks Edward has up his sleeve. After all, his last move even managed to freeze arrows in mid-air.

"Don’t resist!" Edward extends a hand and places it directly on Alexander’s shoulder.

The next moment, the surrounding light distorts, and the scene in front of Alexander changes dramatically. They find themselves at the other end of the street, in a scarcely populated area.

"Is this... a spatial ability? Edward, you’ve mastered spatial abilities too?" Alexander’s eyes widen in astonishment. This sensation is almost identical to using the ’Blink’ talent, clearly a direct spatial transition.

"It’s not some treasured ability, just dual control over ice and space," Edward waves a hand, affecting a very ’modest’ demeanor.

Once again, Edward is showing off. But this time, Alexander can’t bring himself to quip about it. Control is different from mere Blink!

Blink is just a talent skill with spatial abilities, released according to fixed rules. This is similar to flame talents, or Su Rong’s control over magma.

Flame talents might add fire damage, form a shield for defense, or directly unleash flames to attack enemies.

Control, however, is different. Su Rong can morph the magma into armor, into a lance, using it for both offense and defense—even for cooking, if need be.

The distinction was crystal clear: one was a mere skill, the other a full-fledged ability.

Alexander felt a pang of envy. The ’Blink’ ability he’d painstakingly acquired, limited to a single use per day, paled in comparison to Edward’s mastery over the fabric of space itself.

Even Edward’s control over ice was a precious rarity. He had to admit, envy washed over him like a tide. To wield control over both ice and space—that was the stuff of legends.

"Don’t you find it odd?" Edward leaned closer, his voice tinged with an air of mystery. "I control both space and ice. She should’ve been affected by my attacks, even if her ability is to hide within a different space. Only one thing could possibly account for her evasiveness—Forbidden Power!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"You’re absolutely right," Alexander nodded vigorously.

Selena’s mysterious persona, coupled with the possession of Forbidden Powers, seemed not just possible but probable.

Alexander wasn’t overly concerned with Forbidden Powers, for they felt like distant abstractions. Instead, he found himself salivating at Edward’s awe-inspiring capabilities.

"Hey, why are you looking at me like that? And why the drool?" Edward’s eyes widened in alarm. "I thought we were friends! Are you planning to eat me or something?"

However, what neither Edward nor Alexander knew was that when Alexander rang that silver bell, its crystalline sound reverberated not just through Cangshan City but beyond its crumbling walls.

The chime seemed to produce visible ripples that cut through the fog-shrouded cityscape, stirring the infinite mist into a chaotic whirlpool. Gradually, another set of bells began to toll.

Deep within the fog, figures clad in dark armor atop war horses began to materialize. Their gazes were locked onto the dilapidated walls of Cangshan City.

"Commander, they are inside," announced one of the figures, the only one without a bell dangling from his horse’s neck.

"Excellent! If he’s not a Chosen One but can still control the white mist, he must be linked to those rebels. He must be eliminated," said a stoic Hell Knight leading the armored troop.

Unlike the others, this Knight had an antiquated ring on his finger. He pulled the reins, and the group accelerated their horses towards Cangshan City.

Just as they were about to enter, a voice abruptly halted them. "Hold it right there!"

On a collapsed section of the city wall, two delicate feet slowly materialized mid-air, followed by a pair of slender legs.

Soon, a woman’s silhouette gently took form above the rubble. There was no visible sign of ghostly energy; she simply floated in thin air.

"So, it really is you," said the Knight Commander, a trace of surprise in his expression.

Extending his hand adorned with the ancient ring, he pointed at the breathtakingly beautiful woman floating in mid-air and said, "I never thought you’d be a woman. After just five years, you’ve resurfaced. Are you planning to initiate the final battle?"

"What standing do you have to question me?" The woman’s flawless face revealed a glacial contempt as her eyes scanned the ring on the commander’s finger. "Do you really think that with the power of that Forbidden Ring, you could stand against me?"

"Of course not," the Knight Commander withdrew his hand, lowering his head but retaining his arrogance. "You can’t win against us Guardians. The Master in White is about to awaken. The entire world of horror will soon be consumed by the white mist. What good would hiding on Earth do you? Once the Master in White wakes, it will be your end."

The woman shrugged, "I don’t care about any of that," pointing behind her, she added, "The man you’re targeting inside is mine! Anyone who takes a step forward dies."

The Knight Commander’s gaze shifted to a fellow knight in black armor, who, without a moment’s hesitation, spurred his horse forward. The woman in the sky vanished as if she had never appeared.

But as the hooves of the black-armored knight’s horse touched the ground, something uncanny began to unfold. The knight and his horse started to disintegrate, like a painting slowly being erased.

First the horse’s legs, then its torso, and finally, the knight himself. Uncomprehending and devoid of pain, the knight looked at his vanishing form, and then, in a moment of final awareness, turned his eyes toward his commander—just before his entire head faded into nothingness.

"Retreat!" The Knight Commander gestured, pulling the reins of his horse to signal a withdrawal. Dozens of horses began to stride on the mist, as if walking on solid ground, and in eerie silence, they vanished into the horizon.

Meanwhile, back in Cangshan city, Alexander was fervently explaining himself. "Edward, you’ve got me all wrong! I’ve always acted in good faith. I simply want a small sample of your blood for research. Imagine the potential!"

"Do you think I’m a fool?" Edward remained unmoved.

"Come on, man!" Alexander ramped up his deception. "Ever wondered why the previous owner of the Haunted Apartment was so keen on creating the ghost elixir? As far as I know, he too had Forbidden Powers. Otherwise, he couldn’t have extracted the Blood Queen from the mist."

"Obviously, to study the Forbidden Powers and spread it through the elixir," Edward retorted, hardly needing to think.

"You’d best drop that idea. The mist system won’t tolerate such ambitions. That’s why the former owner got struck down," Edward warned.

"The Forbidden Powers can’t be democratized; they clearly infringe on the interests of entities we can’t afford to mess with. But what about your own talents, Edward? Surely they could be harnessed for greater good?" Alexander said.

"You mean... you want to make a ghost elixir? But creating that requires a large number of ghost corpses. Don’t tell me you’re planning on a massacre like the former apartment owner?" Edward began to question Alexander, but then stopped mid-sentence.

Did Alexander even need to? The former owner needed the corpses for the elixir, but Alexander had no shortage of those.

Or perhaps he had other means, like exploiting a glitch in the mist instance. Besides, Alexander himself was a Chosen One; slaying ghosts was all in a day’s work for him.

"Fine! Once we’re out of this instance, I’ll give you some of my blood. How much do you need?" Edward hesitated.

"A gallon or two should suffice," Alexander replied, his face breaking into a grin.

"A gallon?" Edward’s eyes widened. For a ghost king like Edward, blood could be easily regenerated by manipulating ghostly energy.

However, Alexander’s experiments would utilize the unique aura in Edward’s blood—an aura that would quickly dissipate during the healing process.

That meant Edward couldn’t simply regenerate; his body would need time to recover, making him no different from a regular human donor. For a mortal, donating gallons would be insufferable, even life-threatening.

Fortunately, Edward had the luxury of time; he could donate in smaller portions. And so, tempted by the enthralling idea that Alexander proposed, Edward agreed.

After all, an army under his command with spatial manipulation abilities would be an invincible force.

"Good man!" Alexander slapped Edward’s shoulder enthusiastically. Investigating the ghost elixir that the former apartment owner had created was something he had long considered. Although he didn’t know the formula, he suspected Selena might.

The sudden idea of incorporating Edward’s special blood was an exhilarating prospect. Though turning Edward into ghost food was off the table, experimenting with his blood was certainly a tantalizing thought.

Imagine, spatial manipulation! With that ability, he wouldn’t just be up for a challenge; he could take on three ghost kings and still not break a sweat.

"Wait! Something’s off about you! Why are you drooling?" Edward interrupted Alexander’s blissful thoughts.

"Ahem... don’t mind me, I was just thinking about trying the VIP menu next time we come here. How about we order steak?" Alexander hastily responded.

"Really?" Edward remained skeptical. Thankfully, the bus they had been waiting for finally arrived.