The sharp crack of gunfire tore through the thick silence like lightning.
Everyone flinched even the officers.
In a flash, Ruby had grabbed a gun from the officer closest to her and fired directly at Jiri’s foot. The bullet pierced through her boot with precision, and the witch let out a shriek of pain.
"AHHH—!!" Jiri stumbled backward, the knife falling from her grip as she clutched her bleeding leg, collapsing to the ground.
Before the others could even react, Ruby swung the gun like a phantom, aiming it dead at Jiri’s two assistants.
Her voice rang out, cold and commanding:
They didn’t wait a second.
The two assistants immediately released the hostage and threw their hands in the air, stumbling back in fear. The ghosts who had been held, including the shivering, bruised one beside Karl, quickly staggered toward safety.
Karl fell forward, finally freed, the shock in his eyes not yet replaced by relief.
Officers rushed in from all sides, magical cuffs ready, restraining all four of the criminals, including driver who was involved in illegal activity with them. Some officers moved to secure the hostages, guiding them gently away.
The chaos finally broke.
Jiri was still wailing on the ground, glaring up at Ruby with blood on her lips and hatred in her eyes.
"Y-You’ll regret this!" she screamed.
Her eyes were locked on the gun in her hand.
She hadn’t even blinked since she fired it.
An officer, stunned, stepped beside her and whispered:
"Ma’am—you shouldn’t have fired like that! That was reckless! I know you were desperate, I get it, but—"
She was just staring at the gun, her breath shallow, sweat beading across her forehead.
Karl’s voice cut through everything.
He was limping toward her, still pale, still trembling, but his eyes were wet with relief.
"You came... you saved me..." he whispered.
Ruby let the gun drop to her side and without a word she opened her arms.
Karl collapsed into them.
The gun clattered softly to the ground And in that moment, nothing else mattered.
Immediately after the chaos ended, Ruby didn’t waste a second. She rushed both Karl and the injured ghost into her car, driving them straight to the nearest hospital with the civil officers clearing the way. Karl had fainted completely, his body limp against her, and the other boy was barely holding on. His wrists were bruised, his breath uneven, and his clothes torn in places that showed the cruelty he’d endured.
Meanwhile, Jo was taken back home by their village officers, still wrapped in a blanket provided by someone and barely able to stand. But at least he was safe now.
Ruby sat in the hospital hallway, her shoulders trembling slightly. Her face was pale and deathly white as if all her color had been drained out. The fight was over, but the weight of everything hit her now. The sight of Karl collapsing, the way her hands had held the gun—it all spun in her mind like a storm that wouldn’t stop.
The doctor came out to inform her: Karl had collapsed from a mix of stress, hunger, and emotional shock. He was stable, but needed rest and nourishment. The other ghost had suffered physical abuse, dehydration, and fear-driven trauma but he was strong. He would recover.
After some time, Ruby was called inside. Karl was still unconscious, sleeping quietly on the bed beside the window. She turned to the other side, where the second ghost was now awake.
He was sitting up slightly, wrapped in clean sheets. After having his face cleaned, Ruby could see him clearly for the first time. He was good-looking—almost painfully so. His face was delicate, like a porcelain doll. His skin was soft and light, though marked with red bruises and fading slap marks. He had striking green eyes, and his black hair fell softly across his forehead.
His face was lowered, lashes long and dark, casting fragile shadows on his cheeks. He looked like he didn’t know where he was until Ruby stepped closer.
He raised his gaze to her, and his eyes shimmered with tears.
"Thank you so much," he whispered, his voice cracking slightly.
A single tear fell down his cheek, as he stared at her like she had just pulled him out of the darkest corner of the world.
Ruby stood there quietly for a moment, her arms crossed gently, but her expression unreadable.
She had asked softly, "...Do you have family? Someone we can contact to take you home?" Her voice wasn’t cold—just calm, almost too calm, like she was afraid to show too much sympathy in front of someone so fragile.
"I’ll inform the officers," she added. "They’ll help you get back to your family if you tell us where."
The ghost looked away, his lashes lowering. His voice came out small and flat, as if the words had been used too many times before.
His fingers curled into the blanket as he stared down at them.
"...My parents died a month ago. I have nowhere to go."
He didn’t cry. He didn’t flinch.
He just said it like a truth he had already buried in himself.
Ruby’s breath caught for a second. She hadn’t expected that.
She didn’t answer right away.
Her eyes drifted lower... and landed on his arms. The sleeves had slipped a little.
Dark, ugly bruises that looked fresher now, blooming like wilted flowers across his pale skin.
Some on his wrist. Some crawling up to his elbow.
He had probably stopped noticing the pain days ago.
She pulled the chair closer, and instead of offering empty words, she simply sat beside him.
"...What’s your plan?" Ruby asked softly, her voice barely louder than the quiet hum of the hospital lights. She was still looking at him, her gaze resting on the side of his face.
The ghost didn’t answer right away.
He stared down at his hands—still a little shaky, still marked by bruises and swallowed. His black hair fell slightly over his eyes as he turned away, not wanting to be seen too closely.
"...I don’t know," he finally whispered.
—To be continued...🪄