Ash People

"An upside-down cat?" White Beard still didn't feel afraid. He even quickened his pace and continued forward.

But when he reached the next streetlight, he unconsciously slowed down.

At this distance, he could finally make out the enormous cat before him and its strange movements.

It wasn't actually a cat, but a complete cat pelt.

The pelt was draped over a blackish-gray figure.

Its legs hung all the way down to the ground.

The shadows beneath it were black too, which was why White Beard hadn't noticed the figure from a distance.

"Who's there?"

White Beard continued forward, but his steps had grown much more cautious.

He cautiously probed the black figure in the cat pelt with his Mental Power.

The figure was exceptionally sensitive. The instant White Beard's Mental Power touched it, it whipped its head around.

Its face was hidden beneath the flat cat's face, with only its chin faintly visible.

The chin was black too, as if someone had spent a year living in a pile of coal ash.

"A person? No, a Grudge Spirit?" White Beard didn't retreat, but unease stirred inside him.

When his Mental Power swept over it just now, the first impression he got was that the figure was human.

But his eyes told him that the thing wearing the cat pelt couldn't possibly be human.

Which should he trust: the feedback from his Mental Power or his eyes?

Unfortunately, in the world of Wizards, neither was always reliable.

The streetlight overhead flickered again.

When it stopped, the world before him was even dimmer.

White Beard suddenly felt cold, as if countless mouths were blowing on him.

As the thought crossed his mind, he saw from the corner of his eye that his beard was swaying gently.

His heartbeat grew faster and faster.