Chapter 2 The Living Ghost
Jack had finally managed to step out of the coffin, he sat on the edge of the stone box. He felt the cold air hitting his bare skin. He looked at his hands again. They were clean, but the nails were trimmed perfectly. He touched his neck. The thick wound, raised skin felt like a rope wrapped around his throat.
"You will pray to me," a voice echoed in his mind. It was Being X. The voice was calm and heavy. "You will beg for my help when this world crushes you."
Jack looked up at the dark ceiling. He didn't say a word. He slowly raised his hand and held up his middle finger. He held it there until the voice faded away.
"Go to hell," Jack whispered.
He climbed out of the box. His legs felt long and strange. He walked toward the light at the end of the room. He pushed open the heavy doors and found himself in a hallway. He kept walking until he saw a gate. He pushed past it and stepped onto a street.
The world outside was not right. The buildings were made of heavy bricks and wood. The ground was made of round rocks. There were no cars. People were walking by in long tunics and heavy boots.
Jack stopped a man who was walking a large, dog-like beast on a chain. "Where am I?" Jack asked.
The man looked at Jack and turned pale. He dropped the chain. "My lord?" he gasped. "Prince Killian? No... you were buried three days ago."
"Killian?" Jack asked, his brow furrowing.
People began to stop and stare. A woman screamed and covered her mouth. A group of men in metal armor ran toward him. They held long poles with glowing blue tips.
"Don't move!" one of the guards yelled. He looked terrified. His hands were shaking so hard the pole moved up and down. "You... you are supposed to be in the coffin."
"I don't know who you think I am," Jack said. He held up his hands. "I just woke up in a box. I want to go home."
"Take him to the palace," the leader of the guards said. "The King needs to see this. Or whatever this thing is."
The guards surrounded Jack. They didn't touch him, but they kept their blue-tipped poles pointed at his chest. Jack walked with them. He was scared. He didn't know this place, and he didn't know why everyone looked at him like he was a monster.
They reached a massive building with high walls. The guards led him through a set of gold doors. Inside, the sound of music and laughing was loud. It smelled like roasted meat and wine.
They walked into a giant hall. There were hundreds of people sitting at long tables. They were eating and drinking. At the far end, a man with a grey beard sat on a high chair. He was wearing a crown.
When Jack walked in, the music died. A man at the front table dropped his plate. The sound of the metal hitting the floor was the only noise in the room.
Jack looked down at himself. His white burial shirt was covered in dried blood from the wound on his neck. He looked like a nightmare.
"Killian?" the King whispered. He stood up slowly. His face was white. He gripped the arms of his chair so hard his knuckles turned yellow. "This is not possible. I saw the breath leave your body. I saw the blade."
Jack looked at the King. He felt a sudden flash of heat in his mind. He didn't know this man, but his body did. He felt a deep, old pain in his chest. He felt the memory of being pushed into corners and called a "bastard" who should never have been born.
"He's a ghost!" a woman yelled from the crowd.
"No," a younger man said, standing up next to the King. He had blonde hair and looked very strong. He looked at Jack with pure hatred. "He is a trick. Some kind of dark magic. Killian was a scumbag, but he was a dead scumbag."
Jack looked around the room. He realized he was in the middle of a royal family. But he wasn't the hero. He noticed the way everybody casted the owner of this body, seems like he wasn't loved by many.
"I am living my past life again," Jack thought. He felt a wave of anger toward Being X. "Another life where everyone hates me. Another life where I am at the bottom."
The King stepped down from his chair. He walked toward Jack, his boots clicking on the floor. He stopped a few feet away. He looked at the thick scar on Jack's neck.
"You died," the King said. His voice was low and cold. "The healers said your heart stopped. Why are you standing in my hall?"
Jack looked the King in the eye. He didn't bow. He didn't stay quiet like he used to in his old office. "I don't know," Jack said. "I woke up in the dark. I climbed out. And now I'm here."
"Killian?" a guard asked from behind him, his voice trembling. "Is it really you, my prince?"
Jack looked at the guard, then back at the King who clearly wished he was still dead.
"Killian?" Jack asked. His voice was steady, but he felt like he was about to fall over. "Who... huh?"
The blonde man stepped forward. "He’s a fraud. We should put him back in the ground where he belongs."
Jack looked at the blonde man. He didn't know his name yet, but he knew he wanted to punch him. He looked at the King, then at the blue screen that flickered for a second in his vision.
[Threat Level: High]
Jack had no idea what this screen thing was, and the way people did not react to it, seems like he is the only one who can see this strange thing.
"This is going to be a long day," Jack muttered to himself.
