A gentle breeze drifted over Oak, as the moon provided an eerie lighting. Although the majority of the streets were barren, Shin was the lonesome soul walking about. He had recently completed a request involving the disposing of a few bodies. Despite not being an intriguing request, it paid well enough to get by in today's inflated economy. He would need to reward himself with a cold beer once the opportunity presented itself.

*Ching*

Coming to an abrupt halt, Shin turned his head in the direction of the noise. There was no one around him so it could have been the wind along with his tired mind playing tricks. However, it was not that simple.

*Ching*

Before he could resume walking, his focus shifted to an empty park. The sounds of chains grinding against each other was enough to spook anyone but it was something that raised curiosity. Shifting his entire body in the direction of the park, Shin made his way over. As he entered the park, he took note of a trio of swings. Of the three, the one in the center was the only one swinging. Strange. The atmosphere in the area was also different then that on the streets. It wasn't necessarily ominous but rather auspicious. Taking his hands out from his pockets, Shin snapped his fingers resulting in a flame appearing atop his finger. As the light of the flame brought the area into focus, the swing ceased it's motions. It was like a scene from a horror movie.

Atop the seat of the swing, an apparition appeared to flicker into existence. It was a black sphere surrounded by a purple haze. It had large eyes and two fangs that were visible. By no means was it small either, as it had to be at least a meter tall. On edge, Shin tensed him muscles, prepared to engage the creature in combat. However, this would not be the case. Instead, the creature drifted from the swing over to Shin, encircling him with it's entire focus on the lit flame. It was not attacking Shin but was instead curious, similar to a child. "What the hell is this thing?"

"Oh my, it seems you've found yourself a ghastly lad." From ahead of Shin, an old lady with grey hair and closed eyes appeared seemingly from out the blue. How long had she been there? The creature she referred to as ghastly also noticed her appearing, drifting over to her. As she extended her hand out, ghastly perched atop it similar to a bird. "This creature here appears to have taken a liking to you lad. It's a rather mischievous creature and I'm surprised it did not attack you since you've entered it's domain." Puzzled by what was going on, Shin could have sworn he was dreaming. He had to be right? The thing was though, it was far too real to be a dream. "How do you know so much about it?" Shin asked. He was still on edge, not knowing if she was a mage and was planning to attack him. However, he could sense no hostile intent. "I'm a creature hunter lad. I've been observing this here ghastly for a little over two years now and it is the first time it has approached someone with curiosity since it met me. Here, put your other hand out," the old lady explained as he motioned for Shin to follow. Reluctantly, Shin reached forward with his right hand with the palm facing upward. In a quick instant, the ghastly flickered from her hand to Shin's with it's wide smile and eyes staring at him. "Should I kill it right now?" Shin thought to himself as he and the creature continued to exchange pleasantries.

"It want's to be your friend it would appear, a companion. Oh my. This is fascinating. The way it is perched atop your palm with it's eyes looking at you, it has accepted you as a friend," the old lady explained as she wiped a tear from her eye. "A companion huh? Can this thing fight?" Shin asked. He appeared to have finally calmed down a little as his muscles were less tense. If this thing was going to be his companion, it would need to be able to fight. "Of course. Ghastly are creatures of darkness so as you can imagine, it utilizes the element of darkness. It can only be as strong as you believe in it however. Be careful however child, as ghastly are naturally mischievous creatures." Before Shin could say anything, the old lady had disappeared as instantly as she had appeared. It was now just Shin and his new companion, ghastly. Allowing the flame on his finger to die out, he removed his hand from underneath the ghastly and began walking back to the streets as the ghastly followed. So it was true, the ghastly was ready to be his companion. Whether the two would get along remained to be seen but this was one hell of a way to return to Oak.