April 11, at exactly 4:57 in the morning.
On this day, Nebula still could not forget about his daughter. After the tragedy, he had tried to bring Teven to court, but Teven had won the trial by paying a large sum of money.
Nebula, lost in grief and uncertainty, was drinking wine when a drop of water fell onto his face from the ceiling. Seeing this, he suddenly decided to go to the church—something he had not done even once since his daughter's death. Clutching the bottle of wine in his inner pocket, he made his way to the old church, which stood across the street and far from the city.
As he knocked on the door, he staggered inside, his voice slurred with alcohol, calling, "Father—where are you?"
An old priest emerged, his tired eyes sinking into a face framed by a white beard. He had no hair, giving him an almost ghostly appearance. He walked toward Nebula and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Brother, what has happened to you?"
Tears welled in Nebula's eyes. "Father... a month ago, a man killed my daughter, and I could do nothing. How can I face her soul? How will I answer her in the afterlife?" He sobbed.
The priest sighed. "Do not despair, my son. You did not kill her... and you may be able to bring her back."
Nebula's eyes widened. "How? Tell me, how can I bring her back?"
"I do not know for certain," the priest replied. "But some say it is only a myth. They speak of a world of spirits, where the souls of the dead reside. However, no one truly believes in its existence."
Nebula clenched his fists. "I must go there! Please, tell me how! I will find my daughter in that world!"
The priest gazed at him. "Then I will see you tomorrow, my son."
And then, strangely, he let out a whispering chuckle.
Nebula, now filled with hope, wiped his tears and left for home. As he walked, he checked the time—it was already 9 PM.
At home, he lay in bed, thinking about seeing his daughter again, apologizing for failing to protect her. Yet, the priest's eerie laughter echoed in his mind.
"Was it really a myth? Was he trying to deceive me?"
Doubt clouded his mind, but another thought emerged. "What if it's real?"
Determined, he jumped from his bed, changed his clothes, and rushed back to the church.
Upon arriving, he found the priest reading an old parchment. Stealthily, Nebula pulled out the wine bottle from his pocket, intending to strike the priest unconscious.
But just as he swung, the priest suddenly whispered: "Shell."
A strange force enveloped the priest, shielding him. Nebula stumbled back, startled.
The priest looked at him with disappointment. "So, you couldn't resist, after all. I cannot allow traitors like you to cross into the spirit realm. You understand neither kindness nor faith."
Nebula's expression darkened. Without hesitation, he drove the broken glass bottle into the priest's throat.
The old man didn't even have time to react. Blood poured from his neck as he stared at Nebula in shock.
"An ordinary man... how are you moving with such speed?"
Nebula's voice was cold. "I only want revenge."
As the priest collapsed, Nebula grabbed the parchment. It contained instructions on how an ordinary human could become a spirit.
Following the ritual described in the parchment, he stabbed his right shoulder with the broken glass and muttered the cursed incantation.
"In exchange for my body, I offer my soul."
According to the text, when a person offers their soul, a random spirit takes their place in the living world. In return, the one making the deal gains the powers and abilities of that spirit. The priest's body, now lifeless, would serve as the new vessel for the exchanged soul. Those who underwent this transformation would no longer appear human but instead become cursed spirits.
From this moment forward, Nebula gained the ability to see spirits.
He vowed to exact revenge on all spirit hunters and destroy the unjust world.
"I will erase this spirit-hunting world and every last one of its hunters. They will answer for what they did to my daughter."
He searched the priest's body, finding documents, clothing, and information about the spirit world and its academy. To cover his tracks, he destroyed all evidence of the murder and took on the role of a church worker.
As he trained himself, he unlocked a new ability—Spiral Manipulation. This technique allowed him to rapidly spin objects upon touch and launch them at enemies with tremendous speed. However, it was still weak.
He clenched his fists.
"Teven and his wife will die. And her body... will be mine."